For 12 seasons, pizza-delivery boy Fry (Billy West) has been enjoying life after being accidentally cryogenically frozen in 1999 and awaking 1,000 years later on animated sci-fi comedy Futurama. The show first premiered in 1999 on Fox, then later moved to Comedy Central, where it was canceled in 2013. It was finally revived by streaming service Hulu in 2023 and has been renewed through Season 14. It was created by Matt Groening.
Out of everyone Fry has encountered, robot Bender (John DiMaggio) remains among the most memorable—and funniest, thanks in large part to the fact that he's kind of terrible. From his iconic catchphrase to his cynical outlook on life, his best quotes from the series perfectly demonstrate his personality and sense of humor. And no matter how mean they may be, they're also a reminder of what makes him such a beloved character.
10 "Well, if jacking on will make strangers think I’m cool, I’ll do it."
Season 1, Episode 9, "Hell Is Other Robots"
In “Hell Is Other Robots,” Bender was introduced to a new drug, “jacking on,” which abused electricity. His addiction was exposed during a lightning storm, and although he briefly got clean, he soon relapsed, succumbing to just about every vice imaginable. Because of those addictions, he was condemned to robot hell. Fry and Leela (Katey Sagal) went to rescue him the only way the Robot Devil (Dan Castellaneta) would allow—by beating him in a fiddle contest.
On top of “jacking on” being innuendo, Bender’s comment on being perceived as cool touched on conformity and peer pressure, familiar themes for almost everyone. He’s willing to do just about anything if it means he’ll be seen a certain way—and he’s no stranger to addiction and vice, a dangerous combination. Not only does Bender first try the drug due to peer pressure, but that’s the very thing which motivates him through the entire episode.
9 "I hope he didn’t die. Unless he left a note naming me his successor, then I hope he did die."
Season 2, Episode 10, "A Clone of My Own"
In “A Clone of My Own,” Professor Farnsworth (Billy West) created a clone of himself, Cubert (Kath Soucie), to mark the occasion of his 150th birthday. Concerned with his mortality, Farnsworth decided to name a successor, and although each member of the Planet Express crew thought they would be chosen, Farnsworth ultimately chose 12-year-old Cubert. While creating Cubert, Farnsworth was in his lab working for days, leading Bender to wonder if perhaps he had died.
For one brief, shining moment, Bender showed a shred of compassion and concern for someone else—then, in true Bender fashion, shattered it with selfishness. If Farnsworth’s death benefitted Bender by Bender being named Farnsworth’s successor, then Bender was all for it and didn’t care what happened, as long as he benefitted from it. On top of benefitting him, being named successor also would’ve aligned with Bender’s love of power.
8 "You know what cheers me up? Other people’s misfortune."
Season 4, Episode 18, "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings"
Fry wanted to impress Leela and win her over by learning to play the Holophone in “The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings” and became frustrated when he struggled in his lessons with the instrument. Bender took him to robot hell to meet the Robot Devil and make a deal to get robot hands, and through spinning a wheel, the donor robot ended up being the Robot Devil himself. The episode served as the series finale at the time.
Ah, good old schadenfreude. No one is immune to it, certainly not Bender. Bender might thrive on it, in fact. When Fry got frustrated with his failed attempts at learning the Holophone, Bender aimed to cheer him up with the very thing that makes Bender himself happy—other people’s misfortune. But he also followed up the offer by laughing at Fry, piling on Fry’s problems while proving such things really do make him happy.
7 “I'm so embarrassed. I wish everybody else was dead.”
Season 4, Episode 13, "Bend Her"
In “Bend Her,” Bender believed he was a shoo-in for the robot division of the Olympic Games 3004. But after failing to win any events in bending—the very thing he was built to do—he expressed his embarrassment, declaring he wished everyone else was dead. He then posed as a fembot robot named Coilette in order to cheat, ultimately winning five medals, leading him to become an instant celebrity.
Bender’s ego is just as fragile as it is huge, so it’s no surprise that embarrassment is just about the worst thing that could happen to him. And while most people would declare they wished they were dead upon feeling extreme embarrassment, for Bender, it’s just the opposite—everyone else should go, leaving him alone. And while “Bend Her” hasn’t aged well, at least it gave us this classic quote.
6 "Game’s over, losers! I have all the money. Compare your lives to mine and then kill yourselves."
Season 2, Episode 3, "A Head in the Polls"
During the election for President of Earth in “A Head in the Polls,” a mine accident led the price of titanium to skyrocket, making Bender’s body incredibly valuable. As a result, he sold his body to a pawn shop, leaving just his head and leading him to comment on how much money he made as a result. Meanwhile, his body ended up making its way to Richard Nixon, who entered the presidential race.
