The Best Firefly Quotes From the Cowboys in Space Series

Firefly is one of the few shows that has an incredible fan base, even though it only ever aired one season.

Perhaps that’s because of just how quotable the dialog is.

According to a report by Variety, Firefly has continued to attract new fans even 20 years after its initial airing, thanks in part to its availability on streaming services like Netflix.

This statistic can be used to demonstrate the ongoing relevance and appeal of Firefly to new audiences, who may be discovering the series for the first time.

The show’s lines are so good, in fact, that we’ve created our own list of the best Firefly quotes from the series.

The series was created by writer and director Joss Whedon, who is best known for being the creator of the cult-classic television show, Buffy The Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series, Angel.

He is more recently recognized for his efforts in the cinematic comic book world as writer and director in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe.

Less popular, but still beloved, Whedon is also the creator of the “Cowboys in Space” television series, Firefly.

Despite being well-received by fans and critics alike, Firefly was sadly canceled after just one season.

The series won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2003, and TV Guide ranked it at No. 5 on their 2013 list of 60 shows that were “Cancelled Too Soon”.

Though the series never met its full potential, the show lives on through these Firefly quotes.

Don’t forget to also check out these inspiring Interstellar quotes about love and humanity.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration. 

Our inspirational quote category page has even more inspirational and educational quotes.

Funny Firefly quotes and catchphrases

An analysis by Medium found that Firefly is the third most-quoted science fiction series on the internet, with over 3,000 quotes listed on Goodreads.

This statistic can be used to demonstrate the impact and influence of Firefly on popular culture and its enduring popularity among fans.

1. “Jayne, your mouth is talking. You might wanna look to that.” — Mal

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2. Zoe: “First rule of battle, little one … don’t ever let them know where you are.”

Mal: “WHOO-HOO! I’M RIGHT HERE! I’M RIGHT HERE! YOU WANT SOME O’ ME?! YEAH YOU DO! COME ON! COME ON! AAAAAH! Whoo-hoo!”

Zoe: “‘Course, there’re other schools of thought.”

3. “Yes sir, Captain Tightpants!” — Kaylee

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4. “Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!” — Wash

5. Simon: “Are you Alliance?”

Jubal Early: “Am I a lion?”

Simon: “What?”

Jubal Early: “I don’t think of myself as a lion. You might as well, though, I have a mighty roar.”

Simon: “I said ‘Alliance.'”

Jubal Early: “Oh, I thought … “

Simon: “No, I was … “

Jubal Early: “That’s weird.”

6. “Ten percent of nothin’ is … let me do the math here … nothin’ into nothin’ … carry the nothin’ … ” — Jayne

7. Badger: “‘Course you couldn’t buy an invite with a diamond the size of a testicle, but I got my hands on a couple.”

Mal and Jayne: sniggering

Badger: ” … of invites!”

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Best Firefly quotes from Mal

A survey conducted by Statista found that 35% of respondents considered Firefly to be one of the best science fiction TV series of all time.

This statistic can be used to support the popularity and widespread appeal of Firefly, which can help encourage readers to watch or revisit the series.

8. “Well, my time of not taking you seriously is coming to a middle.” — Mal (to Jayne)

9. “Someone ever tries to kill you, you try to kill ’em right back!” — Mal

10. “Well, maybe I’m not a fancy gentleman like you, with your … very fine hat. But I do business. We’re here for business.” — Mal

11. “Next time you want to stab me in the back, have the guts to do it to my face.” — Mal

12. “You’re welcome on my boat. God ain’t.” — Mal

13. “We’ve done the impossible, and that makes us mighty.” — Mal

14. “Did something just fly off my gorram ship?” — Mal

15. “We’re not gonna die. We can’t die, Bendis. You know why? Because we are so very pretty. We are just too pretty for God to let us die.” — Mal

16. “Been a long time since Patience shot me and that was due to a perfectly legitimate conflict of interest. I got no grudge.” — Mal

17. Book: Captain, you mind if I say grace?

Mal: Only if you say it out loud.

18. “Well, we may not have parted on the best of terms. I realize certain words were exchanged. Also, certain… bullets.” — Mal

19. Mal: Well, you were right about this being a bad idea.

Zoë: Thanks for sayin’, sir.

20. “Now I did a job. I got nothing but trouble since I did it, not to mention more than a few unkind words as regard to my character so let me make this abundantly clear. I do the job. And then I get paid.” — Mal

21. “Like woman, I am a mystery.” — Mal

Favorite Firefly quotes from Wash

22. “Every man there go back inside or we will blow a new crater in this little moon.” — Wash

23. “Here lies my beloved Zoe, my autumn flower … somewhat less attractive now that she’s all corpsified and gross.” — Wash

24. “Terse? I can be terse. Once, in flight school, I was laconic.” — Wash

25. “Wash, we got some local color happening. A grand entrance would not go amiss.” — Wash

Which Firefly character do you think is the most quotable?

Due to a series of unfortunate events, Firefly was never granted a perfect send-off into the television world.

A classic western world set in a futuristic space society is a pretty interesting concept, but one that the executives at Fox never quite understood.

Because of this, the show received mismatched advertisements and was given the death slot – airing on Friday nights.

The network even aired Firefly’s episodes out of order, confusing viewers.

It’s no wonder that the show received low ratings, ultimately causing a quick end to the series.

Despite having only 11 out of 14 episodes air, Firefly gained itself a hugely passionate fan base.

Luckily, this convinced Universal Pictures to produce a cinematic conclusion to the show.

Serenity gave closure to Firefly’s loyal fan base, though we have been left wondering if we will ever receive more.

Did you enjoy these Firefly quotes and lines?

Which quote is your favorite?

Let us know in the comments below.