Lara Croft is a badass. There’s no disputing that fact. The woman has single-handedly kept at bay the evil organization Trinity, and she’s done it all with the kind of grit that few can muster.
She’s survived plane crashes, shipwrecks, vehicular collisions, and just about every type of gunfight that you can imagine. Lara Croft is the ultimate tomb raider with a mind for puzzles and an insatiable appetite for the truth.
You best get out of her way because she’ll charge right through you. She even has pithy quotes to keep you thinking long after she’s gone on to the next adventure. Here are some of the best.
Updated November 26th, 2021, By Ben Jessey: It’s fair to say that Lara Croft is one of the most iconic and likable video game protagonists of all time. After all, how many other characters that debuted in the ’90s are still popular today? There are certainly not many of them. The reasons why the explorer remains so well-liked are plentiful.
She’s intelligent, strong, and has changed with the times. Lara also happens to constantly deliver deep and hilarious lines during all of her adventures. Some of her best quotes have already been documented in this list. However, we’ve now decided to add some extra ones.
18 Polite Sarcasm
The early version of Lara Croft is known for her sarcasm and witty retorts. She unleashes one of her best in Tomb Raider 2 after a man tries to gun her down while she’s inspecting a large door.
“Pardon Me, If That Was Just Your Way Of Trying The Doors For Me.”
She dodges his gunfire, quickly incapacitates him, and then sarcastically questions whether that was his attempt to open the door. In under 15 seconds, the protagonist proves the physical and mental edge she has over her opposition. Plus, the wording of her line is delightfully British.
17 Already A Legend
In Rise Of The Tomb Raider, the legacy of Lara Croft is still building - hence the title of the game. Therefore, not everyone is aware of her excellence just yet. Jacob displays his ignorance about her during their first meeting as he claims that she won’t get far without him.
“You Don’t Know How Far I’ve Come.”
She immediately points out that he doesn’t know her or what she’s already been through in her life. It’s a nice little line for fans who do know how far she’s come, as they realize that the idea of Lara needing anyone’s help is laughable.
16 A Legacy To Live Up To
One of the most interesting things about the 2013 reboot is seeing Lara before she becomes a badass adventurer. After all, in the first entry in the series, she’s already accomplished a lot.
“I Don’t Think I’m That Kind Of Croft.”
This is a big contrast to the 2013 title, where she doubts her ability to survive because she’s not “that kind of Croft.” At this point in her journey, her legendary father’s shadow is a large one. But as you likely know, her legacy eventually eclipses the one her father created.
15 We’ve Come A Long Way
The Tomb Raider games may still bear the franchise title but the gameplay has come a long way from the early pixelated tombs with slightly wonky physics and numerous puzzles.
“I hate tombs!”
While the core gameplay elements of action, adventure, skill, and sass remain the same, as does Lara’s badass attitude, the tombs have almost more or less been left behind - a development that not everyone likes. As Lara uttered these words it showed just how much the settings and stories, in particular, have evolved.
14 A Relatable Protagonist
The 2001 movie, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie got very average reviews but this quote is very relatable. Lara is actually bored and seeking adventure but her words hit fans right in the feels.
“I woke up this morning and I just hated everything.”
Everyone’s woken up and felt like this. While the movie may not have been Lara’s finest hour, this quote makes up for it. She is certainly a relatable heroine.
13 Your Actions Matter
Actions speak louder than words, so they say and Lara is a firm believer in that notion. The heiress-turned-adventurer knows that there are answers out there to the mysteries of the world. But she’s not the only one looking for them.
“The extraordinary is in what we do, not who we are.”
All across the world are agents of chaos and opportunists looking to gain power over the disadvantaged. Lara has the resources and capability of confronting these evil people and the shadowy organizations that support them. If you can do something about it, what does it say about you if you don’t try?
12 Be Curious
Lost knowledge attracts all sorts of individuals. But few possess the nerve and intellect to overcome the barriers that separate what’s lost from the modern world. That takes a special kind of someone. Lara Croft happens to be that.
“Everything lost is meant to be found.”
The Tomb Raider games have proven that she’s a tenacious explorer. Little is beyond her reach. When the resolve of others fails, she pushes herself to the limit. You’re not a Croft unless you’re willing to do whatever it takes to discover the unknown.
11 She’s Just Helping
When Lara breaks into Takamoto’s home and dispatches his men he’s none too pleased and confronts her. Even the sass queen, Lara fires this line back at him, trying to make it seem like she’s done him a favor.
“I’ve simplified your payroll and now, if you don’t mind, I’ll streamline your inventory.”
After all fewer henchmen does mean fewer people on the payroll. Lara is also a master of simplifying people’s inventories, by destroying or removing artifacts and objects they shouldn’t have. It’s just cleaning, right?
