Out of all the assassins audiences have seen in Assassin’s Creed, the greatest one in terms of character has to be Ezio Auditore. He is the apex assassin of the series, having been featured in three games; the most of any other character.
Making Ezio so engaging was the development he went through. Ezio started off as a punk who didn’t understand the harshness of the world but ended up being a legend. Apart from that, Ezio was also easily the coolest assassin gamers have seen so far, having a wide array of quips, jokes, and one-liners he threw at others. In order to for fans of Assassin's Creed to recall just how cool Ezio was, here are the quotes that define his character.
Updated on June 13th, 2023 by Hodey Johns: There are too many incredible quotes in Assassin's Creed to stop at just a few. Ezio has always been considered the most well-rounded character in the series, which is why he had something to offer in every situation. There's no better assassin to follow than Ezio due to his wide-ranging talents and experiences. He had more wisdom to impart than one would think. Due to this, it's worth indulging in a few more quotes by the Master Assassin that qualify as learning points. This list has been updated to include even more incredible quips and words of wisdom from Ezio.
23 "Vengeance Clouded My Mind. It Would Have Consumed Me Were It Not For The Wisdom Of A Few Strangers."
In one of the most powerful moments in the franchise, Ezio stands up to his own allies as they seek to burn an opponent at the stake. Ezio assassinates the man to end his suffering before he can feel the pain, granting him peace and a blessing.
He sees and understands the rage of those who were harmed by these evildoers. But he is adamant that they not fight fire with fire. The series has a tendency to get way too dark but Ezio's hope is for a place of peace in the end.
22 "What You Are Not Is Actually What People Will Assume Of You At First."
Ezio demonstrated his knack for reading people with this quote. He argued that people tend to make snap judgments that make them consider someone as what they actually aren’t. Ezio is one of the funniest characters in the franchise but beneath that exterior, even he is something else.
Once he had learned this life lesson, Ezio stopped caring what others thought of him. It liberated him to a great extent since Ezio wasn’t bound by societal norms as people usually are, being a touch more mature in this regard.
21 "Should Anything Happen To Me, Should My Skills Fail Me, Or My Ambition Lead Me Astray, Do Not Seek Retribution Or Revenge In My Memory."
Ezio is a human being. As impressive as he is, it's easy to make a top ten list of the times he got something wrong or said something rude, impulsive, or misleading. Recognizing that he is fallible, he issues a somber warning to anybody that would try to defend him should he follow a dark path.
As evidenced by all the appearances of Ezio outside of Assassin's Creed games, players could potentially idolize such a human. Think of all the great minds in human history that have a dark side. It would be nice if they had all said something like this once so that modern students stopped trying to rationalize the indefensible.
20 "There Is No Book Or Teacher To Give You The Answers, Show You The Path. Choose Your Own Way. Do Not Follow Me Or Anyone Else."
While he was a good Assassin, Ezio's loyalty wasn't to an organization, it was to an idea. He didn't want to take the crown from the Templars, he wanted to smash the crown entirely. It's a novel concept in an open-world game designed to maximize immersion.
People often look for answers from those who have biases and agendas. While this isn't necessarily harmful, it must be remembered that people all have innate prejudices and singular perspectives. No one person has all the answers. People should gather the most information and seek the truth on their own.
19 "All We Need Is A Cause To Fight For. And For Me, That Cause Is You."
Where Ezio was concerned, his proteges were his family. All the main protagonists experience tribulation but few match the gut-wrenching scene with Ezio's family. He dedicated himself to fighting for the truth. Due to this, his cause was the people he surrounded himself with.
It was by imparting this kind of wisdom that he enabled others to seek the truth within themselves. As the mentor of the Assassin brotherhood, Ezio had a responsibility to guide his people, and he certainly lived up to this promise during his lifetime.
18 "Fear Not The Darkness, But Welcome Its Embrace."
In a way, it was an honor to be slain by Ezio’s blade. That’s because he was gentle in guiding his victims into the afterlife, an honor they would not have bestowed upon him had the tables been turned. Ubisoft games have some sick parkour but it's these deeper moments that carry the series.
