Highlights

  • The Last of Us Part 1 is considered a masterpiece and is praised for its story and emotional journey of the characters.
  • The game features memorable dialogue and quotes that stick with players long after they finish playing.
  • The relationships and bonds formed between the characters, particularly Joel and Ellie, are some of the strongest in gaming.

With the release of The Last of Us Part 1, more and more people will have the means to access this masterpiece and find out for themselves why this game was lauded upon release. The story of Joel and Ellie as they fight tooth and nail to secure humanity's future makes for a great time. It also serves as an extremely emotional journey for both characters, dealing with their issues and coming to terms with their differences to form one of the strongest bonds in gaming.

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The Last of Us Part 1's hard-hitting moments become all the more memorable because of the game's immaculately written dialogue. There are several lines uttered throughout the series that send chills down the spine of every gamer. Here are some of the best quotes in The Last of Us Part 1 that players will remember long after they're finished playing through this game.

Updated on January 4, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: The Last of Us is one of the greatest video games ever made, telling a narrative so compelling that its HBO adaptation ended up knocking things out of the park by adapting the story without too many changes. The game is a blast to play through, featuring many tense set-pieces and emotional moments that show the depths of humanity when a zombie apocalypse ravages the world. The game pulls no punches during its hard-hitting moments, and the title's many beloved characters have a lot of things to say that will tug at a player's heartstrings.

17 "I Guess No Matter How Hard You Try, You Can’t Escape Your Past."

Joel

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  • His trauma comes out as he talks to Ellie.

Joel is a man who's traumatized by the events of his past, and why wouldn't he be? His daughter was gunned down and died in his arms, turning him into a cold-hearted survivor who needed Ellie's presence to finally have something to look forward to in life.

During his conversations with Ellie, when he finally starts opening up, Joel reveals more of his human side than he ever had following Sarah's death. Even a simple conversation with Ellie ends in a heartbreaking line that shows just how much grief Joel had to push down all these years.

16 "Drugs. I Sell Hardcore Drugs."

Sarah

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  • A funny line showing Joel's great bond with his daughter.

Sarah is one of the most tragic figures in The Last of Us, appearing as Joel's loving daughter who's thrust into the zombie apocalypse against her will and is forced to survive against all the odds. Before the world around them is changed forever, Sarah and Joel share a heartwarming moment where their chemistry is clear for everyone to see.

Lines like these hammer home just how big Joel's loss was. He lost one of the few things he cared for, turning into a spiteful man full of hate who is genuinely incorrigible until Ellie helps him remember the days when he wasn't so stoic and unemotional.

15 "Tell Them That... Ellie Is The Little Girl... That Broke Your F***ing Finger!"

Ellie

Ellie breaks David's finger in The Last of Us
  • After Ellie fools David, letting him think she believes his twisted words before twisting his finger.

Ellie has been through her fair share of traumatic moments throughout the series. For what it's worth, she's always had Joel or Marlene by her side during these tough situations, but that changed toward the end of the first game.

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After being captured by the cannibals, Ellie was on her own and took the opportunity to show just what she's made of. Her faceoff against David is one of the most intense moments in the games, with the buildup featuring several amazing lines, including this one.

14 "They Said That The Other Had Been... Slaughtered By A Crazy Man. And Get This — He's A Crazy Man Travelin' With A Little Girl. You See? Everything Happens For A Reason."

David

ellie and david in the winter
  • When David's sinister intentions finally come to light.

David was integral to Ellie's growth, with the latter realizing just how fragile life can be. After David hears reports of a recon group being assaulted by a crazy duo, he's surprised to find Ellie roaming around on her own.

He doesn't fall for her lies and reveals that he knew about the girl all along, with this chilling line making Ellie's life flash before her eyes. David's presence in the story might've been minor, but it's the chilling effect he had as a villain that made him such a blast to interact with.

13 "Apparently There's No Way To Extricate The Parasite Without Eliminating The Host. Fancy Way Of Saying We Gotta Kill The F***ing Kid."

Marlene

The Last of Us Part I Marlene
  • A haunting voice note that records Marlene's willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice to give humanity a chance.

Marlene is one of the most tragic figures in The Last of Us. After taking care of Ellie for the longest time, she realized that the child had to die in a bid to search for a cure for the plague that was rotting humanity to its very core.

Unlike Joel, she chose to serve the needs of the many instead of those of the few. Hearing her say this line while roaming around the Firefly Hospital is truly chilling and shows just how tough of a decision it must've been for her.

12 "Our Luck Had To Run Out Sooner Or Later."

Tess

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  • After Tess shows her bite to Ellie and Joel.

Tess is a great character who helps Joel out with supply runs during the post-apocalypse. She helped him out in his journey to escort Ellie but ended up tragically losing her life in the process.

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The moment when she showed her bite to Joel was pretty sobering, and Tess decided to sacrifice herself to slow down the FEDRA units who were hunting the trio. Given how Joel was talking about luck a few moments ago, this line just hits differently.

11 "Let's Just Wait It Out. You Know We Can... Be All Poetic And Just Lose Our Minds Together."

Riley

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  • After both Ellie and Riley get bit by zombies.

Riley is one of Ellie's best friends, with both characters ending up together by the end of a tragic tale. After exploring an abandoned mall, Riley and Ellie attract the attention of the Infected who end up biting them both.

Instead of killing each other outright, Riley and Ellie decided to spend their final moments together as they collectively lost their minds. This led to Ellie figuring out that she was immune to the infection, while Riley herself succumbed in what must have been a horrifying moment.

10 "You're Right. You're Not My Daughter, And I Sure As Hell Ain't Your Dad. And We Are Going Our Separate Ways."

