15+ Best Conan The Barbarian Quotes From The Iconic Action Movie

Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Dec 12, 2023 By Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Originally Published on Mar 12, 2021
Edited by Monisha Kochhar
Cover and artwork of the Arnold Schwarzenegger film, Conan the barbarian.
Age: 0-99
Read time: 5.3 Min

'Conan the Barbarian' is a famous character from the series first released in the year 1982.

Conan's character is inspired by Robert E. Howard's work. The first movie came out in the year 1982,  followed by a sequel, 'Conan the Destroyer' in 1984.

The movie follows Conan, a young warrior on a journey to seek the culprit responsible for the death of his parents. Conan is fueled by the motivation to seek retaliation. The antagonist of the movie is Thulsa Doom, leader of a 'snake cult'. The movie explores themes of strength, faith, and vengeance. We see him struggling with the "riddle of steel", as described by his father on his deathbed. This becomes a recurring point of reference in the movie. This movie launched Arnold Schwarzenegger'scareer.

The list below contains the most famous quotes by the various characters of the movie, such as Mongol General, King Osric, and Thulsa Doom. To pay homage to R.E. Howard, we also added some Conan the barbarian book quotes.

You could also check out Arnold Schwarzenegger movie quotes and 'Pirates of the Caribbean' quotes.

Most Famous 'Conan The Barbarian' Quotes

Even though Conan's character can be described as a silent kind, his seldom occurring dialogues all turned out to be blockbuster hits. The following list contains all the iconic quotes from 'Conan The Barbarian', played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and its supporting characters.

1. "Mongol General:  Conan, what is best in life?

Conan: To crush your enemies see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women."

- 'Conan The Barbarian', 1982.

2. "You killed my mother! You killed my father, you killed my people! You took my father's sword."

- Conan, 'Conan The Barbarian'.

3. "Jehna: I suppose nothing hurts you.

Conan: Only pain."

- 'Conan The Destroyer', 1984.

4. "Crom, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you, will remember if we were good men or bad. Why we fought, or why we died. All that matters is that two stood against many. That's what's important! Valor pleases you, Crom... so grant me one request. Grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, then to HELL with you!"

- Conan, 'Conan The Barbarian'.

5. "Valeria: Do you know what horrors lie beyond that wall?

Conan: No.

Valeria: Then you go first."

- 'Conan The Barbarian', 1982.

6. "There comes a time, thief, when the jewels cease to sparkle when the gold loses its luster when the throne room becomes a prison, and all that is left is a father's love for his child."

― King Osric, 'Conan The Barbarian', 1982.

7. "He is Conan, Cimmerian, he won't cry, so I cry for him."

― Sabotai,  'Conan The Barbarian', 1982.

8. "What daring! What outrageousness! What insolence! What arrogance!… I salute you"

― King Osric, 'Conan The Barbarian', 1982.

9. "What good is a sword to sorcery?"

― Conan, 'Conan The Barbarian'.

10. "Many times I've faced my death with no one to know. I would look into the huts and the tents of others in the coldest dark and I would see figures holding each other in the night. And I always passed by. You and I, we have warmth. That's so hard to find in this world. Please. Let someone else pass by in the night. Let us take the world by the throat and make it give us what we desire."

― Valeria, 'Conan The Barbarian'.

11. "Thulsa Doom. I've chafed for years at this demigod. Snakes in my beautiful city. To the west, Nemedia, Aquilonia. To the south, Koth, Stygia. Snakes. Everywhere, these evil towers. You alone have stood up to their guards. And what are you? Thieves."

― King Osric, 'Conan The Barbarian'.

12. 'Sabotai: Food... Food! I have not eaten for days.

Conan: And who says you will?'

- 'Conan The Barbarian', 1982.

13. "All the gods, they cannot sever us. If I were dead and you were still fighting for life, I'd come back from the darkness. Back from the pit of hell to fight at your side."

― Valeria, 'Conan The Barbarian'.

Infamous Thulsa Doom Quotes

First edition of Marvel comic books, cover of Hulk, Daredevil, Spider-Man, Thor, Fantastic 4, Captain America, Conan, Defenders.

We thought the infamous Thulsa Doom deserved a section of his own. So, here is a list of famous quotes by the erratic Doom.

14. “Steel is not strong, flesh is stronger.”

―Thulsa Doom, 'Conan The Barbarian'

15. "Now they will know why they are afraid of the dark. Now they learn why they fear the night."

―Thulsa Doom, 'Conan The Barbarian'

16. "You broke into my house, stole my property, murdered my servants, and my PETS! And that is what grieves me the most! You killed my snake. Thorgrim is beside himself with grief! He raised that snake  from the time it was born."

―Thulsa Doom, 'Conan The Barbarian'

17. "That is strength, boy! That is power! What is steel compared to the hand that wields it? Look at the strength in your body, the desire in your heart, I gave you this! Such a waste. Contemplate this on the tree of woe. Crucify him!"

―Thulsa Doom, 'Conan The Barbarian'

'Conan The Barbarian' Book Quotes

The character is partly based on the work of the pulp fiction writer R.E. Howard. Here are a few quotes by the prolific and oft philosophical writer.

18. “Barbarianism is the natural state of mankind. Civilization is unnatural. It is the whim of circumstance. And barbarianism must ultimately triumph”

- Robert E. Howard.

19. “Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.”

― Robert E. Howard.

20. “the mere fact of a black figure racing across the landscape carrying a white captive was bizarre enough,”

― Robert E. Howard.

21. "In the old free days all I wanted was a sharp sword and a straight path to my enemies. Now no paths are straight and my sword is useless."

― Robert E. Howard.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotesfor everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'Conan The Barbarian' quotes then why not take a look at Gladiator movie quotes, or '80s movie quotes.

main image credit: Kraft74 / Shutterstock.com
second image credit: Art Villone / Shutterstock.com

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Written by Rajnandini Roychoudhury

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

Rajnandini Roychoudhury picture

Rajnandini RoychoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature. 

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