Blog – Posted on Friday, May 24

70 Best Game of Thrones Quotes from the Books and TV Series

Well, whether you loved or hated the hotly contested final season of HBO's Game of Thrones series, we can bet on one thing: you're sad to say goodbye to Sunday nights spent watching the Seven Kingdoms battle it out for the Iron Throne. True, we do have The Winds of Winter — the sixth installment in the book series — to look forward to, but we've already been waiting 8 years and its unclear when the wait will end.

So, to tide you over in between the end of the TV series and the wait for the continuation of the book series, here are 70 of the best Game of Thrones quotes — half from the books and half from the show. Of course, many of the quotes from the TV show section originate in the books, but they were just delivered so flawlessly by the actors, we had to give HBO some credit.

And fair warning: this post does contain spoilers.



Best Game of Thrones Quotes from the Books

1. "A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." — Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

2. "A ruler who hides behind paid executioners soon forgets what death is." — Ned Stark, A Game of Thrones

3. "Bran thought about it. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave,' his father told him.” — Bran & Ned Stark, A Game of Thrones

4. "Death is so terribly final, while life is full of possibilities.” — Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

5. "'Don’t call me Lord Snow.' The dwarf lifted an eyebrow. 'Would you rather be called the Imp? Let them see that their words can cut you and you’ll never be free of the mockery. If they want to give you a name take it make it your own. Then they can’t hurt you with it anymore.'" — Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

6. "Fear cuts deeper than swords." — Arya Stark, A Game of Thrones

7. "Laughter is poison to fear." — Catelyn Stark, A Game of Thrones

8. "Some old wounds never truly heal, and bleed again at the slightest word." — A Game of Thrones

9. "'The common people pray for rain, healthy children, and a summer that never ends' Ser Jorah told her. 'It is no matter to them if the high lords play their game of thrones, so long as they are left in peace.' He gave a shrug. 'They never are.'" — Jorah Mormont and Daenerys Tagaryen, A Game of Thrones

10. "The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. If you would take a man's life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hear his final words. And if you cannot bear to do that, then perhaps the man does not deserve to die." — Ned Stark, A Game of Thrones

11. "The things we love destroy us every time, lad. Remember that." — Commander Mormont, A Game of Thrones

12. "They say night’s beauties fade at dawn, and the children of wine are oft disowned in the morning light." — Barristan Selmy, A Game of Thrones

13. "We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy." — Aemon Targaryen, A Game of Thrones

14. "What do we say to the Lord of Death? Not today." — Syrio Forel, A Game of Thrones

15. "What is honor compared to a woman's love? What is duty against the feel of a newborn son in your arms . . . or the memory of a brother's smile? Wind and words. Wind and words. We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy." — Master Aemon, A Game of Thrones,

16. "When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives." — Ned Stark, A Game of Thrones

17. "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.” — Cersei Lannister, A Game of Thrones

18. "Why is it that when one man builds a wall, the next man immediately needs to know what's on the other side?" — Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

19. "Wind and words. We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy." — Jon Snow, A Game of Thrones

20. "Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness." — Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

21. "Winter is coming." — A Game of Thrones

22. "I will hurt you for this. I don't know how yet, but give me time. A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you'll know the debt is paid." — Tyrion Lannister, A Clash of Kings

23. "People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it's served up." — Tyrion Lannister, A Clash of Kings

24. "When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say." — Tyrion Lannister, A Clash of Kings

25. "Every man must die, Jon Snow. But first he must live." — Ygritte, A Storm of Swords

26. "Drifting snowflakes brushed her face as light as lover’s kisses, and melted on her cheeks. At the center of the garden, beside the statue of the weeping woman that lay broken and half-buried on the ground, she turned her face up to the sky and closed her eyes. She could feel the snow on her lashes, taste it on her lips. It was the taste of Winterfell. The taste of innocence. The taste of dreams." — A Storm of Swords

27. "The way the world is made. The truth is all around you, plain to behold. The night is dark and full of terrors, the day bright and beautiful and full of hope. One is black, the other white. There is ice and there is fire. Hate and love. Bitter and sweet. Male and female. Pain and pleasure. Winter and summer. Evil and good.” She took a step toward him. “Death and life. Everywhere, opposites. Everywhere, the war.” — Melisandre, A Storm of Swords

28. "We look up at the same stars and see such different things." — Jon Snow, A Storm of Swords

29. "Needle was Robb and Bran and Rickon, her mother and her father, even Sansa. Needle was Winterfell's grey walls, and the laughter of its people. Needle was the summer snows, Old Nan's stories, the heart tree with its red leaves and scary face, the warm earthy smell of the glass gardens, the sound of the north wind rattling the shutters of her room. Needle was Jon Snow's smile. He used to mess my hair and call me "little sister," she remembered, and suddenly there were tears in her eyes." — Arya Stark, A Feast for Crows

30. "Who knows more of gods than I? Horse gods and fire gods, gods made of gold with gemstone eyes, gods carved of cedar wood, gods chiseled into mountains, gods of empty air . . . I know them all. I have seen their peoples garland them with flowers, and shed the blood of goats and bulls and children in their names. And I have heard the prayers, in half a hundred tongues. Cure my withered leg, make the maiden love me, grant me a healthy son. Save me, succor me, make me wealthy . . . protect me! Protect me from mine enemies, protect me from the darkness, protect me from the crabs inside my belly, from the horselords, from the slavers, from the sellswords at my door. Protect me from the Silence." He laughed. "Godless? Why, Aeron, I am the godliest man ever to raise sail! You serve one god, Damphair, but I have served ten thousand. From Ib to Asshai, when men see my sails, they pray." — Euron Greyjoy, A Feast For Crows

31. "'A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies,' said Jojen. 'The man who never reads lives only one.'" — Jojen Reed, A Dance with Dragons

32. "Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch, for this night and all the nights to come." — Vow of the Night's Watch, A Song of Ice and Fire

Haven't read the books yet? Get started now! By the time the next one is published, you will likely have already caught up.

