The cartoon sci-fi sitcom, Rick and Morty, is rife with memorable moments, zany concepts, and hilarious gags. These traits largely stem from the crazy adventures and shenanigans the mad scientist Rick and his grandson get into. In addition to the fun, otherworldly themes and settings, one of the biggest appeals of the show is the clever dialogue and writing as a whole.
And while Rick tends to hog the spotlight when it comes to amusing zingers and blunt words of wisdom, his thoughtful grandson certainly has his share.
With that said, let’s grab our portal guns as we explore 10 of Morty’s most memorable quotes.
“Must Continue Moving In Ways That Lead To Dying With You.”
The long-awaited 4th season of Rick and Morty began with a bang, as the dynamic duo venture out to gather some death crystals. Amidst a chaotic plot with Holographic Ricks, insect Smiths, and Fascist Morty, Morty decides to use one of the crystals to his advantage.
In an Akira-esque premise, he becomes consumed with power as the crystal reveals his future after his every move and utterance. He exploits this to reach a future that seemingly leads him dying as an old man in the arms of his crush, Jessica.
This line isn’t particularly profound or hilarious, but rather, it helps sum up this insane episode and demonstrates Morty’s overarching motives. The quote spells out his unwavering desire to be with Jessica, which reaches a fever pitch of absurdity as he wreaks havoc on the town.
“Get It All Together And Put It In A Backpack…”
As Summer looks to stop Rick’s escapades in his “tiny” clone form which is revealing red flags, Morty busts out this gem which he curses her out for “not wanting them to be happy.”
Summer’s efforts fail to pierce through Morty’s wall of naivety and Tiny Rick’s stubbornness. This is made clear when Morty lashes out by informing her to “get your sh*t together” in a slew of colorful ways.
And just when you think he’s finished and left the scene, he pops back in the doorway with one last remark, truly providing that finishing touch.
“The Division I See Is Between The Ricks And Mortys That Like The Citadel Divided, And The Rest Of Us.”
Season 3’s “Tales from the Citadel” left quite the impression on many with its complex premise and general insanity. The episode takes place in the Citadel of Ricks, populated by versions of Rick and Morty from alternate dimensions. The plot escalates into a pretty dark and nuanced tale, featuring dystopian themes and sociopolitical commentary.
One memorable bit among many is the scene in which Candidate Morty wins a crowd over by launching into a touching, heavy speech about societal injustices and the perils of division. Even if it wasn’t spoken by our main Morty, this speech by the Morty Party candidate shines as a surprisingly profound quote with some relevance.
“What’s The Atmosphere Like On Planet Jessica?”
During the season 3 episode “Rest and Ricklaxation,” the duo decides to detoxify after a stressful adventure. Though in typical Rick and Morty form, the tech behind this alien detoxifier takes things to another level. In fact, it actually separates the negative, toxic versions of them into living sludgy manifestations.
As Morty’s toxins are the negative, timid parts of his persona, his new cleansed self becomes an overtly spritely “go-getter,” who busts out one-liners and bits of wisdom to his crush, Jessica, during a date.
Unfortunately for Morty, his perky demeanor, constant ramblings, and colorful metaphors about getting to know “planet Jessica” don’t quite land. Regardless, this is an amusing moment for our protagonist, largely because it’s so unlike him.
“Whether It’s Our Parents’ Marriage, A Glowing Green Rock, Or An Awesome Giant Arm, Sooner Or Later, We Got To Let It Go.”
Beth and Jerry’s kids open season 3 on something of a rocky note, as they’re both coping (in their own unique ways) with their parents’ divorce. Luckily, Rick sends them to a dystopian ruin in the vein of Mad Max, where they’re able to act out on their angst and frustration in various over-the-top ways.
For Morty, this means humoring a sentient muscular arm attachment, which seemingly has a score to settle with some people, beating them senseless. Upon losing this attachment, Morty’s character arc reaches completion in this amusing line of dialogue, which he draws parallels to the attachment of his parents’ marriage.
“I’m Alive I Tell You!”
Another quotable gem from the same episode, “Rickmancing the Stone,” actually comes from a robotic clone of Morty, but hey - we feel it’s close enough to warrant inclusion, especially with how bonkers it is.
While the real Morty and Summer are off getting into monkeyshines in their post-apocalyptic new home, Rick assembles lifelike droids to deter Beth. But while this charade starts smoothly enough, the robotic Morty suddenly gains sentience. What follows is a pretty epic tirade in which he professes his love for his mother and expresses his desire to savor ice cream and run in a stream.
One can’t help but feel for this awakened Morty-bot when Rick shuts him down.
“That Just Sounds Like Slavery With Extra Steps.”
This trippy episode, “The Ricks Must be Crazy” has Rick and Morty transport themselves inside a battery that’s blossomed into a thriving colony of microscopic, intelligent beings. There are plenty of amusing, stand-out moments for Rick and his grandson as they venture into the exponentially tiny battery societies.
Yet, Morty really shines with a line to Rick in which he questions the morality of Rick getting this civilization running just to power his car’s battery. Rick explains that, in fact, this isn’t “slavery,” but rather, merely a society; at which point, Morty responds with this thought-provoking gem. The quote, in fact, works so well that Rick ends up poaching it for himself later.
“Everything Real Turns Fake, Everything Right Is Wrong…”
When confronted by the Council and pressured to renounce their version of their grandfather who’s viewed as a terrorist, Morty explains that he won’t go that far. In a rather touching moment, he explains that he just wished to protect Summer from the chaos that comes with being exposed to the boundless and all-knowing.
Basically, “all you find out is that you know nothing and he knows everything.”
This season 3 quote is solid in its clear illustration of Morty’s often traumatic experiences traveling across the universe and beyond with the scientific genius, Rick.
“…Maybe The Public Giving A **** About You Feelings Is A One-Way Ticket To Extinction!”
Sure, perhaps Morty was speaking out of sheer frustration when launching into this philosophical tirade during the episode, “Interdimensional Cable 2.” Summer, after all, does confirm this after she finds Morty’s female classmate has yet to text him back.
It’s also an overreaction and exaggeration - since Summer’s comment which led to this response was merely about the violent nature of interdimensional TV.
Still - Morty’s rant to Summer about the virtues of unfiltered, uncensored content and discussion makes for a memorable line. One can’t help but wonder if something akin to this discussion was had in the Rick and Morty writers’ room at some point.
“Nobody Exists On Purpose. Nobody Belongs Anywhere. Everybody’s Gonna Die. Come Watch TV.”
Jerry and Beth’s relationship issues reach a boiling point in “Interdimensional Cable.” In it, Rick reveals special goggles that offer glimpses into alternate lives, which spurs conflict. After Summer learns of the poor choices of their parents - the biggest being the unwanted pregnancy leading to her birth - she’s on the verge of running away from home.
This is, until Morty chimes in which this uncommon bit of wisdom and profundity. It’s a nice way to sum up the philosophical, thought-provoking premise of the entire show, for starters.
One can’t help but smile when hearing this line - not just because of the encouraging perspective it offers, but also because of Morty’s kindness and sincerity to Summer.
