In incarnations of Teen Titans

• "With you guys, it seems like I'm hot stuff … a know-it-all … but I've been back with The Batman again, and next to him I feel like I'm a stupid kid repeating fifth grade … for the third time." (New Teen Titans #20, 1982; by Marv Wolfman).

• Batman: You lead the Titans well, Robin -- I guess even the teacher can learn from his pupil... his former pupil.
• Robin: Thanks, Batman! But you know what they say... a pupil is only as good as his teacher... and I had the best there is. (Batman & The Outsiders (first series) #5, 1984, by Mike W Barr).

• I grew up surrounded by a sea of faces awash with the myriad emotions of all mankind. The rapturous joy of circus-goers, the panicky fright of fleeing felons, the warm tenderness of fast and good friends. So many faces. Good. Bad. Indifferent. All drawing me to them like some swirling tide about to suck me under. Sometimes I have to come here, simply to be alone before my mind fairly explodes with confusion. But most of the time I can't escape." (The New Teen Titans (first series) #38, 1984; dialogue by Marv Wolfman

• Donna Troy: You didn't have to do this, Dick, I would've understood.
• Dick: And ruin my reputation as the teenage Ellery Queen? M'lady, when Deadeye Dick takes on a case, he doesn't give up. (The New Teen Titans (first series) #38, 1984; dialogue by Marv Wolfman

Robin: Year One

• So is it me... or are the crooks getting lamer as we go? (Robin: Year One, 2001; by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon).

• Two-Face: You were the only choice for a comrade-in-arms?
• Robin: I was the best choice. (Robin: Year One, 2001; by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon).

• Dear, Bruce... I guess it's time for me to move on. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do if I'm not allowed to help you anymore. Alfred doesn't need to worry about entertaining me and taking care of you, too. You don't want a partner. And you don't need a son. I'm sorry I failed you. I won't forget everything you've given me. Thanks for teaching me how to be strong. - Dick. (Robin: Year One, 2001; by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon).

Other

• Robin: Hey, Batman, what're we gonna do once we finally get rid of all the criminals and everything? Move to another city?
• Batman: I don't think that's something you have to worry about, Robin
• Robin: Okay,so, then we'll just stay in Gotham and keep doing this, right? Forever and ever?
• Batman: We'll do this as long as it's effective. And feasible.
• Robin: Right. Like I said. Forever... (Nightwing #75, 2003; by Devin Grayson)

• Batman: "It's not that I don't think of you as an adult, Dick. It's … "
• Robin: "That's just what it is, Bruce. You can't get over thinking of me as a kid, as Robin, the Boy Wonder. Well, I'm not a boy wonder anymore, Bruce. I'm a full-grown man, a detective, just like you." (Batman #331, 1980; dialogue by Michael Fleisher).

New 52's

• Dick: So...I'm going to be in the Justice League someday?
• Bruce: No. (turns and walks away) You're going to lead it.

From Incarnations of Teen Titans

• "The Batman taught me, guided me, trained me. What I am I owe to him. What more can I say? And Superman. I grew up in your shadow, too. You taught me honor, selflessness, and the true meaning of the word 'hero.' … I'm the sum of so many people who have influenced me, shaped my thinking, and given me love. Mom and Dad, you were the first … what you gave me will never leave. It's forever locked in my heart and in my soul. Batman, you took in a young, frightened boy. And you showed him how to become a good man. Kory, it's so funny. I spent the better part of last year fighting to forget what made me me. I almost alienated everyone, but you stuck by me and I love you for that. I gave up being Robin because that tied me to Batman. But now I become someone new who commemorates all those who made me someone special." (Tales of the Teen Titans #44, 1984; by Marv Wolfman).

• "Hard to imagine me without the Titans, either. I think the Titans helped define me. I was always the bottom half of Batman and … Now I'm Nightwing, myself. No junior partner. Whatever I do from now on is my choice. It's scary sometimes. But it's always a lot easier to let others tell you what to do. Don't quite feel like an adult yet, but I think I've grown up … I certainly don't make decisions rashly anymore. And I wouldn't quit college today just to rebel against Bruce. Fortunately, some mistakes can be fixed… Yeah, I'm grown up, but I still don't know what I'm going to do when I'm really grown up…. Doctor, lawyer, indian chief? They all sound good to me. What do I do when I take off my costume? If I were Batman, I'd become Bruce Wayne, professional cypher. I think he'd give up being Bruce in a second if he thought Batman could go out during the day. I can't. I need my normal life. Bats need the night. Robins need light." (The New Titans #71, 1990; by Marv Wolfman).

