The original Deus Ex game became a big hit in the early 2000s. However, a lackluster sequel cut that run short and ultimately put the cyberpunk series on ice. Eight years later, the series returned with Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Game director Jean-François Dugas said the team’s confidence in the game clashed with the pressure to meet die-hard fans’ expectations. But the game won over audiences. The narrative proved to be one of its strongest aces. With a Best Writing award under its belt, Eidos-Montréal delivered a story where the biggest argument is about what technology costs. The game wraps that theme in a gold-and-black noir style, and the dialogue carries it.
With that in mind, here’s a roundup of the best quotes from Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Lines that show that the game is more than just futuristic cities and stealth missions.
The Story of Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is set in 2027. A time when human augmentation is booming. After a shadowy black-ops team attacks Sarif Industries, Adam Jensen, the wounded head of security, gets rebuilt through cybernetic augmentations. With his skills and newfound abilities, he must investigate what happened, find the attackers, and confront what might doom humanity.
At first glance, this prequel feels like an action-packed experience. It lets you sneak, fight, shoot, hack, or talk your way through. It hits the sweet spot between action and role-playing. But that’s just scratching the surface of what Deus Ex: Human Revolution has in store. What begins as a security investigation soon becomes a web of conspiracies.
As the story draws you closer to the truth, you’ll see it touches on something that resonates in real life. Unchecked technological ambition. Lack of moral responsibility. Questions that ask what kind of world you want to leave behind. And this pushes characters to argue about freedom, identity, and whether progress is worth the price. That makes the exchanges all the more striking.
Quotes from Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s story comes alive through the meaningful and reflective words spoken by many of its characters, such as:
Adam Jensen
Adam Jensen serves as the mechanically augmented player character in Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Formerly a SWAT specialist, he often presents himself with a gruff exterior. Adam is blunt, sarcastic, resourceful, and often sounds like he’s tired of what’s happening. He’s the kind of protagonist who doesn’t waste words. Despite all that, he’s dedicated to helping others.
- “It’s in our Nature to want to rise above our limits.”
- “We were cold, so we harnessed fire. We were weak, so we invented tools. Every time we met an obstacle, we used creativity and ingenuity to overcome it. The cycle is inevitable… “
- “We can become the gods we’ve always been striving to be. We might as well get good at it.”
- “Technology offers us strength, strength enables dominance, and dominance paves the way for abuse.”
- “The suffering Darrow inflicted is not the end of the world. It is merely the seed for change. And change never comes without pain.”
- “If you wanna make enemies, try to change something.”
- “Freedom… To those who don’t have it, it’s more valuable than gold. “
- “Ordinary men and women will have to decide together what course mankind should take.”
- “Don’t paint yourself a savior in this! What you’re doing is insane!”
- “You think you’re Frankenstein, killing his own monster.”
- “I never asked for this. They say they saved me, but I’m not sure saved is the right word.”
- “The World doesn’t care about right or wrong. It’s all about power.”
- “Women never fail to underestimate men.”
- “If you try and rip the world apart, someone will always put it back together.”
- “How often have we changed the dream of progress, only to see that dream perverted?”
David Sarif
David Sarif is the ambitious, aggressive CEO of Sarif Industries. He’s a techno-optimist who sees augmentation as the next step in human evolution. But excessive ambition often complicates his ideals.
- “These people Adam, they’re like ghosts, always in the shadows. Always hiding behind lies, and proxy soldiers.”
- “They cannot stop us. They cannot stop the future.”
- “Some people will be left behind. It’s evolution!”
- “A name won’t mean much, they’ll use whichever one suits their interests.“
Hugh Darrow
Hugh Darrow is a notable antagonist in Deus Ex: Human Revolution. He’s confident, pragmatic, and quietly furious. As the visionary inventor of augmentation technology, he speaks like a man who has already decided what the world deserves.
- “I gave the world augmentation technology. I thought I was giving it a bright future, but instead I gave it the means to destroy itself.”
- “But human nature is the only thing we have that gives us a moral compass and the social skills we need to live in peace. Destroy it, and you destroy our very species.”
- “Actually, Mr. Jensen, I prefer to think of myself as Daedalus, watching helplessly as his child crashes into the sea.”
- “Arrogance, daring to go beyond the limits imposed upon us, that is exactly what makes us human beings.”
The Rest of Deus Ex: Human Revolution
- “The flesh may heal, but the mind is not always so resilient.” – William Taggart
- “Men like us, we never get back the things we love.” – Jaron Namir
- “Be careful Adam, because everybody lies.” – Eliza Cassan
- “Men never fail to underestimate women.” – Zhao Yun Ru
Lighter moments in Deus Ex: Human Revolution
- “I am looking at your bank account, and…you know, Sarif really ought to pay you more…”
- “I know you have gone through a lot of physical changes as of late, but you didn’t become a woman. Stay out of the ladies restroom.”
- “Sorry man, you’re not my type.”
- “And… Thanks, Spy Boy.”
- “About time! What, did you get stuck in an airduct on the way here?”
- “Yeah, copyright. Let’s copyright that shit. Dogmentation. Yo, we gonna be rich man!”
- “Well if it isn’t Mahatma Gandhi himself, come to save us all with his life-preserving presence!”
- “No jacking off with the rocket launcher.”
Every quote contributes to a story that makes thought-provoking inquiries. All without giving away easy answers. And those questions Deus Ex: Human Revolution poses are what make the game deserving of another look.
