Whether you live in the town of Small Heath, or you belong to the huge city of Birmingham, everyone has to obey the Tommy Shelby OBE MP (Cillian Murphy) everywhere. The British crime drama “Peaky Blinders” is based on dark themes of war, violence, crime, and gangsters. Despite its theme, the series has cinematic history’s most iconic and historical lines or quotes.
People always enjoy thrilling subjects and movies, but Peaky Blinders takes this genre to another level. It involves some great characters with unforgettable roles, and it hooks you up with Tommy Shelby’s charm, grace, attitude, and cleverness.
This show isn’t just about action and crime. It’s also about family, loyalty, love, and survival. Whether it’s Tommy, the clever leader of the gang, or Polly Gray, the strong and wise aunt, every character has something memorable to say. Every quote carries deep meaning and shows the personalities of the characters. Some are inspiring, some are funny, and some are sad. But all of them stay with you long after the show ends.
Without enough chit-chat let’s delve into the most 20 iconic quotes from the series we managed to narrow down for you, that are strong and will stick to your mind long after the series ends.
20 Best Peaky Blinders Quotes
There’s only one thing that can blind a man as smart as you, Tommy. Love
Polly Gray (Season 1 Episode 6)
As we know in real life, Polly (Helen McCrory) is no more with us, died in 2021. But, she will be always remembered as Aunt Polly deep in our hearts. She shaped this season in the most obvious way, as it can be said without a second thought that she was the most smart person in the family. She managed to run the business alone when the brothers were away in World War I, and she indeed got manly traits and courage.
Even in this scene, she manages to realize how Thomas was blindly defeated by a woman despite having all the cards in his hands. He was about to make his move against Billy Kimber (Charlie Creed-Miles) but all of a sudden his plan was up in the smoke and he realized there was a traitor close by. But, again as we mentioned earlier Tommy was wrong and Polly was right, she knew there was no traitor but it was “love” that made him blind. And she was talking about Grace (Annabelle Wallis).
Polly was too smart and intelligent after all she was a half-witch in the show. That’s why Tommy considered herself his half. He always knew without his half he wouldn’t be able to succeed in his ambitions, even though Polly always spoke against those ambitions.
Do not despise the thief who steals to satisfy his starvation.
Arthur Shelby Sr. (Season 1 Episode 5)
This one is actually a verse from the Holy Bible, book of Proverbs 6: 30-31. Arthur Shelby Sr (Tommy Flanagan) was the father of the Shelby brothers, Ada (Sophie Rundle), and the brother of Polly. According to brothers, he left his family in 1909 when they were too young to understand the world, and he was famous for his violent and illegal activities.
He was so mean, that even robbed his own sons in season 1. He trapped Arthur Jr. (Paul Anderson) in a honey trap by saying that they can together start a new business in the United States of America together if he brings all the savings of Shelby company. Arthur was the oldest one, so he was tired of taking orders from his younger brother so got trapped easily and stole all the money from company savings and gave it to his father.
But, as they say, “nature can’t be changed”, and as bound to his nature, Arthur Sr again cheated his sons and took all the money with himself, and ran away. When Junior found out he tried to stop his father, but Senior mentioned this verse from the Bible by quoting his clear intentions and needs, as if what he did was right, and he deserved all that money. But, in truth, we all know that was his another clever and selfish move to rob his children.
Crown of a Prince. Soon to be a King. I bet
Freddie Thorne (Season 1 Episode 1)
It was a shocking thing to see how two best friends from school life, who even fought in war together turned against each other only because of their motives and personal ambitions. Freddie (Iddo Goldberg) was an undercover communist, who spoke for the welfare and rights of all those laborers and hard-working men who fought in France and got no reward for their courage and patriotism.
Although, communists have many other hidden motives behind their clean agenda, but still, had a belief and, he was against his own best friend who made his living by illegal betting and book-making. That’s why in this very first episode, he’s trying to provoke Tommy by calling him a prince. Deep down in his heart, he was against him and always kept an eye on all illegal activities of Shelby’s organization.
May you be in heaven a full half-hour before the devil knows you’re dead.
Grace Shelby (Season 1 Episode 4)
Grace was one of the most vital characters of the series, who left the show too early. She can be seen till season 6 but only in Tommy’s visions and dreams. She was the only person to whom Thomas got close, as he wasn’t the kind of person who trusted anyone.
In this very scene, Thomas is raising a toast with Grace. The most fascinating part is when he asked her, can you raise a toast, and she replied “I’m Irish, I can raise a million toast”. Tommy was really impressed and then Grace took advantage of the opportunity by saying “May you be in heaven a full half-hour before the devil knows you’re dead” as she knew that she successfully got his attention.
