Back To The Future: The 15 Best Doc Brown Quotes (2024)

The Back to the Future movies are timeless classics, entertaining audiences over many decades. One of the biggest standouts of this franchise is Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown, who lights up the screen as the remarkable inventor. Despite the length of time that has occurred between the movie's release and the current date, it's still one of Christopher Lloyd's most memorable roles.

Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis's Back to the Future trilogy contains many fun and insightful lines from Christopher Lloyd's eccentric scientist. Doc Brown's sayings are both entertaining and inspiring, perfectly conveying the character's oddball personality. These Back to the Future quotations are fondly remembered by moviegoers, and confirm Doc Brown to be the trilogy's greatest character.

Updated on July 26, 2024, by Natasha Elder: The Back to the Future franchise has earned its place as a renowned series due, in no small part, to the eccentric and likable Doctor Emmet Brown. Doc Brown, the creator of the Delorean, is the impetus for the events of the Back to the Future franchise. He has many memorable quotes, more of which we wanted to bring to light. Additionally, we added more images to better illustrate his character.

15 "I Finally Invent Something That Works!"

Back to the Future

Marty McFly's first Back To The Future journey has him time traveling back to 1955, where he meets a younger Doc Brown, played by the talented Christopher Lloyd. Doc is notably enthusiastic about meeting the man who successfully drove his car back in time. His reaction creates one of Doc Brown's most joyous quotes. Despite being a genius, Doc did not have the best track record of successfully creating new inventions on a major scale before the DeLorean.

This excellent sequence from Back To The Future highlights the DeLorean's importance in Doc's past and future. The DeLorean is the culmination of a life's work by Doc, and Marty is living proof that he will succeed in his ambitions to create a working time machine. Doc's delight upon discovering his future achievement is infectious to watch.

14 "Let Me Show You My Plan For Sending You Home."

Back to the Future

This Doc Brown quote combines humor with a commentary about the perfectionism for which he strives. It is visually humorous to hear Doc Brown lamenting the quality of his model only to then reveal a highly accurate and fairly detailed scale model of the Courthouse Square. As Marty compliments, it's very well done, and extra impressive given the time limits under which Doc Brown was working.

In addition to the humor, this Back to the Future Doc Brown quote shows that he holds himself to high standards. Despite the character's eccentricities giving him an overall laidback air, Doc Brown is genuinely determined to give everything his best effort and feels disappointed if he falls short of what he knows himself to be capable of. Thus, this quote cleverly conveys aspects of Doc Brown’s character while also being entertaining on a surface level.

13 "When This Baby Hits 88mph..."

Back to the Future

Upon completing his life's work, Doc Brown is especially excited to show off his new creation in Back To The Future. Bringing his best buddy Marty to the Twin Pines Mall car park, he shows off the modified DeLorean, a demonstration that greatly impresses Marty. This iconic Back To The Future moment also contains a few of the movie's most iconic lines.

Among the most instantly quotable is Doc's assertion that Marty's going to see something incredible. This Back to the Future dialogue does an excellent job of emphasizing Doc's understandable pride in discovering the secret of time travel. The fact that the iconic film nearly didn't get made, is surprising, given that Doc Brown's Back To The Future invention does not disappoint when it leaves a trail of fire behind itself upon transporting Doc’s pet Einstein to the future.

12 "...No, This Sucker's Electrical, But I Need a Nuclear Reaction..."

Back to the Future

Despite being a genius, Doc Brown has many moments where he seems to misunderstand the gravity of a situation, or Marty’s concern at various events. In one such case, Doc Brown brushes off the fact that a nuclear reaction is needed to get the DeLorean started, even if it is then powered by electricity. While he is wearing a radiation suit to protect himself, it's still a concerning discovery for someone else to make.

Additionally, he does not account for the effects of setting off a nuclear reaction, even though his past self is aware of the fallout of nuclear warfare. Ultimately, there is no fallout from Doc Brown’s invention, at least not in the nuclear sense, so perhaps, in this case, his lack of concern proves to be alright.

11 "In 1955 [Plutonium] Is a Little Hard to Come By..."

Back to the Future

The DeLorean's trip to 1955 could have easily ended in disaster, stranding Marty in the past with his parents. Luckily, he manages to seek help from Doc Brown, but Doc is decidedly unimpressed with his future self's chosen power source for the Back to the Future time machine. It prevents a plot hole regarding how someone could successfully power the time machine in the past.

