20 Best Peaky Blinders Quotes That We Will Always Remember
Isabella Ramos Peaky Blinders is a gritty crime series of gangsters fighting for supremacy. The BBC series has given many memorable quotes, but here are the best.
A grim industrial England, stylish violence, men and women in suits puffing on cigarettes, and a lot of dramatic dialogues, Peaky Blinders has all of that. Five seasons old, the crime saga of the Shelby family has garnered a cult following of its own.
There isn't much scope for any emotional or teary monologues, but Steven Knight's script does not shy away from quick, sassy banter and cinematic lines among its characters, whether it be Thomas Shelby's (Cillian Murphy) dry humor or Aunt Polly's fiery comebacks.
Updated on January 17th, 2022, by Rhys McGinley: After a long and painful wait, 2022 will finally deliver Peaky Blinders' sixth and final season before the film closes out the franchise. Over 5 seasons, audiences have gotten blessed with some awesome, complex characters and storylines, as well as some incredibly memorable quotes. From emotional declarations to hilarious quips from the violent and troubled characters of the show, many Peaky Blinders quotes will never get forgotten by fans.
How Tommy Gets His Suits
"My Suits Are On The House, Or The House Burns Down." - Tommy Shelby
Peaky Blinders quotes are sometimes nothing but memorable one-liners that showcase the badassery as well as the influence and power held by Tommy Shelby and the rest of the Birmingham razor gang. This is one such quote.
When delivered by Cillian Murphy, whose performances as Tommy are always incredible, lines like these that are basically spitting in the face of criticism become instantly memorable. They could pay for suits if they needed - they have the money - but they do not need to.
Alfie Delivers A Hard Lesson
"He'll Wake Up. Granted He Won't Have Any Teeth Left, But He'll Be A Wiser Man For It." - Alfie Solomons
Alfie Solomons has some of the best Peaky Blinders quotes throughout his time on the show, so often delivering the most laugh-out-loud moments of the series. This is one of his earliest yet most memorable moments of comedy and violence.
After one of Tommy's workers makes a joke, Alfie knocks out another with his cane and drops this piece of wisdom on the worker who made a joke. Not only does this showcase that Alfie can be a bit unhinged, but it also shows the power he holds and even the intelligence he has. With help from Tom Hardy, it is a moment fans will not easily forget.
Aberama Tells Tommy About Bonnie
"They Killed Him. My Son. They Shot Him And They Put Him On A F****** Cross And He's F****** Dead." - Aberama Gold
While Peaky Blinders quotes are so often badass and cool and all that other good stuff, there are many sad quotes throughout the show, harrowing in fact, and one of the best in that regard is this from Aberama Gold.
After the Billy Boys brutally crucify and kill Aberama's son, Bonnie Gold, he kidnaps Johnny Dogs and takes him to Tommy's home, emotionally telling the Shelby patriarch what had happened to his son. Watching this scene unfold is chilling. Teared-up and fueled by heartbreak and anger, Aberama is both unhinged and unpredictable at this moment, adding a lot of tension and making this quote all the more memorable.
Arthur Announces New Management
"This place is under new management, by order of the Peaky Blinders." - Arthur Shelby
When the Peaky Blinders decided they would branch out of Birmingham, it led them to London, right in the middle of the big-time action and in between various feuds such as that between Sabini and Solomons.
Staking their claim, the Blinders take over a bar, and it is at this moment one of the show's most iconic lines is born as Arthur announces that the Peaky Blinders have not only arrived in London but are taking over.
Tommy Reveals A Harsh Reality To Grace
"Everyone's a wh*re, Grace. We just sell different parts of ourselves." - Tommy Shelby
In the early days, before Tommy and Grace fell in love, Tommy wanted to use Grace's charm and beauty to win over Billy Kimber.
When Grace learned of Tommy's true intentions of inviting her along to a race, she accused him of prostituting her for his own gain. This was his witty response. The truth of it is, he's not wrong. Everyone sells themselves to get what they want, just in different ways.
Alfie's Personal Form Of Stigmata
"It Was F***** Biblical, Mate." - Alfie Solomons
Even though Alfie Solomons is this compelling and wealthy criminal figure who is so wholly cruel and violent when he needs and/or wants to be, audiences cannot help at laugh at some of the things he says.