• "You molded me and taught me, Bruce. For years, I lived under the shadow of The Batman. I wanted to get away, to be my own man. Yet, when I chose a costume and a name, they reflected you. You're a part of me, Bruce. I can't deny it. And I don't want to any longer. I just wanted you to know that. That, and one other thing -- I'm proud to have been Robin." (Teen Titans Spotlight # 14, 1987; dialogue by Michael Reaves).

• "I just want to get married. That'll make everything fine. Y'know, Donna's wedding went so smooth. Bruce isn't coming, and I can tell everyone thinks I'm doing the wrong thing. I just don't get it, Roy. Things used to be so simple, so clear … so black and white. When did the world become so gray?" (The New Titans # 100, 1993, dialogue by Marv Wolfman).

• "Parents, friends and lovers, you taught me, helped me, nursed me and cared for me…. Nightwing's got his act together. He's still going to do what he can to keep the world from spinning into chaos … but Dick Grayson needs some time to figure out what he wants. I want you to be proud of me, but even more importantly -- I want to be proud of myself. It may be a couple of days or weeks or even months, but I'll see you guys soon. Till then -- I love you." (The New Titans # 114, 1994; dialogue by Marv Wolfman).

• "Try to understand our position here, Batman. You began training to be a hero as a young adult. For me and a lot of the other Titans -- like Vic -- that training shaped and influenced most of our childhood. Unlike the JLA, the Titans aren't just about a promise to the world -- it's also about a promise to each other … to ourselves. We swore on our childhood nightmares that we'd be there for one another. If I don't honor that I don't honor who I am." (JLA/Titans # 2, 1998; dialogue by Devin Grayson).

From "Nightwing: Year One"

• And I'm unique in this family, a talker among writers. Alfred's got his journal. You've got your files. Babs keeps an account of everything. While I've only ever recorded a message like this once before... the first time.
  • (Nightwing: Year One #1, 2005; by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon).

• [Alfred] always had faith that the dynamic duo could survive anything. Except maybe each other.
  • (Nightwing: Year One #1, 2005; by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon).

• Sometimes I'm surprised I can even stand on a high ledge after what happened to the Flying Graysons. Boss Zucco could have sabatoged Haly's Circus any number of ways to drive down business and get his protection money. Instead he gave the crowd that night a show they'll never forget. I know I won't. When my mom and dad died, attendance actually went up.
  • (Nightwing: Year One #3, 2005; by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon).

From the Nightwing series

• "I've always taken it for granted that I'm fighting the good fight, I guess mostly due to my faith in Batman. But I have to admit, up here on the urban highwire, I take a lot of liberties. I tell myself they're all justified, but isn't that what everybody tells themselves? Does anybody wake up thinking, 'Today, I'm going to cross the line'?" (Nightwing #75, 2003; by Devin Grayson)

• "I'm the protector of this city. I know how arrogant that sounds, and I know that I operate outside of the law sometimes -- but I also know that I've trained hard to do this work, and that I fully understand the complexities of the job. I have experience, I have motive, and I have backup. So as insane as it is to be out here at all, I'm the closest you'll get to the real thing. And I am asking you 'Tarantula,' who do you think you are?" (Nightwing #75, 2003; by Devin Grayson)

• "My first thought is for this new Tarantula's safety -- the assumption that she is a potential casualty. That's a Batman thought. My second thought is for my safety -- the possibility that she's a potential enemy. That's a Batman thought too. It's not until she's actually doing it that I allow myself to hope that she might be helpful -- a potential ally. Thats a Robin/Nightwing/Dick Grayson kinda thought. My thought. Two and a half seconds in. But better than nothing."(Nightwing #75, 2003; by Devin Grayson)

• "Who do I think I am? Good question, really, and I'll answer like this: I've seen too much to be Robin, but I'm still too optimistic to be Batman. I'm Nightwing. I'm Officer Dick Grayson. I'm Barbara's boyfriend, Bruce Wayne's adopted son, and the last living member of the Amazing Flying Graysons. I'm happy." (Nightwing #75, 2003; by Devin Grayson)

• "Every now and then I have the feeling I've totally lost my mind. It's a great feeling." (Nightwing #86, 2003; by Devin Grayson)

• "What are we doing, Bruce? When I was growing up with you, I always knew exactly where the line was... exactly what we did, exactly what we didn't do and why. But Jason didn't know what the hell he was doing or why, and Tim spends half his time trying to decide if it's even worth doing, and Stephanie... [whisper] Stephanie went up against odds so bad that even I would have to say it couldn't be done. [regular volume] Do you still know? Do you still know what we're doing? Because you seem murky to me, Bruce, you seem closer and closer to the line every time I look at you, and that line keeps moving, and me... Bruce, I'm lost." (Nightwing #99, 2004; by Devin Grayson)

