Joker – Character Quotes

To them, you're just a freak... like me. They need you right now... but when they don't... they'll cast you out like a leper. You see, their morals, their code... it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be.

And I won't kill you because you're just too much fun.

You look nervous. Is it the scars? You wanna know how I got them? Come here. Hey. Look at me. So I had a wife. She was beautiful, like you... who tells me I worry too much... who tells me I ought to smile more... who gambles and gets in deep with the sharks. Hey. One day they carve her face. And we have no money for surgeries. She can't take it. I just wanna see her smile again. I just want her to know that I don't care about the scars. So... I stick a razor in my mouth and do this... to myself. And you know what? She can't stand the sight of me. She leaves. Now I see the funny side. Now I'm always smiling.

Do you want to know why I use a knife? Guns are too quick. You can't savor all the... little emotions. In... you see, in their last moments, people show you who they really are. So in a way, I know your friends better than you ever did. Would you like to know which of them were cowards?

See, madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes, is a little push!..

It's not about money... it's about sending a message. Everything burns.

I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you… stranger!

Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it. You know? I just do things.

You know what I noticed? Nobody panics when things go "according to plan." Even if the plan is horrifying. If tomorrow I tell the press that, like, a gangbanger will get shot... or a truckload of soldiers will be blowing up... nobody panics. Because it's all part of the plan. But when I say that one little old mayor will die... well, then, everyone loses their minds. Introduce a little anarchy... upset the established order... and everything becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It's fair.

If you're good at something, never do it for free.

— Joker-man, what you do with all your money?
— You see, I'm a guy of simple taste. I enjoy... dynamite... and gunpowder... and gasoline.
— What the...? And you know the thing that they have in common? They're cheap.

The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules.

I'll show you. When the chips are down, these... These civilized people... they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve.

Never start with the head. The victim gets all fuzzy. He can't feel the next...

Can't rely on anyone these days. You gotta do everything yourself.

You wanna know how I got these scars? My father was... a drinker... and a fiend. And one night, he goes off crazier than usual. Mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself. He doesn't like that... not one bit. So, me watching... he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it. He turns to me and he says: "Why so serious?" He comes at me with the knife. "Why so serious?" He sticks the blade in my mouth. "Let's put a smile on that face." And... Why so serious?