What comes before this iconic quip is Alfie describing how he performed his "own personal form of stigmata," a pretty brutal declaration. To follow it up with a line like this is such a juxtaposition as audiences cannot help but laugh at it. It is one of Alfie's most iconic quotes.
Whiskey Shows Their True Colors
"Whisky's good proofing water. Tells you who's real and who isn't." - Tommy Shelby
There is no denying the truth behind this statement from Thomas Shelby himself. He uses this booze-induced trick to discover the truth behind other people's intentions -- particularly his enemies.
Alcohol - especially whiskey - tends to loosen the inhibitions and lips of those who you need to see for who they really are. No one knows that better than Tommy.
No Love
"Men like us, Mr. Shelby, will always be alone. And what love we get, we will have to pay for." - Chester Campbell
Initially, Inspector Chester Campbell has a vendetta against Thomas just because he's on the other side of the law. But then he falls in love with undercover police agent Grace, who is smitten with Thomas himself. Campbell wages his own personal war after falling into this love triangle.
In this quote, Campbell stresses that no matter what romantic dreams Thomas weaves, he is bound to lose Grace. After all, Thomas has chosen a dangerous life for himself, which makes it hard to have any real commitments. Campbell does turn out to be right a few seasons later with Grace's fate.
The Epitome Of High Class
"Good taste is for people who can't afford sapphires." - Tommy Shelby
By the beginning of the third season, Tommy Shelby and the Peaky Blinders as a whole are flush with cash. They don't have to want for anything, and Tommy makes sure his wife, Grace, has everything she deserves. That includes humungous sapphires, a moment and episode that proves how the two may be soulmates.
When he receives them as payment from the Russians, he makes one into a gorgeous necklace for her to wear to their charity event. She remarks that it likely wouldn't be tasteful to wear to a charity event when he replies with this one-liner. It was a stunning piece of jewelry, so who needs good taste?
Men, Men, Men
"Men and their c**** never cease to amaze me." - Polly Shelby
Polly, the brains behind most of the Shelby business and an aunt to the gangster brothers, delivers gems of sarcasm and savagery whenever she's on-screen. Aunt Polly says then when the youngest brother John Shelby announces that he wishes to marry a prostitute. She generalizes how men mostly think from their genitals rather than their minds.
This quote also shows Polly's disdain towards men, as she lives in 20th-century England when working women are not looked at in a positive light. Yet, Polly perseveres in doing her own thing and remains one of the Peaky Blinders' strongest members.
Heaven Or Hell
"May you be in heaven a full half-hour before the devil knows you're dead." - Grace Burgess
Grace and Thomas's love story is almost Shakespearean. Initially, Grace poses as a barmaid, and Thomas finds solace in her company. A constant drinker, Thomas heads out to his pub in an empty hour and asks if Grace can raise a toast. She says that she's Irish, so she can make a million toasts.
Grace knows that Thomas has committed enough sins to go to Hell, but she still looks at some of the niceness that he conceals. This is what drives her to the show's protagonist.
Wise Words From Alfie
"Intelligence is a very valuable thing, innit, my friend. And usually, it comes far too f****** late." - Alfie Solomons
Alfie Solomons is a character with many sides to his personality and is pretty complex. He can be cruel, vicious, powerful, eccentric, and hilarious, but he can also be wildly intelligent. He is undoubtedly one of the show's smartest characters.
This quote is one of the more wise phrases uttered by Alfie. He is always ten steps ahead, and this proves why. Intelligence is something to be valued, and only the smart prevail in their world.
Heaven Or Hell #2
"Who wants to be in heaven when you can be sending men to f****** hell?" - Arthur Shelby
Arthur has a different philosophy altogether regarding matters of heaven and Hell. Although Arthur faces PTSD and addiction issues, later on, he has mostly been a wild beast on the loose. That does lead to some of the most memorable Peaky Blinders quotes, though.
This line only expands on his fits of bloodlust and rage. If one had to compare gangster characters, Arthur would clearly be a distant relative to Joe Pesci from Goodfellas or The Godfather's Sonny Corleone!
