Call of Dutyis one of the most popular video game series ever. It is definitely the favorite FPS experience for plenty of players across the globe. What makes it stand out from the rest of the genre is its stunning graphics, captivating storyline, and, most importantly, well-written characters to whom you instantly get emotionally attachedas soon as you begin a campaign.

Some of these characters' personalities and conflicting ideologies have made them immensely popular in the gaming community, and many of their iconic dialogues have made CoD as famous as it is today. The series has hundreds of inspirational, tragic, and goofy quotes, but we’ve brought some of the best ones it offers.

Russell Adler firing a pistol while riding a motorcycle in a Black Ops 6 campaign mission.

Updated July 22, 2025, by Zackary Wiggs:The Call of Duty series is still going strong and with no sign of letting up soon. With new games like Black Ops 6, even more characters are added to the fight, and with new characters and a new storyline comes all new quotes. Whether it’s from masked aggressors, genocidal dictators, or just your right-hand man when you’re fighting off an enemy task force, they have things to say. Those things are what add depth and detail to this classic FPS series.

The quotes for this list have been chosen because they’re either funny, powerful, or memorable.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Price in a boat shooting at a helicopter.

Potential spoilers for the plots and various characters in the Call of Duty series follow.

There are few characters in the Black Ops series as enigmatic as Adler is. A repeating character now in the storyline, it can be uncertain just which side he is fighting for. While he shows up in many key moments in the series, his quote at the beginning of Black Ops 6 is key.

Reznov in a leather jacket staring down a scientist in a computer chair in a radio lab in Call of Duty: Black Ops.

After the death of Saeed Alawi, Adler allows himself to be captured, and directly after, he says the above in the hopes that they will relay the message to handler Woods. What results is a hectic campaign of intrigue and deception, all brought on by Adler and Pantheon.

“History is written by the victor” is a very well-known phrase. However, in Modern Warfare 2, Captain Price provides a slightly deeper analysis of the quote while connecting it to your own situation.

Will Irons of US Marine Corps looking at he screen in full combat attire in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

He says it before you go track down General Shepard. And he makes a great point that if your mission were to fail, the villain’s version of the events would be the one the world remembers. Nobody would know that Shepard is a nasty traitor. So, it’s both a powerful line in general and one that fits the situation you’re in at the time.

Some quotes are great and iconic because they’re linked to important moments. This is the case for this line in question. These are the last words Viktor Reznov says to Friedrich Steiner before shooting him in the head and finally getting his revenge on the man responsible for his allies' deaths. Or at least, it seems that way initially.

The very beginning of the Russian campaign in Call of Duty: World at War.

Yet, in reality, Reznov’s vengeance only happened in Alex Mason’s mind. He was actually the one who said the words and shot Steiner. Reznov was never there. This is a mind-blowing reveal when you first play the game, so this line sticks a long time in the memory. It helps that it’s an impressive line read from both of the voice actors who perform it.

Despite being a minor character who only appeared in the first mission, this quote by Will was the only good thing to come out of the disaster, which was CoD Advanced Warfare. Will says this line to Mitchell, his friend whom you control during the mission, after his hand gets stuck inside an enemy aircraft while planting a C4 to blow it up.

Captain Price along with three other squad members looking at Soap in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

The helplessness that you feel during this cutscene is painful. As the aircraft lifts off, Will accepts his fate and pushes you off to save your life after speaking these heartbreaking words to calm you down.

Call of Duty: World At War was a game that took the series back to its roots of World War 2 shooters and did so with incredible skill. Both on the European and Pacific fronts, you fought alongside brave troops from different armies, such as Viktor Reznov of the Russian army.

An old Raul Menendez looking at the screen in Black Ops 2.

Meeting him, both of you half dead, at a broken fountain in the middle of Stalingrad was a great set piece. But, the lesson in sniping nazi soldiers that follows is something that sets up the entire game and gets you to understand Reznov’s ideology.

Reznov himself plays a key part in multiple games of the CoD series, so it’s only fair that the first words he speaks are well-remembered.

Shepherd, a military general snatching hard drive from Roach after shooting him in Modern Warfare 2.

Captain Price spoke for everyone when he said this to John “Soap” MacTavish. This scene was the first introduction to the iconic character of Soap as well. No one knew then that they would become one of thegreatest video game duosof all time and a memorable part of the series.

As a tribute to this iconic quote, Diego, El Sin Nombre’s henchman, says the same line to Soap in Spanish while meeting him for the first time in the latest Modern Warfare 2 reboot.

Captain Price holding a sniper rifle on top of an arid hill in Modern Warfare 2.

10"You Suffer With Me."

-Raul Menendez (Black Ops 2)

Who can forget when Raul Menendez killedtwo of the best CoD characters, Alex Mason and Hudson, in a single scene? He kills them in front of Woods and David, Alex’s son, and spares those two to suffer with him so that they can feel his pain.

This short dialogue and scene that explains the psyche of Menendez were enough to make him one of the greatest and most hated CoD villains of all time.

Ghost and Soap staring at each other in a moving vehicle in Modern Warfare 2.

9"Tomorrow, There Will Be No Shortage Of Volunteers, No Shortage Of Patriots."

-General Shepherd (Modern Warfare 2)

Definitely the most hated antagonist in all the Call of Duty series, General Shepherd gives this short speech to Soap when pointing a gun at him during the endgame of MW2.

This quote explains his twisted reasoning for betraying Task Force 141 and killing Ghost and Roach. He was hellbent on starting a war with Russia to ignite feelings of patriotism in the American people, which he felt was diminishing day by day. The only thing standing between him and his objective was Task Force 141.

8"The Healthy Human Mind Doesn’t Wake Up In The Morning Thinking This Is Its Last Day On Earth…"

-Captain Price (Modern Warfare 2)

This quote, addressing Soap and referring to Shepherd, occurs at the introduction of the MW2 endgame mission. And it is a small part of one of the many spine-chilling inspirational speeches by Captain Price.

7"Be Careful Who You Trust Sergeant…"

-Ghost (Modern Warfare 2 [2022])

you’re able to’t help but get emotional when Ghost gives this advice to Soap in the Modern Warfare 2 reboot. After all, while he has a different fate in the reboot, everyone remembers how Shepard betrayed him in the original.

His trust in Shepherd, for whom he successfully accomplished countless missions, got him killed. This quote is a tribute to that very same tragic event that left all the CoD fans in tears. As it doesn’t happen in the rebooted reality, this line means more to you than the characters themselves.