This quote perfectly exemplifies Bender’s priorities and values. He sees life as a quest to accumulate as much money as possible, and as soon as he felt he accomplished that, he declared "game over.” He felt he had the best life possible, despite being left a disembodied head whose method of travel was being kicked down the street by strangers—and despite a dog peeing on him, as though he were a fire hydrant.
5 "Anything less than immortality is a complete waste of time."
Season 6, Episode 6, "Lethal Inspection"
In “Lethal Inspection,” after mocking the Planet Express crew for being mortal, an inspection from the Professor revealed Bender was mistakenly built without a backup unit. This meant he was effectively mortal himself, despite what he initially thought, with a lifespan of “between a minute and a billion years.” He then set out to find the inspector responsible for assessing him right after he was built—Inspector #5—and Hermes agreed to join him.
Bender’s thoughts on mortality serve as a funny commentary on the passage of time, but they also touch on something a little deeper. His lack of a backup unit means he’s just as mortal as everyone else, and part of being mortal means, of course, time is limited. Before, Bender never had to think about how he was using his time, as others would—for those who don’t have immortality, the possibility of wasting time can be a very scary one.
4 "Afterlife? If I had to go through another life, I would kill myself."
Season 3, Episode 17, "A Pharaoh to Remember"
With the crew enslaved to help build a pyramid on a planet modeled after Ancient Egypt in “A Pharaoh to Remember,” Bender, who was previously worried no one would remember him after his death, was impressed by the monuments honoring previous rulers and began giving tips on how to get the slaves to work harder. When the planet’s pharaoh was killed after the nose fell off of a statue of himself and crushed him—just as he was about to free the slaves—Bender was made Pharaoh.
Despite Bender’s desire to live forever—and leave a legacy—he seemed to hate life and was certainly opposed to the idea of an afterlife. While the idea of an afterlife is a huge part of many of the world’s religions and can serve as both a motivator to live a good life and a comfort to those afraid of death, Bender didn’t see the appeal. To him, the next life is surely just as terrible as this one.
3 "This is the worst kind of discrimination there is: the kind against me!"
Season 2, Episode 17, "War Is the H-Word"
In "War Is the H-Word,” Bender and Fry tried unsuccessfully to buy ham-flavored gum using a military discount, because, as the clerk informed them, military discounts can only be used by individuals in the military. To get the discount, the two then joined the military, unaware Earth was about to go to war. Seconds after enlisting, war was declared, and the two—along with Leela, disguised as a man—were sent to the front lines.
Bender’s observation on discrimination is perfectly in line with his selfish tendencies—he cares the most when he’s affected, and the biggest problems are those hurting him directly. In this situation, it’s particularly ridiculous (and hilarious) because, of course, he’s not really being discriminated against. But it’s more than just a funny line, as it reflects the very real issue of some people only caring about a problem when, like Bender, it affects them.
2 "Life is about decisions. Make the wrong ones and you’ll wind up face down in a pool of your own blood and urine."
Season 7, Episode 9, "Free Will Hunting"
After getting arrested, Bender learned during his trial that robots don’t have free will and therefore cannot be charged with crimes in “Free Will Hunting,” leading the judge to rule he was not guilty and causing Bender to feel depressed. Later, when the Planet Express crew delivered a package to the robot homeworld, Bender opted to stay and began a search for the meaning of life, which included a visit to a robot monastery.
Bender’s memorable quote from “Free Will Hunting” is typical of him, full of cynicism and dark humor, and it called back to a statement earlier in the episode about decisions opening up a universe of possibilities. But he also had a point. In a sense, life really is a series of choices, big and small, which can have long-lasting impact, from who we spend our time with to what career we pursue. The wrong choices can have dire consequences.
Season 1, Episode 1, "Space Pilot 3000"
In the very first episode of Futurama, Fry encountered a suicide booth—which he mistook for a phone booth—where he first met Bender, a suicidal robot fresh off of leaving his job of bending girders to be used in suicide booths. After evading the booth, the two became friends and remain best friends to this day. The very first words spoken by Bender in the series were, “Bite my shiny metal ass.”
“Bite my shiny metal ass” is essentially Bender’s catchphrase at this point—and the catchphrase for the whole show—and perfectly encapsulates his abrasive character. He says it often, perhaps more than one can count, and so much so that the phrase is among his most-used words. He has adapted it to suit his needs in any given moment, from “red-hot glowing” to “frozen” and seemingly everything imaginable in between.
Futurama
TV-14
Comedy
Sci-Fi
Animation
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
*Availability in US
- Release Date
- March 28, 1999
- Cast
- Billy West , John Di Maggio , Katey Sagal , Phil LaMarr , Lauren Tom , Tress MacNeille , David Herman , Frank Welker
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Seasons
- 12
- Studio
- Comedy Central
NEXT: 10 Best 'Futurama' Quotes, Ranked