The Sad Truth
"Already Broken." - Tommy Shelby
The relationship between Tommy and Grace is central not only to Peaky Blinders as a whole but to Tommy's story and character development, even long after his death.
This scene is perhaps their most iconic and is home to this exchange which is one of the earliest signs of vulnerability shown by Tommy. The line is simple, but it works wonderfully at this moment, and this quiet, intimate moment has some of the most memorable Peaky Blinders dialogue.
Big Guns
"Sergeant Thorne, reporting for duty, sir." - Freddie Thorne
Billy Kimber, one of the baddies of the first season, arrives with his gang outnumbering Shelby and his men. Catching an opportunity to crack a dialogue, Thomas calmly says that they should use' proper guns if they're fighting with guns.'
And it's then when Thomas's brother-in-law and fellow war veteran Freddie come out with a stolen Chinese machine gun in hand. Kimber and his henchmen are stunned. Even though not much gunfire happens after this, Freddie's entry makes the scene cool enough.
Don't Cross Tommy
"I just put a bullet in his head…he looked at me the wrong way." - Tommy Shelby
After something happened to Tommy's new prized horse, he had to put it out of its misery suddenly. He then goes straight to The Garrison to get a drink and talk with his favorite barmaid, Grace.
She sings for him, and the two become even closer. But not before she asks about his horse and he tells her the truth. Mostly. That may not be the real reason why he killed the horse, but he says this also to let her know he's a dangerous man. She still doesn't stay away, though.
Tommy's Wedding Request
"No fighting. No f****** fighting. No fighting. NO F****** FIGHTING!" - Thomas Shelby
It's Thomas's wedding day. It's funny to see the Shelbys interact with Grace's family, most of whom are members of the British Army. Shelby just hopes that none of his kin embarrasses him in front of his in-laws, so he takes his brothers and mates in the kitchen to give them some instructions.
The instructions range from not snorting cocaine, not firing any guns, and absolutely no fighting. This line plays out funnily and is easy 'meme-material,' becoming one of Peaky Blinders' most memorable quotes about violence.
Final Words
"Oh...And there's a woman. Yeah. A woman...I love...and I got close. I nearly got f****** EVERYTHING!" - Thomas Shelby
The show-runners of Peaky Blinders have a usual trope of putting Thomas in near-death situations towards the season finale. This is the case in the last episode of Season 2. Inspector Campbell's words ring true to Thomas, who feels he's about to die. He laments how he had finally found the love of his life, and still, this gangster could not get his fairy tale ending.
Thomas starts his rant peacefully, puffing on a cigarette but then shouts his lungs out, looking up at the sky. The angst in Cillian Murphy's dialogue gives us one of the show's most iconic moments.
Alfie Calls Out Tommy's Hypocrisy
"WHAT F****** LINE AM I SUPPOSED TO HAVE CROSSED?! How many fathers, right, how many sons, yeah, have you cut, killed, murdered, butchered, innocent, and guilty, to send straight to f****** Hell, ain't ya?! JUST LIKE ME!" - Alfie Solomons
Tom Hardy's addition to the show's cast as Jewish gangster-businessman Alfie was a welcome move. A wise yet witty character, his lines mainly were humorous until this moment. Thomas's son is kidnapped, and he suspects Alfie. So, Thomas holds him at gunpoint, guilt-tripping him for his crimes. But Alfie, in this angry monologue, counter-questions Thomas's life choices.
No matter how heroic Thomas might act, he's still a ruthless gangster in the end. Hence, he and Alfie Solomons are no different. This entire scene is perhaps the most famous Peaky Blinders dialogue.
Don't. Just Don't.
"Don't f*** with the Peaky Blinders!" -Polly Shelby
This is a simple and direct line, capturing the fear that the Peaky Blinders wish to create in the mind of their adversaries. Inspector Campbell continues to bother the Shelby's and even sexually harasses Polly. But Polly is undeterred and issues a straight threat at him.
Just like 'by order of the Peaky Blinders,' this too became one of the most iconic Peaky Blinders quotes, uttered by fans time and time again. Unfortunately for him, Campbell was the only one who never took these words seriously.
