Six seasons. Endless cigarettes. Razor blades in flat caps. While Peaky Blinders is often praised for Cillian Murphy’s hypnotic performance as Tommy Shelby, let’s be honest – those cheekbones didn’t carry the show alone. The real firepower came from the writing, spearheaded by Steven Knight and his team.
The series delivered dialogue that was poetic, menacing, funny – sometimes all at once. Here are the lines that still echo through Birmingham’s smoky backstreets.
- “I’m just an extreme example of what a working man can achieve”
Tommy’s response to being called a traitor to his class. It’s half self-awareness, half provocation. He knows he climbed – he just doesn’t apologise for how.
- “There’s no rest for me in this world. Perhaps in the next”
Ambition has a cost. By season 4, Tommy isn’t chasing peace anymore – he’s resigned to the fact that it many only come in death.
- “If we lift our heel off their necks now, they’ll just come at us”
This is Tommy justifying endless war. In his mind, dominance equals survival. The tragedy? It also guarantees perpetual conflict.
- “Everyone’s a wh*re, Grace. We just sell different parts of ourselves”
Cold. Calculated. And painfully revealing. It’s Tommy’s world view in one sentence – trust no one, because everyone’s trading something.
- “Nevertheless, I say no”
Cornered by powerful enemies, he still refuses to bend. Short. Defiant. Pure Shelby steel.
- “Sometimes the women have to take over. Like in the war” – Polly Gray
Polly Gray reminding the men that power is not exclusively theirs. The show never forgot who kept things afloat when the soldiers were gone.
Tommy on his heart. Two words that carry war trauma, lost love, and a lifetime of grief. Minimal dialogue, maximum damage.
- “I will wear high heels so that you will hear my approach on the cobblestones, and you will have time to repent” – Polly
Stylish revenge, served slowly. It’s theatrical, terrifying, and very on-brand. Polly didn’t just threaten – she curated.
What made Peaky Blinders unforgettable wasn’t just the violence or the fashion. It was the language – sharp enough to wound long after the gunshots stopped.
Did your favourite line make the cut? Or are we about to have a Shelby-style disagreement?