This hilarious Back To The Future line points out the difficulties of obtaining the DeLorean's power supply. Doc's time machine is powered by plutonium. His past self is understandably pessimistic regarding the likelihood of obtaining this power supply. This classic Back to the Future retort demonstrates the immense power of the DeLorean, as it requires an extremely dangerous substance to run its time-traveling capabilities.

10 You Won't Get Back To The Future..."

Back to the Future Part II

One of the most iconic elements of Back to the Future Part II is its return to 1955. Doc's 1955 self is reunited with Marty McFly, this time on a mission to avert a disastrous alternate timeline where Biff runs a casino. Back To The Future Part II's "Enchantment Under The Sea" recreation gives one of Doc's greatest pieces of dialogue.

Upon discovering that Biff's gang plans to disrupt the past Marty McFly's performance, Doc delivers a typically zany exclamation. His words brilliantly emphasize the danger of the situation, highlighting how Marty's "Johnny B. Goode" routine being halted by Biff's goons would cause "a major paradox." The simple act of traveling in time created a unique situation in which Marty and Doc were dealing with other versions of themselves to keep the timeline intact.

9 "Why Are Things So Heavy In The Future?"

Back to the Future

A major appeal of the Back to the Future movies is the electric chemistry between Doc Brown and Marty McFly. The pair are not afraid to poke fun at one another, as evidenced in Back To The Future's first movie when Doc's past self tries to help Marty secure his future in 1955. One memorable exchange between the pair highlights the major differences in the cultural vernacular between the 1950s and the 1980s.

Back to the Future, Doc Brown gives a typically scientific response to the "heavy" description that Marty uses upon learning that his mother-in-the-past has a crush on him, pondering whether it relates to "Earth's gravitational pull" in the future. "This is heavy" was not a common catchphrase in the 50s, unlike in 1985, leaving Doc perplexed as to Marty's frequent usage of the term.

8 "The Destruction Might in Fact be Very Localized..."

Back to the Future Part II

In Christopher Lloyd's return as Doc Brown in Back to the Future Part II¸ he continues to lack awareness of how critical certain situations are. When talking about the dangers of someone from the past coming into contact with their future self, he goes on to explain two possible, dangerous futures. In the first possibility, Doc Brown explains how time itself could unravel, destroying the entire universe in the process.

Doc Brown continues to describe the second possibility, in which he describes the destruction of their galaxy “very localized.” While he is technically correct in the sense that the collapse of one galaxy is much smaller than the collapse of the universe, Doc seems to be missing the fact it is still catastrophic. This Back to the Future line encapsulates the fact that Doc can impressively contextualize the severity of galaxy or universe-wide threats.

7 “The Other Great Mystery Of The Universe: Women!”

Back to the Future Part II

Time travel causes a major headache for Doc Brown during the Back to the Future trilogy, which is one of the best movie trilogies of all time. This is most evident in the second installment, Back to the Future Part II. After Jennifer Parker—Marty’s girlfriend—is escorted by Hill Valley's cops to her future home in 2015, Doc develops a deeply unfavorable view of time travel.

This quote from Doc Brown is an incredibly amusing expression of his new viewpoint. The remarkably intelligent scientist declares time travel to be "too dangerous," having witnessed Marty nearly being erased from existence in the first film, and Jennifer meeting her older self. He humorously makes light of his struggles with finding a female partner, showing that even though he is one of the smartest, visionary minds the world has ever seen, he still cannot figure out women. This makes Doc a more relatable figure, proving that even the smartest people can have trouble with women.

6 "...Having Information About the Future Can be Extremely Dangerous."

Back to the Future

Doc Brown’s past self is adamant that Marty not tell him anything about his future to preserve it. Despite this, Marty feels the urge to tell Doc about his inevitable murder in 1985, which would prevent him from being able to experience his invention firsthand. While Doc doesn’t know that Marty wants to tell him this, specifically, it is clear that Marty is trying to tell him something important.

While Doc Brown doesn’t know the exact contents of Marty’s message, the urgency with which Marty returns to the topic must give Doc some idea of what he wants to reveal, especially given the lack of presence of Doc’s older self. Doc is clever enough to put the pieces together, but still refuses the knowledge, proving that he values the preservation of the timeline more than even his own life. This distinguishes him from other iconic time-travel movie protagonists who are much more willing to mess with the timeline.