Best Game of Thrones Quotes from the TV Series

33. "I need you to become the man you were always meant to be. Not next year, not tomorrow, now." — Tywin Lannister, Season 1

34. Ned Stark: "Tell me something, Varys who do you truly serve?" Varys: "The Realm, my Lord. Someone must." — Season 1

35. "It's a neat little trick you do. You move your lips, and your father's voice comes out. — Robert Baratheon, Season 1

36. "You love your children. It’s your one redeeming quality. That and your cheekbones." — Tyrion Lannister, Season 2

37. "Some people are fortunate enough to be born into the right family. Others have to find their own way." — Petyr Baelish, Season 2

38. "The storms come and go, the big fish eat the little fish and I keep on paddling." — Lord Varys, Season 2

39. "Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. And some are given a chance to climb, but they refuse. They cling to the realm or the gods or love. Illusions. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is." — Petyr Baelish, Season 3

40. "It’s not easy being drunk all the time. Everyone would do it, if it were easy." — Tyrion Lannister, Season 3

41. "If you think this has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention." — Ramsay Bolton, Season 3

42. "Show too much kindness, people won’t fear you. If they don’t fear you, they don’t follow you." — Stannis Baratheon, Season 3

43. "You’re mine as I’m yours. And if we die, we die. But first we’ll live." — Ygritte, Season 3

44. "I think mothers and fathers made up the gods because they wanted their children to sleep through the night." — Davos Seaworth, Season 3

45. "A man with no motive is a man no one suspects. Always keep your enemies confused. If they don’t know who you are or what you want, they can’t predict your next move." — Petyr Baelish, Season 4

46. "Nothing isn’t better or worse than anything. Nothing is just nothing." — Arya Stark, Season 4

47. "The world is overflowing with horrible things, but they’re all a tray of cakes next to death." — Olenna Tyrell, Season 4

48. "I was nothing at all. And when you’re nothing at all, there’s no reason to be afraid." — Samwell Tarly, Season 4

49. "They’re dragons, Khaleesi. They can never be tamed. Not even by their mother." — Jorah Mormont, Season 4

50. "It's a big and beautiful world. Most of us live and die in the same corner where we were born and never get to see any of it. I don’t want to be most of us." — Oberyn Martell, Season 4

51. "You’re a hateful woman. Why have the gods made me love a hateful woman?" — Jaime Lannister, Season 4

52. "It’s always changing, who we’re supposed to love and who we’re not. The only thing that stays the same is that we want who we want." — Ellaria Sand, Season 4

53. "All I ever wanted was to fight for a lord I believed in. But the good lords are dead and the rest are monsters." — Brienne of Tarth, Season 5

54. "The past is gone for good. You can sit here mourning it’s departure, or prepare for the future." — Petyr Baelish, Season 6

55. "They’ve made us both stronger, all of them. They have no idea how strong we are. No idea what we’re going to do to them. We’ve always been together. We’ll always be together. We’re the only two people in the world." — Cersei Lannister, Season 6

56. "Everyone who makes a joke about a dwarf’s height thinks he’s the only person ever to make a joke about a dwarf’s height." — Tyrion Lannister, Season 6

57. "Leave one wolf alive and the sheep are never safe. When people ask you what happened here, tell them the North remembers. Tell them winter came for House Frey." — Arya Stark, Season 7

58. "I don't plan on knitting by the fire while men fight for me. I might be small, Lord Glover. And I might be a girl. But I am every bit as much a Northerner as you. And I don't need your permission to defend the North." — Lyanna Mormont, Season 7

59. "He's a clever man, Your Hand. I've known a great many clever men. I've outlived them all. You know why? I ignored them. The lords of Westeros are sheep. Are you a sheep? No. You're a dragon. Be a dragon." — Lady Olenna to Daenerys Targaryen, Season 7

60. "So many men have tried to kill me, I don't remember all their names. 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 gods, not in myths and legends. In myself. In Daenerys Targaryen." — Daenerys Targaryen, Season 7

61. Sansa: What do dragons eat? Daenerys: Whatever they want. — Season 8

62. "Love is the death of duty." — Jon Snow, Season 8

63. "Love is more powerful than reason. We all know that." — Tyrion Lannister, Season 8

64. "Many underestimated you. Most of them are dead now." — Tyrion Lannister to Sansa Stark, Season 8

65. "Hound: You left me here to die. Arya: I robbed you first." — Season 8

66. "Tyrion: The last time we spoke was at Joffrey’s wedding. A miserable affair. Sansa: It had its moments." — Season 8

67. "Eddison Tollett: Stay back! He's got blue eyes! Tormund Giantsbane: I've always had blue eyes!" — Season 8

68. "Daenerys Targaryen: We could stay a thousand years; no one would find us. Jon Snow: We'd be pretty old." — Season 8

69. "We don't have time for all this. The Night King has your dragon. He's one of them now. The Wall has fallen. The dead march south." — Bran Stark, Season 8

70. "Missandei: My people are peaceful. We cannot protect ourselves. Grey Worm: My people are not peaceful. We will protect you." — Season 8

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Looking for your next epic fantasy read? This blog post has 12 books similar to Game of Thrones that you're sure to enjoy. Or check out our Guide to the Witcher Books for another fantasy series recently adapted to TV.