Check out the best Evangelion quotes and lines that explore pain, identity, hope, loneliness, and the human struggle to exist.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is a legendary Japanese anime television series created by Hideaki Anno that forever changed anime storytelling and redefined the mecha genre.
First released in 1995, the series is best known for its intense emotional depth, complex characters, and thought-provoking dialogues.
The story follows Shinji Ikari, a reluctant teenage pilot recruited by the secret organization NERV to control the bio‑mechanical weapon Evangelion Unit‑01 to defend humanity from mysterious enemies known as Angels.
Alongside fellow pilots Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu, Shinji struggles not only with external battles but also with loneliness, self-worth, trauma, and existential fear—themes that resonate deeply with viewers of all ages.
Beneath its action-packed surface, Evangelion blends psychological depth, religious symbolism, and raw emotional honesty, making it one of the greatest animated series of all time.
With its striking visuals, haunting soundtrack, and controversial ending, Evangelion remains a cornerstone of anime culture decades after its release.
Here are the most famous Evangelion quotes that capture the pain, vulnerability, hope, and quiet strength of this timeless masterpiece.
Top 10 Evangelion Quotes
- “I mustn’t run away.” – Shinji Ikari
- “Mankind’s greatest fear is mankind itself.” – Gendo Ikari
- “The fate of destruction is also the joy of rebirth.” – Keel Lorentz
- “Those who hate themselves cannot love or trust others.” – Rei Ayanami
- “Giving up halfway is worse than never trying at all.” – Misato Katsuragi
- “Anywhere can be a paradise as long as you have the will to live.” – Yui Ikari
- “It is simply the duty of the elite to protect the ignorant masses.” – Asuka Langley
- “Man fears the darkness, and so he scrapes away at the edges of it with fire.” – Rei Ayanami
- “Part of growing up means finding away to interact with others while distancing pain.” – Misato Katsuragi
- “Your truth can be changed simply by the way you accept it. That’s how fragile the truth for a human is.” – Kozo Fuyutsuki
Best Evangelion Quotes
- “Acts of men are better than acts of God.” – Misato Katsuragi
- “Living alone is fine with me. I’m alone anyway.” – Shinji Ikari
- “It would be better if I never existed. I should just die too.” – Shinji Ikari
- “I didn’t have a choice! They made me pilot the stupid thing!” – Shinji Ikari
- “If you know pain and hardship, it’s easier to be kind to others.” – Ryoji Kaji
- “No one can justify life by linking happy moments into a rosary.” – Shinji Ikari
- “Since the heart feels pain so easily some believe life is pain.” – Kaworu Nagisa
- “The reason he seems so withdrawn is because he’s afraid of being hurt.” – Ritsuko Akagi
- “As long as the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth exist, everything will be all right.” – Yui Ikari
- “I thought this was supposed to be a world without pain and without uncertainty.” – Shinji Ikari
- “You never even loved yourself! You’re all you have and you never even learned to like yourself!” – Asuka Langly
- “Exactly why did you come here? You mustn’t run away, you must confront your father, and you must confront yourself!” – Ritsuko Akagi
Evangelion Quotes From Rei Ayanami
- “Then what is your heart for?” – Rei Ayanami
- “You never understood anything.” – Rei Ayanami
- “Man made from man and woman.” – Rei Ayanami
- “Very strange. I feel as if my body is melting.” – Rei Ayanami
- “The things I possess are a life and soul. I am a vessel for a soul.” – Rei Ayanami
- “That’s because you thought that everyone else felt the same as you do.” – Rei Ayanami
- “You misunderstood from the very beginning. You just believed what you wanted to believe.” – Rei Ayanami
- “You don’t want to be by yourself, correct? We are many, but you are alone. You hate it don’t you?” – Rei Ayanami
Famous Evangelion Quotes From Misato Katsuragi
- “Sometimes you need a little wishful thinking to keep on living.” – Misato Katsuragi
- “Never underestimate the ability of the human-animal to adapt to its environment.” – Misato Katsuragi
- “Stop lying to yourself and realize that you *do* have options. Then… accept the choices you’ve made.” – Misato Katsuragi
- “If getting into the Eva means nothing but pain to him, I don’t think he should pilot again. Ugh, otherwise he’ll be killed.” – Misato Katsuragi
- “This city is a fortress designed to stand against the angels. This is Tokyo3, this is our city and it’s the city that you saved.” – Misato Katsuragi
- “I’m not gonna feel sorry for you. If you don’t like feeling pain, then you can just sit here and let them kill you! Crying isn’t going to solve anything either!” – Misato Katsuragi
- “The power’s still on. There’s still time. Shinji, listen to me… from now on, you’re on your own. You’ll have to make your own decisions. No one can do it for you.” – Misato Katsuragi
- “The one who deserves to survive is the one who has the will to make it happen. He wished for death. He ignored his will to survive and chose to die for a false hope. Your survival is not a mistake, Shinji.” – Misato Katsuragi
- “You hate yourself, don’t you? That’s why you hurt others. Deep down you know you suffer more when you cause someone else pain… than if you just let yourself get hurt. But Shinji, that was your decision, so it makes it a valid choice. That’s what you wanted. So, that makes it worthwhile.” – Misato Katsuragi
- “That doesn’t mean it’s okay for you to give up! If you do, I’ll never forgive you as long as I live. God knows I’m not perfect either. I’ve made tons of stupid mistakes and later I regretted them. And I’ve done it over and over again, thousands of times. A cycle of hollow joy and vicious self-hatred. But even so, every time I learned something about myself.” – Misato Katsuragi
Evangelion Quotes from Kaworu Nagisa
- “Congratulations!” – Kaworu Nagisa
- “You are delicate like glass, especially your heart.” – Kaworu Nagisa
- “The thread of human hope is spun with the flax of sorrow.” – Kaworu Nagisa
- “Man cannot erase this sadness, because all men are fundamentally alone.” – Kaworu Nagisa
- “The fact that you have a place where you can return home, will lead you to happiness. That is a good fact.” – Kaworu Nagisa
- “Whether I live or die makes no great difference. In truth, death may be the only absolute freedom there is.” – Kaworu Nagisa
- “Pain is something man must carry in his heart, and since the heart feels pain so easily, some believe that life is pain.” – Kaworu Nagisa
- “This song is good. Singing brings joy and revitalization of the human soul. I think that song is the highest achievement of the Lilim culture.” – Kaworu Nagisa
- “Humans cannot create anything out of nothingness. Humans cannot accomplish anything without holding onto something. After all, humans are not gods.” – Kaworu Nagisa
- “Are you afraid of other people? I know that by keeping others at a distance you avoid a betrayal of your trust, for while you may not be hurt that way, you mustn’t forget that you must endure the loneliness.” – Kaworu Nagisa
Conclusion
What are your favorite Evangelion quotes and Evangelion sayings listed above? If there is a quote that we’ve missed, then let us know in the comments section what your thoughts are.
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