Summary
The protagonist ofRed Dead Redemption 2may not be the brightest, but he certainly is a man of morality. Arthur Morgan watches helplessly as his family, the Van der Linde gang, crumble under the pressure of a changing world that doesn’t want gunslingers and outlaws anymore.Red Dead Redemption 2does a stellar job with Arthur Morgan and cements him as one of the best characters in gaming.
Throughout the entirety ofRed Dead Redemption 2, the game explores Arthur Morgan’s relationship with friends, foes, and even himself. Arthur’s dialogue leads to some of the most powerful quotes by Arthur Morgan, some that stay relevant and gut-wrenching today.
Updated on June 27, 2025, by Jake Fillery:Arthur Morgan quotes are always a great read, especially when they evoke such strong emotion from the great words that he’s spoken to life through his booming voice and his intimate journal. A collection of some of the best Arthur Morgan quotes in Red Dead Redemption 2 can be found below, providing players with more thrilling memories into Arthur’s mindset and the characters he meets across the Wild West.
Spoilers ahead for Red Dead Redemption 2!
Arthur’s Detest of Racism Stands Strong in Saint Denis
Despite Saint Denis being a more modern bastion of civilization, supposedly showing how things are getting better for humanity, it’s still in the deep South after the Civil War, and as such, there are a few people who are too ignorant for society. One such man is Norris Forsythe, someone who spouts racist ideas about eugenics and his hatred for mixing races.
Arthur Morgan has a brief conversation with him, where he tells Norris that not every white person is perfect, and makes it pretty clear, in a threatening tone, that he’s looking at a pretty dumb white person. Showing Arthur’s kindness through his aggression adds further depth to his humanity.
29"Far As Your Concerned, I Am The Devil… Now Get Outta Here."
Threaten Arthur’s Friends and Evoke the Devil’s Wrath
When Arthur’s newest friend in Saint Denis, Charles Chatenay, gets caught sleeping with a man’s wife, Arthur is quick to get involved. Whether it’s as a bystander or as someone who interferes, Arthur can threaten the man who is in turn threatening Charles, not with his gun, but with his words. Arthur is quick to refer to himself as the devil, which is most curious considering Arthur isn’t a religious man, and rarely, if ever, references such Biblical things.
The fact that Arthur is so willing to become the devil himself just to put immense fear into those who threaten his friends shows how confident he is, and how much of a bad man he can truly be if he has to.
28"All Them Years, Dutch, For This Snake?"
Arthur Doesn’t Mince His Words About Betrayal
Arthur is never one to be quiet about his feelings, especially when it comes to Micah Bell. Arthur questions his love for his father figure of Dutch van der Linde, and it seems at this point down the road, it’s time to stop being nice and to just say it how it is, which Arthur does with scorn as he calls out Micah for being a snake.
It’s also a heartbreaking quote that emphasizes how much Dutch meant to Arthur, how he has wasted all those years trusting him and bonding with him, just to see it all crumble down for someone who isn’t even regarded as human, but as a snake in the grass.
27"I Hope It’s Hot and Terrible, Mrs. Downes, Otherwise, I’ll Feel I’ve Been Sold a False Bill of Goods"
Arthur Doesn’t Fear the Fires of Hell
One of the earlier quotes in the game shows Arthur’s change of heart in his response to Mrs. Downes, in which he seems to welcome the idea of burning in Hell. Arthur never seems to be a religious man, so it makes sense that he does not fear what comes in the next life, and his demonic grin is almost like a challenge to his fate forall his misdeeds.
Looking back on this quote, it’s rather sinister and powerful to see how this gunslinger almost wants Hell to be as bad as he’s been told it is, otherwise, there’s no telling what other criminal things he would have gotten up to. Despite this quote showcasing Arthur as hardened and evil, deep down, he’s a softy.
26"We Ain’t Both Gonna Make It."
