Snowfall: The 15 Best Quotes

Summary Snowfall delves into the dangerous world of the crack epidemic, showcasing the gritty realism of navigating a drug-fueled society.

Compelling characters like Franklin and Saint navigate larger issues amidst government involvement in the drug trade.

Snowfall quotes reveal nuanced perspectives on survival and loyalty, highlighting the harsh realities of criminal enterprise.

FX's highly acclaimed crime drama Snowfall is full of dangerous twists and turns, and the Snowfall quotes from FX hold a mirror up to his chaotic world. Snowfall tackles the infamous crack epidemic in Los Angeles in the 1980s by utilizing young Franklin as a budding drug dealer rising the ranks. Saint and his crew become powerful forces in South Central. However, Saint isn't the only focus, as Snowfall chronicles how his life intersects with that of CIA Operative Teddy, Mexican luchador Gustavo, and a crime boss' niece Lucia.

Snowfall depicts a dangerous and violent world with a gritty realism as Franklin undergoes the trials and tribulations of navigating his newfound drug-fueled world. The series pulls no punches considering how it chronicles the government's involvement, and the best episodes of Snowfall deal with larger-scale issues. Snowfall is loaded with compelling, nuanced characters, steeling them for life where only the strong survive. The resulting Snowfall quotes from the FX series are often articulated in rousing, realistic quips from the main characters.

Related Snowfall: 10 Main Characters' Arcs, Ranked Worst To Best Of all the main characters in Snowfall, whose arc and growth is the best to watch, and which ones leave something to be desired?

15 "I Tried To Do Sh** The Right Way, Went To The Other Side."

Franklin Saint — Season 1, Episode 1, "Pilot"

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The theme of the show can be distilled down into one of the most trenchantly observed Snowfall quotes from the FX series. Hinting at the oppressive systematic racism that has entrenched Franklin and other Black people in the wake of the crack epidemic during the 1980s, Franklin Saint becomes an empowered self-agent unwilling to let society cheat him out of his pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. The rest of this quote hammered it home.

"Know What I Learned? The Game Is Rigged. It Ain't Made For People Like Us, So You Know What? I'm Rewriting The Rules."

Snowfall introduces Franklin's personal goals and beliefs in the pilot episode, resulting in one of his most poignant quotes in the series. Franklin tries to be a good person from the start. However, he learns what many other people learned at that time in history — doing the right thing and playing by the rules don't help people like him, and he knows that the only way to get ahead is to alter the rules to favor someone in his position. That led to his rise and eventual fall, but it was his only option.

14 "See, It's Not Just About Being In Charge. It's About Deciding How You Want To Be In Charge."

Teddy McDonald — Season 2, Episode 4, "Jingle Bell Rock"

CIA operative Teddy McDonald gives a shrewd piece of advice to Franklin with one of the best Snowfall quotes on how to expand his drug empire. Teddy opens the screed with "I have what some people might call control issues," coming around to say, "I have to empower the people I choose to work with." The hypnotic diatribe proves the long-game strategy Teddy maintains throughout the series.

He essentially warns Franklin to work smarter, not harder while showing the importance of delegating authority. It's advice Franklin wisely takes, as he learns that he doesn't have to do everything himself, and that he should find people he can trust to help him build his empire. The fact that Franklin learns this from a CIA operative shouldn't be ignored, as he opened himself up to accepting advice from anyone and everyone around him and then morphed that advice into the rules that he built his operation around.

13 "I'm A Black Man In America, God D**n It." "

Franklin Saint — Season 2, Episode 5, "Serpiente"

Another one of the most quintessential Franklin Saint quotes that cuts to the heart of the show's theme — the war on drugs and the Reagan-era crack epidemic that left an entire generation of people feeling exactly the way Franklin expressed himself. While discussing the specifics of how Avi managed to get off even though his house is full of drugs and guns, Franklin levels the sobering line at Teddy. He wasn't feeling sorry for himself, but he was expressing the facts of the situation that he lived in.

"Hell Yeah, I'm Being Paranoid! You Know, People Of Your Complexion Don't Exactly Have The Best Record When It Comes To Dealing With People Like Me."

