A wise Time Lord once said, “Books are the best weapon in the world... Arm yourself!”
One of television’s most beloved and enduring sci-fi shows, Doctor Who has been on our screens for as long as many of us can remember. What started as a two-hearted alien traversing the galaxy in a time machine disguised as a police box quickly turned into a global cultural phenomenon. 13 regenerations later, the Whoniverse is still going strong—with 38 seasons on the air and an extensive library of supporting literary content.
We’ve pulled together a collection of outstanding quotes from our Doctor Who listens. Allons-y!
Love Quotes for Whovians
Along with the danger, Doctor Who fans get wrapped up in the relationships between the Doctor and his or her companions. From classics like Sarah Jane Smith to groundbreakers like Bill Pots, the companions (love interests and not) have been paramount in making the series and its spin-off novels into a sci-fi sensation. We think these words between Doctor and companion will warm your heart (or, if you’re like the Doctor, hearts).
1. “She wanted more than anything else to go to him, tell him that everything was going to be alright. But... what with possibly ripping time and space apart, that was probably a bad idea.” ― Doctor Who: The Stone Rose by Jacqueline Rayner
2. “Now here's Amy Pond, standing in the freezing ocean, holding the body of her imaginary friend, and shouting at the sea to make him better.” ― Doctor Who: Dead of Winter by James Goss
3. “Because she deserved more than me. She deserved someone who could give her the whole universe.” ― Doctor Who: The Stone Rose by Jacqueline Rayner
4. "Rose had enough of standing back and doing nothing. Of being told to sit still and behave and go to work and wear this and say that, of being told what to do by men, and boys, and her mother, and teachers, and bosses, and boyfriends, by the Doctor and the Nestene and everyone in between. Above her, the world was ending. In front of her, the Doctor was dying... Well, to hell with that." ― Doctor Who: Rose by Russell T. Davies
5. “We trust the people we love to tell the truth.” ― Doctor Who: The Feast of the Drowned by Stephen Cole
6. “Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!” ― Doctor Who: Rose by Russell T. Davies
Quotes About Life
Seeing as the Doctor has lived quite a number of them, we think he might know a thing or two about life. Here are some inspirational quotes that perfectly showcase the wisdom the Doctor has accrued over his 900 years (and counting!) of living.
7. “Fear is only a disadvantage if you want to attack—it's brilliant if all you want to do is run away.” ― Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor by Steven Moffat
8. “You don’t need to look like a monster to be one.” ― Doctor Who: Deep Time by Trevor Baxendale
9. “Danger is the only true palliative for a guilty man. And certainly the only drug strong enough for the Doctor.” ― Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor by Steven Moffat
10. “Rose Tyler woke up on the most ordinary day, not knowing that her life was about to change forever. She would often wonder, many years later, standing on the shore of a different universe, whether she had missed any signs on that day, long ago. Presentiments of the dangers and joys to come.” ― Doctor Who: Rose by Russell T. Davies
Funny Quotes
Nothing compares to the quick wit and lovable optimism of the Doctor. From his fondness for bow ties to his back-and-forth quips with Donna, the Doctor’s quirks are part of what makes the show entertaining to all ages. We’ve put together some of our favorite jokes and one-liners from the Doctor Who library that we think are fantastic!
