20 Best Quotes In The Last Of Us

20 It's the Normal People That Scare Me."

Bill

• Season 1, Episode 4, "Please Hold to My Hand"

One of the most important themes in The Last of Us is the cruelty of people. Yes, zombies are horrifying, but people have the intelligence, resources, and greed to become a way more dangerous threat. In a post-apocalyptic world, surprisingly, most humans are protecting themselves mostly from other humans, and not from the Infected.

From the very beginning, Bill was suspicious of people, and for good reason. Trusting Frank brought him the love of his life, but he wasn't naive enough to invite other people to his safe space. He understood that the biggest danger of all was people willing to hurt others for their own gain. This quote is one of the most relevant ones in The Last of Us because, even though there are no zombies in real life, there are plenty of normal people, which is terrifying.

19 "The Only People Who Can Betray Us Are The Ones We Trust."

Maria

• Season 1, Episode 6, "Kin"

Maria Miller is one of the leaders of a safe community in Jackson, Wyoming, and she's married to Joel's little brother, Tommy. To make sure her people are safe from not only the Infected but from cruel people beyond their walls, Maria has to be intelligent, tough, and stern.

Maria takes a liking to Ellie, and she gives her this advice. It might seem a bit cynical, but Maria is right. The Last of Us portrays a world where most people would kill others to save themselves. Even though Joel was eventually worthy of Ellie's trust, Ellie shouldn't have trusted him so easily initially.

18 "It Was Either Him Or Me."

Joel

• Season 1, Episode 4, "Please Hold to My Hand"

This is one of the emotional scenes in The Last of Us. Ellie likes to pretend she's tough, but she's just a kid in the end. After she shoots a man to save Joel's life, she has to listen to him begging for his life as Joel finishes him with a knife. Killing Infected is one thing; killing people alive who are scared is a whole other one.

The problem with this scene is that it causes a moral dilemma. Joel tries to justify his actions by stating that it was either the other man or himself. However, Joel kills the other man when he's already hurt and unarmed. Ultimately, there's probably not a right choice in a world led by survival of the fittest. However, The Last of Us gives the audience these kinds of moments for them to reflect on what's truly fair and what isn't.

17 "You Mattered To Me First."

Ellie

• Season 1, Episode 7, "Left Behind"

Episode 7 of The Last of Us tells the story of Ellie and Riley, one of the most heartbreaking arcs of the series. Ellie and Riley were both students at a FEDRA (Federal Disaster Response Agency) military facility. However, Riley leaves to become part of the Fireflies rebellion. This leaves Ellie and Riley in completely opposite groups. As a goodbye, Riley plans a night out in an abandoned mall with Ellie, full of surprising and magical moments.

Ellie is clearly smitten with Riley and when the latter tells her she feels she matters to the Fireflies, Ellie replies with this harrowing quote. The love between these two teenagers in such a horrible time completely moved the audience. This quote shows Ellie's unwavering love and loyalty, even when the world is crumbling around her. It's also one of the moments that consolidates Bella Ramsey's outstanding acting skills.

16 "There's Always Been Something Bad Out There."

Joel

• Season 1, Episode 9, "Look For the Light"

The last episode of The Last of Us sees a radical change in the personalities of the two main characters -- and it makes sense, since both of them have gone through hell and back. However, they finally reach the hospital, which was always their main objective: getting Ellie to the hospital to get the vaccine out of her. Still, Joel is distrustful as always, and he is not optimistic about the hospital's intentions. In fact, given the track record, he's pretty pessimistic about it.

This quote is bittersweet. Pedro Pascal delivers it in a funny tone, but at the same time, it's true. They haven't had the best luck during their journey. What's worse, Joel ends up being right. The hospital planned to kill Ellie to get the vaccine, so as always, there was indeed something bad out there.

15 "Did You Know Diarrhea Is Hereditary?"

Ellie

• Season 1, Episode 4, "Please Hold to My Hand"

Joel and Ellie didn't exactly hit it off in their first introduction. For three episodes, the two bickered and picked on one another. Ellie found joy in seeing Joel squirm, ticked off, while Joel couldn't wait to pass Ellie off to someone else. It's not until the end of Season 1, Episode 4, "Please Hold to My Hand," that Joel starts to warm up to Ellie.

Having found a pun book at an abandoned gas station, Ellie sees an awkward silence between the pair as an opportunity to show off her comedian skills. Joel and Ellie had just stepped into QZ war and needed to lighten the mood. The full diarrhea joke makes Joel crack a smile for the first time since meeting Ellie, reminding him of his daughter Sarah.