When I drove into Small Heath, I thought I was going to get murdered… then I mentioned your name. It was like being escorted to see a King.
May Carleton (Season 2 Episode 4)
May (Charlotte Riley) was one of the most noble ladies in the series, who literally fell for a gangster. She had no ties with the Blinders, in fact, she never visited Small Heath (Blinder’s home sweet home). But as she fell for Tommy for good, she approached him on her own and decided to train his horse for the Epsom Derby races.
This is one of the funny scenes when she mentioned how she drove to Small Heath, a place full of Gypsies and outlaws. In fact, it’s a small ruling kingdom of Thomas where he runs and controls everyone even the police. This is really impressive how magnetic his personality was, as even a noble lady of high standing risked her life for him.
May got lucky for a short time when she got close to Thomas Shelby, but never got the love and attention Tommy had for Grace.
In all the world, vilent men are easiest to deal with.
Irene O’ Donnell (Season 2 Episode 1)
She is the only woman in the whole series who tries to manipulate Tommy for a greater cause. She was a pro-treaty paddy who worked in a certain capacity for Major Campbell (Sam Neil), and they both blackmailed Thomas for a huge picture in which many great personalities were involved. Their actual plan was to kill a field Marshal and put all the blame on Shelby’s family.
Irene (Simone Kirby )knew Mr. Shelby’s history, and Campbell had personal issues with him, so they both mutually decided to use him for the assassination. When Tommy tried to refuse and escape they blackmailed him again and that’s why Irene was certain that somehow he would prevail and carry out this mission because she was highly convinced by the traits of violent men and thought they could be easily handled.
Shelby is a worm and feeds off the rotten parts of your mind. He gets in through your ear, with a whisper.
Major Campbell (Season 2 Episode 2)
It wouldn’t be a wrong thing to say that all the miseries that fell on Thomas Shelby from the very beginning of the series were because of this one man, who was an Irish officer and had a personal history and grudges against him. As a co-incidence, he fell in love with Grace but unfortunately, she fell in love with the very man on whom she was spying which created a series of personal dramas between a gangster and an officer.
In season 2, when Campbell came back to Birmingham, officially he was on Irish business, but unofficially he came back to finish his business with Mr. Shelby. He blew up his pub, tried to manipulate him with pro-treaty paddies (as mentioned above), and even tried to frame him for a life sentence. He hated him so much that he even tried to turn Police Officer Moss (Tony Pitts) against him by calling Mr. Shelby a worm.
Fast women and slow horses… will ruin your life.
Arthur Shelby Jr (Season 1 Epsidoe 2)
Arthur Shelby is the oldest among brothers and is completely a different kind of person. The best quality about Arthur is that loved his brothers from the depth of his heart. He wasn’t so smart but he was most ruthless. Even Tommy took advantage of his ruthlessness till the end of the series.
Among the brothers, he was the only one who actually loved his father despite the fact their father left the whole family alone in their childhood. In this scene, he repeats one of his father’s sayings that slow horses and fast women and vulnerable for a man. A man should stay away from a slow horse and a fast woman (who is smart and persuasive).
The most beautiful part of this scene is when Arthur speaks about horses and women in a funny way, it is the very first time in the series when Tommy smiles, otherwise, he normally stays very serious.
My God. Some devil gets in to you, doesn’t it. Boy
Father John Hughes (Season 3 Episode 2)
Father Hughes (Paddy Considine) was a holly priest, whose appearance was holly but deep beneath his gown there was a demon hidden. Paddy is one of the most inspiring actors in the cinematic world and has given a number of good films, but in Peaky Blinders he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothes.
His role in season 3 is of upmost importance as he’s playing dangerous political games in multiple organizations. He was the second most dangerous man after Major Campbell who gave a tough fight to Thomas Shelby. He even injured Tommy so badly that he had to take three months of bed rest due to a fractured skull.
Viewers were curious to see how the great crime leader would take his revenge on a dangerous priest but the end of season 3 was very interesting and sad, as it wasn’t Tommy who finished Hughes, it was Michael (Finn Cole) who also had a personal history with the same priest, but, still, it was worth watching and satisfying.
Working in the dark is for devil.
Linda Shelby (Season 3 Episode 2)
Linda (Kate Phillips) portrays a very strange side of religious people. Despite having a strong positive side she also had a difficult past as her mother was not a good woman according to some resources mentioned later in the series. Maybe, that was the reason she was wed to a gangster.
Arthur calls her wife her shining light as she was the only one who helped him to get through the tough time after the war, kept his fires out, and made him a normal man. But, as Arthur was also bound to obey Tommy’s orders, that’s what became a real challenge for him as he was struggling to fight on both sides (positive and negative).
