50 Most Memorable Daredevil Quotes

Matt Murdock, aka the Daredevil, is a superhero character created by Marvel Comics. The blind vigilante quickly became a fan favorite, and we have seen a few versions of the character on the big screen as well. While the 2003 movie starring Ben Affleck didn’t get the public reception the producers hoped for, the Netflix series was quite awesome and gave the character some justice.

Still, Murdock is a brilliant character, and even in the not-so-great 2003 movie, he delivered some amazing quotes. His genius is, however, the most accurately depicted in comic books. So, without further ado, here are the 50 most memorable Daredevil quotes from the movie, the TV series, and comics.

Most Memorable Daredevil Quotes from Daredevil (2003)

Daredevil (2003) is a movie written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, and the Hollywood star Ben Affleck portrays Matt Murdock. The movie didn’t have the success that the fans and the producers hoped for, but there were still some very memorable quotes representing Murdock’s character in the process.

“One man can make a difference.”

Daredevil operates from the darkness, always watching, stalking, and guarding the city. Murdock states that “ soon, the world will know the truth.” The truth is that his city is guarded by heroes – or A hero.

One man can make a difference – like he makes a difference in his city. It’s a quote that we can translate to our everyday lives. Not doing something because “one person’s actions can’t make a difference” is a wrong approach and view of life. If everybody had the attitude that they can make a difference, guess what – they’d make a difference.

“Revenge won’t make the pain go away. Trust me.”

Matt Murdock tries to prevent Elektra from doing something she would later regret. He tries to prevent her from making the same mistakes he did. She seeks revenge on those who did wrong to her, but Daredevil knows that’s not the path to walk.

It resonated with me, too, and got me thinking. If somebody does something wrong to you, so you do something wrong to them, that doesn’t make it right, nor does it bring you satisfaction or comfort – it only brings more pain to you and somebody else. You can’t heal a wound by making somebody else bleed with you.

“I’m not the bad guy, kid.”

This quote has a contextual meaning in the movie, but when you take it out of context, you can use it to interpret Murdock’s personality. Although he makes all of his moves and actions for the greater good, his methods aren’t always entirely innocent and moral.

As he says on another occasion, there’s an angel and a devil inside him – and they might be the same thing. Still, regardless of his means, he’s not the bad guy – he’s there to fight the bad guys, even if that means using their wrongful methods against them.

“Blind? Yeah.”

This quote is actually a fragment of Matt’s conversation with Elektra in the movie that I found quite funny. As Murdock is trying to find honey on a shelf, Elektra tells him it’s right in front of him, to which he answers, “Could you be a little bit more specific?”

“Are you…”, she answers, not realizing that, yeah, he is.

“That’s the C train!”

Daredevil is funny as much as he’s diabolical. He fights Jose Quesada in a railway tunnel, and Jose screams “I’ll kill you” repeatedly. Murdock asks him if he sees that little light at the end of the tunnel and continues: “That’s not heaven… that’s the C train!”.

“Violence doesn’t discriminate.”

This is a bit of a longer quote, but it explains so much about Daredevil’s character, motives, and beliefs. It’s quite self-explanatory, so I’ll leave it for you to read it yourself:

“Violence doesn’t discriminate. It hits all of us… the rich, the poor, the healthy, the sick. It comes as cold and bracing as a winter breeze off the Hudson. Until it sinks into your bones… leaving you with a chill you can’t shake.”

“They say there’s no rest for the wicked. But, what about the good?”

This one might be my favorite quote from the movie. As Daredevil states, if the wicked may never rest, then neither can the good. The battle of good against evil is never-ending because evil always survives. If the good rests, then the evil is let loose, free to expand and infect every fiber of our society.

“Justice isn’t a sin, Father.”

If you ever watched any Daredevil on screen or read the comics, you’ll know that he has a strong religious trait to him. At one point, he goes to church, enters the confession booth, and starts confessing. But, Father Everett knows he’s not there to ask for forgiveness but permission to do what he does – which is something that he can’t get in the church.

That’s when he delivers the quote: “Justice isn’t a sin, Father.” Although he does things that aren’t really innocent, he justifies his actions, saying he is doing it in the name of justice.

The father corrects him, though, saying, “No, but vengeance is (a sin).” Violence only leads to more violence, but Daredevil doesn’t see it that way.

“Just… sometimes it makes people uncomfortable, that’s all.”

