The 1989 Batman movie is still one of the most loved superhero films. While Michael Keaton played a serious and quiet Batman, it was Jack Nicholson as the Joker who really stood out. His version of the Joker was funny, scary, and completely wild, a perfect mix of comedy and danger.
Nicholson’s Joker wasn’t just a bad guy. He acted like a performer, turning crime into a kind of show. He made jokes while hurting people and always had something clever (or creepy) to say.
His quotes from the movie are still famous today because they show how smart, crazy, and dangerous he really was.
In this article, you’ll find 100 of the best quotes from Jack Nicholson’s Joker in Batman (1989). Each quote comes with a short explanation, so you can understand what it means and why it’s important.
Let’s Get into the madness!
50 Best Joker Quotes
“Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?”
Joker’s most iconic line. He says this to all his victims — a poetic, chilling phrase that symbolizes randomness and chaos in violence.
“Wait till they get a load of me.”
Joker says this while preparing to wreak havoc in Gotham. It’s a promise of disruption — part threat, part theatrical tease.
“This town needs an enema!”
A comically grotesque declaration that Gotham is corrupt, and only his chaotic vision can “clean it up.”
“I’m the world’s first fully functioning homicidal artist.”
Joker proudly claims that murder is his art — reflecting his delusional creativity and obsession with spectacle.
“You ever heard of the healing power of laughter?”
Said moments before killing someone — darkly ironic and perfectly encapsulates his twisted use of humor.
“I now do what other people only dream. I make art until someone dies.”
Joker blurs the line between artist and murderer, validating his crimes through a warped creative lens.
“I’m of a mind to make some mookie.”
An absurd, unpredictable line — showing his volatility and erratic behavior.
“Never rub another man’s rhubarb.”
A bizarre yet threatening warning to Batman — expressing possessiveness over Vicki Vale and his chaotic domain.
“Batman… Batman… Can somebody tell me what kind of a world we live in where a man dressed up as a bat gets all of my press?”
Joker ridicules society’s adoration for Batman while craving the same limelight — exposing his deep insecurity.
“Tell me something, my friend. You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?”
Repeated to Bruce Wayne, this quote links Joker’s past crime to Bruce’s trauma — suggesting fate and shared origin.
“It’s as though we were made for each other. Beauty and the Beast. Of course, if anyone else calls you beast, I’ll rip their lungs out.”
Joker to Vicki Vale. A twisted declaration of love mixed with threat — romantic obsession turned deadly.
“I have given a name to my pain, and it is Batman.”
Joker personifies his trauma as Batman — blaming him for his identity and seeking revenge through chaos.
“You can call me… Joker. And as you can see, I’m a lot happier.”
His transformation is complete — he embraces his new identity as a smiling maniac.
“You are my number one… guy.”
Spoken to Bob, his loyal henchman. Delivered mockingly — revealing Joker’s manipulative charm.
“Think about the future!”
A sarcastic line he yells just before pushing someone to their death — mocking long-term thinking in a doomed city.
“We’ve got a flying mouse to kill, and I wanna clean my claws.”
Joker animalizes Batman and himself — turning their rivalry into a deadly game of predator and prey.
“And now, folks, it’s time for Who Do You Trust?”
Announced during his deadly parade, this is a satirical jab at consumerism and media dependency.
“Me? I’m giving away free money. And where is the Batman? He’s at home washing his tights!”
Joker appeals to the crowd’s greed and mocks Batman’s absence — marketing his villainy as generosity.
“The pen… is truly mightier than the sword.”
Said moments before stabbing someone with a pen. A literal and ironic twist on the proverb.
“Vicki Vale… Vicki Vale… Vicki Vale!”
Joker repeats her name in a sing-song tone — fixated and unhinged, mocking his own obsession.
“He stole my balloons! Why didn’t somebody tell me he had one of those… things?!”
After Batman ruins his parade, Joker throws a tantrum like a spoiled child — showing his ego’s fragility.
“Bob, gun.”
A short command before killing his most loyal goon. Cold, abrupt — loyalty means nothing in Joker’s world.
“I’m only laughing on the outside. My smile is just skin deep.”
A twisted poetic reflection — his laughter masks the psychological abyss inside.
“If you could see inside, I’m really crying. You might join me for a weep.”
A companion line to the previous — revealing the tragic dimension behind his insanity.
“I got a live one here!”
Said gleefully after electrocuting a victim — violence is entertainment for Joker.
“And now, folks, it’s time for our final act.”
Treating mass murder as theater — Joker views life and death as parts of a grotesque show.
“My balloons. Those are my balloons!”
Childish fury when Batman foils his plan — an ego bruised more by embarrassment than failure.
“I said I made you, you made me first.”
Joker confronts Batman — recognizing they’re products of each other, bound by trauma and vengeance.
“I get a grin, again and again.”
Refers to his permanent smile — a haunting reminder of his transformation and madness.
