21 Best Jesse Pinkman Quotes from Breaking Bad Ranked

The writing of Breaking Bad set a new standard for television series. Each character had their incredible lines. Walt got the monologues and badass one-liners while Gus got the beats of intense silence made memorable by the incredible, subtle performance details of Giancarlo Esposito. Jesse, arguably the shows most tragic character, got the funniest lines and the most honest ones. 

His slang made his dialogue land in a way that really made him real, like he was our entry into the story — not Walt. Aaron Paul won three Emmys for the role (2010, 2012, 2014) because his performance allowed the writing to carry emotional weight while also a genuineness to them.

Jesse had a lot of memorable lines that ranged from hilarious to tragic and followed the arc of his character from a pathetic, small-time drug dealer to the right hand of a drug empire. 

24. "Rice and beans?" Season 2, Episode 2 — "Grilled"

23. "Yo, Gatorade me, b****." Season 3, Episode 10 — "Fly"

22. "So roll me further, b****." Season/Episode: Season 3, Episode 8 — "I See You" 

Jesse is rolled outside of a hospital in a wheelchair by a nurse after getting beaten within an inch of his life. He’s bruised, bandaged, handi-capped even, yet stong enough to smoke a cigarette and to demand to be rolled to where he needs to be to smoke one.

21. "Nah, come on, man. Some straight like you, giant stick up his ass at like what, sixty, he's just gonna break bad?" Season 1, Episode 1 — "Pilot"

Like many other quotes on this list, this line is Jesse echoing exactly what the audience is wondering. It happens in the pilot episode after Walt pitches a partnership with him to deal meth. Jesse, Walt’s previous burnout student, doesn’t believe it. He finally asks Walt the question and isn’t satisfied with money being the answer. Walt simply replies with one of his best lines in the show — “I am awake.”

20. "What up, biatch? Leave it at the tone!" Season 1, Episode 2 — "Cat's in the Bag…"

After Skyler gets suspicious of Walt’s awkward phone interactions, she calls the number back with *69. Walt claims it was a guy selling insurance, but she gets this line from Jesse’s voicemail instead. The Jesse Pinkman quote is great because it’s both a joke and a plot point, making Skyler more suspicious.

19. "This is art, Mr. White! This is art!" Season/Episode: Season 1, Episode 1 — "Pilot"

Another pilot classic, Jesse chooses his most expressive words when witnessing Walt’s first cook. The crystals are huge and pure, unlike anything Jesse has seen let alone cooked. He calls Walt an artist and it convinces him to hitch himself onto his wagon.

18. "I'm a blowfish, yeah!" Season/Episode: Season 2, Episode 7 — "Negro y Azul"

Word on the street is that Jesse killed a man by crushing his skull with an ATM machine (it’s not how it happened), but Walt sees this rumor as an opportunity for Jesse to gain some street cred. He uses the blowfish as a metaphor to convince Jesse that this is a good thing. The blowfish, when threatened, expands to intimidate and scare off predators. But what makes the blowfish scary is nothing but air. Jesse, buys it and yells out that he’s a blowfish, followed swiftly by smoking his bong.

17. "Hell yeah, I'm stoked for this lasagna!" Season/Episode: Season 5, Episode 6 — "Buyout"

16. "Yeah, where they live. The cows." Season/Episode: Season 1, Episode 1 — "Pilot"

Walt and Jesse are looking for a spot to cook in the desert in the RV. Jesse comes back from his vantage points, saying there’s nothing but a cowhouse in the distance. What is a cowhouse? Where they live, the cows. Duh. Aaron Paul’s delivery is hilarious and perfect, like Walt and we, the audience, should know what he means.

15. "Like I came to you, begging to cook meth. 'Oh, hey, nerdiest old dude I know, you wanna come cook crystal?" Season 1, Episode 2 — "Cat's in the Bag…"

Walt tries to turn the blame for his and Jesse’s dire situation — Emilio is dead, Krazy-8 is in Jesse's basement, and they need to dispose of bodies. The whole thing that led to this was Walt’s idea to partner up to sell meth, and he did plenty of manipulative convincing to get Jesse involved. Now that things have turned sour, Walt is quick to blame Jesse, who was just following along. It’s Jesse’s first big stand against Walt’s manipulation that would continue through the series.

