15 Years Later, Jamie Lannister’s Best Game of Thrones Quote Is an All-Time Fantasy Hit

Jamie remains a fan-favorite for a reason

Many factors have helped make George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire one of the most beloved fantasy series of all time, and one big reason is HBO’s adaptation of the dark fantasy epic by showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. The eight-season adaptation brought Martin’s vast, stunning world and complex central characters to life. Jaime Lannister, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, was one such character. And like many others in Game of Thrones, he had poetic one-liners that captured his nature and helped define his place in the story over the years.

Unlike Ned Stark, whose blunt and severe demeanor left little room for elaborate remarks, Jaime Lannister seemed to have an arsenal of memorable quotes and cutting one-liners. His words reflected both his standing as Tywin Lannister’s beloved son and as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, as well as the complicated reputation he carried throughout Westeros. To many, Jaime was a man without honor, and his sharp remarks often seemed to echo the way others judged him.

With so many banger quotes from Jaime, it’s tough to pick the best one. Still, we think we’ve narrowed it down to a line that captures a key part of Jaime’s character and a central fantasy theme.

What is Jaime Lannister’s best quote?

Of all the meaningful lines Jaime delivers over Game of Thrones’ eight seasons, one perfectly highlights a key theme that often serves as a source of strength in stories, regardless of genre: love. Martin, however, twists that theme in a way that helps ensure Jaime goes down as one of fantasy’s most memorable characters.

In the show's first episode, “Winter is Coming,” Jaime delivers his best line to his sister, Cersei, shortly after Bran Stark, the youngest son of Ned Stark of House Stark, catches them locked in an incestuous romantic embrace in one of Winterfell's towers.

Turning to Cersei, Jaime gives a self-assured smirk and says:

Moments later, Jaime pushes Bran out the open window — triggering a chain of events that leads to eight seasons of warfare, seedy politicking, and epic fantasy unlike anything ever seen before.

Jaime Lannister’s best quote is about love

Love is a powerful emotion that drives stories across every genre and format. It is love that causes Jack to sacrifice himself for Rose in Titanic, and it is love that protects Harry from dying from Voldemort’s killing curse in Harry Potter.

Game of Thrones may be a dark fantasy tale in which nobody is truly safe, but that does not mean its characters are one-dimensional. Both D&D and Martin have made it clear that even the most loathsome among them can feel love and form deep attachments.

Those feelings do not necessarily make them kinder or less dangerous. On the contrary, in some cases they will commit monstrous acts for the people they love. That is clearest with Jaime, who is capable of killing a boy if it means his secret relationship with Cersei isn’t exposed to the rest of Westeros.

Jaime committing heinous acts for the love of his sister proves just how obsessive and toxic that love can be. It’s only when Jaime realizes his sister cares more about power than about being with him that he eventually wises up.

Unfortunately, Jaime’s toxic bond with Cersei has been a foundational part of him since childhood. Even when Jaime eventually leaves Cersei’s influence and forms a romantic relationship with Brienne of Tarth, sleeping with her after the Battle of Winterfell, it’s not enough. When Jaime hears of Cersei’s precarious situation in King’s Landing in the final season, he abandons Brienne and the Starks to rush back to the capital to try to save Cersei from her own folly.

Ultimately, this final act of love for his sister leads to Jaime’s downfall. Even as the Red Keep begins to crumble, Jaime refuses to leave Cersei’s side. They came into the world together, and so it only makes sense that they leave it together too.

As Aemond Targaryen explained to Jon Snow in A Game of Thrones: “We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy.”

Wiser words have never been spoken.