One of my favorite things in this world is … quotes! Because someone has always said it better than you — or at least that’s a good assumption to make to keep you from becoming a complete know-it-all. Through the years, Metal Gear has been a great source of wisdom for me. In this article, I will share some of my favorite quotes throughout the series (in order of release). If there are several quotes which communicate the same message, I will include them back-to-back.

PSYCHO MANTIS

«This is the first time I’ve used my powers to help someone. It’s strange… It feels kind of … nice…» OTACON

«Thanks? Oh, that sounds nice.» – Metal Gear Solid (1998)

These two quotes spoken by Psycho Mantis and Otacon in the first MGS illustrate the virtues of altruism; the pure joy helping others brings to oneself. It’s an important message to communicate, especially to those who cynically believe that every action is a product of selfishness, which just isn’t true. Altruism has been proven to exist in apes and other animals. There’s a great documentary on this subject from last year called «The Altruism Revolution», which I highly recommend.

SOLID SNAKE

«So patriotism is your excuse for circumventing the Constitution?» – Metal Gear Solid (1998)

When Solid Snake in MGS1 hears about Washington’s justification for hiding the Metal Gear and Genome Army projects from the general public, he makes this snarky yet important comment. Governments around the world keep justifying their actions, even when those actions circumvent the very foundation they were chosen to uphold.

OTACON

«You can’t wait to be loved. You have to go out and find it.» OTACON

«I realized that you can’t just wish for a happy family — you have to make it happen. I only wish I knew that sooner.» – Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)

Otacon and his sister E.E. were both lonely and introverted children who found comfort in each other through this common feeling of being outsiders. They both wanted to be loved, and couldn’t understand why society wouldn’t give it to them. After the Shadow Moses incident, Otacon realized that the love you receive in this world is your own responsibility.

SOLID SNAKE

«You can stop being part of a mistake, starting now.» – Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)

In the same spirit as the previous quotes, Solid Snake stresses the need for the individual to take responsibility for his or her own life. What you do with your life — the mistakes you make — are ultimately in your hands. There’s no reason to have regrets, and there’s certainly no reason to hate yourself for past mistakes. As long as you realize your mistake and do something about it, you should have a clear conscience.

SOLIDUS SNAKE

«We are all born with an expiration date. No one lasts forever. Life is but a grace period for turning the best of our genetic material into the next generation.» – Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)

A fitting quote with the death of Solidus’ English voice actor, John Cygan. We mustn’t forget that the life we are leading will end someday. This is no reason to fret, but the realization should ground you, and make you fathom what is important and what isn’t. Human life isn’t this fixed plan that will last forever; it is a genetic accident that we can use to great effect if we have the courage.

SOLID SNAKE

«There’s no such thing in the world as absolute reality. Most of what they call real is actually fiction; what you think you see is only as real as your brain tells you it is.» SOLID SNAKE

«It’s not whether you were right or wrong, but how much faith you were willing to have, that decides the future.» RAIDEN

«I’ll pick my own name, and my own life. I’ll find something worth passing on.» – Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)

While these quotes communicate various different things, they all work to create an important picture: We can’t know for certain what reality is — what the true purpose of life is, or if it even has one — but we know that virtues such as faith and happiness are inherently meaningful. Maybe the search for «true happiness» isn’t as important as happiness itself. For example: Solid Snake is a video game character who doesn’t exist. Yet we care about him and the «people» around him, even though we know they don’t really exist. Does that mean our feelings are worthless? Absolutely not. Simply put, don’t depend on the «truth» to make you happy, because happiness is true regardless of how it arises.

THE SORROW

«Death is tragic, but life is miserable.» – Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)

On the other side of the philosophical spectrum, we have this quote heard during a «boss battle» in MGS3. The Sorrow embodies one of MGS3’s recurring themes: Death. What is death? Is death bad? Or is it as beautiful as life? Is life even beautiful? While the quote could be interpreted as nihilistic, it certainly stimulates some thoughts about death and whether it’s really worth fearing. After all, it will inevitably arrive some day.