• "The effect Bruce has had on my life is profound. There's no question that knowing him had changed me, changed my relationship to the world, profoundly. I'll admit that there were times when I felt restrained somehow... bridled. There were times when the mission seemed like alot to carry... Times, even, when I wondered if the whole thing didn't go against my essential nature. More often though, though, this work that I've done with Bruce has felt like an advocation, a perfect expression of everything I've ever been capable of becoming."(Nightwing #100, 2005; by Devin Grayson)

• "My father and Bruce both taught me similar moral codes, for vastly different reasons. Both considered their codes immutable, but somehow my dad's always expanded enough to let me grow into it. Whereas Batman's was, of course, completely inflexible, and every bit as inspiring as it was impossible. Who's son will I turn out to be?" (Nightwing #100, 2005; by Devin Grayson)

• "Babs, I know we've been through a lot together, and I haven't always been the man I've wanted to be for you. And I realize now that I still have a long way to go, but... but I'll never get there without you. Barbara, I have to leave in a few hours to try and save the universe and I don't even know if I'll be alive tomorrow, but if I am -- will you marry me?" (Nightwing #117, 2006; by Devin Grayson).

• "We're a nation of somnambulists. And where there are people awake, there's money to be made... There were lots of theories on why we don't sleep enough-- everything from stress at the office to too much caffeine... But I got my own, simpler theory... I think a lot of people just lead lonely lives... And there's something comforting knowing there are a lot of other lonely people out there too, watching the same crappy movie you're watching at two in the morning... Yeah... it's about being alone... in a city of millions... I can relate." (Nightwing #123, 2006; by Bruce Jones).

• "Sometimes there's simply nothing you can do... nothing. Batman warned me about that long ago. I nodded, but I didn't believe him... Nobody's helpless, I thought. Nobody's totally without resources. Man, I was wrong. Still am, maybe..." (Nightwing #124, 2006; by Bruce Jones)

• "Long ago we realized we can't possibly solve all the world's problems. And maybe we shouldn't even try. We understood that we needed to develop out hearts and minds and not just our fighting skills. With all the good that needs to be done, it was impossible to accept that nobody should ever do what we do 24/7. That way lies madness. Trust me, I know. If you come to believe you're a god and you fail, where does that leave you?" (Nightwing #125, 2006; by Marv Wolfman)

• "Rule of thumb: when one gets bogged down, stop thinking, get a massage from a beautiful woman and let your mind wander ..." ( Nightwing #126, 2007; by Marv Wolfman)

• "I had asked myself what I want to be when I grow up. That's assuming I'm allowed to. The voice - the one that won't go away - keeps reminding me I was supposed to have died. Not once. Twice. I think I'm living on borrowed time. But at least I'm living. So why don't I feel … I don't know … happier?" (Nightwing #128, 2007; by Marv Wolfman)

• "'When you look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you.' And unless you're stone, it changes you. It has to. There I was. Six feet under. Buried over. And I'm not stone. Never wanted to be. Never thought I had to block out the rest of the world and never wanted to hide from it. Still, sometimes late at night, half asleep, half god knows what … it suddenly bothers me that they say the nut doesn't fall that far from the tree." (Nightwing #128, 2007; by Marv Wolfman)

• "A chapel is sitting peacefully on the hillside and I wonder if it can really help me find peace. Then I wonder, would I know what to do with all that quiet? My parents didn't much talk about God. Bruce never did. Though I'm pretty sure he believed in the devil." (Nightwing #128, 2007; by Marv Wolfman)

• "Early on, Kory asked why do I do this? [...] She asked why, when I get up in the morning, I look forward to putting on my costume and fighting the bad guys. But we got interrupted by the Fearsome Five or Deathstroke or some other nutjob super-villain. I never answered her. Always thought I was a fairly well adjusted guy who looks forward to wearing a costume. I mean I'm not out for revenge. I don't need to prove anything to myself. And I have money. More than enough to buy my own island hideaway. So why do this? Why do I do any of this? Barbara would say it's because I know it's the right thing. 'When you look into the abyss...' But no. She's wrong. It's impossible to think of anything other than the immediate moment when you're trading punches with some meta powered glandular reject. When your fist connects with flesh, you're not thinking of the past. When their fists dislodge bone, it's hard to think of some stupid thing you said to someone you love … that sent them running away. And when you are half-dead on the ground, half-blown to pieces … it's impossible to think. Period! I should find Kory. I should find her and tell her that I don't do this because it's the right thing to do. I do this because it's the only thing I dare let myself do. I do this because its easier … 'the abyss also looks into you' … easier than having to think." (Nightwing #128, 2007; by Marv Wolfman)

• "We go topside. I Ching stays to secure the Lazarus Pit. Says 'To prevent forever from happening again.' I say 'I want to party with you cowboy.' The reference is lost on him." (Nightwing #139, 2008; by Fabian Nicieza)