14 "Everybody I Have Ever Cared For Has Either Died Or Left Me."

Ellie

• Season 1, Episode 6, "Kin"

In "Kin," Joel asks Tommy to relieve him of his duty to deliver Ellie to the Fireflies. Ellie believes it's because Joel doesn't want anything to do with her, but in reality, Joel is worried that he's going to fail Ellie. The two get in a heated argument, leading to an exchange of harsh words.

Ellie finally breaks through her shell by revealing how she truly feels about Joel. She doesn't explicitly tell him she cares for him, but she recognizes him as the only person she has left in her life that hasn't died or abandoned her.

13 "I Swear."

Joel

• Season 1, Episode 9, "Look For the Light"

The ending of the first game is verbatim to the The Last of Us Season 1 finale. Joel ambushes the Fireflies' attempt to kill Ellie for a cure and lies to Ellie about what happened at the hospital. Ellie questions Joel, giving him one more chance to be honest with her, but he swears he is.

The relationship between Joel and Ellie built up to this moment where it would all fall apart. Joel finally replaced the hole Sarah left in his heart, but destroyed everything the moment he lied to Ellie. Earlier in that episode, she had expressed that she wanted to go through with meeting the Fireflies because their journey couldn't have been for nothing. Upon hearing that the Fireflies have given up, she knows Joel chose his own desires over what she and humanity need.

12 "Bomb This City And Everyone In It."

Dr. Ratna

• Season 1, Episode 2, "Infected"

In the second flashback of the series, viewers come to learn about the origins of the virus in Indonesia. Dr. Ratna Pertiwi is asked to consult about the virus that has spread in a flour factory. When asked what the solution is, she simply responds, "Bomb the city and everyone in it."

Dr. Ratna Pertiwi's response instills the terrifying fear that the virus cannot be stopped. For an expert like herself to suggest that the only solution is to murder millions of people to prevent the spread, it only means that the Cordyceps virus could cause humanity's extinction. For the most part, it succeeded.

11 "Endure And Survive."

Ellie and Sam

• Season 1, Episode 5, "Endure and Survive"

"Endure and survive" spawned a thousand tattoos in The Last of Us fan community. The quote, taken from the fictional comic Savage Starlight, originates in the first video game as the motto Ellie reminds herself to keep going. The quote became so iconic that the fifth episode of the first season was named after it.

In the fifth episode, Ellie and Sam find comics in an abandoned underground community. It's the first moment Ellie acts like a kid as she gets excited over finding the comics. Sam teaches her how to sign the catchphrase, forming a close bond between the two kids.

10 "Save Who You Can Save."

Tess

• Season 1, Episode 2, "Infected"

Those who weren't familiar with The Last of Us game may not have seen Tess' death coming in Episode 2, but it ultimately drove Ellie and Joel forward. Joel was only tempted to deliver Ellie to the Fireflies because of the promised rewards, but Tess tried to sway his mind.

When Tess was bitten, she made Joel swear to her that he would see this through and escort Ellie to safety. "Save who you can save" was such a powerful final sentence that Joel sprung into action and dragged Ellie out of the room to safety.

9 "We Lose."

Dr. Neuman

• Season 1, Episode 1, "When You're Lost In The Darkness"

HBO's The Last of Us has proven to be a faithful adaptation for the most part, and any deviations from the source material have served a purpose. The cold open of Episode 1 included a flashback before Joel and Sarah's story. The flashback showed a talk show in 1968 where John Hannah's Doctor Neuman laid out the facts about how a Cordyceps mutation would work if it somehow made its way to humans.

The presenter and audience initially laughed off Neuman's ominous warnings, but they eventually fell silent as they listened to his compelling theories and predictions. Neuman set the stage for the 2003 outbreak while briefly explaining what the Cordyceps is all about, ending it on the horrifying note of, "we lose."

8 "I Was Never Afraid Before You Showed Up."

Bill

• Season 1, Episode 3, "Long, Long Time"

While HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us has remained extremely faithful to the game, some episodes have branched out and explored certain areas in greater detail. "Long, Long Time" was one such example, as it dedicated a whole episode to Bill and Frank's life together.

"Long, Long Time" explores how the pair met and fell in love, with numerous witty, romantic, and tragic quotes throughout. However, "I was never afraid before you showed up" was a rare burst of emotion from Bill, who had survived by alone for many years before he met Frank. This quote perfectly sums up his love for Frank.