5 "If You're Gonna Build A Time Machine Into A Car..."

Back to the Future

Back to the Future's DeLorean is rightfully considered one of the best movie cars. Doc makes an inspired choice for the form that his time machine takes. Unfortunately, his best friend Marty is initially critical of his choice of car in Back to the Future, upon being introduced to the DeLorean. By choosing a DeLorean, Doc successfully created one of the most unique and memorable time machines in the history of film.

Marty's surprised reaction to Doc's decision leads to one of Doc's best lines. Doc declares that he chose the DeLorean as the basis for his time machine so that he could travel in "some style."The DeLorean has an extremely classy design, with its futuristic design being instantly appealing. Doc's Back to the Future quote proves that he was right to choose the DeLorean for his time machine.

4 "I Have to Live My Life According to What I Believe is Right in My Heart."

Back to the Future Part III

For a man driven by scientific discovery, Doc Brown’s assertion that he will live according to what he believes is right in his life was a surprising one at first. However, it is also one that makes sense considering that he fell in love throughout events in Back to the Future Part III. His love for Clara Clayton, played by Mary Streenburgen, overcame any fear that he may have had about what his future held.

Additionally, as Doc Brown pertinently puts it, “anyone can make their future whatever they want it to be.” Now that he knows a potential future, he may be able to avoid it. Whether he can or not, though, he is not going to live in fear of the possibilities. Instead, Doc Brown believes that he, along with everyone else, must commit to their hearts and do what they think is right, which is a fitting lesson for the satisfying conclusion to a beloved sci-fi trilogy.

3 "The Future Is What You Make It, So Make it A Good One..."

Back to the Future Part III

Back to the Future closed out with a bang with Back to the Future Part III, leaving viewers wishing for a reboot or reunion. Doc's climactic speech to Marty is one of its standout scenes. He gives Marty some truly inspirational advice, as he leaves Hill Valley behind for some new time-traveling adventures with his wife and kids.

These life-affirming words from Back to the Future Part III reflect Doc's philosophical view of time. Doc believes that their visit to 2015 Hill Valley is not necessarily how events will transpire. In Back to the Future Part III, Doc suggests that it's Marty's actions that will dictate where his life leads, rather than his knowledge of his future self. In hindsight, the actions of Marty led to a life-altering adventure that gave him knowledge that he did not have before his 2015 future, so Marty learns a valuable lesson about how one's actions determine their future.

2 “I Wish I’d Never Invented That Infernal Time Machine.”

Back to the Future Part III

Doc's travels through time result in him meeting the woman of his dreams. Arriving in the Wild West in Robert Zemecki's Back to the Future Part III, he meets the gorgeous Clara Clayton-Brown. However, Doc's happiness with Clara nearly proves short-lived when he is reunited with Marty and faces returning to 1985 without her. This is also the first instance wherein Doc expresses regret for even making a time machine in the first place.

This bitter line from Doc in Back to the Future Part III showcases his deep resentment regarding his invention of time travel. Doc has experienced first-hand the problems that can stem from interfering with the timeline when a horrific alternate 1985 was created by a time-traveling Biff Tannen. This makes him reluctant to take Clara with him back to 1985 in Back to the Future Part III. However, Doc prioritized true love for the first time in his life and everything worked out for him and Clara in the end.

1 "Roads? Where We're Going, We Don't Need Roads..."

Back to the Future Part II

Back to the Future's final moments prepare viewers for the excitement of Back to the Future Part II, showing Doc seeking Marty and Jennifer's help regarding their future offspring. Doc enlists the pair's assistance with his urgent visit to Hill Valley 2015, which leads to the events in Back to the Future Part II, including the correct prediction of many things about the future.

This Doc quote from Back to the Future Part II has become one of the sci-fi trilogy's most famous. His declaration that they "don't need roads" on their journey is awe-inspiring, especially as it is followed by the DeLorean taking to the skies. As a greatly ambitious inventor, Doc is a showman and enjoys showing off to his friends in the Back to the Future series, even if this prediction doesn’t turn out to be true in real life.

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  Back to the Future

  Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.

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  Back to the Future Part II

  After visiting 2015, Marty McFly must repeat his visit to 1955 to prevent disastrous changes to 1985...without interfering with his first trip.

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  Back to the Future Part III