• "They say skydiving is for people with a death wish. I've come to learn it's for people with a life wish. A wish for things to be as amazing as jumping out of a plane on a beautiful clear day from so high up that you feel you can almost touch the stars. And thats what I am going to do soon. Make the great leap. Touch the stars. Not as Nightwing. Not as a Titan. Not as an Outsider. Just as me. Richard Grayson." (Nightwing #141, 2008; by Peter Tomasi)

• "I close my eyes now for a few moments and I can see my parents riding the air current with me. Forever young. Forever strong. Their faces wide with excitement, big smiles on their faces, enjoying the adrenaline surge even more than I do. And there is one thing I am sure of … my parents would be proud of my life." (Nightwing #141, 2008; by Peter Tomasi)

• "Whenever someone's asked what power they wish they had, flying is always at the top of the list. But I have to admit. I've learned to love falling too." (Nightwing #142, 2008; by Peter Tomasi)

• "Okay Mom and Dad, your 'Flying Grayson' is about to take the great leap. Or as they say in French, Le Grand Saut. Down, down, and away. I'd say I wish you could see me now, but I know you're watching me - I can feel angels on my shoulders. And probably a bat too. You said some records aren't meant to be broken, Bruce. But more than anything, I wish you were down there right now watching with Alfred and Tim as I break this one." (Nightwing #151, 2009; by Peter Tomasi)

• "Commuter train's a a good way to come into Gotham. Could've taken the shuttle from JFK to Goodwin Airport - a forty minute ride instead of a six hour one. But this time it felt like steel wheels were the way to go. I wanted to be closer. So I can see the enemy … and the people I"m here to protect and serve." (Nightwing #153, 2009; by Peter Tomasi)

• "Never been one for collecting things - holding onto stuff … less is more. There's a freedom to keeping possessions down to a minimum - going a little Spartan isn't a bad way to go through life. Sounds hypocritical coming from the guy who now lives in the manor on the hill, but its not my manor and its not my - ah, who am I kidding? It's really the only home I've ever known - I have to own up to that." (Nightwing #153, 2009; by Peter Tomasi)

• "Bruce has given Tim, Alfred and me an incredibly comfortable life free from want. The Wayne family name's always been synonymous with public service. And honoring the Wayne family name is the particular way that we do every night will always be our responsibility. My responsibility." (Nightwing #153, 2009; by Peter Tomasi)

• "Thinking of Bruce kneeling here alone in the blood of his mom and dad - the cordite of the fired gun still fresh in the air … it takes everything I have to hold the tears back. So much loss. It's strange how in the end that cold, evil deed even dictated my own future. I see Bruce. I see me. And seeing those old wax spots on the cave floor a few weeks ago got me thinking about the oath I made to Bruce … and what it really means. The light from the candle didn't just help us see the words better that night … The light from this candle was a beacon for the wounded soul of a young boy … it helped me see a path of selflessness and devotion. Devotion to the common good. And this light must always shine no matter what. In those single life-altering moments … we both had to depend on the kindness of strangers. And lucky for us … they were caring and loving people … at the end of all that pain and horror. Thank you, Bruce. There will always be hope in Gotham City." (Nightwing #153, 2009; by Peter Tomasi)

Other

• Dick: You weren't the perfect father but that's okay because -- probably nobody's a perfect father. No family's perfect, either. I was lucky. I was privileged. Not because of the big house and the money, but because you gave me a lot of yourself. You taught me, you showed me, you encouraged me -- you never lied to me and you never demanded that I be anything I’m not. I didn’t imitate you because you insisted that I do so, but because I wanted to. Of all the men I knew, you were most worthy of imitation. Then I blamed you for letting me be who I was. Pretty dumb.
• Bruce: Dick, I don't --
• Dick: Hold it. I've got one more thing to say. You and Alfred gave me a home and you gave me what we don't mention. The L word. You were the best family I could have had. Thanks.
  • (Nightwing mini-series #4, 1995; dialogue by Dennis O’Neil).

• [Talking about Blüdhaven] It's a hopeless case. A lost cause. A town so mired in corruption and sin that it's drowning … When Batman sent me here, I thought I'd solve one case and book. But then I realized … if I could make a difference here -- well, that'd be something. This filthy old town needs me…. Surrounded by a dozen of my worst enemies. No way out. Nowhere to hide. The little brat was right. I do love it.
  • (Nightwing Secret Files #1, 1999; by Chuck Dixon).

• [Talking to the new JLA during the Obsidian Age] The transition is going to be... difficult. The more I look at the shoes we're suppossed to walk in, the more it scares the hell out of me. But it doesn't matter. We were chosen to be here. Out of many other possible candidates...He chose us. A master of human condition. A cynic, a believer. He chose us to carry on where he fell... and we accepted. We will not mess it up. End of speech. I don't want to make another one. I hate making speeches. So... the first official roundtable of the Justice League is now in session. Let's do some good.
  • (JLA #71, 2002; Joe Kelly).

