Few characters can command the same respect with as few words as Master Chief. As humanity's shining hero, this green space marine has saved humanity's skin time and time again. From the Covenant to the Prometheans, there has never been a challenge that Master Chief has backed down from.

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The few times that Master Chief does talk, however, are some of the most recognizable and quoted lines in the Halo franchise. Just a few words from this character are all it takes to get fans excited and set the tone for things to come. With the recent gameplay reveal of Halo Infinite, now is the perfect time to look back on some of Master Chief's best moments in the Halo franchise.

WARNING! This article contains spoilers for every main Halo tile.

Updated on July 16, 2023, by Gregory Louis Gomez: Master Chief is arguably one of the most well-spoken characters in any first-person shooter. Throughout the original series under Bungie and into the 343 Industries era, Chief seems to always know just what to say, and with Halo Infinite having been out for some time now, fans have had a fresh batch of piping hot Master Chief lines to savor as they explore the mysteries of Zeta Halo. Though he's a man of few words, The Chief never disappoints when it comes to his choice of vernacular and phrasing. Bearing that in mind, we've added a few more of the best Halo quotes from the Chief.

21 "We'll Make It."

Halo MC Quotes - Make It

The Master Chief is used to thinking on his feet, and he's fully aware that when Plan A fails, it's time to switch to Plan B. Trouble is, most times Plan B hasn't even been thought out, which is where the fireworks fly. Thankfully, the Chief is confident enough that his choice of action will work, and allow him to fight another day.

Cortana was forced to go along for the ride on more than one occasion, and even when she doubted if they'd make it, the Chief knew better. Perhaps it was foolhardy bravado and overconfidence, but that might be exactly what allowed them to survive in the first place.

20 "Worse"

Master Chief Watching the Flood arrive on Earth

Perhaps the perfect way to introduce the Flood, "worse" is as simple an answer as it is a foreboding one. The Flood are absolutely the most dangerous lifeforms in the Halo universe, having defeated the Forerunners and also almost done the same to the combined Human and Elite-led Covenant Separatist forces.

Though the Arbiter didn't initially recognize the threat a crashing Covenant posed, instead thinking it was more Brutes (which can be a funny insult depending on how that is interpreted), it would soon become obvious to Master Chief that the worst thing that could happen has happened. With a single word, Master Chief cemented the Flood as a force to be reckoned with.

19 "That's Not Going To Happen!"

Halo MC Quotes - Not, Chief and Cortana

When the chips were down and all hope seemed lost, many thought that fighting was futile. On several occasions, enemy forces appeared to be getting the upper hand, which wasn't surprising given the crushing defeat humanity faced on the planet Reach.

Still, the Chief was not going to allow negativity to factor into the equation. He defied every single statistic and probability in the book in favor of a hands-on approach to the darkest of situations. Sometimes he was wrong, but that little extra spark of confidence wasn't wasted.

18 "You Told Me There Wouldn't Be Any Cameras."

Halo MC Quotes - Cameras

After humanity's victory on the first Halo ring (which came at great cost), the Master Chief was regarded as a hero on Earth. The military was quick to pay homage to the Chief for his bravery, which was designed to inspire hope and boost morale in military personnel.

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However, it's obvious the Chief wasn't one for the glitz and glamor of celebrity life. When Johnson led him to his inaugural ceremony, he responded with this quote, and Johnson fired back "And you told me you were gonna' wear somethin' nice!" Touché.

17 "Relax! I'd Rather Not Piss This Thing Off!"

Halo MC Quotes - Grave

During the events of Halo 2, a third force factored into the mix – the dreaded Gravemind. This awful creature served as the central hivemind that guided the terrifying Flood, a parasite designed to consume all known life in the galaxy.

Both the Master Chief and the Arbiter found themselves in the clutches of the Gravemind, and the former was especially recognizant of its powers. Here, he gave some rather sage advice on how the Arbiter should deal with the Gravemind, rather than fall victim to his hatred of the Flood.

16 "Asking's Not My Strong Suit."