This hints at the unease Franklin feels in a society that disenfranchises minorities and favors those who are white while committing the same crimes. Franklin knows that when people look at him, they think of gangs, drugs, and crime. Even if he was a law-abiding citizen who did nothing wrong in his life, it wouldn't change how anyone, from the police to the regular white man or woman on the streets, viewed him. He just needs to adapt to it and learn how to survive despite this.

12 "Say A Prayer, MOTHERF***ER!"

Khadija Brown — Season 4, Episode 6, "Say a Little Prayer"

Khadijah Brown delivers one of the most showstopping Snowfall quotes with such forceful credibility in season four that it cannot be omitted from the fray. Becoming Franklin's enemy after her daughter Tianna's drive-by murder, Khadijah went out for revenge. Fatback agreed to take the fall for the drive-by to protect Leon Simmons but ended up bailed out of jail. He soon learned it was a setup and he ended up face to face with Khadijah. She demanded to know Leon's whereabouts, but he brazenly refused the information.

Khadijah delivers the iconic line before stabbing Fatback to death, ending the life of Franklin's formidable enforcer in a particularly brutal way. However, he died knowing that he never gave up one of his own. The title of the episode is named "Say a Little Prayer" for this moment. This also wasn't the end, as Khadijah hired Black Diamond and Dallas to do a drive-by at Fatback's funeral, hoping to kill Leon, but it failed and they ended up shooting Franklin's Auntie Louie instead.

11 "You Gonna Need To Get That Hate Out Your Heart."

Skully — Season 4, Episode 9, "Sleeping Dogs"

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Once Tianna is murdered and Khadijah seeks vengeance, her husband Skully makes an impassioned plea, reinforcing their bond as one of the best couples from the show. Skully often delivers lewd, foul-mouthed rants, but here he shows a much softer and compassionate side in advising his wife. The Snowfall quote not only proves Skully has a moral center beneath the rough exterior, but the advice happens to be 100% correct.

Khadijah didn't heed her husband's advice and paid the ultimate price. She kept trying to find a way to kill Leon in revenge for her daughter's death, and this resulted in her blindly trusting two enforcers, who revealed to her shock that they would only be loyal to whoever paid them the most. Leon was willing to forgive Khadijah's attempts on his life. However, when he was expressing his sorrow for what happened to her child, Jerome interrupted the entire proceedings by stepping forward and gunning her down, killing her on the spot with no revenge found for her loss.

10 "Mija, You're Smart, Innovative, Fierce. But You Can't Do This Alone."

Mauricio Villanueva — Season 1, Episode 8, "Baby Teeth"

"You Need People You Can Count On. That's What Helps You Prosper. That's What Makes A Life."

The head of the powerful Sinaloan drug empire, Mauricio Villanueva is an influential criminal who has his competition killed without an ounce of compunction. Yet, when it comes to his brilliant daughter Lucia, he gives a speech that couldn't be more uplifting and results in one of the best Snowfall quotes. The polarity between Mauricio's daring criminality and caring fatherly advice shows that even the worst villains have glimpses of heartfelt humanity. After he died in the first season, Mauricio remembered all his advice.

While Mauricio turned his business over to his ruthless brother-in-law Ramiro, Lucia knew what she needed to do to make it on her own in this world of crime. Lucia takes the words of wisdom and becomes a drug-running queen by reaching out to Los Monaracas to kill her uncle and his Sicarios and then taking control herself. She was also smart enough to understand how to survive and she made it out of the series alive, fleeing to Miami and remaining a powerful self-built woman.

9 "I Didn't Build All Of This Just To Make A Bunch Of Money And Leave, Abandon Our People."

Franklin Saint — Season 3, Episode 10, "Other Lives"

In a candid admission that proves where his heart lies, Franklin Saint talks to Alton and Cissy when they suggest running when things get dangerous. Loyal and dedicated to improving his community, Franklin's morality shines through despite selling drugs. Franklin, like many of the characters in Snowfall, is deeply community-focused, despite his actions sometimes suggesting otherwise. The quote reinforces the integrity of Franklin's true nature and unwillingness to turn his back on where he came from.

