"You keep me locked up here as long as you fucking want. Forever if you want. I'm the toughest motherfucker you're ever going to meet. I can take it. Hell, I fucking love it. I'm having a good time here. No need to boss people around... No fighting for my life against walking corpses. I should be thanking you. Wait! Thank you. From the bottom of my fucking heart. Thank you. But Rick... Don't kid yourself into thinking you keep me locked up here as some kind of symbol of your mercy. We both know that's not true. You know the real reason I'm here! I'm here because after everything you did... Everything you lived through... I'm the only thing you can use to convince yourself you're a good person. After everything I did... You fucking let me live! Me! Only the greatest person on earth would do that! Rick Grimes is the greatest man who ever lived! He's the guy who's going to fix everything! He's the guy who's going to save the world! Because he's the most civilized of all of us! Remember that when you're screaming at that poor fat woman who left my cage unlocked... Remember that when you threaten to exile her... Throw her to the wolves... For making a fucking mistake. You fucking monster!"
—Negan to Rick Grimes.[src]