Entertainment

17 'GoT' Quotes That Will Break Your Heart In Two

by Jordana Lipsitz

There's one HBO series that's well-known for shattering all of our thoughts, hopes, dreams, and happiness into teensy tiny pieces on the floor. I'm pretty sure you know what series I'm taking about, right? No, not Westworld. Often, the horrible things that happen to our favorite characters on Game of Thrones have heartbreaking quotes that go along with them, which makes the entire event even worse. If you haven't yet seen an episode that kept you up at night with a perpetual "why?" pounding into your brain, and one or more horrendous quotes joining on top of the "whys" in a dreadful cacophonous symphony, you might have accidentally been watching something else by mistake. Something fanciful. Once Upon A Time, maybe?

If you're in need of the catharsis brought on by Game of Thrones, but are sitting around waiting for the new season and can't bear to put in the emotional work of watching a full episode, this list of the most heartbreaking quotes from Game of Thrones might be just the ticket. This way, there's a brief jolt of pain, but nothing too earth-shattering. Maybe. Spoilers ahead guys; be wary. Wary in the way some of our favorite fallen characters were not.

1. "Egg, I Dreamed That I Was Old" — Maester Aemon (Season 5, Episode 7)

One of the saddest deaths on Game of Thrones, and it wasn't even violent. When Jon Snow's wise mentor (and one of his only supporters with any pull) kicks the bucket of old age, it was definitely traumatic.

2. “What Do We Say To The God Of Death?” — Syrio Forel (Season 1, Episode 5)

Did Syrio win in fight against Meryn Trant? We still aren't totally sure, because the fight was off-camera, but Meryn Trant was alive up until Arya gutted him. Forel's last words (probably) to his water-dancing mentee are hopeful, but coincide with something terrible: his probable death at the hands of Trant for protecting Arya. A girl's face says it all.

3. "Jon Snow… Do You Remember That Cave? We Should Have Stayed In That Cave" — Ygritte (Season 4, Episode 9)

You guys really should have. The White Walkers are coming, and it might be nice to hold on to those you hold dear instead of letting them get an arrow straight to the heart at the hands of a bloodthirsty and vengeful preteen. I miss the cave. We all miss the cave.

4. "If You Think This Has A Happy Ending, You Haven't Been Paying Attention" — Ramsay Bolton (Season 3, Episode 6)

This quote from Ramsay that comes while he takes great pleasure in torturing his captor Theon/Reek is rough on so many levels. For one, we feel pretty bad for Theon/Reek even though he backstabbed his surrogate family. Then we remember, oh yeah, this is kind of referring to to the fact that there won't be a happy ending in the whole series. Meta, GoT, meta.

5. "Hold The Door! Hodor!" — Hodor, Season 6, Episode 5

If you can't help but cry every time someone asks you to hold the door for them, you know what I'm talking about.

6. "I Wish I Was The Monster You Think I Am. I Wish I Had Enough Poison For The Whole Pack Of You. I Would Gladly Give My Life To Watch You All Swallow It" — Tyrion Lannister (Season 4, Episode 6)

Any person who's ever felt like they don't fit in gets this angry and heartbroken plea from Tyrion, a guy who's been treated badly by his narcissistic and insane relatives his whole life mainly because he was born different. The writing is great of course, but the actor who plays Tyrion, Peter Dinklage, is the reason this line is so great. His performance is fantastic.

7. "Nothing Isn't Better Or Worse Than Anything. Nothing Is Just Nothing" — Arya Stark (Season 4, Episode 7)

Arya's seen more sh*t than any person should see, let alone a girl of her age. This is made evident when she and her kidnapper, Sandor Clegane, stumble upon a dying man whose village has been ransacked. The man looks for relief in his death, saying, "Maybe nothing is worse than this." But Arya doesn't have any time for hope. All she has time for is nihilism.

