Summary

• The best Jack Sparrow quotes showcase why Johnny Depp's Pirates of the Caribbean character went from comic relief to carrying the franchise.
• Jack Sparrow stands out among movie characters thanks to his best quotes being a mix of both single words and long verbose lines of dialogue.
• Despite many of his most memorable lines being the funniest ones, there's also several Jack Sparrow quotes show the wisdom and insight he hides beneath his bufoonery.

The best Jack Sparrow quotes not only show why he is the breakout star of the Pirates of the Caribbean but also one of the most popular cinematic heroes of all time. Though Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) were the heroes of the first three movies, Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) became the main character. Across all the movies, he delivers some brilliantly funny lines of dialogue as well as some insightful musings on life, but most of the best Jack Sparrow quotes come from the earlier films in the franchise.

Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is rumored to be moving onto new characters, but Captain Jack would certainly be missed. Whether the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise will escape the gargantuan shadow of Jack Sparrow's boisterous screen presence is something that remains to be seen, as he naturally has the lion's share of the best Pirates of the Caribbean quotes. With quips, songs, or just interesting observations, the best Jack Sparrow quotes have plenty of life left in them for future generations to enjoy, as well as old fans revisiting the films.

20 "Savvy?"

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

It's clear that Jack Sparrow is an incredibly entertaining character, as many of his best quotes are a single word made memorable by Johnny Depp's delivery and the context — such is the case with Jack's simple way of confirming he's been understood, which is by asking "savvy?". This became something of a catchphrase for Captain Jack in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies with Johnny Depp's fun delivery selling the simple line as a memorable one.

He asks this question whenever he is making a deal or explaining his latest wild plan to someone which ends up happening a lot throughout the franchise. However, whenever Captain Jack asks someone this, it is as if he is asking them to put their trust in him which often proves to be a bad idea. The "savvy" also comes after he explains something that is intentionally confusing.

19 "Pirate."

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

This is another repeated Jack Sparrow quote that highlights how proudly he embraces being a scoundrel, and is yet another example of the Pirates of the Caribbean character turning a single word into a memorable line of dialogue. Jack says this during his first confrontation with Will Turner. After the two have a sword fight for a bit, Will is surprised that Jack cheats in order to get the upper hand.

He repeats this line in Dead Man's Chest when Elizabeth leaves him behind to die, suggesting a bit of respect in seeing her embrace her dishonest side

Without remorse, Jack simply says "Pirate," as if it is Will's fault for expecting anything more. Jack is a liar, a cheat, and a thief among other things, but he never pretends he's something else. Interestingly, he repeats this line in Dead Man's Chest when Elizabeth leaves him behind to die, suggesting a bit of respect in seeing her embrace her dishonest side and acknowledging that she'd also make a good pirate — and, since she became a Pirate King, he was right.

18 "What A Horrible Way To Live."

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

Though Will and Elizabeth aren't in Pirates of the Caribbean 4, they play a role in the fifth movie. However, it is mostly their son Henry and the new character of Carina who Jack on his latest adventure. Jack is largely uninterested in these young heroes and perceives them as even more boring than Will and Elizabeth. He makes his distaste for their lifestyle and values quite known on a fair few occasions, though this Jack Sparrow quote from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is by far the most memorable of them.

When facing a dangerous enemy, Carina insists she is not looking for trouble, only for Jack to suggest such a life is unappealing to him. Jack is a born troublemaker, and despite the close calls he faces as a result, he wouldn't have it any other way.

17 "Sorry Mate, Couldn't Resist."

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

The Pirates of the Caribbean movies have included some terrific twists to keep audiences on guard, but there was one standout moment in the first movie when it convincingly seems as though Jack Sparrow was killed. Facing off with the undead Barbossa, Jack is stabbed, only to stumble backward into the moonlight, revealing himself to also be an undead skeleton.

Jack's use of the word "mate" when speaking to his (at the time) nemesis Barbossa makes this Jack Sparrow quote all the more memorable

He shows Barbossa one of the coins from the cursed chest that he took and gives this hilarious apology. Jack is a cunning and resourceful pirate, even if he might seem bumbling at times, and the fact that he is able to catch Barbossa and the audience by surprise with this trick is impressive. Jack's use of the word "mate" when speaking to his (at the time) nemesis Barbossa makes this Jack Sparrow quote all the more memorable, too.

16 "It’s A Pirate's Life For Me."

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

One of the things that makes Jack such an endearing hero is that he is a simple man at heart. On Stranger Tides finds Jack on a quest that brings him to the Fountain of Youth only to give up the chance of discovering it in the end. When Tibbs asks him why, Jack explains that he has no interest in such discoveries or making a name for himself in that way. He is a pirate at heart and isn't willing to give that up for anything.