Joel

The Last of Us Part I Joel and Ellie
  • Joel's cold retort after Ellie begs him to let her stay with him instead of living in Tommy's camp.

Early on, Joel was very scared of getting attached to Ellie. This was partly due to the reason that he lost Sarah, and didn't want to get attached to anyone on that level, especially in such a twisted world.

He utters these cold lines at the end of an argument he has with Ellie. It seems rather unnecessary, but players who understand what Joel's character is like will understand why he said this iconic line.

9 "Everyone I Have Cared For Has Either Died Or Left Me. Everyone... Except For You! So Don't Tell Me I Would Be Safer With Somebody Else, Because The Truth Is, I Would Just Be More Scared."

Ellie

joel and ellie looking disappointed
  • Ellie begging Joel to let her stay with him after she gets attached to a father figure.

After journeying with Joel for a while, Ellie did find herself growing attached to her. This made it rather hard for her to stomach that Joel would be abandoning her midway through their journey.

She opened up about how she cared for Joel and the fact that she didn't want to leave him, no matter what. It's a powerful moment that shows how much these characters have bonded over time.

8 "And Just So We're Clear About Back There... It Was Either Him Or Me."

Joel

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  • After Ellie kills someone to save Joel's life.

During their early adventures, Joel almost gets killed in combat only for Ellie to save him. However, Joel gets angry at Ellie for putting herself in harm's way, causing Ellie to react in an antagonistic manner as well.

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Later on, when Joel trusts Ellie to save him with her marksmanship skills, he utters this line to reconcile their differences. It's a turning point for their relationship, which spins in a positive direction for the first time in the series.

7 "You Know, As Dangerous As Those Things Are, At Least They're Predictable. It's The Normal People That Scare Me."

Bill

The Last of Us Part I Bloater
  • Bill's chilling line about how humans are the real monsters.

Bill is one of the characters who begrudgingly helps Joel and Ellie in their journey. He seems unnecessarily rude and antagonistic at times... but it all makes sense when players get to know more about him.

His comment on the game's Infected is pretty poetic. After all, the humans in the game are just as much of a threat, and the fact that they are more unpredictable makes them a force to be reckoned with.

6 "I Will Not Turn Into One Of Those Things. Come On. Make This Easy For Me."

Tess

Joel and Tess in The Last of Us
  • Tess begs Joel to let her make the ultimate sacrifice so that both he and Ellie can reach the Fireflies.

Tess is one of the survivors who helps Joel and Ellie out as long as she can. However, after being bitten by an Infected, she realizes that her time in the living world is numbered.

So, when the group is about to be assailed by soldiers, she decides to buy enough time to help Joel and Ellie escape. It's a touching sacrifice that adds more tension to the relationship between Joel and Ellie.

5 "I Struggled For A Long Time With Surviving. And, No Matter What, You Keep Finding Something To Fight For."

Joel

The Last of Us Part I
  • Joel trying to motivate Ellie, who's been a bit down after recent events.

Joel has been through his fair share of hardship in life. So, when he notices Ellie feeling conflicted about her actions in the game, he decides to up her morale with a bit of a pep talk.

He talks about the loss he experienced and how that demotivated him for a while. However, after finding Ellie, he realized that surviving was worth fighting for.

4 "I Had Somebody That I Cared About. It Was A Partner... Somebody I Had To Look After. And In This World, That Sort Of Shit's Good For One Thing — Gettin' Ya Killed. So You Know What I Did? I Wisened The Fuck Up. And I Realized It's Gotta Be Just Me."

Bill

Bill in The Last of Us
  • Bill's heartbreaking admission of how the loss of his partner hardened him to try and survive in this cruel world.

As players get to know more about Bill, they understand why he's so bitter all the time. The world of The Last of Us Part 1 is twisted, and relationships can be somewhat of a liability at times.

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This is what Bill talks about insinuating that maybe he had to sacrifice his partner to save his hide. It might not be the noblest thing to do... but in a world where the Infected run rampant, such decisions need to be made.

3 "You Have No Idea What Loss Is."

Joel

The Last of Us Part I Joel and Tommy
  • Joel's powerful line to Ellie after she tries to speak to him about the loss of his daughter.

The loss of his daughter is something that haunts Joel throughout his life. It's the biggest reason why he struggles to bond with Ellie early on and constantly argues with her.

When Ellie brings up Joel's daughter during one such argument, Joel becomes very cold. He straight up tells Ellie that she has no idea what loss is, which is easily one of the most chilling lines in the series.

2 "After All We've Been Through. Everything That I've Done. It Can't Be For Nothing."

Ellie

Image from The Last of Us Part 1 remake showing Ellie stroking a giraffe.
  • Ellie's melancholic line to Joel after the iconic giraffe scene.

After her encounter with the Cannibals, Joel starts worrying about Ellie's mental state. After the famous giraffe scene, he gives her an out to go back and stay with Tommy instead.

However, Ellie shoots down this idea, mentioning all the things she's done during her journey. In her mind, she needs her actions to have some sort of purpose, and being the means to a cure is a pretty good goal to shoot for.

1 "You'd Just Come After Her."

Joel

Joel shooting Marlene in The Last of Us
  • The final words Marlene hears before Joel executes her in cold blood.

After finding out that Ellie would die after being operated on, he decides to make the ultimate sacrifice. He shoots down the Fireflies and saves Ellie, possibly dooming humanity in the process.

After taking out Marlene, she begs for her life and pleads with Joel to let her go. However, knowing the goal of the Fireflies, Joel decides to leave no prisoners and shoots Marlene in the head too.

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The Last of Us Part I

Platform(s)
PS5 , PC
Released
September 2, 2022
Developer(s)
Naughty Dog
Genre(s)
Action-Adventure