Always to the Point, Arthur Knows His Time Has Come
With TB ravishing Arthur’s body, and the law honing in on all he holds dear, Arthur realizes that maybe he isn’t going to get out of this fight to ride through another sunset. Instead, Arthur tells it blatantly to John Marston and decides that if he can save anyone, it’s who he sees as a little brother who still has a life to live.
Arthur’s decision to give up his life to save another isa heroic last actionfrom a man who’s done a whole lot of bad, and his hardened exterior and rock-wall emotional state of simply stating that he isn’t going to make it, and somehow he’s okay with that, shows just how strong Arthur is.
25"Women Voting? Sure, Why Not? Anyone Dumb Enough To Wanna Vote, I Say Go For It."
Arthur Couldn’t Care Less About an Evolving West Seeking Democracy
In a world so heavily caught up in politics, it’s actually rather endearing to see Arthur’s views on the matter back in 1899, where it seems he genuinely couldn’t care less about those in power. It harks back to a simpler time, where Arthur and the gang simply followed their own rules and moralities, rather than relying on those that have been voted in.
It’s nice to see that Arthur isn’t a misogynist, and he says to the women who do want the right to vote that it’s their choice, but he just doesn’t care about voting himself. While some might view it as an arrogant and privileged stance, there’s still a level of humor there that Arthur just wants to be free without needing to put his name on a piece of paper.
24"There Ain’t No Shame In Looking For A Better World."
Arthur’s Reassurance To Mary’s Brother Shows How He Understands A Cruel World
On a mission to save Mary’s little brother from a wild cult, Arthur helps the boy see the error of his indoctrinated ways. Arthur, often describing himself as someone with not much brains, shows a bout of wisdom to the young man, and reassures him that there’s nothing wrong with trying to find a better world than the one theycurrently live in 1899.
Arthur isn’t blind to the cruelty of the world, and not everyone can be as hard as nails. Arthur’s care for the young man and attempts to save him and reassure him that everything is going to be okay proves that he’s not a bad man, even if he puts on the image of one.
23"Should I Slit Your Throat And Save Us All The Bother?"
Arthur Defends Tilly Jackson By Threatening The Man Who Hunts Her
Arthur does not tolerate the abuse of the people he cares about, so when he discovers that Tilly Jackson is the target of a man with a feud, he wastes no time in threatening him with a knife to his throat. Arthur lets Tilly decide his fate, and even when Tilly says she wants this man to leave her alone, Arthur locks eyes with him and asks him directly if he should slit his throat.
It’s one of Arthur’s harsher moments that shows what kind of animal he can be when those he cares about are threatened, and he won’t hesitate to do the dirty work required of him if it means the people in his life are kept safe.
22"Five Thousand Dollars? For Me? Can I Turn Myself In?"
Arthur Morgan Refuses To Be Stared Down By Pinkertons, Whether It’s With Money Or Guns
Agent Milton and other Pinkerton agents do their best to intimidate Arthur Morgan whilst he’s out fishing with Jack Marston. Yet, he doesn’t let them get to him, and even when they inform him of the bounty on his head, Arthur only has a snarky and confident reply that proves he cannot be bought or intimidated.
Five thousand dollars is a lot of money today, and that’s not even accounting for 1899. The fact that Arthur doesn’t even blink at the comment and stands his ground to protect himself, the gang, and Jack, proves the powerful man he is.
21"We Even Helped Some Folk…"
Arthur Reminisces On The Old Life Of An Outlaw
After Dutch abused the anger of the Wapiti people, Arthur Morgan and Charles Smith are set to aid them in recovering what was lost without the violence that Dutch wants as a diversion to his own schemes. On a horse ride, Arthur and Charles reminisce about the gang prior to Hosea’s death, and Arthur states that it wasn’t all killing and robbing.
Arthur seems to miss the old life, where they actually helped people sometimes and didn’t just do things for their own benefit. Yet, the tone of Arthur’s voice and the words he speaks, it’s clear that this is something that has long since passed.
