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 Mathews and would eventually grow up to be a ruthless, violent bandit who cares little for the lives of those outside his own gang.
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!
Warning: Some quotes and entries contain spoilers.
25 “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.”
Straight shooter, that Arthur Morgan – especially when it comes to people he doesn’t care for. He says it to Uncle in RDR2 thanks to Uncle’s laziness, alcoholism, and general ornery nature.
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.
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.”
This quote shows what’s most important to Arthur Morgan: the gang. He genuinely 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 “Lack of something to feel important about is almost the greatest tragedy a man may have.”
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.
22 “You, sir, are a fish.”
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.
Instead of exclaiming “Whoa!” or even a “Hot damn!”, Arthur says this and you know what? Good.
21 “I guess I… I’m afraid.”
This vulnerable moment comes after Arthur discovers that he has tuberculosis (TB) and isn’t long for this world. He’s left wondering what all his actions amount to and what he should do now. He seeks the counsel of Sister Calderon in Saint-Denis.
Arthur tells the sister that he’s dying and that he’s afraid. She offers this in response, “Take a gamble that love exists, and do a loving act.”
20 “Five thousand dollars? For me? Can I turn myself in?”
Arthur provides this line to Pinkerton detective, Andrew Milton, during a private conversation between the two. Milton worked to turn members of the Van Der Linde Gang against one another, but Arthur Morgan wouldn’t take the bait.
Milton tells Morgan how much his bounty is worth, and Morgan doesn’t take it seriously of course. If anything defines Arthur Morgan beyond his loyalty to the gang, it’s his lack of respect for authority that he views as corrupt.
19 “I think, as a general rule, Dutch likes to avoid murder within the camp.”
Dutch is, shall we say, not the best leader. But even the problematic head of the Van Der Linde gang has his lines in the sand. One of them, as Arthur reveals, is murder where the gang sleeps.
This quote comes up in a conversation with Arthur’s Tilly Jackson. While not a particularly poetic, meaty, or moving quote, it gives insight into Arthur’s sense of humor. It also shows how playful he can be with others — a trait discouraged in grown men of the time and even today.
18 “All them years, Dutch, for this snake?”
This is a moment of disillusionment and even a bit of heartbreak for Arthur. Micah Callahan proved a violent and chaotic element that would keep endangering the remainder of the gang. Micah also proved on several occasions that he doesn’t care a lick about the rest of the gang.
Dutch’s preference for Micah is clear, and he sides with Micah over other members of the gang many times. After Micah proves a traitor, it becomes too much for Arthur and he blurts this out to Dutch.
17 “You don’t get to live a bad life and have good things happen to you.”
This line is a moment of resolution for Arthur. He understands that, after everything he and the Van Der Linde Gang have done over the course of their lives, nothing good can come to them. Most of them won’t make it out alive.
Arthur understands this fact and has more-or-less resigned himself to a grisly fate, especially after he discovers that he has TB. Of course, he still works to give the Marstons a better fate by the end.
16 “We’re thieves in a world that don’t want us no more.”
This is something that Arthur says to Dutch during a conversation at the Clemens Point camp. Dutch asks how Arthur is to which he responds “fine” and, after some small talk, Arthur tells Dutch that he is worrying him. They lost a number of gang members during their escape and Dutch is seemingly nonchalant about it.
Dutch abruptly brushes the deaths off, claiming that there will always be casualties since they are fighting to try and “reform” society. Arthur is clearly disheartened at this justification and he tells Dutch this entry’s quote. This line and its delivery are some of the earliest signs that Arthur is beginning to lose faith in Dutch and his philosophy. Arthur is beginning to realize that they are not saving anyone; they’re just robbing and killing people.
15 “Forgive me if I slip and stab you in the face.”
Anyone who has played the game knows that Micah is a special kind of…person. At one point in the game, he invites Arthur to play Five Finger Fillet – the notorious game of speed and danger with a knife.
However, Arthur – ever sassy and understated – can trash talk Micah at this point using the quote above. It’s a fantastic chuckle for fans not just because Micah is terrible, but because it’s such a surprise.
14 “Some jobs aren’t for saving and some legacies are for pissing on.”
Many fans might recall the side mission where Arthur says this. The short, but memorable quest has Arthur on a sort of scavenger hunt. He’s gathering journals that start to reveal a dark truth about an old man he encounters.
Not only had the man harmed and profited off slaves, but he had also enjoyed doing it. When Arthur confronts him, threatening to burn the journals, the man flies into hysterics crying about his “legacy.” Arthur drops the mic and the player has the choice to kill him or leave the man to stew in his turmoil.
13 “You’re gonna sleep with your chest open if you ain’t careful boy.”
This is the equivalent of that McDonald’s triangle meme except Arthur orders a single item that everyone in the gang wants and then throws it out the window and shoots it. That is to say that when Arthur means business, everyone else better fall in line.
