Most people remember the Transformers movies for their epic battle scenes or the super-fun toys you can buy from the franchise.
If you want to refresh your memory of one of your favorite film franchises, here are some of the best quotes from the Transformers movies.
1. “Autobots, transform and roll out!”
This is probably the most famous Transformers quote. It’s hard to pin this line down to any movie. Optimus Prime says this in almost every movie, comic, or cartoon in the Transformers universe. It’s his catchphrase and the call to action for the Autobots that follow him.
It’s mostly known for the animated series, but it’s also been adapted into live-action movies. As you can see in the clip above, Optimus Prime says, “Autobots… roll out!”.
Countless moviegoers and kids playing with Transformers toys have repeated this line ever since (although nobody can match Peter Cullen’s delivery). It’s always a sign that something epic is going to happen!
2. “We can be heroes in our own lives. Every one of us. If we only have the courage to try.”
Optimus Prime is the source of wisdom and many inspirational quotes in the Transformers universe, so it should come as no surprise that this quote also comes from him.
This quote is from the end of Transformers: The Last Knight. Optimus Prime refers to the unity of humans and Autobots and how everyone can be a hero and decide their destiny if they dare to defend their home planet.
3. “We’ve suffered losses, but we’ve not lost the war.”
Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) says this quote in Transformers: The Last Knight. The Autobots are losing morale in the battle against Quintessa, and fate seems to be stacked against them. However, Optimus Prime never gives up.
Once he breaks free of Quintessa’s power (she brainwashes him for most of the movie), he fights for what’s right. Even though Optimus Prime suffers a tragic fate, his wise words keep the forces of good motivated to finish the fight.
Optimus Prime is one of the most famous Transformers and one of the series’ most iconic characters, so expect to see his name pop up fairly often in this list. He always has a motivating, inspiring line for his fellow soldiers and the audience.
4. “A necessary sacrifice to bring peace to this planet. We cannot let the humans pay for our mistakes.”
In the first Transformers movie, Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) says this line when discussing plans to destroy The Cube with Ratchet (voiced by Robert Foxworth).
The Cube is the power source for the Transformers world, and the only way to keep it out of the hands of the evil Megatron is to destroy it. Optimus Prime is willing to do that even if it means his demise.
This is another quote that shows Optimus Prime’s heart and character. Optimus Prime doesn’t have to care about the human world, but he does, and he wants humans to get a chance to improve on their mistakes. He’s willing to risk his own life to save humans he doesn’t know.
5. “Come on, Decepticon punk!”
Transformers quotes aren’t all epic lines about fighting and bravery from Optimus Prime.
Sometimes, there’s comic relief, such as this line that Jazz (voiced by Darius McCrary) delivers in the first Transformers movie. Jazz says this line when he jumps on Brawl, one of Megatron’s minions.
Jazz is responsible for some of the best quotes from the Transformers movies thanks to his human patterns of speech (the joke is that he learned how to speak English from the Internet and picked up the worst of forum talk).
However, there is a reason he is Optimus Prime’s second-in-command: his bravery. He won’t back down from a fight with the forces of evil.
6. “We’ve witnessed your human capacity for war. You would absolutely bring more harm than good.”
This quote embodies a central theme of the movie franchise. Just because Optimus Prime is fond of humans does not mean he is ignorant of our flaws, as this quote from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen shows.
The Transformers stay on Earth after the first movie’s events but are reluctant to share the full extent of their alien technology, particularly their alien weapons. Optimus Prime gives this reasoning for not sharing the advanced Transformers technology, and what we know about human warmongering backs up his logic.
7. “You are the person I care for most in my life, and if there is anything you need, I won’t be far away.”
Bumblebee (voiced by Mary Ryan) says this quote in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen to Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) after Sam asks for his forgiveness.
At the beginning of the movie, Sam can’t take Bee to college because freshmen aren’t allowed to have cars. This upsets the Transformer, who formed a bond with Sam beyond his duty as the human’s guardian. However, Bee returns to save Sam’s family and never forgets his friend.
Transformers may be a movie franchise about big battles and explosions, but it also has touching moments about emotional bonds between unlikely friends, such as this one. Bee doesn’t care that Sam left him behind; he’ll still be there for his friend when he needs him.
8. “We’ve shed blood, sweat, and precious metal together…”
Sergeant Robert Epps (Tyrese Gibson) says this line in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen when government representatives begin attacking the Transformers.
Although Optimus Prime and his crew spent years working with humans and tracking down the Decepticons, the government turns against them and threatens to deport the robots, seeing them as lures for the evil ones.
Not all humans are ungrateful for Optimus Prime’s help. Sergeant Epps remembers everything he’s gone through on the side of the Transformers and speaks up for his robot friends. His quote is a powerful line about the brotherhood arising when you fight on the same side and overcome differences between friends.
9. “Decepticons! Suck my popsicle!”
The robots Skids (Tom Kenny) and Mudflap (Reno Wilson) say this line in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen when they combine to form an ice cream truck.
The twins are great comic relief characters. Their banter and insults toward the Decepticons (even emblazoned on the side of their ice cream truck) help lighten up the movie. However, they never lose sight of their final goal: infiltrating the Decepticons and taking down the Devastator.
10. “Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing.”
Optimus Prime says this line to a broken and confused Sam during Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Sam is a completely ordinary guy who gets caught in the war between two alien factions as a teenager. He continues to get involved when he starts seeing strange visions.
Sam is understandably confused and scared by his role in the Transformers universe. He doesn’t want to bear this burden when he wants to be a normal teenager, and he doesn’t know if he can live up to everyone’s expectations.
Optimus Prime is here to tell Sam (and the audience) that all chosen ones feel overwhelmed and inadequate. What matters is whether you continue to fight anyway.
Optimus Prime and the other Transformers characters have plenty of epic lines; those were some of my favorites. Which one is your favorite?
Up Next: Test your knowledge in the FilmDaft hardcore sci-fi movie quotes quiz.