THE BOSS

«The foibles of politics and the march of time can turn friends into enemies just as easily as the wind changes. Ridiculous, isn’t it?» – Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)

This quote sums up the central theme of MGS3: Scene; time, place and circumstance. The Boss wants her apprentice, Naked Snake, to know that soldiers are nothing more than political tools. They may join the fight for their beliefs, and end up totally opposing them later in their careers. They may even have to kill their former comrades, all because the times demand it. This is punctuated by The Boss’ eventual death at Snake’s hands, causing him to lose all faith in nations and state armies.

THE BOSS

«I may no longer be able to bear children, but I still have a family.» THE BOSS

«We have no tomorrow. But we can still have hope for the future.» – Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)

Many people fret over the end of their existence. Some see children as an extension of their own being. In MGS2, Solidus asks: «What is our legacy if we cannot pass the torch?» In MGS3, The Boss answers by appealing to the virtues of altruism and unity. We are all just inhabitants of a celestial body called Earth. We may not leave much of ourselves behind after death, but we can still feel joy over the upcoming existence of others. We must do what we can to ensure future prosperity, even if we can’t be there to enjoy it ourselves.

BIG BOSS

«It’s not about changing the world. It’s about doing our best to leave the world the way it is. It’s about respecting the will of others and believing in your own.» – Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008)

In his lasts moments, Big Boss summarizes what he realizes was The Boss’ true philosophy all along, and ultimately the final message of the Metal Gear saga. The point of our existence is to enjoy it, and to let others enjoy it similarly. Nothing more, nothing less. Freedom, happiness and equality.

BIG BOSS

«Pain gets the better of us all.» – Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010)

Big Boss tells Chico, a child soldier in the Sandanista rebel group who was tortured into ratting out his comrades, that he mustn’t beat himself up over it. This is significant coming from Snake, a soldier specially trained to withstand torture. And the message rings true in our own lives: Our impulses and subjective experiences are hard to resist. We must not blame ourselves for letting them get the best of us. We must try, but we are likely to fail.

BIG BOSS

«Real heroes are never as polished as the legends that surround them.» – Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010)

Contemporary celebrity culture could learn a thing or two from Big Boss on this. The people we idolize are humans too, just like you and me. Believing them to be something more only leads to disappointment. Instead, appreciate their achievements and realize that their ability to achieve is a reflection of your own abilities as well. After all, you are no different from them.

CODE TALKER

«There is more to the act of eating than nourishment: We receive nature’s blessings, and reaffirm our part in it. And in doing so, we express our gratitude.»

CODE TALKER

«If a man is part of nature, the work he does is also a part of it.» – Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)

Code Talker is a very wise, spiritual and underrated character in the Metal Gear universe. In MGSV’s hilarious «The Hamburgers of Kazuhira Miller»-cassettes, he elegantly summarizes the purpose of mysticism, spirituality and pantheism: By realizing that we, along with everything else, are a part of the whole, we can appreciate joy outside of ourselves. We should understand that we are more than just our egos. This conflicts with modern notions of what is «natural» and «artificial». Humans are nothing more than products of nature, so there truly is no natural or unnatural way for us to exist.

REVOLVER OCELOT

«To a ruler, an everlasting enemy is convenient.» – Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)

This quote subtly reveals the true nature of MGSV’s theme: Revenge. Similar to the totalitarian society of George Orwell’s 1984, The Patriots plan to use war to manipulate the masses they control. Humans under the spell of hate, vengeance and malice are easier to control, after all. Similarly, Big Boss uses «Cipher» as a point of hatred for Diamond Dogs, even though Cipher no longer exists in any tangible form.

I hope you found some value in these quotes. There are many more where that came from, and I’m fairly confident we will get even more with the release of Death Stranding, hopefully next year, along with Kojima’s works to follow.