Halo master chief Quotes - Asking

The Master Chief was a man of few words, and his vocabulary had no room for niceties. His job was to accomplish his mission in the most effective manner possible, whatever that may be. As such, he came off as blunt, cold, and stoic, which was entirely the point.

This quote sums up the Chief rather accurately. He wasn't one to wait for someone to offer up a solution, but rather someone who took charge and did whatever was necessary to finish the job. This ended up saving Earth on multiple occasions.

15 "We Head For The Portal, And We All Go Home."

Halo 3 Chief Wants to go Home

Chief has had a very long military career. It began when he was only six years old upon his kidnapping by ONI to be a Spartan. Initially, he was fighting insurrectionists but the arrival of the Covenant and the near thirty-year conflict which followed would become his primary focus.

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Indeed, Chief is old by the end of Halo 3, but his fight is nearly finished. Hearing Chief proclaim the final mission in such a way gives a sense of finality to the story, and marks the beginning of the end of era for Halo.

14 "No, Sir."

Halo 4 No Sir Quote Cropped

After Captain Del Rio orders Cortana's immediate termination following her rampant outburst on the UNSC Infinity, Master Chief steps in to save her while directly defying Del Rio's orders. When he demands Chief to surrender her, he simply replies with this line.

In a series where Master Chief always followed through on his orders, this is the first time in the franchise that he has directly refused orders from his superiors. It shows just how attached Chief is to Cortana and how he'll risk anything, even his reputation amongst the UNSC, to protect those he cares about.

13 "Like Hell You Are"

halo 5 chief and locke

Chief Cares about Cortana. This was evident to anyone who played Halo 4 but what its sequel established was Chief's sense of responsibility for Cortana's fate even as a villain. Chief would rather talk to Cortana as a friend and try to convince her that she is mistaken than risk Spartan Locke going after the A.I. and causing her unnecessary harm.

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Chief knows Cortana is a problem but feels that it's his duty to bring her in and no one else's. This mentality causes a rift between him and Locke, to the point where they come to physical blows, with Chief as the victor in the end.

12 "Boo."

Halo 2 Boo Quote Cropped

Once the Arbiter and Master Chief were intercepted by the Gravemind, the sentient being sent both of Halo 2's protagonists to different locations to prevent the Halo rings from activating. Master Chief was sent to High Charity to look for the Index. Upon arriving, without firing a single round, Master Chief scares the Covenant Grunt before him by saying "boo."

After such a serious and exposition-heavy cutscene, this type of brevity is partly why this quote is so memorable and why so many Halo fans love the second game.

11 "Thought I'd Try Shooting My Way Out—Mix Things Up A Little."

Halo 3 Mix Things Up Cropped

Similar to the previous quote, players fight through hordes of Flood in what is potentially Halo 3's worst and arguably hardest level, "Cortana," to rescue the iconic AI. The cutscene where Chief and Cortana reunite can be practically recited word-for-word by dedicated fans for how great the dialogue is, but Chief's final line is arguably the most memorable.

After gunning down thousands of enemies to make it to Cortana, Chief doesn't have a better option than doing the same thing again to escape. It's delivered in such a way that's both self-aware and full of charm. Ironically, this sarcastic line could be taken seriously if a player decided to speedrun the level by sneaking past the Flood. It's tricky to do but possible.

10 "I Won't."

Halo 2 What If You Miss Cropped

Halo 2's "Cairo Station" is one of the most quotable levels in the entire franchise. Nearly everything said on this level has been quoted at some point, with one of the most quoted phrases being "I won't."

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This comes after Cortana has doubts concerning whether Chief can deliver the Covenant bomb back to their ship. While Master Chief has always been a respected protagonist, this line is when Master Chief transcended the typical space marine trope and became one of gaming's most respected and iconic characters. It also sets up one of the coolest cutscenes in gaming history.

9 "No. I Think We're Just Getting Started."

