You don't come across an iconic Game of Thrones quote often these days. But there was a time when you could randomly utter "Valar Morghulis" in public and you'd randomly hear someone declare "Valar Dohaeris."
George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series and HBO's Game of Thrones gave us some of the most legendary quotes and dialogue exchanges ever seen on TV. From Tywin Lannister's arrogant wisdom to Cersei's hate-filled speeches, we were well fed. Tyrion Lannister's witty remarks and Arya Stark's girl boss quotes had you cheering at the screen.
Today, we revisit the peak era of Game of Thrones. Here's our definitive ranking of all of the show's standout quotes and dialogues. We have ranked these quotes with a few guidelines (not rules) in mind.
Our ranking rules
1. How well loved was the character who said it? Quotes from their beloved character leave a deeper impact on fans' minds.
2. What scenario was the quote said in? Was it in an emotional and dramatic scene, like a courtroom or battlefield? Quotes uttered in dramatic scenarios as emotional revelations make a stronger mark.
3. Who said the quote to whom? Did the character say it to a family member, a lover, a friend, or their enemy? Quotes exchanged between adversaries or lovers cause a bigger stir.
Overall, we judge these quotes based on the impact they've left on us as audiences and their significance in the show.
15. "I thought if I could make something so good, so pure, maybe I’m not a monster." -Cersei to Jaime
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You rarely ever see Cersei's human side in Game of Thrones. But season 6 episode 1, "The Red Woman," makes you heartbroken for her. The scene takes place right after Myrcella Baratheon's death by poisoning on the boat, Jaime comes to fetch her in. Cersei arrives on King's Landing's shores with excitement, only to see Jaime bring back Myrcella's body.
In a one-in-a-million moment after this tragedy, Cersei shows us just how self-aware she is of her monstrous nature. She reflects to Jaime how Myrcella was nothing like her. She couldn't believe she could bear a child so pure and unspoilt by malice.
She tells him, "I don't know where she came from. She was nothing like me. No meanness, no jealousy, just good. "I thought if I could make something so good, so pure, maybe I’m not a monster.”
14. “There’s no justice in the world, not unless we make it. You loved your family. Avenge them.” -Littlefinger to Sansa
Like most fans, Petyr Baelish made me squirm with disgust or clench with anger anytime he was on screen. The above quote is probably the second good thing to come out of his nauseating story arc with Sansa. The first being, his bringing her back to Winterfell by selling her to the Boltons. This forces her to take a stand and fight for her homeland later.
Littlefinger says this to Sansa in season 5 episode 3, "High Sparrow," when she refuses to marry Ramsay Bolton. This nugget of wisdom shapes her journey later and even gets Littlefinger killed in season 7.
13. "A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of a sheep." -Tywin to Jaime
This is perhaps one of Game of Thrones's most memorable quotes. This is the first time we are introduced to Tywin Lannister in season 1 episode 7, "You Win or You Die."
He's skinning a stag as we meet the man leading the Lannisters from the shadows (at least at that point). In his conversation with Jaime, he calls him out point-blank for caring about his perception as "kingslayer." The scene leaves an impact on the audience because you get a better sense of how the Lannisters are taught to think.
You instantly realize this character will be important as the story moves forward. What's more? Tywin even asks Jaime why Ned Stark is still alive. It's the first time we see who the real villain is.
12. “The Lords of Westeros are sheep. Are you a sheep? No, you’re a dragon. Be a dragon.” -Olenna to Daenerys
RIP, Olenna Tyrell. RIP, Diana Rigg.
Olenna's hard-hitting words to Daenerys come in season 7 episode 2, "Stormborn." We know Olenna isn't one to mince words, and not even Dany's dragon power can deter her from speaking her mind. The scene follows after an intense war planning by Dany's camp, where the Mother of Dragons decides not to storm King's Landing and kill innocent people, although we all know how that went.
In this candid moment, Olenna urges Daenerys not to go soft. It also shows you that this old lady has lived through the coming and going of many foolhardy men in Westeros. Though, seems like Dany took her advice too much to heart.
