Best Quotes In Severance, Ranked

Summary

• Some of the best quotes from Severance set the tone for Lumon Industries’ mysterious operations.
• Other quotes mark pivotal moments of rebellion against Lumon by the innies.
• The Lumon building itself has a line that teases a thrilling start to season 2.

The long wait is finally over. After premiering three years ago and surviving a prolonged second season production (not to mention two industry-wide strikes), Apple TV+’s Severance is back. New episodes are released every Friday, but predictably, many fans are having to go back through the first season to get caught up.

Severance follows a group of employees at the enigmatic Lumon Industries, who “sever” their employees’ work selves from their outside-work selves (innies and outies, as they’re called). Throughout the first season’s mystery, intrigue, thrills, and humor, there have been a number of iconic lines said by characters.

Spoilers ahead!

10

“The Work Is Mysterious And Important.”

Mark S.; Season 1, Episode 4

One of the biggest mysteries in Severance pertains to what exactly the Macrodata Refinement team are doing. The true purpose of Lumon Industries has yet to be revealed, but the employees’ lack of knowledge about their own work isn’t supposed to matter to them. When Helly R. calls macrodata refining “bulls**t” work, Mark retorts with this quote.

However, the one line that almost tops it comes moments later when, after Mark insists the MDR team has to work as a family, Helly says “I could not, with a razor to my throat, be less interested in being your family.” This list could be entirely quotes from Helly R., but this one quote from Mark S. moments before it sums up a lot of the intrigue about Severance.

9

“I’ve Wanted To Pummel Mark Myself, But I Am His Employer.”

Harmony Cobel; Season 1, Episode 1

The opening moments of Severance beg a lot of questions, like who Helly is, how she got here, and what Lumon is. Her frustration during her entrance interview causes her to lash out at Mark S., but it’s not until her meeting with her employer, Harmony Cobel, that she gets her first taste of sympathy in this new world.

Of course, this sympathy only lasts for a brief moment, before Cobel warns Helly about how bad this job could be if she’s disobedient. But nevertheless, it says a lot about Cobel and Mark’s relationship prior to the events of the series. This only becomes more intriguing when it’s revealed that Cobel is Mark’s next-door neighbor in the outside world.

8

“I Guess This Is The Part Where I Should Tell You To Go To Hell…Except You’re Already Here.”

Helly R.; Season 1, Episode 4

The first half of Severance season 1 features a lot of strategies from Helly on how to quit her job at Lumon. She tries sending notes to her outside self, causing mayhem, and self-harm. After threatening to lob her fingers off if she isn’t given a chance to send her outie a resignation video, Helly leaves Lumon with her head held high, saying this line to Mark.

Unfortunately, Helly R. leaves Lumon only to be sent back the next day with a scathing video response from her outie, denying her resignation request. It’s a cold moment, which makes a lot more sense given what we find out in later episodes. At least Helly still got to have a cool moment with this line.

7

“They Cannot Crucify You If Your Hands Is In A Fist.”

Ricken Hale; Season 1, Episode 5

Most of the dialogue said by Ricken Hale, the brother-in-law of Mark Scout, could warrant a place on this list. However, a lot of the character’s thoughts recorded in his self-help book, “The You You Are,” end up influencing the innies after they somehow get their hands on it. During a montage in season 5 reciting many of these funny mantras, this one is as funny as it is meaningful.

Because a lot of Ricken’s book quotes are anti-capitalist and anti-establishment, they ring true for the innies, who have no concept of the outside world or its feelings on the severance procedure. As a result, Ricken’s faux-profound writing takes on a different meaning for the outies than the innies.

6

“The Music Dance Experience Is Officially Cancelled.”

Mr. Milchick; Season 1, Episode 7

One of the standouts of Severance is Tramell Tillman’s portrayal of the severed floor’s supervisor, Mr. Milchick, whose staunch obedience to Lumon and cheery disposition is where the show’s thriller aspects shine. Few episodes showcase this better than episode 7, in which Milchick tries to celebrate Helly’s work with a “Music Dance Experience.”