10 You’re Tougher Than You Think
She’s got the scars to prove that she’s survived a lot. Bear fights. Firefights. Extreme weather. Unnatural events. Lara Croft strides through cataclysms with a clenched jaw and a can-do attitude. Others might see scars as a sign of weakness. A reminder of failure. Not the Tomb Raider.
“A scar means I survived.”
This girl has endured countless battles and lived to fight another day. Her brushes with death are innumerable, but so are her comebacks. Just when Trinity or someone else believes she’s dead, Lara comes screaming back to get her revenge.
9 You Should Believe
Truth is such a messy thing. Everybody thinks they have the ultimate truth. Most people aren’t aware of just how little they understand the world. Myths exist for a reason, though.
“The line between our myths and truth is fragile and blurry.”
People need to believe in something and stories help pass on the knowledge of our ancestors, but Lara Croft recognizes the kernels of truth that reside in those narratives. And she chases them. Those truths define the adventures on which Lara embarks.
8 Heavy Is The Head
Trinity relentlessly pursues power and its use against an unsuspecting world. The secrets that the shadow group seeks to exploit can shift the balance of power on Earth. Those that oppose this organization, though, are few in number. Lara Croft happens to be one of them. She’s not to be underestimated either.
“The fate of humanity is now in your hands.”
The explorer has demonstrated an aptitude for disrupting Trinity’s plans. When humanity has lost all hope, Lara Croft is a beacon of light in the darkness.
7 Survival Skills
Lara may appear overconfident here but this sentiment has proven true time and time again. She is the one who keeps others alive. Her skill, courage, determination, and brains help her formulate and execute plans to get herself and others out of danger.
“If I don’t survive, none of us will.”
If Lara can’t escape a danger then it’s surely too much for anyone else to handle. Throughout the many years of Tomb Raider, she’s proven that no one can best her, making this sentiment truly accurate.
6 Don’t Mess With Lara
Lara Croft is not a killer, but she will defend the helpless and protect them against the attacks of evil men. That drive in her to oppose the villainous schemes of powerful criminals forces her to develop a deadly skillset, which she wields with the utmost confidence.
“From this moment, every breath you take is a gift from me.”
Archery. Traps. Guns. Hand-to-hand combat. She knows it all. Lara Croft will bring every ounce of willpower in the fight against evil.
5 Adventure Is Within Reach
Lara Croft is inspiring to every boy or girl who dreams of adventure. She was quite young when her father died, and she inherited his estate. But the curious lady also inherited his all-consuming passion for the unknown.
“The world is full of unanswered questions, beyond all limits or reason… the answers await.”
Puzzles and riddles and maps. Uncharted territory and the lost worlds of the past. The British family was fond of knowledge, and they sought it all over the globe. Lara brings that inquisitive nature with her to every tomb and every ruin.
4 Determined As Always
When you’re the best tomb raider in the world, you don’t rely on luck. Sure, it helps from time to time, but that can’t be the solution to all your problems. Improvisation should depend on intelligence and cunning, not chance. Which is why Lara Croft has overcome many different villains.
“I make my own luck.”
Other explorers, or the agents of Trinity, hope that mere luck will help them discover hidden secrets. Lara knows better. You have to set yourself up for success.
3 Find A Way To Fight
Sometimes, it’ll seem like there is no way to win. There isn’t a path out of the dark and the world is crumbling around you. Those are the moments that define the character of a person. And, if you’re committed, you’ll find the strength to keep going.
“In our darkest moments, when life flashes before us, we find something; Something that keeps us going. Something that pushes us.”
Lara never gives up. Even when it looks like there’s no way out. Tombs are littered with the bodies of those that couldn’t keep pushing. Lara Croft walks, crawls, jumps, and fights her way past all of that.
2 Lara’s Iconic Attitude
When you ask about the best Lara Croft quote this one is often brought out since it truly sums up the sassy badass that is Lara. She can hold her own in a fight and she’ll take on anyone she thinks is acting unjustly.
“That’s right, run you bastards! I’m coming for you all!”
Lara has principles and morals but these don’t extent to sparing the lives of evildoers. She seeks to uncover truths and protect the innocent and vulnerable. Oftentimes this involves eliminating the enemy, something she does with skill and sass.
1 Rise Up
The answer is yes. She’s the hero. For her dad. And for everyone without the strength or means to protect themselves.
“Do you think you’re the hero, Lara?”
Lara Croft is the Tomb Raider. She’s a girl who dual-wields the pistols. She’s the chasm-leaping, death-defying, Trinity-smashing, glass ceiling-breaking champion. Don’t ever forget it.
Lara is one of the coolest female protagonists in history, and she makes it look easy.
NEXT: Tomb Raider: Why Lara Croft’s Original Era Is Best