The moment comes when Arthur is talking to Sean who sasses Arthur when he tells him to “Calm down.” There’s the whole air of disrespecting one’s elders here. But really, Arthur just doesn’t take any guff.
12 “We can’t change what’s done, we can only move on.”
Quite a bit into the game, Arthur’s sickness begins to take its toll on him. It affects him so greatly that he has a coughing fit and passes out in the street. During this, Arthur seems to go into a sort of lucid dream where he is up and walking around. There are voices all around him yet no one to be seen. It’s in this dream-like state that we hear Arthur’s own voice repeating advice he once gave.
While this is a great life lesson for anyone, most people who have been through trauma know that it is possibly one of the hardest things to do. This is how the Van Der Linde Gang survives. Each and every member of the gang is someone who has been cast out, abused, or abandoned and only ever felt a sense of purpose and belonging once they found the gang. Arthur is guilt-ridden about his past transgressions but he knows he cannot take them back or change them; he can only move forward.
11 “Look, I’m sorry friend. I can barely speak English.”
Arthur, like most people at the time, wasn’t super well-educated or well-read. He could read and write, of course, but he hadn’t attended a fancy school or anything like that. Throughout the game, he encounters lots of people from various places and cultures. Unfortunately, Arthur is more a hammer than a scalpel when it comes to addressing issues.
He says this when he is trying to help someone speak English, but also trying to tell him that he doesn’t understand. Instead of mocking the non-English speaker, Arthur mocks himself because English is hard y’all.
10 “Just do one thing or the other, don’t try to be two people at once…”
This wonderful little tidbit of wisdom is heard during the “Fatherhood, For Idiots” mission. During the epilogue portion of the game, Abigail is telling John about a piece of barren land in Beecher’s Hope, but John points out that he still has a price on his head so could never get a bank loan. Frustrated, Abigail sends him to town to pick up a parcel with Jack, while at the post office John gives his real name, and a man in the background can be seen quickly leaving.
The same man, with a few others, ends up following the two Marstons and shoots at John who shoots back. Upon returning, Abigail notices that Jack is clearly shaken and asks what happened. They argue and she goes inside which is when the wise voice of the late Arthur Morgan can be heard telling John he needs to take fatherhood seriously and “Just do one thing or the other, don’t try to be two people at once…”
9 “We’re more ghosts than people.”
During a conversation with Sadie, she informs Arthur that she knows where the last of the O’Driscolls are hiding. She intends to go after them but needs Arthur to help her. Reluctantly, Arthur agrees on the condition that she helps him with John, Abigail, and Jack. During this conversation, he tells Sadie that “This whole thing is pretty much done” and that no one in the camp trusts each other – especially Dutch as he holds all the money.
Arthur continues and says to Sadie, “We’re more ghosts than people…” while continuing to assert that the Marstons still have a chance at life. This quote truly encompasses how both Sadie and Arthur feel for most of the game. They have both lost everything that was dear to them, committed horrible acts, and are continuing on in life solely for revenge. Both help the Marstons to get out in a futile attempt at redemption.
8 “I hope it’s hot and terrible, Mrs. Downes… otherwise I’ll feel I’ve been sold a false bill of goods.”
Arthur isn’t one to wax philosophical for too long. But he does get some real zingers in there every now and then. Especially at zealous church women who tell him to “care for his immortal soul.”
Arthur is who he is and he isn’t changing for anyone — not even “God”. He’s been told all his life that he’ll go to Hell, so why should he fight that fate? But it wouldn’t be Arthur if he didn’t slip some humor into that rather grim outlook.
7 “Vengeance is an idiot’s game.”
During one of the most iconic scenes, Arthur goes to a widow to collect her husband’s debt. This is early in the game so Arthur is still quite cruel and crass. He cares little for others and doesn’t mind killing anyone who gets in his way. While the widow is inside getting the money, he notices her son giving him a dirty look so he asks him if he has a lazy eye or no respect. The boy, bravely, tells Arthur he has no respect for the likes of men like him.
Arthur decides to attempt to put the fear of God in the kid by telling him he might just keep his mother in the black on his account. Once again, the boy bravely replies to Arthur about how other events may transpire and, immediately, Arthur gives him the advice that Dutch so desperately needs: “Vengeance is an idiot’s game.”
6 “Be loyal to what matters.”
During one of the last jobs the gang will pull off together, Arthur tells John that this is over and he should take his wife and child and leave. John seems a little unsure as he, like Arthur, was taken in by Dutch and Hosea as a child and sees Dutch as a father and Arthur as a brother. John is torn by his loyalty to the gang, something Dutch always emphasized. But Arthur tells him that he needs to “be loyal" to his child and wife who will die if they stay.
As much as Arthur picks on John, he does view him as his little brother and has decided to focus his remaining time on ensuring that they get out so that Jack can have the normal life they never did. Throughout the game, Arthur repeats his sentiments of how loyalty is the thing that matters to him most, but he realizes now that blind loyalty to the wrong people will lead to death.
