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The CW's popular TV show, "Smallville," about a young Superman is a light drama about fantastic superheroes. The dialogue is not too heavy for the most part but does occasionally have memorable quotes with meaningful messages. Although Michael Rosenbaum, who playe Lex Luthor, Superman's nemesis, has not appeared on the show since season 7, his dialogue is definitely some of the best on the show since its inception, his father, Lionel, a close second). The series shows Lex's evolution from being Clark's friend to being his arch enemy and much of his words offer us tell-tale signs of his slow philosophical and moral changes, making him one of the most interesting characters throughout the entire series. I gathered a small list of what I found to be Lex's best quotes over the course of the series.
Season 1 Episode 6 "Hourglass"
Lex: "Life's a journey, Clark; I don't wanna go through it following a road map."
Lex: "You see, I don't want to do good things, I want to do great things."
Season 1 Episode 7 "Craving"
Lex: "I don't care about the past -- I believe in the power to reinvent yourself."
Season 1 Episode 10 "Shimmer"
Lex: "In my experience I've found you can never have too much information."
Season 1 Episode 11 "Hug"
Lex: "Oh please. You think I don't see the way your parents look at me? The way half the town looks at me? You're no different. Friendship's a fairy tale, Clark. Respect and fear are the best you can hope for."
Lex: "It's not about the ending, it's about the journey."
Lex: "That, my friend, is the key to leadership. Not only knowing you're right, but convincing everyone else. If you can do that, the world's your oyster."
Lex: "You can learn a lot from someone you hate."
Season 1 Episode 13 "Kinetic"
Lex: "Clark, you can't save the world. All you'll end up with is a Messiah complex and a lot of enemies."
Season 1 Episode 17 "Reaper"
Lex: "Limitations. All my father ever told me was "Don't get caught. Don't cause a scandal." That's not love, that's public relations. You have no idea how lucky you are. When my father dies, kings will come to his funeral, but when yours does, his friends will come."Lex: " You know, in ancient Persia, the kings would kill a messenger who brought them news they didn't like. In modern times, a sword in the chest might seem a little extreme. Something more subtle would be in order. Enjoying your drink?"
Season 1 Episode 18 "Drone"
Lex: "There's nothing wrong with a good fight. Just remember, the man of tomorrow is forged by his battles today."
Season 1 Episode 19 "Crush"
Lex: "Clark, love isn't about playing it safe. It's about risks. Unless you're willing to put yourself out there, you'll never know."
Season 1 Episode 20 "Obscura"
Lex: "Take a look at the stars, Clark. Some of them have been extinguished for thousands of years, but their light is only reaching us now. The past is always influencing the present. I can't change that. All I can do is try to understand it."
Season 2 Episode 5 "Nocturne"
Lex: "Anyone who doesn't appreciate poetry doesn't understand that it's all about seduction."
Season 2 Episode 6 "Redux"
Lex: [to Lionel] "You pushed me, and in hindsight, I appreciate that. In some ways, you're responsible for the man I am today."
Season 2 Episode 8 "Ryan"
Lex: "Clark, I understand what you're going through, but sometimes, no matter how much you want to save someone, there's nothing you can do."
Lex: "In life, the road to darkness is a journey, not a light switch."
Lex: "If you start a fire, Mayor Tate, you better be prepared to deal with the flames."
Season 2 Episode 10 "Skinwalker"
Lex: [to Lionel] "Sentimentality is synonymous with vulnerability. You taught me that. You're on your own."
Season 2 Episode 11 "Visage"
Lex: "I'm afraid one day you'll learn the frustrating truth, Clark. People are seldom whom they appear to be."
Lex: "From the time I was born, I was raised in an environment of suspicion and distrust. My father taught me to regard everyone as an adversary no matter who they are."
Lex: "When my mother died, I began to build a wall around my heart. Every year that wall grew taller and more fortified until eventually it became impenetrable. I want to tear the wall down, Helen, I do. I just-- I don't have the slightest clue how to do it."
Season 2 Episode 12 "Insurgence"
Lex: "How would you feel if someone were listening to every private word you uttered, learning all your secrets?"