• I had a good teacher, except for the interpersonal skills and the ability to work with others. That was me.
  • (JLA #76, 2002; Joe Kelly)

• You prepare yourself for this day … well, prepare is the wrong word … Do you prepare yourself for the sun to rise, or for water to flow from a tap? No. These are knowables. These are eventualities. I knew I would never see him as an old man. No, he'd leave us in a box, with jet black hair, and the only lines on his face would be ones brought by injury. You knew it wouldn't end well. Despite all the training. All the brilliance. All the strength … under it all there was just flesh, blood and bone. And a man who never feared death. You know as well as I do he was frightened of a great many things, but his own mortality barely made the top hundred list with him. I just … I … I just wasn't ready to lose him.
  • (Batman #687, 2002; Judd Winick)

In Fiction

He didn't come from a world of privilege. He was a performer. Gifted in that way. And while, at the time, the transition from Robin to Nightwing was... difficult for us both -- it was a day I had long prepared myself for because... Dick was born to be in the center ring.

I've brought a young man -- a boy, actually -- to stay at the house. He's … lost his parents at roughly the same age that I … That I lost you. I don't know what will happen. I don't see myself as any sort of father figure. But … I think I can make a difference in his life.

As I see it, your parents were show business people, Master Richard. Those are your roots. Try to think of your Batman not as a memorial -- you and I know he'd hate that -- but as a performance. Think of Batman as a great role, like a Hamlet, or Willie Loman … or even James Bond. And play it to your strengths. Master Damian will undoubtedly be racing towards trouble as we speak. Curtain's up. And the spotlight is on you now. Everyone is waiting for the hero to take the stage.

• "I'm going to give you a bit of advice. You're ready to graduate. Leading the JLA proves it. You can handle bigger and better than you are now." - Batman (JLA #76, 2002; Joe Kelly)

• "Dick has always spoken to me without fear. No matter what else has happened to us through the years --- he has earned that right." - Batman (Batman #615, 2003; Jeph Loeb).

• "The first person I ever revealed my identity to was Dick Grayson. He was about the same age I was when my parents were killed. His parents -- circus acrobats -- had been murdered. And I... wanted to make a difference in his life... The way, if my parents had lived, they would have made a difference in mine... Through the years, I've debated whether it was fair of me to take him in. Train him. Give him another identity to hide behind. But, I've learned that Dick wasn't like me. He didn't come from a world of privilege. He was a performer. Gifted in that way. And while, at the time, the transition from Robin to Nightwing was... difficult for us both -- it was a day I had long prepared myself for because... Dick was born to be in the center ring." - Batman (Batman #615, 2003; Jeph Loeb).

• "[At his parents' graves] I've brought a young man -- a boy, actually -- to stay at the house. He's … lost his parents at roughly the same age that I … That I lost you. I don't know what will happen. I don't see myself as any sort of father figure. But … I think I can make a difference in his life." - Bruce Wayne (Batman: Dark Victory #9, 2000; Jeph Loeb).

• "In accessing the risk involved for Batman in acclimating new recruits to his team, we would be remiss not to examine the circumstances and consequences surrounding the first addition to the Dark Knight's campaign. Though to call Dick Grayson a 'recruit' is misleading. As well as I profess to know the Batman, even I can't be sure what he was thinking when he agreed to assume legal custody for the orphaned boy who would be the first Robin. I can tell you about this boy. He was fearless. He was effusive. And he was full of grace. So maybe it was just greed that made Batman take him? Maybe it was sympathy for his situation? Recognition? Maybe no good general would turn down the opportunity to implement a gifted soldier. Or maybe the Dark Knight knew, somewhere in the back of his head, that he couldn't face the entirety of his mission alone." (Batman: Gotham Knights #10, 2000; by Devin Grayson)

• "Deep within the caves beneath my father's house, I remember what Catwoman said. "A father's love can be a terrible thing..." How the rage brought in by the death of The Roman changed Sofia's life … and what the murder of my own father brought out in myself. Now, I see in Dick the chance to help him cope with his own loss … and guide him into being a better man for it." - Batman (Batman: Dark Victory #13, 2000; Jeph Loeb).

• "Compassion is an honorable quality, Dick. One any father would be pleased to see in his son ..." - Bruce Wayne (Gotham Knights #21 2001; by Devin Grayson)

• "I'm playing 'chicken' with a kid called 'Robin.' I don't know why he's showing off. I don't know why I'm going along with it. I don't even know where we're going. It could be a robbery. Or prison break. A gang war. Or free donuts at Lenny's. He sees that Bat-signal in the sky and takes off. Like a bird out of Hell. And he just expects me to follow him. And I do." - Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) (Batgirl: Year One #08 2003; by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon).

