Regardless of how you feel about the ending of Game of Thrones, it was the world’s favorite TV show for a long, long time. Popular for its twists, intrigue, characters, and great dialogue, Thrones is still endlessly quotable years after any given episode aired.
Westeros was a wild, terrifying place, and the kinds of people who lived there had a hard wisdom about them, some of which is pretty applicable to those who don’t live in a zombie- and dragon-infested wasteland with weird seasons and an unyielding dedication to the feudal system.
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Here are 15 Game of Thrones quotes to live by, whether you’re a Stark, Lannister, Targaryen, or just you.
1. “Winter is coming.” — Eddard Stark
The iconic words of House Stark were some of the most memorable on the show, and they’re also solid advice for anyone who needs a nudge to think about the future. Planning ahead for harder times isn’t sustainable 100 percent of the time, but neither is living solely in the moment and refusing to acknowledge that cold winds will inevitably blow in your direction.
2. “The lone wolf dies but the pack survives.” — Sansa Stark
Sansa quoted her father when she made note of another great piece of Stark advice. No one is an island, and getting through any time of hardship requires friends, family (chosen or otherwise), or whatever one might call her “pack.” It’s also good advice to remember your loyalties when a packmate howls for help.
3. “Power resides where men believe it resides. It’s a trick, a shadow on the wall. And, a very small man can cast a very large shadow.” — Varys
Varys understood power better than anyone else on Game of Thrones, having fought his way to the top and survived four kings along the way. Cersei Lannister might say that “power is power,” but this Varys quote makes more sense with how the world actually works. The illusion of power only exists as long as people think it does, and anyone can create an illusion. It’s much, march harder to maintain one.
4. “Fear cuts deeper than swords.” — Arya Stark
Leave it to Westeros’ resident traumatized child assassin to put the psychological effects of fear in such plain and understandable terms. Being harmed is one thing, but the threat of being harmed (or anything else someone might be scared of) is often all anyone needs to experience to yield to their opponent. Fear lasts longer than pain, and can have devastating effects long after any battle has ended.
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5. “A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone.” — Tyrion Lannister
Tyrion Lannister always knew that Westeros would never value him for his size, so he focused instead on proving himself with the power of his mind. He was by far one of the show’s cleverest character, and this quote from Game of Thrones Season 1 shows how he got so clever. His brain was his weapon and books are what he used to stay sharp, stay smart, and stay one step ahead of anyone who underestimated him.
6. “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
Similar to Tyrion’s predicament, Brienne never fit in with Westeros’ idea of what a lady should look or act like. So she turned the pain of being teased and dismissed into fuel and became the realm’s greatest warrior. Brienne never let someone’s sneer stop her — she stopped the sneers by showing them exactly what she was made of.
7. “I’m not going to stop the wheel. I’m going to break the wheel.” — Daenerys Targaryen
Before she went all fire and blood on the citizens of King’s Landing, Daenerys planned to bring true revolution to Westeros. After her encounters with injustice across the Narrow Sea, she learned that sometimes the only way to create change from the top is to cut off the top entirely. It’s an interesting point to consider since she ended up taking the idea of “breaking the wheel” to the extreme, but revolution is rarely bloodless and there are many wheels out there that are sorely in need of a good break.
8. “Fire cannot kill a dragon.” — Daenerys Targaryen
In the context of Game of Thrones, Daenerys took the fact that her brother Viserys burned when Khal Drogo poured a vat of molten gold over his head as proof that he was not a “real” Targaryen dragon. Out of context, the phrase “fire cannot kill a dragon” is a little more inspirational. Targaryens like Daenerys were forged in fire, and that which made them cannot destroy them. Whatever makes someone who they are, be that fire or any personal struggle, can never be used to hurt her once she’s accepted that part of herself. Go forth and find your dragons.
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9. “I’m sure cutting off heads is very satisfying, but that’s not the way you get people to work together.” — Sansa Stark
Leave it to Sansa Stark, who had more reason than most to seek bloody revenge on her enemies, to understand the concept of tempering one’s desire for vengeance in the face of a common threat. Fighting is fun and winning even more so, but sometimes we need to put our swords away and work side by side without fear of betrayal or violence.
10. “You need to take your enemy’s side if you’re going to see things the way they do.” — Tyrion Lannister
Tyrion and Sansa had more in common than they initially thought. Under different circumstances, their marriage might have been a very powerful one. Like his wife in the previous quote, Tyrion stressed here that understanding one’s enemy is key to destroying him. Empathizing with the enemy’s reasoning as opposed to assuming anyone opposed to you is a flailing, single-minded lunatic makes for a much better strategy than charging in sword-first and hoping for the best.
11. “We are going to leave the world better than we found it.” — Daenerys Targaryen
This sentiment didn’t last for Daenerys. At all. But leaving behind a better world is always something to strive for. It’s through the study of history that we understand the mistakes of the past, and if we don’t learn from them to craft a better future than we are no better than those who failed before us.
12. “Get some rest dear, you look appalling.” — Olenna Tyrell
The Queen of Thorns had a lot of spiky wisdom to dispense over the course of the show, but the simplest was this missive to her granddaughter Margaery: get some sleep. Always make sure you get good rest. If you don’t, you’ll look awful and feel worse.
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13. “Chaos is a ladder.” — Petyr Baelish
Do not live by Petyr Baelish’s words if you are a good person. Only a bad person takes advantage of chaos to fulfill their personal goals at the expense of everyone else. Take his words instead as a warning to recognize those who would pervert horrible situations to better their own and be vigilant in acting against them. Sansa and Arya Stark certainly were.
14. “Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died.” — Jorah Mormont
In the midst of a lot of advice that implores people to face their fears and be a hero, Jorah reminded us all that sometimes a person can do the right thing and still lose. It’s a sad fact, but important.
15. “I don’t want it.” — Jon Snow
Sometimes life puts something in front of you and tells you it’s your problem. Maybe it’s a birthright to which you had no idea you were the heir, maybe it’s just a pile of crap from someone to which you don’t think you owe anything. Jon Snow turned down the Iron Throne so many times without even bothering to explain his reasoning beyond the fact that he straight up didn’t want to be king. Nope, no thank you, please don’t call again. Not my chair, not my problem. An icon.
16. “Don’t get me started on the gravy. Very difficult to get right. See, a lot of people give up on the gravy. You cannot give up on the gravy. No gravy, no pie. Simple as that.” — Hot Pie
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UPDATE: Aug. 15, 2023, 12:06 p.m. AEST This article was originally published in Apr. 2020, and has since been updated in Aug. 2023.