Season 2 Episode 13 "Suspect"
Lex: "You know that darkness you were talking about? I'm not sure we're born with it. I think people like my father find a way to bring it out."
Season 2 Episode 15 "Prodigal"
Lex: "Neither will I. Just remember, my father may try and rule the world, but yours will inherit the earth."
Season 3 Episode 2 "Phoenix"
Clark: "Lex, I guess we all got to take a look at our dark side sooner or later."
Lex: "The problem is if you stare at it long enough, it can get hard to tell the two sides apart."
Season 3 Episode 8 "Shattered"
Lex: "Well, when people think you're insane and you're holding a rifle to their head, they, uh, tend to do what you ask."
Season 3 Episode 11 "Delete"
Lex: "I'm starting to get a complex. It seems all the women I find even remotely appealing turn out to be psychopaths."
Season 3 Episode 12 "Hereafter"
Lex: "They say music hath charms to sooth the savage breast."
Season 3 Episode 17 "Legacy"
Lex: "You know, Dad, they say mental illness is hereditary. I'm willing to accept my break with reality. Are you?"
Lex: "Look, I'm afraid I'm a little jaded in the romance department. The only thing I know about relationships is that someone usually winds up getting hurt."
Lex: ' I don't think it's about trust. It's like the German poet Rilke said, "A person isn't who they are during the last conversation you had with them. They're who they've been throughout your whole relationship."'
Season 3 Episode 22 "Covenant"
Lex: "Clark, look me in the eye and tell me you don't have any hidden places of your own where you keep your deep, dark secrets."
Season 4 Episode 4 "Devoted"
Lex: "I don't know, Clark. There's a darkness in me that I can't always control. I'm starting to think that's my curse, why every relationship I have ends badly."
Clark: "We all have a dark side, Lex."
Lex: "Yeah. But I can feel mine creeping over the corners. Your friendship helps keep it at bay. It reminds me that there are truly good people in the world. I'm not willing to give up on that."
Season 4 Episode 15 "Sacred"
Lex: "I'm not trying to get closer to God, Dad. I'm trying to solve the riddles He's laid out for me."
Season 4 Episode 20 "Ageless"
Lex: "I don't know about that. Look, we're all reflections of how we've been raised. Your parents gave you encouragement and support. Mine chose the opposite track. I plan on leaving a different kind of legacy."
Season 5 Episode 2 "Mortal"
Lex: "Happiness is such an elusive creature, isn't it? We all wish for it, but very few ever really find it."
Season 5 Episode 6 "Exposed"
Lex: "We all need to believe in heroes, Clark, and even the best ones are far from perfect."
Season 5 Episode 8 "Solitude"
Lex: "Well, thanks, Lois. You know, there's nothing more valuable than the savvy political advice of a muffin-peddling college dropout. Speaking of, do you have banana blueberry today?"
Season 5 Episode 9 "Lexmas"
Lex: "Much like Ebenezer Scrooge, I realized that what I want more than anything is to live happily ever after. And do you know what the secret to living happily ever after is? Power. Money and power. See, once you have those two things, you can secure everything else -- and keep it that way."
Season 5 Episode 20 "Fade:
Lex: "It's too bad it takes a near-death experience to bring old friends together."
Season 5 Episode 21 "Vessel"
Lex: "It's a little hard to compete with the iron willpower it takes to kill one of your best friends."
Season 6 Episode "Zod"
Lex: "Look, I can never make up for what happened. All I can do is move forward and try to rebuild everything I've damaged."
Season 6 Episode 3 "Wither"
Lex: "Happiness is just a feeling of euphoria. It's your brain chemistry going into overdrive. That's why so many relationships fail when the honeymoon ends and reality sets in."
Season 6 Episode 19 "Nemesis"
Clark: "I saw Lana the day of the wedding and she was gonna leave you. What did you do her?"
Lex: "I don't know. The answer must have gotten lost in that dark abyss we call my soul."
Lex: "You're the only real friend I've ever had, Clark. And somewhere along the way, you saw me as your nemesis, turned your back on me."
Source: Wikiquote