• "The Flying Graysons would be proud... I know I am." - The Flash (Wally West) (Flash plus Nightwing #01, 1997; by Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn).

• Alfred: Ever since you were a child, I have seen in you such luminosity of spirit... It was truly almost visible -- some indefinable and yet unmistakable fire at the very core of your being that allowed you to survive and thrive where so many others... [long pause] But now that very spark seems to have vanished from you, Master Dick, as if it had never lit your heart. I do not know why and I do not know how to help you. But I fear that without it, this life you and Master Bruce lead could well prove... [whisper] unsurvivable.
• Dick: Alfred, what are you talking about? Bruce hasn't had any innate inner optimism this whole time, and he'll outlast every one of us!
• Alfred: But of course he's had optimism! He has had you. (Nightwing #99, 2004; by Devin Grayson)

• "Listen … do you hear? The rumble and honk of trucks and vans. The early deliveries have begun and with them, another day. in an hour the sun will rise over the tallest buildings and the citizens of Gotham will waken and yawn and be about their business. Until then, this extraordinary young man and I will talk of good and evil and the kind of masks we all wear. We will wonder together about what is the most real - the mask or the face. Soon, he will be gone, but I will still be here." - Millicent Mayne (Batman #684 by Denny ONeil)

• "Dick Grayson. Age twelve. Aerialist. The best I've ever SEEN." - Batman ("All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder #3", 2005; by Frank Miller)

• "No one can be [Batman]. But someone can represent what he stood for. The ideals that made Batman -- justice, consequence, and ironclad resolve to protect. And there is none other that has the wherewithal to uphold those ideal than you … Richard Grayson." - Alfred (Battle for the Cowl #2, 2009, by Tony S.Daniel)

• "As I see it, your parents were show business people, Master Richard. Those are your roots. Try to think of your Batman not as a memorial -- you and I know he'd hate that -- but as a performance. Think of Batman as a great role, like a Hamlet, or Willie Loman … or even James Bond. And play it to your strengths. Master Damian will undoubtedly be racing towards trouble as we speak. Curtain's up. And the spotlight is on you now. Everyone is waiting for the hero to take the stage." - Alfred Pennyworth (Batman and Robin #2 by Grant Morrison)

• "“He likes to free-fall. To him, this is fun. He handles the pressure — the responsibility — all of it, so … effortlessly. I wish I could be so comfortable in my own skin.” - Tim Drake/Red Robin (Red Robin #23 by Fabian Nicieza

• "So far I'd say you've been my favorite partner. We were the best, Richard. No matter what anyone thinks." - Damian Wayne (Batman, Incorporated #8 by Grant Morrison)

• "Dick is like my own son!....Your honor, I ...I love that boy! Please don't take him from me!" - ("Bruce Wayne Loses the Guardianship of Dick Grayson!" scripted by Bill Finger)

As a character (in reality)

Robin was an outgrowth of a conversation I had with Bob. As I said, Batman was a combination of Douglas Fairbanks and Sherlock Holmes. Holmes had his Watson. The thing that bothered me was that Batman didn't have anyone to talk to, and it got a little tiresome always having him thinking. I found that as I went along Batman needed a Watson to talk to. That's how Robin came to be. Bob called me over and said he was going to put a boy in the strip to identify with Batman. I thought it was a great idea" ~ Bill Finger

Throughout his history, Dick Grayson has been an integral part of one of the most famous and financially successful franchises in history. Dick has also repeatedly been on the cutting edge of developments in superhero comics, starting with his inception as the first sidekick and continuing to his adoption of Batman's cowl. But the character can also serve as a lens for viewing the world outside of comics, whether it be moral development, the homoerotic, or gendered readership. Dick Grayson is not simply a one-note sidekick but one of the most complex and developed characters in comics. ~ Kristen L. Geaman

Dick not only saw his parents die, but he was raised by Batman with a strict code of ethics. Whereas Batman festered with his anger, Dick did not. But Dick saw how someone like Batman was able to help him and many others. Since he fought alongside Batman, he saw how much good he could do, and therefore he has the need to continue to do it. But unlike Batman it doesn't come from some long ago need for revenge, it comes from a true desire to make a difference. Therefore Nightwing has a positive attitude rather than a negative one. But it has had impact on his persona life, and now that he's in his mid-twenties, his early decisions are demanding some new thinking. ~ George Perez

• After 1941 or so, Whitney Ellsworth and his editorial successors steered Batman and robin's career, assigning stories to a variety of writers and artists. That corporate approach froze the characters in place for decades. Panels from the early 1940s look almost interchangeable with panels from the early 1960s.
  • J. L. Bell, "Success in Stasis: Dick Grayson's Thirty Years as a Boy Wonder", in “Boy Wonder: Scholars and Creators on 75 Years of Robin”, edited by Kristen L. Geaman, McFarland and Company, (2015), p. 9.