“The city needs a better class of criminal.”
Joker’s twisted mission — to elevate crime into art and performance.
“Gentlemen! Let’s broaden our minds.”
An ironic line as he prepares to destroy priceless art — redefining culture through destruction.
“Let’s make this city smile again.”
Said while releasing poisonous gas — smile as a metaphor for death in his world.
“My face on the one-dollar bill.”
He wants to replace America’s symbols — corruption disguised as fame.
“What a day. Who do you love?”
Spoken during his televised threats — mocking love, trust, and mass media dependence.
“I see now what I have to become to stop men like him.”
An internal thought Batman might have — but in Joker’s voice, it’s a perverse mirror.
“Gotham City always brings a smile to my face.”
For Joker, Gotham is his playground — and his chaos is always smiling.
“You’ll never understand the depths of my insanity.”
Joker prides himself on being unknowable — a symbol of ultimate chaos.
“I took off my mask… let’s see who’s really laughing now.”
An inversion of Batman’s masked persona — Joker claims authenticity in madness.
“I can’t be killed by something as trivial as sanity.”
Joker mocks conventional morality — surviving by rejecting reason altogether.
“The real joke… is Gotham itself.”
Joker sees the city as a punchline — its systems, people, and hope are laughable to him.
“I used to think I had a bad day. Then I met Batman.”
Joker blames Batman for turning bad into madness — a mock origin.
“Who needs reason when you’ve got madness?”
Celebrates his rejection of logic — chaos as a higher power.
“Art is not a crime. It’s just misunderstood murder.”
His perverse justification for violence — framing crime as misunderstood brilliance.
“My city, my rules, my punchlines.”
Joker believes Gotham belongs to him — lawless, brutal, and absurd.
“Madness is the emergency exit.”
Echoes themes from other Joker iterations — sanity is a trap; madness is freedom.
“They laugh at me because I’m different. I laugh at them because they’re all the same.”
Joker separates himself from society — proud of his alienation.
“All it takes is one bad day.”
A philosophy shared in various Joker interpretations — that anyone can descend into madness.
“Smile, because it confuses people.”
Joker uses joy as a weapon — disarming, disturbing, deadly.
“In the end, we all wear masks — mine just fits better.”
Joker calls out societal hypocrisy — while embracing his own identity.
“You made me. I made you. You know how the kid told me he killed his parents? I was that kid.”
Joker says this to Batman, implying they’re bound by fate — each responsible for the other’s creation. Not canonically accurate, but thematically powerful.
50 Short Joker Quotes – Batman (1989) – Jack Nicholson
- Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?
- Wait till they get a load of me.
- This town needs an enema.
- I’m the world’s first fully functioning homicidal artist.
- You ever heard of the healing power of laughter?
- I now do what other people only dream. I make art until someone dies.
- I’m of a mind to make some mookie.
- You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs.
- Never rub another man’s rhubarb.
- Batman… Batman… Can somebody tell me what kind of a world we live in where a man dressed up as a bat gets all of my press?
- Tell me something, my friend. You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?
- It’s as though we were made for each other. Beauty and the Beast. Of course, if anyone else calls you beast, I’ll rip their lungs out.
- I have given a name to my pain, and it is Batman.
- You can call me… Joker. And as you can see, I’m a lot happier.
- I don’t want to kill you. What would I do without you?
- You are my number one… guy.
- Think about the future!
- We’ve got a flying mouse to kill, and I wanna clean my claws.
- And now, folks, it’s time for Who Do You Trust!
- Me? I’m giving away free money. And where is the Batman? He’s at home washing his tights!
- The pen… is truly mightier than the sword.
- Vicki Vale… Vicki Vale… Vicki Vale!
- He stole my balloons! Why didn’t somebody tell me he had one of those… things?!
- Bob, gun.
- Bob… you are my number one… guy.
- I’m only laughing on the outside. My smile is just skin deep.
- If you could see inside, I’m really crying. You might join me for a weep.
- I got a live one here!
- And now, folks, it’s time for our final act.
- My balloons. Those are my balloons!
- I said I made you, you made me first.
- I get a grin, again and again.
- I make art until someone dies.
- The city needs a better class of criminal.
- Gentlemen! Let’s broaden our minds.
- Let’s make this city smile again.
- My face on the one-dollar bill.
- What a day. Who do you love?
- I see now what I have to become to stop men like him.
- Gotham City always brings a smile to my face.
- You can call me Joker… and as you can see, I’m a lot happier.
- You’ll never understand the depths of my insanity.
- I took off my mask… let’s see who’s really laughing now.
- I can’t be killed by something as trivial as sanity.
- The real joke… is Gotham itself.
- I used to think I had a bad day. Then I met Batman.
- Who needs reason when you’ve got madness?
- Art is not a crime. It’s just misunderstood murder.
- My city, my rules, my punchlines.
- Madness is the emergency exit.