The Flash: 10 Best Quotes In The TV Series, Ranked | CBR - CBR

The fan-favorite Arrowverse that airs on The CW first expanded with the addition of The Flash TV show starring Grant Gustin as Barry Allen. The long-running series has followed the adventures of DC's Fastest Man Alive since 2014 and has won over fans with an engaging cast of characters.

One of the heartwarming constants of The Flash is the sheer number of inspirational quotes that can be found throughout the various seasons. Barry Allen is either trying to build himself up, express his love for his friends and family or teach valuable lessons over the course of The Flash, which has led to some great lines.

10 My Name Is Barry Allen. I'm The Fastest Man Alive

It's only fitting to start with the often-repeated quote that played in some variation during the intro of The Flash for years. He introduced himself with the Flash's catchphrase in every episode, though it became a bit of a running joke as he continually met speedsters who were initially faster than him.

This gave the saying a different meaning to Barry Allen, as he continually had to work harder and improve his abilities to keep up with some of his enemies. Barry was forced to constantly push past his limits to maintain his claim on the title of the "fastest man alive."

9 Not Every Hero Wears A Mask

Barry Allen is surrounded by a few heroic people in his life that he can always count on, like his adoptive father Joe West. West isn't only a heroic police officer, he was also the man who helped raise young Barry after the loss of his parents.

Barry never lost his appreciation for the people around him like Joe and Iris West, who did heroic things every day that continued to inspire him as The Flash. In The Sound And The Fury, Barry says "some heroes save the day in the simplest of ways. By just being there for us, or letting us know we're believed in."

8 My Goals Are Beyond Your Understanding

Reverse-Flash vibrating to hide his identity on The Flash

The earliest mystery from The Flash series explored the man in the yellow suit. Eventually, he's revealed as Reverse-Flash, one of Barry's villains from the future who was trapped in the past. He was tormenting Barry while also trying to find a way back to his time, which frustrated Barry every time they encountered each other.

7 Being Alive Means Running

It seems obvious that a show about The Flash would involve a lot of running, but Barry Allen managed to both run into battle and away from his problems just as fast. It's a very relatable trait that worked its way into a number of his speeches over the year, as it tied into his own tendency to get lost in the past.

In Things You Can't Outrun, Barry says "being alive means running. Running from something; running to something or someone. And no matter how fast you are, there are some things you can’t outrun. Some things always manage to catch up to you." His words would prove to be a long-running theme for The Flash that drove a number of the main characters.

6 Sometimes The Only Way To Move Forward Is To Revisit The Things In Your Past

Michelle Harrison's Nora Allen on The Flash

The Flash explored much more than typical superhero storylines. It dived into Barry Allen's motivation for becoming a hero that stemmed back to the unsolved murder of his mother when he was just a boy.

This act drove Barry Allen to become a forensic scientist as well as a costumed superhero, but it also held him back in ways as well. He even used his abilities to visit the past more than once, creating a paradoxical number of time-traveling Barrys that were consumed with solving his mother's murder in the past so he could move on in the future. In Flash Back, Barry says: "sometimes the only way to move forward is to revisit the things in your past."

5 Some Things Happen Because We Make Them Happen

While Barry was full of inspirational quotes when he was just working alongside Team Flash, his role model status was fully confirmed when he began working with a young new speedster named Wally West/Kid Flash.

When reality had been altered by his efforts to save his mother's life in season three's Flashpoint episodes, he was forced to inspire himself and Wally West in order to get things back to normal. "There’s only one thing I know about life. I know some things happen by chance. And some things happen because we make them happen."

4 Part Of Being A Hero Is Being Able To See The Good In People

Barry Allen was able to become a new kind of mentor in the fifth season with the arrival of Nora West-Allen, his daughter from the future who had traveled back in time. Barry's words highlighted what made him such a good hero, and explained why he had a unique relationship with some of his Rogues like Captain Cold.

Nora herself is forced to examine her feelings about whether people can change when she allies with a former enemy to take on a new one. Things aren't always what they seem, and you sometimes have to trust your instincts about people. In The Flash And The Furious, Nora says "part of being a hero is being able to see the good in people."

3 We Are The Flash

Barry Allen was never alone during his time as the Flash, as he learned how to use his abilities with scientists from S.T.A.R. Labs - soon known as Team Flash. Barry's closest friend and wife Iris West-Allan were trying to make Barry realize he needed to be a team player. This resulted in the quote that caused a bit of controversy among fans.

Regardless, it's still one of the best quotes that showcase the group effort that is required to save the day effectively. The Flash is better when he works closely with his friends and doesn't keep things to himself, he just doesn't always realize it. Mixed Signals sees the quote: "we are the flash."

2 You Can't Let The Threat Of Losing Tomorrow Keep You From Making The Most Of Today

The sixth season of The Flash dealt with the looming threat of a multiversal Crisis on Infinite Earths that crossed over with the other Arrowverse series. Barry Allen was preparing himself for the worst after seasons spent waiting for the Crisis teased in a newspaper from the future.

That knowledge often threatened to tear Barry down with the ever-present feeling of pending doom, though he was always able to live for the day instead of letting his worries about tomorrow drag him down. It was just another example of Barry's eternally hopeful spirit that always manages to inspire his friends and family. Dead Man Running hears Barry saying the inspirational quote: "you can't let the threat of losing tomorrow keep you from making the most of today."

1 Run, Barry, Run!

One of Barry Allen's most beneficial allies was the brilliant Harrison Wells and the various multiversal versions the team worked with over the years. Harrison was almost always available to talk to Barry on his headset while the Flash was fighting or trying to figure out how to science his way out of a situation.

The simplest solution was often presented and became a running theme across The Flash, which was to tell the fastest man alive to do what he does best. Wells may have been the first to coin the phrase "run, Barry, run", but he wasn't the last member of Team Flash to use it.

NEXT: The Flash: Every Main Character Who Has 'Died' On The Show

Next Rick & Morty: 10 Characters Who've Changed Drastically Over The Course Of The Series

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Scoot Allan (922 Articles Published)

Entertainment reporter, writer, and all-around geek, Scoot Allan has written for print and online media sources like Geek Magazine, GeekExchange, GrizzlyBomb, WhatCulture, RoguePlanet.tv and the Urban 30 before joining CBR, ScreenRant, GameRant and The Gamer as a staff writer. He enjoys salad but prefers french fries.