Still, Linda tried her best to keep his husband out of criminal activities, and that was the reason when Thomas ordered his brother to take out on two Italian pubs just to send a message, Linda spoke against this and tried to knock some sense into her husband’s mind by saying that these all activities belong to the devil, he needs to stop.
Does your wife know that the sapphire she’s wearing has been cursed by the gypsy. Nothing on earth would make me wear it.
Tatiana Petrovna (Season 3 Episode 2)
Another lady who was basically a Dutchess from Russia, and thought she could take on Tommy Shelby. She is one of the most crazy characters in the series, especially in season 3, and even more crazy than Arthur.
She had a magical vibe and even became a little tough for Tommy himself when she stayed overnight with him and made his whole night a complete mess with her suicidal games and clever talks.
She warned Thomas that the sapphire he brought as payment for the Russian job is cursed by a gypsy, but, by the time she reveals this secret it was too late and that became the ending of Grace’s life which was a sudden and deep shock for whole Shelby family.
I have a tailor in New York city, look Funacci, Italian… he’s my uncle. He makes suits in the basement of Madge street. He’s my uncle, so every stitch is stitched with blood.
Luca Changretta (Season 4 Episode 2)
Another Oscar-winning legend who appeared in season 4 as a major antagonist. Luca (Adrien Brody) wanted to take revenge on the whole Shelby clan as they killed his father Vincent Changretta (Kenneth Colly), so he brought all his cousins and major members of the Italian mafia with him from New York to carry out a vendetta.
As this is Adrien Brody, so his portrayal as an antagonist is very amusing. He didn’t threaten Shelby’s family directly, he waited till December and sent a “black hand” card as a Christmas present to each member of the family, which made his intentions clear that he was a storm after a silence.
John (Joe Cole) lost his life in this vendetta which was a deep and extreme shock for the whole family, but one good thing that happened to them was that one death united them all again. Luca was so deadly that Tommy had to play a special game by putting so much at stake, so he could take him down. With his cleverness and Polly’s second sight he again successfully took another rival down.
Next time make sure you have ice. This pub has come to our attention for its lack of ice.
Ada Shelby (Season 4 Episode 4)
Ada was the second most smartest person in the whole family. In the very first season, she was just an ordinary woman who fell in love with a communist (Freddie Thorne) and then became pregnant which turned out a serious issue for herself, but later on after her husband’s death in season 2, she kept herself away from the family for a while and became a real woman with common sense.
Tommy said in season 6, that it was Ada who meant to be a politician in the family. He appreciated her sister because of her ideologies and political advice. That’s why after the death of Polly, she became his second half.
When Thomas tried to persuade Jessie Eden (Charlie Murphy) who was also a strong supporter of communism, he sent his sister to negotiation. When they entered a local pub just to talk business, unfortunately, there was no ice in that pub, and Ada literally threatened the bar-tender for lack of ice, which shows the real influence and power of Shelbies.
A naked woman alone making threats against the entire British Army. A siginficant indicator of character.
Colonel Ben Younger (Season 4 Episode 5)
Ben Younger (Kingsley Ben-Adir) was one of the most polite and decent characters in the show, he was a military official by profession but a kind man by nature. He also lost his life at the hands of the ambitions of Thomas Shelby, which was a deep regret for Tommy himself as well.
He appeared in season 4, where he was officially appointed by military superiors to get information about the communists from the inside. So, he made a very smart move, he arrested Ada from Small Heath, as she was the late wife of one of the most famous communists (Freddie Thorne).
Their first meeting was a hilarious one, as Ada was searched with a naked body and she threatened and blamed Ben Younger for this. When Ben tried to indulge in a conversation with Ada, she threatened him again by saying that he will be blinded if he looked at her while wearing clothes. But, as Younger was a decent man, he looked away so Ada could wear her clothes, as a gesture of respect.
Ben and Ada were later involved in intimate relations in season 5, after his sudden death, Ada gave birth to their daughter as well, who was raised by a single mother only.
You can at least say thank you. Its easier to see Pope these days
Johnny Dogs (Season 1 Episode 4)
Johnny Dogs (Packy Lee) was the only outsider whom Thomas ever trusted. We jumped back to Season 1, only for Johnny, as without adding a quote from him, this article would be incomplete.
Johnny was a gypsy as well, but he was a practical man who had strong links in all gypsy families. In the beginning, when the Lee clan became a real trouble for Tommy, he asked for Johnny’s help, so he could speak to Queen Mary Lee (Therese Bradley) to settle the dispute between both gypsy families, which was another clever move of Thomas, as he used this opportunity to take down Billy Kimber.
Take a look at the future Tommy. At least read it with an open mind.
