23 Cowboy Bebop Quotes That Prove the Show Is a Classic

A lot of people consider anime childish and say it lacks any deeper meaning. However, quite a few of them explore deep psychological and societal themes and bring light to many important world issues. These Cowboy Bebop quotes prove just how powerful anime can be.

Set over 50 years in the future, Cowboy Bebop follows a group of bounty hunters on their mission to rid space of dangerous outlaws. Throughout its 26 episode run, the show managed to attract fans of all ages all over the world. Today it is credited for being one of the shows responsible for popularizing the anime genre in the Western world.

Below, you can find some of the best Cowboy Bebop quotes and find out for yourself what all the hype is about.

23 Best Cowboy Bebop Quotes That Will Make You Fall In Love With It

Best Cowboy Bebop Quotes by Spike Spiegel

#1. “I’m not going there to die. I’m going to find out if I’m really alive.” — The Real Folk Blues (Part 2)

#2. “Look at my eyes, Faye. One of them is fake cause I lost it in an accident. Since then, I’ve been seeing the past in one eye, and the present in the other, so I thought I could only see patches of reality, never the whole picture. I felt like I was watching a dream I’d never wake up from. Before I knew it, the dream was all over.” — The Real Folk Blues (Part 2)

#3. “Whatever happens, happens.” — Bohemian Rhapsody

#4. “You’re tense, I’m calm. You apply excessive force and I control that force through fluid motion. That means relaxing the whole body so it can react instantly without resistance—no, without thought. Do you see now? It means becoming like clear water. Water can take any form. It drifts without effort one moment, then pounds down in a torrent the very next.” — Waltz for Venus

#5. “I’m not a criminal. Woah, that makes me sound more like a criminal, doesn’t it?” — Waltz for Venus

#6. “If you want to dream, just do it by yourself.” — Brain Scratch

#7. “I was younger then, I wasn’t afraid of anything, I didn’t think about dying for a second. I thought I was invincible. Then I met some girl. So I wanted to live, I started to think like that; for the first time, I was afraid of death. I had never felt like that before.” — The Real Folk Blues (Part 2)

#8. “If there is a god in this world, I’d like to ask one wish. Divine retribution to all those who take freedom away.” — Toys in the Attic

#9. “Nothing good ever comes from Earth.” — Jamming With Edward

Best Cowboy Bebop Quotes by Faye Valentine

#10. “It’s the best. Belonging is the very best thing there is.” — Hard Luck Woman

#11. “You told me once to forget the past, cause it doesn’t matter, but you’re the one still tied to the past, Spike.” — The Real Folk Blues (Part 2)

#12. “You know the first rule in combat? shoot them before they shoot you.” — Honky Tonk Women

#13. “The past is the past and the future is the future. A man is a man and a woman is a woman. The present is the present. I am who I am and so you are who you are. That’s all there is to it. So, does it really matter? Or do we just think it does?” — The Real Folk Blues (Part 2)

#14. “Survival of the fittest is the law of nature. We either deceive or we are deceived. Thus, we flourish or perish. Nothing good ever happened to me when I trusted others. That is the lesson.” — Gateway Shuffle

#15. “They often say that humans can’t live alone. But you can live pretty long by yourself. Instead of feeling alone in a group, it’s better to be alone in your solitude.” — Hard Luck Woman

Best Cowboy Bebop Quotes by Vincent Volaju

#16. “I have no fear of death because it just means dreaming in silence. But it’s a dream that lasts for eternity.” — The Real Folk Blues (Part 1)

#17. “Of the days that I have lived, only those I spent with you seemed real.” — Bohemian Rhapsody

#18. “No one can draw a clear line between sane and insane. So, you move that line as you see fit for yourself. But no one else can. You’ll understand soon… that the one that’s insane is this world.” — Cowboy Bebop: The Movie

#19. “Know much about purgatory? It’s the place between heaven and hell, where those who were left behind, unable to get into heaven continue to suffer. It is but a place of struggle and pain. In other words, the world that we’re in now.” — The Real Folk Blues (Part 2)

Best Cowboy Bebop Quotes by Jet Black

#20. “It’s just like Charlie said in my dream. If you want to receive, then you have to give. See Spike, you got to listen to your dreams because that’s how you find your dream girl.” — Honky Tonk Women

#21. “Humans were meant to work and sweat for their money after all. Those that try to get rich quickly or live at expense of others – all get divine retribution along the way. That is the lesson. But, one thing about humans is that they quickly forget the lesson they have learned.” — Toys in the Attic

#22. “Men always seem to think about their past before they die, as though they were frantically searching for proof that they truly lived.” — The Real Folk Blues (Part 2)

#23. “Everything has a beginning and an end. Life is but a cycle of starts and stops. There are ends we don’t desire, but they’re inevitable. So, we have to face them. That’s what being human is all about.” — Bohemian Rhapsody

In Conclusion

These Cowboy Bebop quotes show why it rightfully holds the place of one of the most beloved anime shows of all time. Its exploration of loneliness, existentialism, as well as a dark future that does not seem too far from reality today make it a true classic. We are not likely to forget it anytime soon.


Image source: Cowboy Bebop photo from pinterest.com