This short quote happened while Elektra was trying to get Matt’s shades off of his eyes. He delivers the quote which explains why he always wears the shades even though he’s blind. He doesn’t do it for himself, but he knows that people sometimes feel uncomfortable seeing his eyes, so he hides them behind the shades.

“They say your whole life flashes before your eyes when you die. And it’s true, even for a blind man.”

It’s a self-explanatory quote, but I found it very interesting. How would it work, especially if they have been blind since birth?

“There are days when I believe; and others when I have lost all faith.”

This short quote perfectly describes Matt Murdock and his personality. He’s referring to the thought of a single man making a difference. Daredevil is a perfect combination of good and bad. He believes in a better tomorrow every day, but sometimes, even his will gets broken, and he loses that belief.

As a night walking vigilante, he sees humanity at its darkest, most violent self every day, and it becomes hard to believe it could ever be corrected.

“I don’t ask for mercy – people ask me!”

This quote comes from yet another talk between Daredevil and Father Everett. Everett tells Murdock that God’s mercy is infinite, but you have to ask for it. But, Daredevil doesn’t care about that anymore, saying: Everything I had has been taken from me. Now I’m supposed to ask for mercy? I don’t ask for mercy – people ask me!”

It makes it clear that, no matter how ruthless he gets in his quests, he won’t feel remorse because he doesn’t deal with innocent people. All he cares about is justice.

“And sometimes, faith is all you need.”

Matt Murdock delivers this quote when talking about Elektra. He says that he had set out to save the city, but instead, Elektra saved himself. “Now I have faith that anything is possible,” he adds, and he is quite right. If you have faith that you can do something, well, then you’re already halfway there.

“We only handle clients who are innocent.”

Some lawyers wouldn’t mind getting their hands dirty defending a criminal if it meant they were getting paid to do so. Not Murdock. He chooses his clients and represents only those he believes are innocent, which is why Matt refuses to have Wilson Fisk as his client when he reaches out to him.

“You know, I’ve never seen him before.”

I remembered this funny quote from the film showing that Murdock doesn’t mind poking fun at his account. When Elektra asks him if Nelson is his friend, Daredevil responds he has never seen him before. They have known each other forever, but it’s technically true – Matt never really saw him.

Most Memorable Daredevil Quotes from Marvel’s Daredevil TV Series

Marvel’s Daredevil is a TV show that Netflix produced and streamed. It had three seasons and great reviews, having an 8.6 IMDb rating, but the show was abruptly canceled, and season four never came to fruition. 

Some rumors about the show returning on Disney+ made fans excited again. Still, the three great seasons we do have had more than enough amazing, inspiring, and memorable quotes worth mentioning.

“I’m not seeking penance for what I’ve done, Father. I’m asking for forgiveness… for what I’m about to do.”

This quote comes from the very first episode of season one, and the entire series continues in the same tone, making it clear that Murdock is a religious person despite his actions.

“These questions, of good and evil… have no place in a court of law. Only the facts matter.”

If you didn’t know, Murdock is also a brilliant lawyer during the day. You know, when he’s not out there doing vigilante stuff. His incredible mind and intellect, along with his skills as a lawyer, make him really good with words. It’s probably why he has so many awesome quotes.

“You don’t get to destroy who I am.”

The entire series revolves around Daredevil’s and Kingpin’s battles. However, Murdock doesn’t believe in killing, so he needs to use the law instead to get his enemy. He does so in the end, but the Kingpin tries to convince Matt to kill him during their final confrontation. 

He takes him to the edge, but Murdock refuses to let the criminal break his character and beliefs, saying the quote I believe is the best line in the entire show.

“I’m Daredevil… Not even God can stop that now.”

After a building collapses on him, Matt Murdock barely survives and briefly loses his faith. He keeps being the Daredevil, though, but he refuses to see himself as a soldier of God. However, he still refuses to kill, even though he becomes even more ruthless in his endeavors. It shows that his beliefs and moral standards go way beyond religion.

“You hit them, and they get back up. I hit them, and they stay down.”

While this wasn’t exactly Daredevil’s quote, it’s certainly one that affected him a lot. In season two, the Punisher gets an introduction to the story. Their methods drastically differ -while Daredevil refuses to kill, Punisher takes them down for good.

It opened some philosophical questions for Daredevil, though, making him question his methods. Is his work really effective if the ones he takes down just get back up and continue doing what they have done before?

“I had lost my sight, but I got something back in return. My remaining four senses functioned with superhuman sharpness. But most amazing of all, my sense of sound gave off a kind of radar sense!”

The quote is self-explanatory but a nice insight into Daredevil’s abilities.

