The best Star Wars quotes are thematically resonant pieces of gold from a galaxy far, far away. These are our favorites.
Star Wars‘ most memorable dialogue has made us laugh, cry, root for heroes, and forgive villains. Sure, lightsabers and blasters are cool, but Star Wars movies are a rich well of drama.
The fight for good, the pull of rage, and the seduction of hate… The Skywalker Saga and recent new TV shows such as Andor are like space soap operas.
These are the 10 best Star Wars quotes, from Yoda’s wide words to chilling lines delivered moments before disaster.
10. “Dear child, the belonging you seek is not behind you… it is ahead.”
Maz Kanata’s wise words in The Force Awakens summarized Rey’s entire character arc years before it concluded in The Rise of Skywalker.
Rey spends the sequel trilogy wrestling with identity and legacy. In fact, she is so busy looking for herself buried in the past that she doesn’t realize she is the future of the Jedi.
Maz got it right, though; Rey will rebuild the order and chart a new path in New Jedi Order.
9. “Just for once, let me look at you with my own eyes.”
Spoken by Vader — or more accurately at this juncture, Anakin Skywalker — at the climax of Return of the Jedi, he asks Luke to remove his helmet even though it’ll make his final moments more painful.
For the last few decades, Anakin had been seeing everything through the lens of Vader (quite literally). Everything was tinted with the red of seething anger and guilt.
When Luke removed the mask and his father laid his human eyes on another person for the first time in years, he did it as Anakin, not a Sith lord. It was one of the most moving moments in the saga.
8. “It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!”
Disclaimer: This is a Revenge of The Sith heavy list. Why? Because the prequel trilogy’s finale is a soapy, grand space opera that leans into character drama, and we love it.
Anakin and Obi-Wan’s whole showdown on Mustafar is epic and tragic. But, it is Obi-Wan’s words to Anakin after he realized his former brother and padawan was beyond reach that really stand out.
Having to leave his apprentice burning on the ashy shores of a raging river of lava was gut-churning, and Ewan McGregor did a superb job delivering the line that hammered home just how far from grace Anakin had fallen.
7. “Good is a point of view, Anakin.”
Before his infamous Order 66 was executed, Palpatine slowly seeds torment in Anakin Skywalker’s psyche in Revenge of the Sith.
His tutelage grew more manipulative, and he used logical arguments (that did hold water, given the flaws of the Republic and Jedi council) to sway the powerful young Jedi.
“Good is a point of view,” is a smart thing for him to say at that moment because it’s true while also undermining the true maliciousness of the Sith agenda.
6. “I love you.” / “I know.”
A shoo-in for the title of best Star Wars movie, The Empire Strikes Back is also the most romantic entry in The Skywalker Saga.
And no scene better illustrates the deep well of love Han and Leia have for each other — as much as they’d like to hide it — than the moments before Han is carbon-frozen.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
Unable to intervene, Leia and Chewy hold each other as Han is lowered down, mist and intense blues scattered across the frame.
5.”Has anyone ever made a weapon that wasn’t used?”
As the earthy, street-level Star Wars project, Andor is a goldmine for quotes about the everyday citizens in the Empire and the boots on their necks.
In episode 7, Luthen Rael makes the point that weapons exist to be used, and implies believing the Empire can be defeated with good-faith tactics is naive.
Weapons of war in Star Wars are crucial, and display the terrifying power tyrannical forces wield when equipped with them. We can’t wait to see what pearls of wisdom Luthen comes up with in Andor Season 2.
4. “Rebellions are built on hope!”
Jyn Erso began her journey in Rogue One as a willfully ignorant orphan who ignored the Empire.
She found purpose when she fought alongside Cassian Andor and the brave band of Rebels who undertook the mission to retrieve the Death Star plans.
While other characters had to initially convince her to fight for a cause, when the chips were low in the third act of the movie it was Jyn who came through with a rousing speech.
3. “Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.”
In The Phantom Menace, Yoda told a young Anakin that “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
Years later, as he counseled a distressed Anakin in a sort of Jedi therapy session, he encouraged him to let go of his premonitions, not realizing just how scared and malleable Anakin was. By telling Anakin not to fear loss, he inadvertently pushed him closer to the Dark Side to seek out its false promises.
This moment encapsulates an arguable failing of Jedi philosophy (pushing away feelings) as well as the truth about how the Sith lure in troubled, grieving people.
2. “The greatest teacher, failure is.”
While the loss of Anakin was described as a failure by Obi-Wan and Yoda, The Last Jedi argued that without failing, one cannot learn.
The hippy-dippy Yoda we saw in Rian Johnson’s film helped Luke understand that one mistake did not define him and could be used to do some good even if it could not be fixed.
The themes in The Last Jedi add some moral complexity to a world that many view as black-and-white, good-vs-evil, and the story is more nuanced as a result.
1. “So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause.”
Padmé Amidala in the number one spot? More likely than you think! The young queen learned much in The Phantom Menace and quickly became a level-headed, inspirational Senator.
When Palpatine started disassembling democracy on Courescant in Revenge of the Sith, Padmé was one of the only political figureheads smart and brave enough to see what was happening.
The sickening complicity around her and the grief she felt as politicians handed power to a corrupt man created one of the most chilling moments in the franchise, with no lightsabers or starships needed.
That’s it for the best Star Wars quotes for now. For more Star Wars fun, here’s all the upcoming Star Wars projects, including The Mandalorian and Grogu, and The Acolyte release date. We’ve also got a guide to The Acolyte cast if you want to really prepare for that one.
