41 Rust Cohle Quotes to Dive into True Detective’s Dark Philosophy

"True Detective" is a critically acclaimed crime drama series that premiered on TV in 2014. In this series, the enigmatic character of Rust Cohle has captured fans' interest. Read his 41 quotes below.

Rust Cohle has assumed the persona of an unconventional and brilliant detective, immersing himself in the sinister world of homicide investigations in Louisiana. Despite his eccentric nature, Rust is profoundly devoted to his job.

He possesses an extraordinary talent for extracting confessions from criminals and meticulously documents his investigations in a voluminous book. He is perceived as an atheist because he has rejected the notions of God and religion.

He fearlessly expresses his perspectives on the intricacies of philosophy, morality, guilt, time, and existentialism. Here are some memorable words of wisdom he has shared from his unique perspective.

Rust Cohle's quote: "I tell myself I bear witness. But the real answer is that it's obviously my programming." | Source: facebook.com/TrueDetective

Rust Cohle Quotes Filled with His Pessimistic Philosophy

"When you can't remember your lives, you can't change your lives, and that is the terrible and the secret fate of all life. You're trapped by that nightmare you keep waking up into." — Rust Cohle

"In eternity, where there is no time, nothing can grow. Nothing can become. Nothing changes. So death created time to grow the things that it would kill... and you are reborn but into the same life that you've always been born into." — Rust Cohle

"Certain linguistic anthropologists think that religion is a language virus that rewrites pathways in the brain, dulls critical thinking." — Rust Cohle

"I think human consciousness is a tragic misstep in evolution." — Rust Cohle

Rust Cohle's quote: "I know who I am. And after all these years, there's a victory in that." | Source: facebook.com/TrueDetective

"Look, I'd consider myself a realist, all right? But in philosophical terms, I'm what's called a pessimist." — Rust Cohle

"I don't want to know anything anymore. This is a world where nothing is solved. You know, someone once told me time is a flat circle. Everything we've ever done or will do, we're gonna do over and over and over again. And that little boy and that little girl, they're gonna be in that room again and again and again forever." — Rust Cohle

"Maybe the honorable thing for our species to do is deny our programming, stop reproducing, walk hand in hand into extinction, one last midnight - brothers and sisters opting out of a raw deal." — Rust Cohle

"I see a propensity for obesity. Poverty. A yearn for fairy tales. Folks puttin' what few bucks they do have into a little wicker basket being passed around. I think it's safe to say nobody here's gonna be splitting the atom, Marty." — Rust Cohle

Rust Cohle's quote: "My life's been a circle of violence and degradation long as I can remember. I'm ready to tie it off." | Source: facebook.com/TrueDetective

"We are things that labor under the illusion of having a self; an accretion of sensory, experience and feeling, programmed with total assurance that we are each somebody, when in fact everybody is nobody." — Rust Cohle

"Well, once there was only dark. If you ask me, the light's winning." — Rust Cohle

Rust Cohle Quotes Full of Edifying Thoughts

"You know, people that give me advice, I reckon they're talking to themselves." — Rust Cohle

"The world needs bad men. We keep other bad men from the door." — Rust Cohle

Rust Cohle's quote: "I don't sleep. I just dream." | Source: facebook.com/TrueDetective

"Kids are the only thing that matters. They're the only reason for this whole man-woman drama." — Rust Cohle

"People incapable of guilt usually do have a good time." — Rust Cohle

"Given how long it's taken for me to reconcile my nature, I can't figure I'd forgo it on your account, Marty." — Rust Cohle

"Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you get good at." — Rust Cohle

Rust Cohle's quote: "You know, people that give me advice, I reckon they're talking to themselves." | Source: facebook.com/TrueDetective

"If the common good has got to make up fairy tales, then it's not good for anybody." — Rust Cohle

"There is no such thing as forgiveness. People just have short memories." — Rust Cohle

Rust Cohle Quotes to Provoke Deep Thoughts

"I don't sleep. I just dream." — Rust Cohle

"Sometimes I think I'm just not good for people, that it's not good for them to be around me. I wear 'em down. They… they get unhappy." — Rust Cohle

Rust Cohle's quote: "The world needs bad men. We keep other bad men from the door." | Source: facebook.com/TrueDetective

"I'm through talking to you like a man." — Rust Cohle

"This place is like somebody's memory of a town, and the memory is fading. It's like there was never anything here but a jungle." — Rust Cohle

"People out here, it's like they don't even know the outside world exists. Might as well be living on the… moon." — Rust Cohle

"Back then, the visions, most of the time, I was convinced that I'd lost it. But there were other times I thought I was main-lining the secret truth of the universe." — Rust Cohle

Rust Cohle's quote: "There is no such thing as forgiveness. People just have short memories." | Source: facebook.com/TrueDetective

"You gotta get together and tell yourself stories that violate every law of the universe just to get through the goddamn day? What's that say about your reality?" — Rust Cohle

"And you could just let go. Finally know that you didn't have to hold on so tight." — Rust Cohle

"My life's been a circle of violence and degradation long as I can remember. I'm ready to tie it off." — Rust Cohle

"I sure hope that old lady was wrong. About death not being the end of it." — Rust Cohle

Rust Cohle's quote: "Well, once there was only dark. If you ask me, the light's winning." | Source: facebook.com/TrueDetective

"I think about my daughter now and what she was spared. Sometimes, I feel grateful. The doctor said she didn't feel a thing..." — Rust Cohle

"It's Thursday, and it's past noon. Thursday is one of my days off… You don't get to interrupt that." — Rust Cohle

Rust Cohle's quote: "Look, I'd consider myself a realist, all right? But in philosophical terms, I'm what's called a pessimist." | Source: facebook.com/TrueDetective

"People… I have seen the finale of thousands of lives, man. Young, old, each one so sure of their realness. You know that their sensory experience constituted a unique individual with purpose and meaning. So certain that they were more than a biological puppets. The truth wills out, and everybody sees. Once the strings are cut, all fall down." — Rust Cohle

"I tell myself I bear witness. But the real answer is that it's obviously my programming." — Rust Cohle

"I know who I am. And after all these years, there's a victory in that." — Rust Cohle

Rust Cohle's quote: "People incapable of guilt usually do have a good time." | Source: facebook.com/TrueDetective

The talented actor Matthew McConaughey portrays Rust in the crime series. Other notable cast members include Woody Harrelson, Michelle Monaghan, Alexandra Daddario, Mahershala Ali, and Tory Kittles.

The detective's thought-provoking words are a powerful reminder to question, reflect upon, and critically examine our lives. He challenges us to analyze societal flaws and actively work toward positive change.

By embracing truth, authenticity, and self-reflection, we can achieve self-discovery and gain insights into being human. To continuously stimulate your mind, explore these thought-provoking quotes from the film "France Ha."