• The unchanging nature of those Batman and Robin stories did not hurt their appeal to the young readers who were the main market for super-hero comics. In fact, the team became one of the most popular and enduring in the genre, appearing together in every issue of Detective Comics, and then Batman, and then with Superman on World's Finest. Indeed, the Boy Wonder was popular enough to appear on more ccomic-book covers in the 1940s than Batman himself.
  • J. L. Bell, "Success in Stasis: Dick Grayson's Thirty Years as a Boy Wonder", in “Boy Wonder: Scholars and Creators on 75 Years of Robin”, edited by Kristen L. Geaman, McFarland and Company, (2015), p. 9.

• Nostalgist Don Edrington (nine years old in 1940) recalled:
  My favorite superheroes were Batman and Robin. I especially liked them because I could identify with Robin-I was sure he was exactly my age. I was positive of that when i first started reading the comics at about age nine, and I was still convinced he was my age when I was fourteen or fifteen.
  • J. L. Bell, "Success in Stasis: Dick Grayson's Thirty Years as a Boy Wonder", in “Boy Wonder: Scholars and Creators on 75 Years of Robin”, edited by Kristen L. Geaman, McFarland and Company, (2015), p. 11.

• In Manufacturing Desire, communications professor Arthur Asa Berger (seven years old in 1940) wrote:
  Like many other super heroes, Batman provides youngsters with a young side kick hero to identify with-Robin, though it is Batman who captured the imagination of children the most.... During the Batman rage of a number of years ago [presumably the mid 1960s], many children in my neighborhood used to tie a towl around their neck and play Batman. It was always the youngest and weakest children who were forced into the Robin role.
  • J. L. Bell, "Success in Stasis: Dick Grayson's Thirty Years as a Boy Wonder", in “Boy Wonder: Scholars and Creators on 75 Years of Robin”, edited by Kristen L. Geaman, McFarland and Company, (2015), p. 11.

• Robin was an explicit role model for youngsters. The last panel in Batman #1, spells out the values that he stood for and urges readers:
  "Always be helpful to those who need help!"
  Why not become one of "Robin's Regulars?" No button or badge is needed- the world will recognize your golden acts without them! Be a "Robin Regular" by being regular!
  • J. L. Bell, "Success in Stasis: Dick Grayson's Thirty Years as a Boy Wonder", in “Boy Wonder: Scholars and Creators on 75 Years of Robin”, edited by Kristen L. Geaman, McFarland and Company, (2015), p. 13.

• Robin was an outgrowth of a conversation I had with Bob. As I said, Batman was a combination of Douglas Fairbanks and Sherlock Holmes. Holmes had his Watson. The thing that bothered me was that Batman didn't have anyone to talk to, and it got a little tiresome always having him thinking. I found that as I went along Batman needed a Watson to talk to. That's how Robin came to be. Bob called me over and said he was going to put a boy in the strip to identify with Batman. I thought it was a great idea"
  • Bill Finger, Steranko, Jim (1970). The Steranko History of Comics. Reading, Pennsylvania: Supergraphics. p. 44. ISBN 0-517-50188-0.

• I knew many homosexuals but I certainly didn’t think of Batman in those terms. I thought of it in terms of … Frank Merriwell and Dick Merriwell, his half-brother, who was the kid he was taking care of. … In America we always talk about the Western hero and the pioneer kind of man—the Davy Crockett types—as being loners. They’re never really. They always have a sidekick. … Certainly there’s no homosexual relationship. It’s just part of the American syndrome. … It was just that the author realized that you’ve gotta have somebody to talk to. Sherlock Holmes had Watson—were they homosexuals? Baloney. You just can’t have your hero walking around thinking aloud all the time. He’d be ready for the men in white coats after a time. So we created a junior Watson and that’s all [Robin] was.
  • Bill Finger, "Batman and Robin Gay Bill Finger Said", (1972)

• The character beat I find most interesting with Nightwing is how deeply he experiences frustration and pain, and then how totally done with that he is by the time he's making an actual decision or evaluation. He's not in denial about the darkness in his life the way Batman sometimes is, and in fact he's remarkably self-aware and conscientious, but he acts from a place of loyalty and gratitude and even joy.
  • Devin Grayson, writer. http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=1203