8. "You Can't Kill Me. I'm Part Of You Now" — Ramsay Bolton (Season 6, Episode 9)

Ramsay really nails those blood-curdling one-liners that hit us right in the heart. This time, he reminds Sansa that, even if she lets his cute, starving puppy dogs eat his face, he'll always be in her mind, destroying her spirit from the inside. There's also a theory that he's implying Sansa's pregnant with his baby, which I'm hopeful isn't the case.

9. "Shame, Shame, Shame" — Crowd (Season 5, Episode 10)

Sure, Cersei's the absolute worst, but nobody deserves the kind of scrutiny that comes with public shaming. She had indescribable fluids and icky stuff thrown at her while being forced to walk the streets of King's Landing naked, while a nasty Silent Sister rings a bell behind her and reminds her of her shame. That's something not even the absolute worst people deserve.

10. "I Have Protected You, Fought For You, Killed For you..." — Jorah Mormont (Season 4, Episode 8)

Jorah just can't catch a break — though that's well-deserved since he did betray and lie to the Mother of Dragons for a really long time. Still, unrequited love is never a fun thing to see.

11. "There It Is. There's The Look. I've Seen It For 17 Years, On Face After Face" — Jaime Lannister (Season 3, Episode 5)

Jaime Lannister is constantly called "Kingslayer" as if he did something wrong when really he was just protecting the entire city from being burned to the ground by Mad King Aerys. Jaime always acts like that stuff doesn't matter to him, so this confession to Brienne of Tarth while sharing a bath is a awesome. And sad.

12. "Kill Me!" — Sandor Clegane (Season 4, Episode 10)

After Brienne and the Hound's epic battle to the almost-death, Brienne leaves her bruised and battered opponent to die. Arya goes to her dying kidnappers's side, but doesn't finish the job — even though he's on her list of enemies to kill. As Clegane pleads for Arya to put him out of his misery, we feel all sorts of feels. I don't like the Hound, but he also tried to sort of redeem himself. Or something.

13. "I Am Your Son. I Have Always Been Your Son" — Tyrion Lannister (Season 4, Episode 10)

Why are so many of these heartbreaking lines right before someone's death? Before Tyrion pulls the crossbow trigger on his father, Tywin, the older Lannister is enjoying some time on the privy. Tywin throws out a pretty nasty comment: "You're no son of mine!" But Tyrion claps back with this line. I'm in pain, you guys, I'm in pain.

14. "For The Watch!" — Jon Snow's Betrayers (Season 5, Episode 10)

When Jon Snow's betrayers in the Night's Watch use the phrase as a battle cry while each and every one of them stabs their Lord Commander, what should be an inspirational rally gets really dark.

15. "I'm The Princess Shireen Of House Baratheon And I'm Your Daughter." - Shireen Baratheon (Season 5, Episode 9)

Right before Stannis burns his own daughter at the stake, the sweet little princess tells him that she will do anything she can to help him achieve the throne. We as an audience are thinking, "It's a trap!" But Shireen doesn't know that, so her adorable dedication to her family name is all the more depressing.

16. “Gold Will Be Their Crowns, And Gold Their Shrouds" — Maggy The Frog (Season 5, Episode 4)

Again, Cersei might be the absolute worst, but nobody deserves to see their children die. This prophecy shared with a young Cersei in a Game of Thrones flashback leaves a deep sense of foreboding.

17. "'Grey Worm' Gives Me Pride. It's A Lucky Name. The Name This One Was Born With Was Cursed. That Was The Name He Had When He Was Taken As A Slave. But Grey Worm Is The Name This One Had The Day Daenerys Stormborn Set Him Free. " — Grey Worm (Season 3, Episode 5)

Let's end this on a more positive, though still heartbreaking, note. While it's nice that Grey Worm has found a purpose, I can't help but feel bad for what the leader of the Unsullied lost.

If you're crying right now after remember all these heartbreaking GoT moments, don't worry. I'm right there with you. At least heartbreak is the great unifier. We are all one in our Game of Thrones woes.

Images: HBO; Giphy (17)