Michael Gray (Season 5 Episode 6)
Michael Gray was another vital character who was found and welcomed in the family by Tommy himself, and later on, turned out to be a rival and even killed by Tommy as well. When Michael was given the opportunity to be the head of the legitimate business of Shelby Company Ltd, he lost all the legal money because of his foolishness and drug addiction.
Despite all the failures, he was again welcomed into the family on some conditions, but, when Michael married Gina (Anya Taylor-Joy), he almost lost his mind and only followed his wife’s instructions. Gina wanted her husband to direct the company in his own way, and be his own boss, and that’s where Michael betrayed his cousins, even his mum.
This one quote from Michael is of very importance, as it made Tommy too furious, and had to push him to make changes in the company.
Just smoke like the fine man you will become.
Oswald Mosley (Season 5 Episode 3)
Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin) is one of the most dangerous antagonists, and the first-ever enemy of Thomas that he couldn’t defeat. Mosley was a clever man who had dangerous strategies and plans for the United Kingdom. He wanted Mr. Shelby to be at his side and help him to achieve his ambition and run the British Union of Fascists which was against the Jews of that particular time.
As he deeply and thoroughly studied Shelby’s life and strategies, he already knew it wasn’t an easy task to take control of such a sharp man, so he turned protestant gangs in Glasgow against Thomas and cleverly united them as one unit so they could together begin a golden age of greater Britain.
The clever part is that Tommy only accepted Mosley’s offer to undermine him and take his organization down, as at the same time he was reporting to Winston Churchill on Mosley’s activities, but this time his luck was not so good, as he lost Polly in all of this political drama.
She’s gone, Tommy. She’s gone. Just now at 05:17
Lizzie Shelby (Season 6 Episode 3)
Lizzie Shelby (Natasha O’Keeffe) is one of the most influential characters in the series. She faced the most challenges being close to Thomas. In the first season, she began as a prostitute, then became a manager later on. In season 4, she officially married Thomas as she bore her daughter, Ruby Shelby.
This one quote “She’s gone, just now at 05:17” seems simple yet it has significant importance as it’s directly related to English musician Thom Yorke’s album “5.17 That’s How Horses Are”.
Ruby loved horses and she even got a horse from his father who was deeply attached with her. This is why her death was a significant sign of a dying horse. Her death occurred due to a curse of the black Madonna (the same sapphire that killed Grace Shelby). The saddest part is Tommy never saw this coming otherwise he would have stopped it as he loved his daughter more than anything.
A tent, then a boat. A house, now a mansion. That’s something, isn’t it?
Winston Churchill (Season 5 Episode 6)
Winston Churchill (Neil Maskell) was one of the most inspiring characters of the British Revolution in real life and one of the greatest admirers of Thomas Shelby in the series. He was highly impressed by the progress that Tommy made despite being a gypsy.
When he found out that Tommy only agreed to support Mosley in his cause, so he could undermine him by being a part of the British Union of Fascists, he came to meet him in person and tried to find out his strategies. He literally appreciated Mr. Shelby for the progress he made in all those years after World War I, and that’s why they worked multiple times together throughout the series.
They both worked together against Oswald Mosley till the end of the series, but that was only a fictional part, none of their deals were shown on camera.
So, Tommy Shelby, its war you want. Its war you shall have.
Jimmy McCavern (Season 5 Episode 3)
Jimmy McCavern (Brain Gleeson) was an uninvited rival of the series. He was indeed a dangerous man, as he was the leader of the most powerful protestant gang by the name “Billy Boys”. His way of threatening Mr. Shelby was on another level as Tommy also got confused at the beginning of season 5 when he received a message from an unknown sender “Look down at earth and see the seeds you’ve sown”. Moreover, he also killed one of his closest associates Bonnie Gold (Jack Rowan).
Bonnie’s father, Aberama Gold (Aidan Gillen), enters Glasgow and kills Jimmy’s men in revenge. This becomes a message for Mr. McCavern as well, so he declares the official war against Tommy Shelby.
It’s much harder to lie with your body than with your words.
Lady Diana Mitford (Season 6 Episode 5)
Lady Diana Mitford (Amber Anderson) is on our bonus quote list, as she was the last female rival of Thomas Shelby who could even control him against his will. In this scene, she plans to sleep with Tommy. Well, she mentioned that she wanted a balance between Tommy and Oswald as her future husband had slept with Tommy’s wife in the past. But, in reality, she wanted to do this for her own sake.
She was a lady of great influence and strong political sense, but all she wanted to do was change the world in her own way with the help of her husband. She was highly impressed with Thomas Shelby’s personality, so she planned to sleep with him with her husband’s permission. That’s why she mentioned that “you can easily lie with your words, but your body always speaks the truth.”
