Quotes / Was It Really Worth It?

Anime & Manga

"I cannot save her? Tenseiga... I let her die... for something like this?! Nothing I could have gained was worth losing her. Nothing at all!"

— Sesshomaru, InuYasha

Comic Books

Faith: Stay with me. Hey- you did it, girl. You avenged your sisters.
Nadira: I... did...? All that hate and pain... for this... you were right, Faith. It wasn't worth it.

—Angel & Faith

Batman: The promise that we made to bring down the Roman. What it cost us. Harvey...
Gordon: If you're asking me "Did the good guys win?" Yes, the good guys won, Batman. But, I won't know if it was worth it for a very long time...

— The Long Halloween

Superman: It's back to the Zone, Zod - to the twilight where you belong. Was it worth all those lives - just for this?
General Zod: To be free? To conquer?? That would be worth those lives and a billion more! And yours will be among them, Kal-El!!

— The Phantom Zone

Literature

The human child called to me. The human child was dying, and nothing I could do within the rules of the game would change that fact.

The human child, one of those who called themselves Animorphs, asked me to explain. In that final moment, the human wanted to know: Was it all worth it? The pain, the despair, the fear. The horror of violence suffered, and the corrupting horror of violence inflicted, was it all worth it?

I said I could not answer that.

—Animorphs - The Ellimist Chronicles

Contessa: I keep on asking myself the same questions over and over again. Maybe you can answer. Was it worth it? Would you do it all over again? Knowing what you know now? Knowing that you end up here, at gunpoint?
Khepri: I… know I’m supposed to say yes. But no. Some-somewhere along the way, it became no.
Contessa: Just about everyone comes to this crossroad. Some get seventy years, some only get fifteen. Enough time to grow, to take stock of who you are. Enough time to do things you’ll regret when you run out of time.
Khepri: Don’t- don’t regret it. Was- had to. Saved lives. But I would do different, given a chance.

— Worm

As I stood there, looking at the ground, I thought to myself, “Was it all worth it?”, but then my train of thought was interrupted by a small, yet angry, cobra.

— Ben Thomas, Lyttle Lytton Contest 2011

Live-Action TV

"Mr. White... is a meth empire really something to be that proud of?"

— Jesse Pinkman, Breaking Bad

Music

Was it all worth it? Giving all my heart and soul, and staying up all night...
Was it all worth it? Living breathing rock 'n' roll - a godforsaken life...

— Queen, "Was It All Worth It?

Podcasts

Buckland: Was it worth all this, then?

Shaw: I like to think so. I don't really see the use in deciding it wasn't. At this point.

On having discovered Antarctica and, as a result, imminently dying there; Zero Hours, "World Enough"

Video Games

"But what of Death, who became the Reaper on the day he slaughtered the nephilim? He killed his brothers... His comrades... And Absalom. The eons have not answered the question: Was it worth it?"

— The Crowfather narrating Death's past and inner conflict, Darksiders II

In the end we got what we wanted
Was it worth it?
Did we make a difference?

—Rose, Entry Point (Roblox)

Veronica: I brought you a present. We unlocked the secret of HELIOS One.
Elder McNamara: What?! Wonderful news!
Veronica: No, it's not. Archimedes II is an orbital laser - effective only outdoors in a limited radius and requiring a long recharge.
Elder McNamara: In the hands of the enemy-
Veronica: They'd be marginally more effective. We lost most of the chapter defending glorified artillery.
Elder McNamara: We couldn't have known. We fought for what we believed in.
Veronica: And nearly died for it. Tomorrow you'd do it all over again, having learned nothing.

—Fallout: New Vegas

Did you get your end in all of this, Ramza? I... I got this.

—Delita Heiral, Final Fantasy Tactics

*cough* Well... you got us. *cough* Was it... worth it?

—Reginald Copperbottom's last words during the Revenged route in Completing the Mission.

"Well, you found me. Congratulations. Was it worth it? Because despite your violent behavior, the only thing you've managed to break so far is my heart. Maybe you could settle for that and we'll just call it a day."

— GLaDOS, Portal

"Do you feel like a hero yet?"

— Spec Ops: The Line

Web Videos

Mike: OCTOPUFF IN KUMQUAT! I DID IT! (Pushes the Wheel of the Worst over, causing it to land on its axle and split in two)
Rich: No! NO! I-it's gone! This is beyond fixing! What the fuck did you do?!
Mike: It'll- we can fix it, Rich. It's, um-
Rich: Was it fucking worth Octopuff in Kumquat?!
Mike: Yes! YEEEEEES!

— RedLetterMedia, Best of the Worst Episode 51: Wheel of the Worst Episode 14 ^note Octopuff in Kumquat- an anti-smoking PSA- was So Okay, It's Average at best, and they chose to discuss another film instead of it, so it wasn't really worth it.

Western Animation

"As I feel my own life dimming, I can't help but think of a time when everything was so much brighter..."

— Fire Lord Sozin, Avatar: The Last Airbender

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