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Arthur Morgan's 30
Best Quotes In Red
Dead Redemption 2
He's a man of few words except when he wants to
drop a sass bomb or a philosophical nugget of
truth. Here are some of Arthur Morgan's best
quotes.
BY ERIN MCDONAGH UPDATED APR 27, 2023

Arthur Morgan, the protagonist of Red Dead

Redemption 2, is one of the most complex and
layered characters in Rockstar’s history and
probably gaming history, too. The gunslinger
was picked up as a teen by the outlaw Dutch
van der Linde and his associate Hosea
Matthews and would eventually grow up to be a
ruthless, violent bandit who cares little for the
lives of those outside his own gang.

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However, through rich character development,

Arthur is revealed to be a deeply troubled but
wise man who starts to have an existential
crisis as the game continues. Pretty much
everything that comes out of Arthur’s mouth is
hilarious, badass, or inspiring. Here are some
of the quotes from gaming’s most beloved
cowboy!

Updated on April 27, 2023, by Dennis

Moiseyev: Red Dead Redemption 2 found a
gem of a protagonist in Arthur Morgan. His
speaking skills, dark witticism, and ability to
get profoundly deep with wisdom are
unmatched. This outlaw character provides
some of the game's most standout quotes, and
a few more were warranted to include in an
updated style.

S o m e q u o t e s a n d e n t r i e s
c o n t a i n s p o i l e r s .

30 "We Got Sloppier Than

The Town Drunk, And
They Know Who We Are,
And Where We Are, And
What We're Doing."

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The Pinkertons. The private detective agency

that becomes the bane of the Van der Linde
gang and the undoing of all its members. That's
who Arthur is referring to in this quote when he
meets with Dutch and Micah to discuss
whether there is a potential rat at the start of
the 'Just a Social Call' mission.

Arthur gets ambushed by Micah about his

suspicions of a rat in their midst, and Dutch
sides with Micah that there likely is one. Arthur
pushes back on their claims and says that the
Pinkertons are onto them because of their
mistakes and how careless they got, comparing
their actions to those of the town drunk. Well
put, Arthur, well put.

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29 "I Had A Son... He Passed

Away. I Had A Girl Who
Loved Me... I Threw That
Away. My Momma Died
When I Was A Kid, And
My Daddy... Well, I
Watched Him Die. And It
Weren't Soon Enough."

Arthur is becoming more and more visibly ill

from his tuberculosis, and he has a vulnerable
moment with a nun named Sister Calderón at a
train station. She's bound for Mexico on a
mission but takes a moment to engage with
Arthur and give him some comforting words. In
their conversation about him not knowing
himself, he reveals this bit from his past.

Replay

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It’s All On Your Doorstep

SSSPPPO
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ONN
NSSSO
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ORR
REEED
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DBB
BYYY D
D
DEEELLLIIIVVVEEER
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Ranked: The Best Video Game
Heroes Of All Time

Throughout the game, Arthur shares stories of

his son Isaac and Isaac's mother Eliza, whom
he lost a long time ago. But here he sums up all
the personal tragedies that brought him to this
moment. Arthur lost his young son, his mom at
an early age, his father (who didn't seem like a
positive figure), and a chance at love.

28 "You Might Be The First

Bastard To Ever Have
Half His Brains Eaten By
A Wolf And End Up More
Intelligent."

Replay

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Learn More

It’s All On Your Doorstep

SSSPPPO
O
ONN
NSSSO
O
ORR
REEED
D
DBB
BYYY D
D
DEEELLLIIIVVVEEER
R
ROO
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O Order Now

The sequel shows how John Marston got those

iconic scars across his face. In a mission early
on in the game, Abigail sends Arthur and Javier
to find John in the snowy mountains, who's
been missing for two days. They find him
injured by wolves, leaving him with a giant
gnarly bite wound.

Arthur references the harrowing moment with

this line in jest after John comes up with a solid
plan to force a train to stop by placing a cart
full of explosives in the tracks in front of it.
John's brain didn't really get partially eaten,
but the potential damage from the punctures
allows Arthur to joke he recovered from it
smarter.

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27 "Maybe We Should Cut

You Open And Count The
Rings Of Whiskey"

Being ever the joker, Arthur puts whiskey,

mutilation, and age into one disturbing yet
equal parts hilarious wisecrack at Uncle. It's no
secret Uncle favors the bottle more than he
ought to, and Arthur means to joke that you
can find out his exact age by the amount of
whiskey inside him.

"Counting the rings" is, of course, a reference to

the way you would determine the age of a tree,
by cutting it down and counting each ring you
see inside the stump. Therefore, there's an
added insult of Uncle being an alcoholic tree in
this playfully threatening quip.

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26 "You’re My Favorite
Parasite… No Wait,
Ringworm’s My Favorite
Parasite, You’re My
Second-Favorite
Parasite… I Lied.
Ringworm, Then Rats
With The Plague, Then
You."

He says yet another crude remark to Uncle in

RDR2 thanks to Uncle's laziness, alcoholism,
and general ornery nature. This one goes even
further to berate the poor fellow, comparing
him to being even lower than horrible diseases.
Straight shooter that Arthur Morgan —
especially when it comes to people he doesn't
care for.

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It's curious, however, that Uncle appears in the

mission "Love in the Time of Plague" in
Undead Nightmare. Though not canon,
perhaps it was a subtle easter egg moment.

25 "In The End, Micah...

Despite My Best Efforts
To The Contrary... It Turns
Out I've Won."

This is a more dramatic quote indeed at the end

of Arthur's journey, said during the final
confrontation with Micah. Arthur's TB now has
a complete hold on him, but he still attempts to
fight Micah and gets beaten to the ground,
crawling toward a revolver. Micah tells Arthur
he lost as he moves closer toward the gun.

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Arthur responds that he actually sees himself as

a winner at the end of all this, despite the fact
that it's over, and he's about to lose his life with
no justice to clear his name as the rat. His win
goes much deeper. It's ensuring that John
escapes this life and becomes better.

24 "But It Weren't Us Who

Changed."

This is part of a longer quote: "Nothin' means

more to me than this gang. I would kill for it. I
would happily die for it. I wish things were
different... But it weren't us who changed."

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This quote shows what's most important to

Arthur Morgan: the gang. He cares a great deal
about his comrades in the Van der Linde Gang
and would do anything for them. It also shows
that Arthur understands that things aren't
quite how he thought they were.

Dutch is more reckless and selfish than Arthur

thought, and the world is closing in on them.
They're not wanted in this world; it won't be
long before the gang is shattered.

23 "You, Sir, Are A Fish."

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You can't say that Arthur lacks for

observational skills or honesty when it comes to
simple things. That includes when he wants to
express his awe at something like a large fish he
caught one day.

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Instead of exclaiming "Whoa!" or even a "Hot

damn!", Arthur says this. And you know what?
Good.

22 "Lack Of Something To
Feel Important About Is
Almost The Greatest
Tragedy A Man May
Have."

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Arthur can get pretty philosophical out of the

blue during RDR2. His outlook on life bridges
the deeds of an outlaw with the moral compass
of an artist and good man. More importantly,
Arthur always wants to feel like he's part of
something.

Whether it's the Van der Linde Gang, a family,

or even a simple card game, Arthur likes
completing goals, helping people he cares
about, and making things happen. Someone
who doesn't have that same drive may seem
like an empty shell to him.

21 "I Guess I... I'm Afraid."

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