11. “All my life, men like you have sneered at me. And all my life I’ve been knocking men like you into the dust.” -Brienne of Tarth to Jaime
Fans instantly connected with Brienne when they first met her in Thrones. The show doesn't shy away from showing the sheer misogyny, painful remarks, and threats she faces because of being a female soldier in Westeros. But this rare scene in season 2 episode 8, "The Prince of Winterfell," is one of the rare times she talks about it.
Like all men she encounters, Jaime also keeps mocking Brienne's appearance. He even claims she can't defeat him in a fair fight. This is when she nonchalantly bites back at him with the above quote. Her casual attitude shows you that Jaime's insults aren't innovative or new. She's heard it all, and his words can't pierce her thick skin anymore.
What makes this scene extra special on rewatch is the duo's enemies-to-friends-to-lovers arc. She says this to him when they are enemies, but Jaime becomes the only man she ever truly connects with on the show.
10. "By what right does the wolf judge the lion?" -Jaime to Brienne
We all knew Jaime wasn't one of the good guys when we laid eyes upon him. His villain arc was confirmed after we caught him red-handed with Cersei, before he pushed Bran off the wall.
We also learn early on that he isn't a well-respected man in Westeros. But we learn the real story behind his "kingslayer" nickname in season 3, episode 5, "Kissed by Fire." It's one of the first times we see Jaime being vulnerable, and we realize he's not all bad. We also realize that even an honorable man like Ned Stark could be wrong in his judgments.
Jaime tells Brienne what truly happened on the day he killed the mad king, a.k.a. Daenerys's dad, Aerys II Targaryen. As his tale ends, we see his Lannister pride lift its head. In that moment, you see just how much Tywin has brainwashed him.
9. “I have been sold like a broodmare. I've been chained and betrayed, raped and defiled. Do you know what kept me standing through all those years in exile? Faith. Not in any god, not in myths and legends. In myself.” -Daenerys to Jon
This quote lost its impact because of the way Daenerys's arc ended in Game of Thrones. But it meant everything to us fans when she said it during her first meeting with Jon Snow in season 7 episode 3, "The Queen's Justice." It's powerful because this is the first time Jon is meeting her, and she's quick to show both her personality and strength.
It's not that we don't know her story. We've seen it all, but when she sums it up this way, you recognize the sheer struggle she's been through to get here. We don't blame Jon for being a bit nervous.
8. “Your words will disappear. Your house will disappear. Your name will disappear. All memory of you will disappear.” -Sansa to Ramsay Bolton
Sansa's words make you realize just how little Ramsay's death will mean in Westeros. Although he held power in the north for a while, neither he nor the Boltons left a memorable legacy. The Starks earned the northern people's loyalty and respect; the Boltons, on the other hand, went from being power-hungry parasites to tyrants.
The above quote in season 6 episode 9, "Battle of the Bastards," strikes deeper after the sheer torture Ramsay put Sansa through. When Sansa says this, you recognize how much the tables have turned and how she holds the power now.
7. "You're going to die tomorrow, Lord Bolton. Sleep well." -Sansa to Ramsay
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Another memorable exchange between Sansa and Ramsay takes place at the beginning of "Battle of the Bastards." During a verbal exchange between Jon and Ramsay, where the latter convinces Jon to give up the idea of fighting him, Sansa takes a powerful stand.
It's a striking moment of character growth for her. Her side has many odds stacked against them in the forthcoming battle. On top of that, Ramsay has Rickon Stark as his prisoner. Where you'd expect her to be scared, she boldly tells Ramsay point-blank that he's gonna die.
Despite the odds, she believes it, and her affirmations give fans chills. Sansa's been through enough at this point and wants to go down fighting.
6. “Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.” -Tyrion to Jon
This is hands down one of Tyrion's most memorable lines in the show. Because he's a Lannister, your mind immediately pegs him as a villain when we first meet him in season 1 episode 1, "Winter is Coming."
However, he unexpectedly drops this golden truth to Jon after insulting him in episode 1. Not only is it a banger quote. It also makes you realize how Tyrion's been dealt a rough hand of being an "imp." He's simply coping with it with drinks and sexual pleasure. The poignant lines make you feel for him. What makes it better upon rewatch is how Tyrion doesn't know Jon well at this point. But they become important in each other's stories later.