He had found no satisfaction in killing his enemies before his uncle taught him that even the evilest people should be respected when their time came. Once Ezio accepted the reality of death, he helped his victims transition into the next life as they had paid for their crimes in the world of the living.
17 "If You Do, Make It Short."
This is a quote in response to Niccolo telling Ezio he plans to write a book about Ezio's life. The secret behind a great quote is that it compacts much into a few words. In this case, the shortness implies humility, understanding of an audience, urgency, and utility. The games can take a long time to beat but Ezio only needs the highlights.
Ezio, while he is certainly honored, doesn't care to lecture people as though he were a deity. He wants a book about him to contain only the information that will reach the reader. He doesn't tell Niccolo not to write the book, there are lessons in Ezio's life, but they don't request pontification. The beauty of his life is how relatable and familiar it is.
16 "There Are Those Who Would Take Our Freedom From Us. Too Many Of You Gladly Give It."
Enemies of freedom will use force, slavery, death, and threats to take away a person's freedom. To a Templar, there is no price that can't be paid to bring order into a world of chaos. Games give players freedom to transmog their look but this doesn't mean the characters in those games have much freedom at all.
Unfortunately for the commoners, the Templars rarely need to use violence. They prefer to use trickery, bad logic, and/or say that their initiatives are for the greater good. These honey-dipped lies make people give away their freedom too easily.
15 "We Must Never Forget Our Purpose, Even When The Way Before Us Is Difficult. We Must Look Up To The Heavens And Call Upon Our Faith And Be Strong When Everything Around Us Seems To Be Falling Apart."
Sometimes, faith or religion is used to call people to cultlike behavior. Led by grifters or tricksters, the goal is to get people to lose a sense of self. But Ezio here makes the opposite appeal; look to faith when times are tough to find a sense of self and direction.
Things get dark for the Assassins in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood but Ezio's reminder that everyone must find themselves in these moments pulls the crew through. Since Ezio's voice actor is still around the studios, it's likely more great quotes are coming up.
14 "We Think We Are Unique Because We Think None Has Faced The Same Kind Of Situation."
Ezio had felt that nobody else had to suffer the pain he had when he saw his father and brothers killed. After wallowing in despair for decades, he finally learned that he was by no means unique in his sorrow. Taxes ruin lives, even in gaming, so even these more subtle crimes against humanity have sympathetic ears.
Ezio accepted that everyone thought that their problems mattered the most since they didn’t open themselves up to understand how others felt. Following this revelation, Ezio moved on from the pain of his past as he knew he needed to do stoto make his future a happy one.
13 "Who Are We To Have Been So Blessed To Share Our Stories Like This?"
It would be easy for Ezio to consider himself burdened by duty to the cause of goodness and freedom. Most of the other assassins carry this responsibility like a stone around their necks. But Ezio is a different beast. Instead of rage or resentment, he's grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of the struggle.
Ezio has explored some of the greatest towns and cities in gaming. He expresses awe for these moments of discovery and appreciation for the work that went into it all. To Ezio, chaos is not how the world burns, it is how the world heals.
12 "Love Binds Our Order Together: Love Of People, Of Cultures, Of The World. Fight To Preserve That Which Inspires Hope And You Will Win Back Your People."
Revolutions based on hate often still have valid points. They hate tyranny, death, greed, slavery, or other such evil. But what happens when or if those revolutions should win? Sadly, as history indicates, the result is more of the same villainous behavior.
If the Assassins just become death dealers of bad people, they will never win. Ezio recognizes this and instead indicates that love, not hate, needs to be the thing that forges the order. They still fight evil, but the rationale for doing so makes all the difference. Ubisoft may sell Ezio's digital soul but they'll never be able to commoditize the changes he's made in the hearts of gamers.
11 "I Do This Not For Myself."
While many find Ezio’s mannerisms as an assassin to be funny, his motives were always genuine. Having lived a life of debauchery in youth, he was forced to grow up after becoming one of the most tragic characters in the franchise and this continued in his quest for the truth with his remaining family in mind.
