Ten memorable quotes from archetypical cyberpunk protagonist Adam Jensen.

The Deus Ex brand has been a blockbuster success as a coalescence of branching dialogue, FPS-elements and stealth-driven tactics with a freedom to carve your own exceptional narrative in an alienated, Orwellian world where even the most minute decision can have recondite repercussions later on.

Deus Ex delivers this exemplar formula through its diverse protagonists which are the very heart and soul of every Deus Ex entry. The franchise’s current titular protagonist is augmented ex-cop and covert double-agent Adam Jensen, who made his initial appearance in the acclaimed 2011 Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Adam Jensen’s tragic but empathetic backstory, multi-faceted but often obscure personality and his visceral and grounded character development was warmly received by fans, and as of 2011, Jensen’s story has been expanded through comic books, novelizations and a sequel to Human Revolution.

Here are ten profound quotes by which we fondly remember Adam Jensen:

10. “If you want to make enemies, try to change something.”

Adam Jensen in a sanguinary scuffle.

9. “It’s in humanity’s nature to want to rise above our limits. Think about it: we were cold, so we harnessed fire; we were weak, so we invented tools. Every time we met an obstacle, we used creativity and ingenuity to overcome it. The cycle is inevitable… but will the outcome always be good?”

Transhumanism – the lesser evil?

8. “How often have we chased the dream of progress, only to see that dream perverted? More often than not, haven’t the machines we built to improve life shattered the lives of millions? And now we want to turn that dream on ourselves, to fundamentally improve who we are. Technology offers us strength, strength enables dominance, and dominance paves the way for abuse.”

Embrace what you’ve become.

7. “Freedom. To those who don’t have it, it’s more valuable than gold. But where should it start and end? We humans often think we have the right to expand, absorb, convert, or possess anything we need to reach our dreams. But time and time again, hasn’t this led to conflicts with others who essentially believe the same thing?”

The body may heal, but the mind is not always resilient.

6. “Ordinary men and women will have to decide together what course mankind should take. The kind of people who, time and time again, have picked and chosen the future in highly practical ways–slowing change when it’s negative, speeding it up when it’s good. Can they do it again? I don’t know. But I do know I'm not about to let anyone in this station, including myself, stand in their way.”

Anything that can be done to a rat can be done to a human being.

5. “The suffering Darrow inflicted is not the end of the world. It is merely the seed for change. And change never comes without pain.”

Deus Ex’s iconic sepia-tinted color palette.

4. “If you try and rip the world apart, someone will always put it back together. You can kill dreams, you can kill innocents, you can kill freedom…but you can’t kill progress.”

Pandemonium.

3. “Where is this leading me? What have I become? Am I more than human? Or less? This technology, this strength, the temptation to misuse it, is hard to resist. Am I strong enough to stay human? I won’t rest until I find the truth.”

What does it mean to be human?

2. “The augmented era began with such promise, until the incidents turned the world upside down. Fifty million dead, hundreds of thousands maimed and injured, all because a few rich opportunists plotted in secret to control us. Today, hatred of Augs has morphed into a full-blown mechanical apartheid, with violent clashes fueling unrest. Something big is brewing and I need to cut it off at the source. They manipulated the dawn of human 2.0, made it dangerous, made me. I’m going to use every advantage I have to stop them.”

Adam Jensen is the harbinger of human 2.0.

1.  “I never asked for this. They say they saved me, but I’m not sure saved is the right word.”

Adam Jensen uses the Titan Shield.

The Deus Ex series has always been at home when it comes to creating complex, multi-layered protagonists with copious backstories and we look forward to all its future leading heroes and heroines.

Other Articles You Might Like:

The Best Cyberpunk Games on PC

15 Best Story Games to Play in 2016

11 Best Action Games to Play in 2016 (PC)