This is also why Franklin's story is a tragedy. Yes, Franklin is a criminal who deals drugs to his community and has killed several people and ordered many others to die as well. However, he is also someone who looks out for his community and his friends because he knows that no one else will. While he will never leave his community behind, his community mostly turned their backs on him when his empire came crashing down. He was loyal, but his "people" were not.

8 "If We Win This War We Can Change The Course Of History. And This War, We Can Win."

Teddy McDonald — Season 2, Episode 1, "Sightlines"

Stationed in Central America to fight the communist threat, Teddy has a unique perspective on Snowfall. He sees how the war on drugs intertwines with communism in the region, and how it funds insurgents under the table. Despite his shady business dealings and moral ambiguity, Teddy describes the trajectory of America's future while voicing proud confidence in getting the job done. There's no question President Reagan's war on drugs was a disaster, but Teddy believes in the cause.

It's a grandiose quote with huge global ramifications. Teddy was a complicated person, seeing that even people on his own side were mostly evil, such as his former partner Alejandro who murdered three women to cover up a crime and then killed the sister of one of them just because she was looking into what happened to her little sister. However, Teddy was also convinced he was on the right side of the war, even though he became a murderer himself and ended up gunned down by Cissy.

7 "If I Ain't Wanna Be In This Game, I Wouldn't Be And Neither Would You, Louise."

Jerome Saint — Season 5, Episode 7, "Lying in a Hammock"

"All That Matters Right Now Is That We Survive. That's It."

For many drug dealers, circumstances dictate and trap them. In Snowfall, Jerome Saint insists to his wife Louise that he takes responsibility for his actions and expresses where his true priorities lie. Jerome owns up to his participation in the drug game with one of the most character-defining Snowfall quotes, expressing a profound sense of self-agency and actualization that is admirable.

Moreover, the gravity of how Joseph delivers the "All that matters is we survive. That's it," is one of the most heartening moments on the show. It is also a rare trait for anyone on the show. So many people are trying to save their own lives, but they don't stop and keep going until they eventually end up gunned down, stabbed, or worse. For Jerome, he admits that he wants to get out before that happens, and he is only in the drug trade because it is where he wants to be at this point. Sadly, it didn't keep him alive as he died in a gunfight.

6 "See, That's The Difference Between Me And You, Drew. I Don't Give Up My People."

Franklin Saint — Season 4, Episode 5, "The Get Back"

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In shows like Snowfall, the easiest way to lose street cred is to be a snitch. In Snowfall, the line between drug dealers and police officers is often a racial one, which somehow makes betrayal twice as damning. When Franklin stands up to Manboy and expresses how much integrity he has as a Black man committed to his community, it gets to the heart of the series' social commentary.

Franklin may deal drugs, but he isn't so callous as to turn his back and help the police in any capacity, no matter how beneficial it may be for him. This goes with Franklin's entire idea of loyalty. He earned the same loyalty from some of his people, such as when Fatback died before giving up any information, but when it comes to Franklin, he had more morals and loyalty than anyone in the series, and it wasn't even close. That is why his downfall, when he ended up alone, was so tragic.

5 "What, You Think We're Making All This Money Because This Sh*t Ain't Addictive?"

Leon Simmons — Season 3, Episode 7 "Pocket Full of Rocks"

The likable Leon Simmons is Franklin's fast-talking friend who is known for keeping things painfully real. Many of Leon's Snowfall quotes are reminiscent of this personality trait, and many of the arguments he has border on humorous thanks to his inability to soften the blow. When Leon and Franklin discuss Mel and Wanda, Franklin refuses to believe Mel would follow the same path of addiction Wanda has.

Leon reminds him Wanda's struggles aren't an indicator of weakness. Drugs change people and anyone is susceptible. Franklin is a drug dealer, and while he cares about his community and helping people, he also has to keep them addicted in order to keep the money coming in. It is the one area that Franklin is either a hypocrite about or an area where he is hopelessly oblivious to the point. He is selling addiction, and it seems that Leon knows this better than anyone.