“I would help those that others wouldn’t. I would seek justice… one way or another.”

If you look good at this quote, you’ll realize what Daredevil is all about. He doesn’t care who you are. If you need help, he would be there when no one else would, provided that it meant justice in his eyes… Well, his mind, at least.

“I’m not trying to be a hero. I’m just a guy that got fed up with men like you, and I decided to do something about it.”

Murdock doesn’t care if they’ll recognize him or give him a pat on his back for all the things he does fighting evil and crime. He seeks no hero status – he only wants justice.

“The law couldn’t do anything to help that little girl. But I could.”

As I’ve mentioned before, Matt Murdock is a lawyer by day. He believes in the law, and it’s always his first option when it comes to dealing with criminals. However, if the law can’t help the victims, then Daredevil can.

“There’s one thing in this world that makes me feel more alive. And that’s you.”

Matt Murdock says this quote in an emotional segment with his lover. It goes to show that he’s more than just a vigilante. Behind that devilish mask, there’s a human being with strong emotions. Although he doesn’t love much, when he loves someone, he does so wholeheartedly.

“How do you know the angel and the devil inside me aren’t the same thing?”

One important personality trait that Matt Murdock has is the constant battle between good and evil brewing inside him. He sees himself as a morally righteous soldier of God, but at the same time, he knows he has a dark side that enjoys all the aspects of the vigilante life – even the violence. The question is, how do you differentiate the angel from the devil?

“Justice is served.”

Some people serve dinner. Matt Murdock serves justice. That’s who he is, and that’s what he’s all about. I bet this guy is fun at parties.

“This city needs me in that mask, Foggy.”

In a conversation with Foggy Nelson, Daredevil contemplates leaving behind his vigilante work for a second but realizes that the city needs him to do the work he does. If evil is not kept in check by him, who knows to what ends it might come?

“You’ll smell him soon enough. He really likes that cologne.”

This quote has a different vibe than many other quotes on this list. Daredevil is most often quite a grim character, but in this instance, he shows that he has a good sense of humor to go with his serious side.

“I’d rather die as the Devil than live as Matt Murdock.”

After a building collapses and nearly kills him, Murdock pretends he had died for a while but keeps doing the vigilante work. He’s the Daredevil, and he’d rather die like that than continue living as only Murdock.

“Lawyer. I have a practice, so I’m my own boss.”

One thing that lets Matt Murdock do what he does at night is his job during the day. Still, it wouldn’t be that easy to organize his other work if he had a nine-to-five job. Being his own boss allows him to orchestrate his time to his liking. Plus, he only has one boss in his life, and that’s the big guy up in heaven.

“I need to be the man this city needs.”

As his town falls deeper and deeper into darkness, violence, and criminality, Matt knows that it needs somebody to do the dirty work and deal with the worst of them. That’s why he does what he does – he knows somebody has to do it.

“Someone once told me that warriors were meant to be alone.”

Murdock has let people in and cared for them before. However, every time he did that, he paid the price. That’s why Matt stopped doing so – he stopped caring for people, as he believes it makes him weak. “I won’t make that mistake again,” he says.

Most Memorable Daredevil Quotes from Comics

Finally, the best version of Daredevil is the comic book version, hands down. Not that the Netflix series wasn’t good, but the comics are just better. Let’s dig through some of the quotes, so you’ll see what I’m talking about.

“If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of Hell’s Kitchen.”

This quote is a pun referring to Daredevil’s neighborhood in Manhattan, New York, the Hell’s Kitchen. Daredevil warns everybody making mischiefs in his hood that, if they can’t handle the consequences, it’s better to stay away.

“Oh. Failing. Right. You mean by pulling yourself up out of a suicidal depression by faith and sheer force of will to become a force for good on this planet? We should all fail so tragically.”

This is a quote from Daredevil vol. 4 #7, where Matt Murdock describes himself and his rise to becoming the vigilante Daredevil.

“As Daredevil, I get to save the world. As a lawyer… maybe I can fix it. I need them both. That’s what I realized. The warrior and the lawyer. It doesn’t work if I only have one.”

Murdock lives a double life, and he knows that he can’t have one without the other. The vigilante saves the world instantly by dealing with the consequences, but the lawyer tries to fix it before the consequences even occur.

“Sometimes, even the bull may win!”

I loved this quote from Daredevil Vol. 1 #5 because of how it was delivered and to who. Daredevil said it to Manuel Eloganto, better known as the Matador. You can beat the odds so many times, but sometimes, the odds beat you, just like the bull can sometimes win against a matador.