7 "It Wasn't Time That Did It."

Joel

• Season 1, Episode 9, "Look For The Light"

Episode 9 of The Last of Us wrapped up Joel and Ellie's journey across America to a Firefly facility in dramatic fashion, but not before having some truly heartfelt moments between the pair. Previously, Joel explained his scar and lack of hearing to Ellie as "someone who had shot and missed." In Episode 9, Joel revealed he was the one who shot and missed.

In a heartbreaking moment, Joel explained how he couldn't handle Sarah's death, but he flinched when he tried to take his own life. Ellie understood this as "time heals old wounds," but Joel responded with, "It wasn't time that did it." It was a beautiful moment that showed them both being vulnerable, cementing their close bond.

6 "Everything Happens For A Reason."

David

• Season 1, Episode 8, "When We Are In Need"

Despite his pleasant demeanor around Ellie upon their initial meeting, David was a monster camouflaged as a preacher. The latter stages of "When We Are in Need" showed his true colors, but his earlier conversation with Ellie was especially interesting.

David insisted that "everything happens for a reason" before explaining that Joel and Ellie killed one of his crew. It was a thought-provoking revelation that had viewers considering the difference between luck and fate. Ellie even retorted it herself when trying to convince David that she had infected him later on.

5 "A Bad Reputation Doesn't Mean You're Bad."

Tommy

• Season 1, Episode 6, "Kin"

One of Tommy's first sentences after being reunited with his brother Joel in Episode 6 was defending his group's forceful actions when they detained Joel and Ellie. "A bad reputation doesn't mean you're bad" is rather underappreciated, as it can be applied as a point of contention for The Last of Us' first season.

While Tommy was using the line to defend his own group's actions, Maria immediately twisted it into a dig at Joel and his bad reputation being accurate and justified. The themes of Joel's violent actions and their consequences were present throughout the entire season, but in Episode 9, Joel killed all the Fireflies, which then raised questions about whether Joel can justify his actions.

4 "It's Okay, Baby Girl."

Joel

• Season 1, Episode 8, "When We Are In Need"

Joel's desperation to get his daughter to safety in Episode 1 was ultimately defined by his panicked reassurances in calling Sarah "baby girl" as he held her in his arms. This came full circle in Joel and Ellie's heartwarming interaction in Episode 8.

Ellie emerged from her ordeal with David and stumbled across Joel. Joel was finally treating Ellie as a daughter, as symbolized by his reassuring, "it's okay, baby girl. I got you." The affectionate nickname proved their bond was finally there, just in time for the dramatic season finale.

3 "We Can Just Be All Poetic And Lose Our Minds Together."

Riley

• Season 1, Episode 7, "Left Behind"

Episode 7 found a way to incorporate the original game's DLC of the same name and look back at Ellie's backstory, which introduced her best friend Riley. Riley and Ellie enjoyed their final night together at an abandoned mall and had a romantic connection before they were both attacked by an Infected.

Riley and Ellie were both resigned to their fates, but when considering their options, Riley's words really hit hard. This suggestion was heartbreaking, as the audience already knew that Ellie outlived Riley due to her immunity. It also implied that Ellie had to watch her best friend turn and kill her.

2 "I'll Follow You Anywhere You Go."

Ellie

• Season 1, Episode 9, "Look For The Light"

Joel slowly warmed to Ellie throughout Season 1, but Episode 9 was the culmination of their journey together. Joel suggested to Ellie that they could forget going to the Fireflies and turn back to Tommy's settlement, but Ellie rejected the idea.

Ellie felt that, considering everything they had both lost on their journey, turning back would make it all for nothing. When Ellie said that she would follow Joel anywhere, Joel had to fight back tears, as he pictured a life of settling down with a daughter. This conversation showed Ellie's determination to get the job done, but with hope of a happily ever after.

1 "If You Turn Into A Monster, Is It Still You Inside?"

Sam

• Season 1, Episode 5, "Endure and Survive"

Henry and Sam's deaths were devastating in "Endure and Survive," as the pair had just agreed to travel with Joel and Ellie before Sam revealed he was bitten. Sam communicated through either sign language or using pen and paper and, with the latter, he asked Ellie about what happened after succumbing to the infection.

Sam's words posed an interesting question and led to a horrifying revelation that someone so young and innocent had to endure such a violent turn. However, that is just the nature of this grim universe in The Last of Us.