11. “The Doctor gave a modest shrug. ‘Well, I must admit that I made heads turn wherever I go. It's a burden that I just have to live with.’” ― Doctor Who: The Stone Rose by Jacqueline Rayner
12. “‘Are you suggesting that those men were in my employ?’ ‘That's exactly what I'm suggesting.’ ‘I don't know if you noticed but those men were pointing a gun at me.’” ― Doctor Who: City of Death by Douglas Adams and James Goss
13. “I'm about to do something very clever and a tiny bit against the rules of the universe. It's important that I'm properly dressed.” ― Doctor Who: Shroud of Sorrow by Tommy Donbavand
14. “The TARDIS is a terrible rubbernecker—like a little old lady, she can't resist slowing down for a gawp at a car crash in the next lane. Bless.” ― Doctor Who: Dead of Winter by James Goss
15. “The guards had asked the Doctor to please wait in the hallway... It seemed only polite, the Doctor thought, to wait until they had gone before he wandered off to explore the house.” ― Doctor Who: The Resurrection Casket by Justin Richards
16. “I pointed to the two movie posters on the wall, and saw her eyes widen. ‘Peter Cushing played the Doctor? The guy from Star Wars?’ ‘Oh, yes. Twice. We did try to suppress the films, but they kept showing up on bank holidays.’ ‘Has the Doctor seen them?’ ‘Seen them? He loves them. He loaned Peter Cushing a waistcoat for the second one, they were great friends. Though we only realised that when Cushing started showing up in movies made long after his death.” ― Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor by Steven Moffat
17. “He was even wearing a tasseled velvet nightcap that I noticed the Doctor eyeing up. If Boris didn't watch out, that'd go missing and we'd never hear the end of ‘Nightcaps are cool.’” ― Doctor Who: Dead of Winter by James Goss
18. “Did you say something cruel to the TARDIS while I was getting changed? Did you call her fat? …Because she's not fat. She's just bigger on the inside.” ― Doctor Who: Shroud of Sorrow by Tommy Donbavand
19. “Elves, pixies, gnomes—the Moomins, Chorlton and the Wheelies, SpongeBob SquarePants—they all tried to invade you at some point.” ― Doctor Who: The Stone Rose by Jacqueline Rayner
Sad Quotes
We wish we could exterminate these sad quotes as much as the next Dalek. But it’s important to remember that, like the Eleventh Doctor said “Every life is a pile of good things and bad things.” With that in mind, here are some of the most moving and emotional quotes from our Doctor Who collection that remind us to appreciate every high and low in our lives.
20. “Maybe he’ll visit tomorrow,’ she had said, her hand tight on his. ‘Maybe tomorrow,’ he had smiled, closing his eyes. She could never decide, over the years, if those were the best or the saddest last words.” ― Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor by Steven Moffat
21. “I just get as close as I can to a happy ending, then I shut the door behind me and move on.” ― Doctor Who: Dead of Winter by James Goss
22. “There is a moment, after regeneration, when the guttering soul of the old man looks out through the eyes of the new. So it was the Doctor who looked into the mirror—but it was me who looked back.” ― Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor by Steven Moffat
23. “Sometimes he missed the monochrome world of his first two incarnations. It had felt like a simpler, cleaner time; so many centuries had passed before he realised he’d just been colour blind.” — Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor by Steven Moffat
24. 'I'm going to tell you a story about a man who travels, and everywhere he goes, he makes everyone's lives better. I'm not that man. That man doesn't exist. I wish he did... I'd believe in him.” ― Doctor Who: Dead of Winter by James Goss
Quotes About—What Else?—Time and Space
You can’t have a Doctor Who story without a load of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff. Seeing as the Doctor travels to all ends of the universe, it only makes sense that he’s picked up a few pieces of knowledge about time and space. Don’t blink, or you might miss some of our favorite quotes from the Doctor about time and space.
25. “Time is, to put it in its most impressive and some might say poncy-sounding form, my domain. I can see things that once happened, even if they haven't happened anymore. Well, if I concentrate. The new reality—the real reality—keeps asserting itself, even with me. But the other timeline leaves echoes, ripples, if you look hard enough.” ― Doctor Who: The Stone Rose by Jacqueline Rayner
26. “Well, you're tinkering with time. That's always a bad idea unless you know what you're doing.”— Doctor Who: City of Death by Douglas Adams and James Goss
27. “As they stood admiring the blue wooden police box, three people ran past them and into the box. Which, with a snort, vanished.” ― Doctor Who: City of Death by Douglas Adams and James Goss
28. “It is strange to reflect that the deadliest conflict history will ever know began between a race of traumatised mutants sealed into tiny battle tanks, and an enclave of time-travelling academics.” — Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor by Steven Moffat
29. “The TARDIS travels through the Vortex, which is—in layman’s terms—a huge, complicated, multidimensional, trans-temporal… thingy. And like Warren’s sock, it comes in two lovely colours.” ― Doctor Who: Shroud of Sorrow by Tommy Donbavand
30. “Magic is just a term people use for things they’re too primitive to understand properly.” ― Doctor Who: Silhouette by Justin Richards