5. “The next time you raise a hand to me will be the last time you have hands.” -Daenerys to Viserys
Daenerys's journey in Game of Thrones starts much like Sansa's. She is weak and at the mercy of her tyrant brother, Viserys. Sansa's at Joffrey's mercy after her father, Ned, is killed. From abusing her verbally to physically, Viserys Targaryen subjects Dany to hell. He doesn't hesitate to sell her to the Dothrakis for their support.
However, season 1 episode 4, "Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things," is the first time she stands up to a maniacal Viserys. She's able to do this thanks to her budding relationship with Khal Drogo, but it's an undeniable girl power moment.
When he becomes physically violent with her during an argument, Daenerys hits him with her jewels and spits out this menacing threat. She says: ''I am a Khaleesi of the Dothraki! I am the wife of the great Khal, and I carry his son inside me! The next time you raise a hand to me will be the last time you have hands.'' Viserys's dumbfounded and scared face is satisfying to watch.
4. “A girl is Arya Stark of Winterfell and I’m going home.” -Arya to Jaqen H'ghar.
Arya has some of the best quotes in Game of Thrones. Her journey is nothing short of inspirational. From losing both her parents, her brother Robb to taking a leap and venturing to Braavos, she's been through a lot. Arya heads east after meeting Jaqen H'ghar in Westeros. Little does she or we know the sheer horrors that await her there.
She's starved, temporarily blinded, left to beg, and nearly killed after being hunted by the Waif, a member of the band of Faceless Men. There were multiple times I and many fans thought she was dead for good. But she finally defeats and kills her evil female opponent in season 6 episode 8, "No One." Then marches to Jaqen's Hall of Faces to tell him she won't bow down and won't abandon her identity.
This is one of the most powerful moments in the show. It's a testament to how well-raised Stark kids were. Each of them was connected to family values and roots, even in their darkest times.
3. “My name is Arya Stark. I want you to know that. The last thing you’re ever going to see is a Stark smiling down at you as you die.” -Arya to Walder Frey
Possibly the most satisfying death in Thrones was when Arya slit Walder Frey's throat. She identifies herself before ending his life in season 6 episode 10, "The Winds of Winter." It's the first time we see her use her Faceless Assassin skills. The execution of this scene, from her pretending to be a servant girl to the unmasking and revealing her true identity, is pure perfection.
Her words gave you goosebumps as you stared in disbelief at the twist. Arya was nearly reunited with Catelyn and Robb in season 3 during the Red Wedding. But Frey's treachery ripped her family to shreds. Hence, this was, hands down, the sweetest Stark revenge of the show. I only wish the show allowed Sansa to have a similar one with Cersei.
2. “Tell them the North remembers. Tell them winter came for House Frey.” -Arya
Arya literally brings the words "Leave one wolf alive and the sheep are never safe to life" to life in season 7 episode 1, "Dragonstone." She not only kills Lord Frey but also poisons every single Frey before dropping the awesome quote.
Before poisoning them, she ridicules the Freys by calling them "brave men" before saying, "Butchered a woman pregnant with her babe" and "slaughtered your guests after inviting them into your home."
1. "Watching your vicious bastard die gave me more relief than a thousand lying w***es." -Tyrion to Cersei
Season 4 episode 6, "The Laws of Gods and Men," delivers one of Game of Thrones's most tense scenes that shook us all. Tyrion is on trial for the murder of Joffrey. He endures insults and straight-up lies as he stands in the court. But when his lover Shae reveals embarrassing details of their intimate life and spits out lies about his plan to murder Joffrey, Tyrion loses himself.
He finally breaks after years of mistreatment from Cersei, his father Tywin, and even Joffrey. He goes on an unhinged rant and retorts, "I did not do it. I did not kill Joffrey, but I wish that I had." He then accuses Cersei of birthing a bastard son in open court. You know he's held it in for years, and the release has you feeling both satisfied and tense at the same time.
Tyrion's ill-treatment makes this moment Game of Thrones's most impactful and best quote by far. He finally turned his back on his family and stopped protecting their lies and lives.