“Rompin’ around town in a costume may not be the safest job of all — but it has its good points — at least, I don’t have to squander my hard-earned shekels on cab fare! — or worry about getting caught in traffic jams!”

I feel like the comic book version of Daredevil had way more sense of humor than his movie and TV show counterparts. He’s right – New York traffic sucks. If I could, I’d jump the buildings there, too. (Quote from Daredevil Vol. 1 #26)

“If this keeps up, I may end up chasing up a litterbug… if I’m lucky!”

Being a night walking vigilante is quite exciting for the most part. But, sometimes, it’s just sitting on top of a building, waiting for something to happen. The less criminal happens, the better – but all the more boring for our devilish hero. (Quote from Daredevil Vol. 1 #28)

“With a little luck, you may actually defeat a blind man… if you work together!”

I don’t know what’s a bigger hit to a criminal’s ego – being destroyed by a blind guy or having to build a team and beat a blind guy in a gang. The fight happens in Daredevil Vol. 1 #32.

“There isn’t much in the world that would derail me from my path. But you, Bullseye? I’m coming for you.”

Daredevil is as focused as it gets when he has an end goal. However, when somebody like Bullseye – one of his arch nemeses’ – comes out of the shadows, you better believe Murdock is answering the call! This particular altercation happened in Daredevil Vol. 6 #34.

“You called me “street level” earlier? I call it “people level.”

This particular quote represents everything I love about Daredevil. When Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, calls him a street-level hero, Murdock doesn’t shy but tells Stark that it only means he’s there for the people. Avengers and Iron Man might battle bigger, cosmic threats, but if you can save one innocent life out there in the streets, it doesn’t make it any less valuable.

“Nothing good happens at this hour.”

You know that old saying, “nothing good ever happens after 2 am?” Well, those are exactly the hours when Daredevil operates the streets, and if he says it’s true, then you better listen to your mother when she tells you to be home by ten. (Quote from Daredevil Vol. 5 #10)

“I’m not you, Frank. I’ll never be you.”

This quote comes from Daredevil Vol. 6 #4, when Matt Murdock and Frank Castle, aka the Punisher, meet once again. Their approaches to the vigilante work are diametrically opposite – while Castle cold-bloodedly kills anybody he believes deserves to die, Murdock keeps even the most notorious criminals alive to bring them to justice in the face of the law.

“I realize that I’ve been fighting this entire time. And I’ve won… nothing.”

Remember that earlier quote, Murdock states that he thinks everything has a purpose on some days, but on other days he completely loses faith?

Well, this quote from Daredevil Vol. 1 #612 surely depicts just that. Matt can sometimes get into dark places in his head, but most importantly, he snaps out of it after a while.

“You’re a murdering piece of filth, Castle.”

In Punisher Vol. 12 #3, Daredevil and Punisher dispute about the way they operate. Although they are both vigilantes, Murdock is disgusted by Frank Castle and his killing, calling him a straight-up murderer.

“Listen — revenge can feel like the only thing that matters, but I’ve been down that road. It’s empty. Even if you get what you think you want, it doesn’t change anything. The past is still the past.”

This quote from Daredevil Vol. 1 #599 reiterates what Matt Murdock said in the movie and the TV show. Revenge gets you nowhere. Even if you believe it would help, it doesn’t change what happened in the past, therefore giving you no satisfaction.

“Man without fear,” they call me. Only because I’m blind. If I could see half the stuff I get myself into, I’d be scared brown.”

This was a funny take that Matthew Murdock gave in Daredevil Vol. 3 #10. Sometimes, blindness can be a blessing for our vigilante because if he saw what he was dealing with half the time, he would probably, as he said, poopoo his panties.

“If you knew what Hitler would eventually do, would you have killed him as a child?”

Daredevil has strong beliefs about murder, so in Daredevil Vol. 2 #2, he poses this hard philosophical question of morals and ethics. Does the end justify the means? Does murdering a child don’t matter if it means saving millions in the future? I’m not going to answer this, but I think every answer is the wrong one.

“Consider my ban on killing hereby lifted. SLAY THEM ALL!”

I’ve included this quote from Shadowland Vol. 1 #3 because it’s probably the darkest Daredevil we’ve seen – at least out of the ones I can think of. It’s not really Daredevil, though, because the Beast possesses him, but it was still interesting seeing a guy who refuses to kill anybody suddenly scream SLAY THEM ALL!