Heath Ledger stunned the world with his portrayal of the Joker in live-action and animated Jokers. Each one helped chip away a bit of the mystery behind the Joker, revealing the true horror of a man who wasn't interested in anything except causing as much chaos as humanly possible.
There's no way to call the Joker's quotes from The Dark Knight nuggets of wisdom, but plenty have an element of truth to them. Throughout The Dark Knight, the Joker drops exposition about himself and his view of the world. These quotes help the audience to understand the character better and some have become pop culture memes all by themselves, while others tend to get overlooked in the script. The best Joker quotes from The Dark Knight are often the most subtle lines of the movie, with terrifying implications revealed once the surface is scratched away.
25 “I Believe That Whatever Doesn’t Kill You, Simply Makes You... Stranger.”
A Chilling Twist On A Classic Phrase
It's obvious that the Joker is a disturbed individual with a troubled past, and this is hinted at several times in the film when he attempts to tell an origin story about his facial scars. However, it's this original quote at the beginning of the film that foreshadows those moments. The more times the Joker faces death and emerges the victor, the more warped his mind becomes.
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It's quite possible that the Joker wants to die, and keeps looking for a worthy opponent who can make it happen. In the interim, he embraces the impact. The line is, of course, a twist on the classic "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" and sets the tone for the character's entire persona.
24 "You Wanna Know How I Got These Scars?"
A Terrifying Introduction
Heath Ledger's Joker was able to instill fear in Mobsters the same way he was able to with ordinary citizens. There is something unhinged about him, and his facial scars demand to be looked at. One way Joker gets under the skin of people is by asking them if they want to know how he got the scars on his face. He accompanies this question by holding a blade to their mouth, and at any moment, it's possible he could use it.
He asks this question a few times throughout the film. First, to the Mob boss who puts a bounty on him, then Joker kills him with the knife he threatens people with. Second, is with Rachel at the fundraiser for Harvey Dent. Finally, he asks Batman that question during their final confrontation. It is an iconic line that is still quoted to this day.
23 "And I Thought MY Jokes Were Bad!"
Levity In A Tense Situation
The Joker certainly had guts in The Dark Knight, especially when it came to sauntering into a secret meeting of Gotham's most dangerous mobsters and offering a proposal. By that time, he'd stolen from each of them, while encroaching on their territory and murdering their men. He entered the meeting just as they were discussing the moving of their money away from the eyes of the law, and into protective holding.
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Lau (Chin Han) assured them that their money was safe, prompting the Joker to enter with a fake laugh and mutter this quote. He knew it was only a matter of time before Batman (Christian Bale) would foil them. It's a perfect encapsulation of this Joker - not without humor, but always with a surprising level of self-awareness underneath the chaos.
22 “If You’re Good At Something, Never Do It For Free.”
The Joker Knows How To Make The Most Of His Talents
When the Joker wanders into the meeting of Gotham's top mobsters, he points out why they’re meeting during the day – Batman has them afraid to go out at night. He then proposes a simple solution, which is to kill Batman. The mobsters ask him why he hasn’t done it himself, and the Joker counters, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.”
Joker shows his willingness to make things up and say whatever the situation calls for.
Ironically, the Joker would upend this comment by burning a massive pallet of cash, just for the sake of proving a point regarding the balance between order and chaos. However, it's not an accidental contradiction. Joker shows his willingness to make things up and say whatever the situation calls for throughout the movie, and this was simply a great line to get Gotham's mobsters to listen.
21 "I'm A Man Of My Word."
Even The Joker Has A Code
This Joker quote is one of the most chilling of The Dark Knight, and takes place shortly after one of Batman's costumed vigilante irers winds up dead. The Joker makes a video of him tormenting the vigilante which is broadcast on the news, and he issues an ultimatum and a threat to Gotham City's inhabitants. The Joker closes the video with these ominous words before laughing maniacally, while his victim begins screaming in the background.
It's a haunting moment. Despite not being overly grotesque, it's perhaps how grounded and real the whole scene feels that makes it more chilling than Joker's more theatrical acts of mayhem. This scene makes it clear just why everyone is so terrified of Joker, and audiences can't help but feel the same way.
20 "It's Simple. We, Uh, Kill The Batman."
A Pretty Simple Plan
Heath Ledger's Joker understands how to get people to do what he wants. When speaking to a group of mobsters, he proposes a simple solution to all their problems. He helps them kill the Batman. Of course, to them, it seems like a great idea, but there is more to it than they might realize, as Joker's plans later involve keeping Batman alive.
In fact, as the movie progresses and Joker and Batman interact more, it feels like he had never actually planned on killing him. Instead, it was a way to prove to the mobsters that he was serious about what he was proposing and a way for them to begin to take him a bit more seriously as a villain.
19 “Now, I See The Funny Side. Now, I’m Always Smiling!”
Joker's Mysterious History Teased
One of the Joker's defining attributes as a character is the ambiguity around his backstory. In The Dark Knight, this is hinted at several times when the Joker references the origin of his facial scars. The version of the story that he tells Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) involves his ex-wife being attacked by loan sharks, prompting him to cut his own face in solidarity.
How Did The Joker Actually Get His Scars?
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The audience clearly isn't expected to believe him, as it differs from another story that he tells about the origin of his scars, but it's a chilling tale nonetheless. Moreover, Heath Ledger's delivery of the final line is abnormally disturbing for a comic book movie. It's the characters introduction for several people in-scene, and he undeniably leaves a lasting impression.
18 "Never Start With The Head! The Victim Gets All... Fuzzy!"
A Gruesome Guide
After failing to crack under Jim Gordon's (Gary Oldman) interrogation when he's finally caught, Joker was given over to Batman, who tries brute violence to get the information needed. Joker not only doesn't really seem all that hurt by Batman's furious attacks, but he even manages to crack a joke immediately after being surprised by Batman from behind.
It's an unnerving scene, but the response is still one of the funniest Joker quotes from The Dark Knight. It encapsulates his ability to mix the threatening with the mundane, as he does in several of his other best lines. Moreover, it opens a wonderful scene that remains iconic.
17 "Very Poor Choice Of Words..."
Some Twisted Humor
ParagraphSome might say that Heath Ledger's Joker isn't funny enough, but that couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, Joker in The Dark Knight has comedic moments throughout, it is just incredibly dark humor. One of his best comedic lines comes during the fundraiser scene for Harvey Dent.
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After interacting with Rachel at the party, and intimidating her with stories about his scars, Batman shows up and demands that Joker let her go. Of course, Joker is holding Rachel out of an open window and humorously replies that Batman had a poor choice of words given the situation. This leads to Joker letting Rachel fall out the window, and he escapes the party while Batman is preoccupied trying to save her.
16 “In Their Last Moments, People Show You Who They Really Are.”
Insight Into Joker's Violence
Among other things, the Joker was first and foremost a cold-blooded killer. However, he took great delight in making others kill on his behalf. This was demonstrated early on when he snaps a pool cue in half and forces two mob henchmen to fight to the death in order to save their own lives.
Later, this action would be repeated on a much bigger scale when the Joker rigs two boats with explosives, and leaves detonators on board both ships. This Joker quote summed up his nihilistic view of a world where everyone was out for their own survival, though he's ultimately proven wrong. He's right that people show their true colors, but those colors are often bright.