He was most certainly misunderstood numerous times but Ezio by no means intended to seek glory or make anyone believe that he was in it for selfish reasons. In fact, all his battles were with the intention to provide a safe life for those around him.
10 "Nothing Is True, Everything Is Permitted."
This is the code the Assassins live by, but Ezio was the first one to explain what it entailed. According to him, the interpretation behind these words is that mankind has been given the gift of choice, and it is up to a person themselves how they go about living their life.
In the preface to this widely known quote, Ezio warns that people hold singular truths and make people do disastrous things. We must accept that everyone's perspective is valid, thus making no one's truth any higher than another's. Ezio's iconic images have been recreated in life but his words also belong on posters.
9 "Requiescat In Pace."
The coolest part of completing a kill in the Ezio Trilogy was hearing him give his victims their last rites. Ezio’s parting words would always be bidding these men farewell into the next life. Gamers can become Assassins in other video games but it's this one where the feeling is most powerful.
Making this such a cool thing, though, would be how Ezio would drop all his hostility toward his target and encourage them to be peaceful. It showed that he had respect for the act of killing; he didn’t do it unless he had to, and gave equal importance to whoever was dying, whether it was friend or foe.
8 "I Have Seen Enough For One Life..."
The one thing that kept Ezio ticking forward in life was the pathway to finding purpose. He thought he would find answers in the vault, but it only served to befuddle him further. So, once Ezio found another vault, this one containing Altair’s remains, Ezio learned the ultimate lesson: to let go.
Thereafter, he learned that he couldn’t find all the answers in life and having the privilege to live for himself was something he was truly excited for. The treasures of the First Civilization held no meaning for him. Ubisoft has many open-world games with great stories but Ezio's saga still tops the charts.
7 "My Story Is One Of Many Thousands, And The World Will Not Suffer If It Ends Too Soon."
The mark of what made Ezio a legendary assassin was the fact that he was never afraid of death. He had brought death to hundreds of men in his lifetime, but Ezio didn’t cower at the thought of meeting his own demise.
As put by Ezio himself, his life was immaterial in the grand scheme; players might feel as if he was one in several billion because of the role he played, but Ezio didn’t see himself as any more special than other men in the world. When players rank all of the Assassin's Creed games, the ones with Ezio are near the top for this kind of humility.
6 "I Have Lived My Life As Best I Could, Not Knowing Its Purpose But Drawn Forward Like A Moth To A Distant Moon."
When it comes to Ezio seeking purpose for himself, he elaborates upon it by professing out loud that it was his curiosity that guided him. Out of all the people who happened upon the treasures of the First Civilization, Ezio was perhaps the only one who only wanted answers, not power. But even if the series returns to the Americas, Ezio still never found the entirety of those answers. And that was alright for him.
In the final moments of his Assassin career, Ezio would give up the chance of attaining power because, for him, the answer was already there: he was not meant to understand. Once he realized that he was just a conduit for Desmond to take down one of gaming's most notorious corporations, Ezio stopped chasing the distant moon and settled for life in reality.
5 "...And May It Never Change Us."
One might say Ezio was destined for greatness, but his intentions were never to be known for his acts. As the history books were devoid of Ezio, it can be certain that was how he wanted it to remain. As this gaming protagonist ages and evolves, he maintains a desire for simplicity.
The most straightforward example of just how much Ezio valued the simple life was back when he had his last brotherly moment with Frederico, where he confessed how much he loved his seemingly humdrum life, as he had family; for Ezio, that was what mattered most of all.
4 "When I Was A Young Man. I Had Liberty, But I Did Not See It. I Had Time, But I Did Not Know It. And I Had Love, But I Did Not Feel It."
Ezio’s happy existence was ripped apart from him by the Templars, forcing him to grow up at the age of 17. From then on, at least until the age of 52-53, Ezio had no time for the true pleasures in life. There were too many of gaming's most notorious gangsters to hunt down.
He was consumed with vengeance until the age of 40, before which he had spent his youth chasing after his family's killers, forgoing any chance of falling in love. As for freedom, he had the liberty to do whatever he pleased, but his sole mission of finding answers caused him to never realize it. As an older man, Ezio finally gained the wisdom to understand all this.