10 Most Profound Doctor Who Quotes

No Doctor has ever gone through such a significant change over the course of their era as Twelve did. Starting his arc out as a cold, abrasive and less compassionate incarnation, by the end of his run he’d developed into a warm and wacky space uncle with rock 'n' roll in his veins. From Hell Bent onwards, Twelve is one of the most gentle, good-natured Doctors we’ve seen to date.

Another trait that defines Twelve is his pure tenacity. He is so determined and principled that he spends billions of years inside his confession dial because he has a duty of care to his friend, or that he swears to guard Missy’s vault for thousands of years at his insistence, because he believes that she is capable of change.

This characterisation of Twelve comes full circle in the closing moments of The Doctor Falls. Facing a suicidal last stand against a legion of Cybermen in order to give innocents time to escape, Twelve seeks out help from Missy and The Master, who instead would rather run away:

"Hey! I'm going to be dead in a few hours, so before I go, let's have this out, you and me, once and for all. Winning? Is that what you think it's about? I'm not trying to win. I'm not doing this because I want to beat someone, or because I hate someone, or because, because I want to blame someone. It's not because it's fun and God knows it's not because it's easy. It's not even because it works, because it hardly ever does. I do what I do, because it's right! Because it's decent! And above all, it's kind. It's just that. Just kind. If I run away today, good people will die. If I stand and fight, some of them might live. Maybe not many, maybe not for long. Hey, you know, maybe there's no point in any of this at all, but it's the best I can do, so I'm going to do it. And I will stand here doing it till it kills me. You're going to die too, some day. How will that be? Have you thought about it? What would you die for? Who I am is where I stand. Where I stand, is where I fall."

It’s an era-defining speech. Here is a man that already knows he has lost. His situation is hopeless, but he has a duty of care, so he does as he must. Why? Because it’s kind. He’s chosen his hill to die on and he’s proud - he can die with his dignity and his head held high. In a way, it echoes the phrase “if you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything”. Missy and the Master are doomed to contribute to this cycle of suffering instead of challenging it, eventually falling victim to it, which of course they do mere minutes after Twelve warns them of this.

The heart of this speech would later form the basis of Capaldi’s final words:

"Laugh hard, run fast, be kind."

Its such a simple mantra, and but it's one we’d all do well to live by.