This Jack Sparrow quote is not only memorable, but it's also a homage to the spiritual routes of the franchise. While the films may have globally overtaken the Disneyland ride, they are still based on the classic Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at the House of Mouse's theme-park — the signature song of which features the lyrics "yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me".

15 "Bring Me That Horizon."

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

It remains to be seen what Jack Sparrow's future in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise will be, but there is a sense that this character's adventures could go on forever. While he may have several unsavory personality quirks, Jack is endearing because of the joy he gets from adventure on the high seas. One of the rare moments Jack seems to be emotional is when he gets the Black Pearl back at the end of the first movie.

Looking out across the open sea, he delivers this wonderful line that suggests he will be happy forever chasing the unattainable and just enjoying the journey along the way.

Looking out across the open sea, he delivers this wonderful line that suggests he will be happy forever chasing the unattainable and just enjoying the journey along the way. Part of the appeal of Jack Sparrow is that he's an incredibly verbose character with grandiose verbal mannerisms, and this simple quote perfectly exemplifies this — and it's one of several lines in the script of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie that made it such a success.

14 "I've Got A Jar Of Dirt!"

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

Among the many things that make Jack Sparrow such a great pirate is his ability to use humor in even the most stressful situations. This Jack Sparrow quote was directed at Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) and ended up being a little overly cocky. Jack had hidden Jones’ heart in the jar of dirt earlier so that Jones couldn’t reach it, making it a guaranteed bargaining chip for later.

This line was also made popular thanks to memes and even a song remix that emerged on YouTube shortly after the release of Dead Man's Chest.

Not knowing that Norrington (Jack Davenport) had already stolen the heart, Jack hilariously danced around yelling his triumph. Celebrating such a strange thing shows how foolish Jack can make himself look, especially when he starts to assume victory before he actually secures it. What's more, this line was also made popular thanks to memes and even a song remix that emerged on YouTube shortly after the release of Dead Man's Chest.

13 "I’m Dishonest, And A Dishonest Man You Can Always Trust To Be Dishonest."

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Being a pirate, there’s no doubt that Jack Sparrow did a lot of bad things, and yet, it was almost honorable how open he was about his life. He didn’t make any claims that he was a good man, meaning there was a level of honesty even in his dishonesty. However, Jack often does warn people of his dishonesty and other vial traits, while also frequently becoming the unexpected hero of the day.

This Jack Sparrow quote could be a glimpse into the fact that he likes people to think that he is a more treacherous pirate than he actually is. It's also one of several examples of Jack speaking in a way that seems confusing on the surface, often repeating the same words multiple times in a sentence, in order to leave others bamboozled. However, as is also often the case, when properly picked apart his point makes a lot of sense.

12 "My Tremendous Intuitive Sense Of The Female Creature Informs Me That You Are Troubled."

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

Jack Sparrow's love life is, in a word, tumultuous. His relationship with women seems to be of the love/hate kind, with every woman that loves him either coming to hate him in the end, or hating themselves for not being able to get over it. There's even an argument to be made that Elizabeth should have been with Jack rather than Will. However, Elizabeth also likely did herself a favor by avoiding a romance with him, as Jack doesn't seem to have the best history with women in his life.

While Jack likes to believe otherwise, this line is filled with irony in that he fails to even understand women enough to acknowledge how bad he is at keeping relationships with them.

He had a habit of getting slapped by girls he’d earlier ditched and inspiring hate in them that doesn't go away easily. While Jack likes to believe otherwise, this line is filled with irony in that he fails to even understand women enough to acknowledge how bad he is at keeping relationships with them. That's what makes this Jack Sparrow quote so memorable, made all the more so by Jack being overly verbose.

11 "Mate, If You Choose To Lock Your Heart Away, You'll Lose Her For Certain."

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

This is rather wholesome as far as Jack Sparrow quotes go, and contains a rare dose of completely unfiltered wisdom that isn't hidden beneath almost-undiscernable word salad. Despite the love triangle that he develops with Will and Elizabeth, Jack was rooting for these two to have a happy romance in the end. As Will lamented that his efforts to try and save his father Bill Turner (Stellan Skarsgård) from Davy Jones were pulling him away from Elizabeth, Jack gave him this very intelligent advice.

Not many Jack Sparrow quotes could be considered wise or helpful, but he is a smarter character than he lets on. It is also proof that he does care about Will and Elizabeth deeply, even though he attempts to hide that as well. This quote also shows that, while Jack is comic relief more often than not, he also understands the world around him more than he lets on, and its glimpses of insight like this that were an early sign he could carry the franchise after Will and Elizabeth's departure.