14. “What's the point of being an outlaw when you got responsibilities?" Season 3, Episode 9 — "Kafkaesque”

Jesse is mourning the loss of the RV. He feels he’s lost his freedom, and it's simply a drag to have responsibilities as a criminal. It’s the most accidentally philosophical thing Jesse says, framing the allure to the outlaw life and his aversion to the routine and obligations of civilian life. Even if you don’t sell drugs, the sentiment is relatable.

12. "I'm the guy your boss brought here to show you how it's done."

This is Jesse’s “Say my name” moment, where he had fans fist-pumping his long-overdue moment of power. After being brought to Gus’ Mexico lab to cook for the Don Eladio cartel, Jesse is pressed by the lead chemist. Jesse, in attempt to maintain control and power of the room, snaps and criticizes the filthy state of the lab. He cooks up a batch that registers 96.2% purity. It’s not Walt’s 99.1%, but it's enough to shut up the other cooks in the cartel.

11. "You either run from things, or you face them, Mr. White." Season 3, Episode 1 — "No Más"

Jesse is just getting out of rehab and is traumatized by death of Jane and the plane crash. Walt visits Jesse, who is different, a bit blank, and oddly calm. He imparts a bit of wisdom that he learned from rehab with this line.

10. "I'm the bad guy." Season 3, Episode 1 — "No Más"

Jesse elaborates on the last line, telling Walt, facing things means accepting who you are — not running or blaming everything else like Walt does in this moment and the entire series. To him that means accepting that he is the bad guy. Ironically, this moment shows Jesse’s growing conscience which becomes a rift in his relationship with Walt.

7. "Would you just, for once, stop workin' me?" Season 5, Episode 11 — "Confessions"

Walt needs Jesse gone so he meets him out in the desert and puts on his ‘concerned-dad’ routine, telling Jesse he wishes he could be in Jesse’s position so that he could make difference decisions. Walt has been manipulating Jesse like this since the beginning, and Jesse is exhausted of it. He delivers this line with the frustrated exhaustion of a betrayed friend who has heard this spiel before. The scene ends with Walt hugging Jesse in a way that feels like an apology, a thank you, and manipulation all in one.

6. "You don't need a criminal lawyer. You need a criminal lawyer."

Badger got arrested for selling meth to an undercover cop (no surprise there) and Walt and Jesse need a lawyer. But not just any lawyer, Saul Goodman. Walt is hesitant, but Jesse breaks down why this is the man for the job with this clever line. It’s great because it’s all about delivery, and Aaron Paul sells it perfectly. It also shows the value that Jesse has in this partnership early on. Jesse might not know chemistry, but he knows the criminal ecosystem.

5. "I am not turning down the money! I am turning down you!" Season 3, Episode 7 — "One Minute"

The line is delivered in one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the series and is what won Aaron Paul an Emmy. Jesse is in the hospital after Hank beat him nearly to death. Walt visits him with an offer: to come cook in Gus’ superlab for over a million dollars each. After Jesse refuses, Walt keeps pressing until finally, through pain and gritted teeth, he delivers this line. The anger that has built up from every death, every manipulation, every time Walt used him and discarded him finally comes out.

4. "This is my own private domicile, and I will not be harassed… b***h!" Season 3, Episode 6 — "Sunset"

Hank tracked down Jesse’s RV to an Old Joe’s junk yard and is looking to break into it with a tire iron until Old Joe stops him explaining he has no warrant and is not within the law to enter. Walt and Jesse are in the RV, and Walt whispers to Jesse the exact thing he needs to say to legally deter Hank from entering. Jesse, yells it out and adds his signature “bitch" on the end of it because he’s Jesse Pinkman and its what he does.

2. "Then do it yourself." Season 5, Episode 16 — "Felina" (Series Finale)

Walt wipes out the neo-Nazi compound and Jesse, freed from months of captivity and forced labor, has a gun pointed at Walt, the man who ruined his life. Walt tells him to shoot, but Jesse won’t until he Walt tells him that he wants this. He drops the gun and tells him to do it himself. It’s Jesse’s last words in the series, and it’s his most powerful. After five seasons of doing Walt’s dirty work under his manipulation, Jesse refuses to kill him, he refuses to be used by him one last time. It’s his final act of defiance.