Halo Combat Evolved Ending Cropped

Beating Halo: Combat Evolved is a fantastic feeling. The game's pace is near-perfect and has plenty of memorable moments, but something about Chief's final line has a degree of mysticism to it that perfectly sets up the sequel. It would have been a great ending even if Halo never saw any sequels, but this line has aged better and better as time went on. Bungie couldn't have imagined how much popularity was about to head their way.

8 "You're On."

Halo 2 E3 2003 Demo

While this iconic moment never actually appeared in a Halo game, it is nonetheless a rather well-known moment among fans. This line was originally uttered by Chief in the scrapped E3 demo of Halo 2, which was infamous for showing off an entire level that did not appear in the final product.

Despite this, the exchange between Chief and Cortana (the latter's line of course being "Bet you can't stick it"), is memorable because it teased a more campy dynamic between the two characters. It shows that even a walking brick-like Chief can have a playful attitude at times.

7 "I'll Find Cortana's Solution, And I'll Bring It Back."

Chief Looking at Cortana's message

When confronted with the absolute worst possible scenario, the Flood arriving on Earth, it's in Cortana that the heroes must place their trust if they're to survive. The only problem is that Cortana isn't actually in the room at this point. She is being held captive by the Gravemind, with Chief and company merely viewing a message she sent.

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This puts the validity of Cortana's warning and promise of a "solution" in immediate doubt. However, it is Master Chief's words that convince the humans to join the Elites on their crusade through the portal to the Ark, leading to the ultimate defeat of the Covenant and the Flood.

6 "To Give The Covenant Back Their Bomb."

Halo 2 Covenant Bomb

Yet another quote from "Cairo Station" in Halo 2, Chief's immediate solution to protecting the space station is to blow up a Covenant spaceship with their own weaponry.

It was this scene that showed players just how much Chief has grown from the first title. He went from infiltrating a Covenant ship to rescue a few UNSC personnel to single-handedly destroying a crucial Covenant ship. His determination to protect humanity cannot be overstated.

5 "Sir, Finishing This Fight."

Halo 2 Ending Scene Cropped

Out of every line of dialogue that Master Chief has spoken, this is easily the most controversial line he's ever said. It isn't due to the nature of the line, but the fact that it implies the player is right about to hop back into the action before the game abruptly ends.

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There is no doubt that this is a great line in its own right that would go on to help market Halo 3's launch, but this line is memorable mainly due to the cliffhanger ending it's tied to.

4 "She Said That To Me Once. About Being A Machine."

Halo 4 Master Chief Cropped

Despite the mixed reception that Halo 4 received from fans of the franchise, it's hard to deny that this game has some of the most memorable interpersonal dialogue out of any Halo title.

After Cortana sacrifices herself to save Master Chief and humanity from the Didact, players see the stoic soldier emotionally hollow and broken. He has a hard time talking to Lasky while he's coping with the loss of his partner-in-crime. When Lasky leaves, Chief says this line and truly shows how much this is impacting him. This is the most human and vulnerable the fanbase has ever seen Master Chief, and it's handled with the utmost respect and care from 343 Industries' end.

3 "We All Fail. We All Make Mistakes. It's What Makes Us Human"

Halo Infinite Failure

In Halo: Infinite, Chief has taken on a decidedly more comforting role in relation to his pilot companion, Fernando, who is nearly consumed with guilt over his past mistakes. Hearing the veteran Spartan, however, come around and embrace his human side in an effort to comfort his new friend is a big step for his character, especially after what happens in Halo 4.

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Though he's still the same Stoic soldier at times, Halo: Infinite proves that even Master Chief is capable of showing compassion and being vulnerable when necessary.

2 "Wake Me...When You Need Me."

Halo 3 Wake Me Cropped

This iconic line is the last thing players hear from Master Chief in Halo 3. After everything Chief and Cortana have been through, it ends as it began. Master Chief enters cryosleep for yet another length of time while Cortana oversees the derelict ship until the events of Halo 4 call for the duo to return. It draws many parallels to the start of Combat Evolved, which is why so many fans consider this the best Halo scene of all time.