However, after using the overtime contingency to awake Dylan outside the Lumon building, Dylan lashes out at Milchick and attacks him during the MDE. After the dust settles, and Milchick discovers he’s been hurt, he says this quote as the tension defuses. It has since become an iconic line, and it’s everything to do with Tillman’s performance.

5

“Let’s Burn This Place To The Ground.”

Irving B.; Season 1, Episode 7

Audiences latched onto the love story between Irving B. and Burt G. in season 1 of Severance, as the two men fight their feelings for one another while keeping a professional relationship. This comes to a head when Burt “retires” from Lumon, which Irving only finds out about when he stumbles into the O&D head’s retirement party and confronts the deceptive Mr. Milchick.

Returning to the Macrodata Refinement team, Irving says this line as his way of saying “I’m in” on their plan to take down Lumon. It’s an epic moment in a show that has a lot of epic moments, so much so that it’s included in the recap of season 1’s events via animated video in the season 2 premiere. Props to John Turturro for the satisfying line reading.

4

“I Have The Strength Of Two Men.”

Dylan G.; Season 1, Episode 7

Zach Cherry has a lot of funny lines as Dylan G., as well as epic ones that even rival Irving’s line above. One underrated line that doesn’t get as much love from Dylan comes in the same episode, when he, Mark S., and Helly R. are strategizing about how to use the overtime contingency to awaken themselves on the outside.

Offering to stay behind in Lumon to operate the manual override, Dylan says this line, which is the epitome of a recurring joke throughout the season where he insists that his outie is a bodybuilder. Of course, he also gets to prove this sentiment right when he helps awaken the innies outside the building, while Mr. Milchick is locked out of the control room.

3

“Do You Know If I’m Happy Up There?”

Ms. Casey/Gemma; Season 1, Episode 8

One of the biggest twists in the first season of Severance is the reveal that Ms. Casey, the severed floor’s wellness counselor, is actually Gemma, Mark Scout’s (assumedly) dead wife. Before Mark S. realizes this, however, Ms. Casey is fired from her position at Lumon’s wellness center and sent back to the “test floor,” where it seems like she’s going to be the subject of more experimentation.

It’s unclear yet how much Ms. Casey knows about her own identity, or how she returned. But this one quote, which she says to Mr. Milchick as he escorts her to the test floor, is an emotional gut-punch given that, at this point, the audience knows who she really is. Poor Ms. Casey, not knowing that “up there,” she doesn’t even exist, as far as we know.

2

“Thanks, Mrs. Cobel.”

Mark S.; Season 1, Episode 9

There wasn’t a single person who was watching the season 1 finale of Severance who didn’t audibly gasp when they saw Mark S., inside the body of Mark Scout, call Mrs. Selvig “Mrs. Cobel.” Given how narrowly Mark S. has been playing it cool during Ricken’s book party, it’s a major shoe drop that tells Mrs. Cobel everything she needs to know.

Mark S. had no way of knowing that Mrs. Cobel is deeply involved with his personal life outside of work, as up to that point, Mark Scout had no reason to suspect anything about his next-door neighbor. Still, as far as the most thrilling moments of Severance so far go, this scene, and this quote, reign supreme.

1

“Under My Literal Nose Unfolded A Human Drama Of Danger and Intrigue, Inspiration and Love.”

The Lumon Building; Season 2, Episode 1

Severance season 2 has only just begun, but the first episode has already given us an iconic moment as Mark S., Helly R., Dylan G., and Irving B. are re-assembled and shown a video by Mr. Milchick that is allegedly going to be screened for every new employee. In this video, the talking Lumon building (voiced by the one and only Keanu Reeves) recaps much of the previous season.

Among the Lumon building’s best lines is this one. In-between words, it’s also revealed that some key moments from the first season were being recorded by Lumon, such as Irving’s “Let’s burn this place to the ground,” as well as Mark and Helly’s kiss near the end of episode 8.