4 "Gangbanging About More Than Just Money And Colors For O.G.'s. It's About Community. Respect!"

Jerome Saint — Season 4, Episode 7, "Through a Glass, Darkly"

The Jerome Saint quotes reflect the troubling circumstances in which he was raised and the mantle he took up to get ahead in an unfair world. Jerome feels the need to impress upon increasingly chaotic Leon that what they do isn't just about money. Organized crime is a complex system and the participants therein often justify their illegal activities through assisting their community. Oftentimes, drug cartels, while also responsible for horrific crimes, are celebrated by their communities for keeping them safe where the police can't.

Franklin is the key person in Snowfalli who believes in community and not turning his back on the people he cares about but he isn't the only one who does this. While Franklin and Jerome are making the community worse by keeping them addicted to the drugs they sell, they are also concerned about protecting the people from danger since they know the police won't protect anyone and their community has as much to fear from law enforcement officers as they do from rival gangs.

3 "Business Is Only As Good As The People You Work With."

Teddy McDonald — Season 2, Episode 3, "Prometheus Rising"

Teddy and Franklin successfully wrap up their very first deal in "Prometheus Rising." Teddy manages to give Franklin sound advice at various points throughout Snowfall, which he heeds — most of the time. Unfortunately, Franklin forgets this adage by the time Snowfall season 6 rolls around and Ruben records their conversation, meaning the KGB is aware of all of Franklin's crimes.

Louie also betrays Franklin, cutting him out of a deal with Teddy, which causes Franklin to retaliate brutally. Teddy, as a member of the law enforcement agency of the United States, is in league with one of the most loyal and trustworthy drug dealers on the show in Franklin. He knows that it is important to ensure a good group of people surrounding them at any given time. The fact that both Teddy and Franklin end up going down because of people they trust shows that this loyalty only goes so far in the criminal underworld.

2 "Rule Number Two, Because There Ain't No Winners."

Jerome Saint — Season 1, Episode 6, "A Long Time Coming"

When Franklin first approaches O.G. Jerome about getting in on the crack cocaine game, Jerome refuses. He has retired from life in gangs, content with selling marijuana and working out on his front lawn. Jerome gives Franklin a litany of reasons why he won't be a part of the game anymore, but this one is the most poignant. He warns Franklin that it's a risky business, with constantly turning tides and changing loyalties that can often result in jail or death.

Jerome is right in saying that the business itself is a no-win situation. While Jerome claims that he is in the drug business because he wants to be there, and will leave when it is no longer safe to do so, he doesn't and he dies. He warns Franklin and tries to keep him safe. While Franklin was very successful in his business when he got rolling, it also didn't last for him and he ended up falling in the end as well. Jerome's Snowfall quote was right and there are no winners in the business, on either side of the coin.

1 "I Mean, They Ain't Killed Me Yet."

Leon Simmons — Season 6, Episode 3, "Door Of No Return"

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While in Ghana, Leon weds Wanda and the pair enjoy a party afterward. When approached by Dodzi, Leon claims he has to go back to the States soon to get some business in order. When Dodzi questions Leon's safety in the matter, he busts out one of the best Snowfall quotes and proclaims he's still standing. With all the deaths in Snowfall, it is a testament to Leon's character that he's still around.

Before Khadija was killed in season 4, she made it her mission to kill Leon, and had it not been for Jerome, she might have succeeded. Despite this, Leon survived by working as Franklin's right-hand man and his best friend. He accidentally killed a child and made it out alive when the mother came for revenge. He made it past betrayals and even the fall of Franklin's empire. What makes this quote so powerful is that Franklin fell and ended up lost, and Leon became the Projects' leader that Franklin thought he was meant to be.

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buy Not available Not available Not available Snowfall is an FX original series that focuses on the beginning of the crack cocaine epidemic that swept Los Angeles in the 1980s. The show lasted for six seasons and starred Damson Idris, Carter Hudson, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Isaiah John, and Amin Joseph. Snowfall wrapped its final season in April 2023. Cast Damson Idris Release Date July 5, 2017 Seasons 6 Network FX Streaming Service(s) Hulu Writers Dave Andron Directors Dave Andron Expand