• The dynamic that most interested me about Batman from day one was that he was, in his own weird way, a parent - and that relationship is just as fascinating when you flip it to look at it from Dick's point of view. As Robin, Dick lived out one of the most enduring human fantasies: the chance to be respected by and useful to a hero figure who fills your life with adventure. The price paid for that, though, is having Batman as a parent - Batman who is able to do the incredible things he does in part because he has sacrificed other developmental aspects of himself, such as the ability to be intimate or supportive. And in the face of all of this, Dick has had some resentment and some anger and, I think, a lot of pain, but he has also never for one moment of his life shied away from it, or away from Bruce. He embraces his life and his vocation and his sometimes-difficult mentor with absolute commitment and gratitude. Nothing is wasted on Nightwing - he makes use of every single gift bestowed upon him.
  • Devin Grayson, writer. http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=1203

• Throughout his history, Dick Grayson has been an integral part of one of the most famous and financially successful franchises in history. Dick has also repeatedly been on the cutting edge of developments in superhero comics, starting with his inception as the first sidekick and continuing to his adoption of Batman's cowl. But the character can also serve as a lens for viewing the world outside of comics, whether it be moral development, the homoerotic, or gendered readership. Dick Grayson is not simply a one-note sidekick but one of the most complex and developed characters in comics.
  Surprisingly, especially given the interest in studies of popular culture, Grayson has received scant scholarly attention. Grayson has been connected with Batman for all but the Bat's first eleven months (May 1939 to March 1940), but, even if scholars are not deliberately excluding Robin from consideration, they tend to select topics of inquiry that focus on Batman alone. Those already familiar with the character will note that Grayson played a large role in a number of team books such as Teen Titans and The New Teen Titans. Unfortunately these books have received scant scholarly attention.
  • Kristen L. Geaman, Introduction: The Sensational Character Find of 1940, in “Boy Wonder: Scholars and Creators on 75 Years of Robin”, edited by Kristen L. Geaman, McFarland and Company, (2015), p. 2.

• Dick Grayson is kind of this consummate superhero. The guy has been Batman's partner since he was a kid, he's led the Teen Titans, and he's trained with everybody in the DC Universe. So he's a very different kind of Batman. He's a lot easier; He's a lot looser and more relaxed.
  • Grant Morrison, writer. http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/05/22/grant-morrisons-new-batman-and-robin

• ...I like him a lot because of his history, he's been around so long, and there's a certain sleek sexuality about the character. He's got a certain sense of everyman, a young swashbuckler type. He's probably the only character to have developed a rabid following. That I find incredible, particularly because he came out as a sidekick - that he's got the strongest following of any character really makes me feel good about Nightwing. He's the only Titan who made the CBG poll, and it was great, you know. The fact that he's still fresh after all these years.
  • George Perez, illustrator and writer. George Pérez Interview -Amazing Heroes #50, 1984

• Dick not only saw his parents die, but he was raised by Batman with a strict code of ethics. Whereas Batman festered with his anger, Dick did not. But Dick saw how someone like Batman was able to help him and many others. Since he fought alongside Batman, he saw how much good he could do, and therefore he has the need to continue to do it. But unlike Batman it doesn't come from some long ago need for revenge, it comes from a true desire to make a difference. Therefore Nightwing has a positive attitude rather than a negative one. But it has had impact on his persona life, and now that he's in his mid-twenties, his early decisions are demanding some new thinking.
  • George Perez, writer. http://www.mania.com/marv-wolfman-from-robin-to-nightwing-chronicling-adventures-dick-grayson_article_52561.html

• My view of Nightwing, or rather Dick Grayson is that he's a very capable person, caring, smart but not overly so, but has the ability to see through puzzles. Unfortunately, he can't see through the puzzles of his own life, as few of us can. He's trying to figure things out assuming life always have answers, which of course it doesn't. But I see him as very, very competent, just not always self-aware. And he is perhaps a bit too critical of himself.
  • George Perez, writer. http://www.mania.com/marv-wolfman-from-robin-to-nightwing-chronicling-adventures-dick-grayson_article_52561.html

• … A Nightwing story should have what every good story should have, which is a character you simply want to follow through thick and thin. A character who's adventures you wanna go on. A character with heart, intelligence, and wit. And as I mentioned earlier in a previous interview with ya, Nightwing is a character who can support all kinds of genre inclusion. I don't think there's a box. The world is literally wide open for Nightwing and you can put him on any ride you want and I feel it will work, whether in crime alley land, space land or jungle land. Nightwing is a character who travels well, and has no limits except for the ones a writer puts on him.
  • Peter Tomasi, writer. http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=143264

• Dick is a sponge. He of course learned a great deal from Bruce, but I see him as taking what he knows and improvising, using his natural acrobatic prowess in everything he does. It's ingrained in him. He's more fluid. But let's face it; Dick and Bruce simply know how to open a can of whup-ass better than anyone.
  • Peter Tomasi, writer. http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=143264