25 Watchmen Quotes From The Greatest Graphic Novel Of All Time

Let these 25 Watchmen quotes remind you why it’s the greatest graphic novel of all time.

This classic story captured the hearts and minds of readers because it transcends era or genre. 

Watchmen has it all: complex characters, unique protagonists, moral dilemmas, iconic art, and authentic concerns that we deal with in our reality.

Some readers simplify graphic novels and comic books as literature for children or sci-fi enthusiasts.

However, when art is written so well that it mirrors our times and allows us to truly see ourselves, it has the ability to change people.

Alan Moore’s Watchmen is more than just a superhero story.

It is a human story, a story where fantastic abilities coexist in a world of crippling limitations.

If you are a comic enthusiast or you just enjoy well written and engaging tales, you should definitely read Watchmen the original graphic novel or you can check out the modern live action version on Netflix; both are incredible.

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

If you enjoy this collection, check out our inspirational quotes category page.

Enjoy these Watchmen quotes

1. “‘Up’ is a relative concept. It has no intrinsic value.”

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2. “Does the human heart know chasms so abysmal?”

3. “The dusk reeks of fornication and bad consciences.”

4. “Without my face, nobody knows. Nobody knows who I am.”

5. “Things have their forms not only in space, but also in time.”

6. “Nothing’s that simple, not even things that are simply awful.”

7. “Nothing is insoluble. Nothing is hopeless. Not while there’s life.”

8. “This rudderless world is not shaped by vague metaphysical forces.”

9. “We’re all puppets, Laurie. I’m just a puppet who can see the strings.”

10. “We are alone. Live our lives, lacking anything better to do. Devise reason later.”

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Watchmen quotes that take you back to the story

11. “Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends.”

12. “All we ever see of stars are their old photographs.”

13. “No. Not even in the face of Armageddon. Never compromise.”

14. “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? – Who watches the watchmen?”

15. “We have laboured long to build a heaven, only to find it populated with horrors.”

16. “American love — like coke in green glass bottles…they don’t make it anymore.”

17. “None of you understand. I’m not locked up in here with YOU. You’re locked up in here with ME.”

18. “Life could have flourished [on Mars] then. But Mars did not choose life. It chose this. It’s called chaotic terrain.”

19. “It is not God who kills the children. Not fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It’s us. Only us. Streets stank of fire.”

20. “The void breathed hard on my heart, turning its illusions to ice, shattering them. Was reborn then, free to scrawl own design on this morally blank world.”

Watchmen quotes that draw you into the story

21. “Never despair. Never surrender.”

22. “I live my life free of compromise, and step into the shadows without complaint or regret.”

23. “You know what I wish? I wish all the scum of the Earth had one throat and I had my hands about it.”

24. “But…if me, my birth, if that’s a thermodynamic miracle… I mean, you could say that about anybody in the world!”

25. “A live body and a dead body contain the same number of particles. Structurally there’s no discernible difference. Life and death are unquantifiable abstracts. Why should I be concerned?”

One of the elements that has made Watchmen a classic is the rich complexity of the characters.

Readers inevitably relate to certain characters in the story, some for their brutal honesty, others for their courage and others for their fallibility.

Even Dr. Manhattan, the most powerful being in existence still has human moments where he triumphs or succumbs to the human dilemma.

That is what makes Watchmen special, other comics have entities who seem like “characters” made up for a comic book while Watchmen has a plethora of deeply developed stories for all of its iconic figures and each story is interwoven into actual political, social or historical elements in our world.

The Netflix version of Watchmen is one of the best shows on the platform.

It intertwines the real-life tragedy of the Tulsa Oklahoma race massacre with the world of super-powered beings, allowing the audience to learn while they are entertained.