10 Great Star Wars Quotes That Define a Main Character

The Star Wars movie saga features some of the best and most compelling science fiction characters of all time. Through these eleven movies, the best Star Wars characters expressed themselves and deepened the saga’s themes with their words, actions, and even their costume designs alike. In particular, Star Wars fans love to say the best quotes from these characters, most of which are iconic.

Some Star Wars dialogue may be meme-worthy silliness or throwaway one-liners, but the best quotes say a lot about the heroes and what they stand for, and that’s what fans remember the most. Typically, Star Wars‘ heroes will say inspiring, heartfelt things that make audiences feel good, while the villains say sinister but throught-provoking things to make them that much scarier. Some Star Wars quotes might even describe not just the speaker and their friends, but encapsulate what makes this entire saga so endearing.

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10 Luke Skywalker: “I Am A Jedi, Like My Father Before Me.”

Protagonist Luke Skywalker sometimes had whiny or funny dialogue about visiting Tosche station to pick up power converters, but he also had wise things to say as a budding Jedi. In 1983’s Return of the Jedi, Luke surrendered to Vader and was brought before Emperor Palpatine, but he refused to turn.

Luke expressed his defiance to Palpatine and the Dark Side with his simple but effective line about being a true Jedi, and nothing else. As a bonus, Luke’s line suggested that he still saw Vader/Anakin as a proper Jedi, not as a twisted Sith Lord, and Vader proved Luke right when he was redeemed in that fight.

9 Han Solo: “Never Tell Me the Odds.”

The gruff rogue Han Solo was always the type to take risks and think his way out of trouble on the fly. He agreed to visit Kessel to get raw coaxium for Dryden Vos despite the danger in one movie, then took on the Empire in the original trilogy even though he could have simply cut and run.

Han’s quote was delivered right before he entered an asteroid field to elude pursuing Imperial ships. His quote showed what a gutsy and bold pilot he truly was, while also alluding to his love of gambling, hence “odds.” After all, Han was the one who played Sabacc against Lando Calrissian to win the Millennium Falcon.

8 Princess Leia Organa: “Someone Has To Save Our Skins. Into The Garbage Chute, Fly Boy.”

The original Star Wars trilogy began princess Leia Organa’s arc as a “damsel in distress,” but that soon changed. Leia was always a fighter who risked her life to support the Rebel cause, and not long after Han and Luke freed Leia from her Death Star cell, she took charge of the mission.

Leia’s quote about the garbage chute said a lot about her. Leia’s action-oriented words made it clear she had leadership skills and a strong will, and she wasn’t the type to mince words, either. Leia was also a hands-on Rebel who didn’t mind improvised solutions to problems, and by calling Han “fly boy,” it was evident she didn’t think much of him at the time.

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7 Obi-Wan Kenobi: “In My Experience, There Is No Such Thing As Luck.”

Obi-Wan Kenobi the aging Jedi had a lot of one-liners in the prequel Star Wars trilogy, but in 1977’s A New Hope, Obi-Wan had some truly wise things to say. Fans often quote him on “these aren’t the droids you’re looking for,” but he also had deeper lines, such as his line about luck.

Obi-Wan dismissed the idea of luck, and sure enough, none of Star Wars‘ heroes ever succeeded or failed because of sheer chance. They either became great because of their wisdom and actions, or they failed because of their foolishness. Jedi like Obi-Wan knew that the Force had important destinies in mind for everyone, and he was right.

6 Yoda: “Do Or Do Not. There Is No Try.”

Jedi Master Yoda’s best lines came from 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, when he trained Luke Skywalker on Dagobah. Yoda made it clear that Jedi aren’t merely about good intentions or combat — Jedi focus on the wisdom of the Force and confidently do good for others.

Luke promised to try and lift his X-wing fighter out of Dagobah’s swamp with the Force, but Yoda corrected him. Either Luke would succeed or fail, and what Luke considered “trying” was really the process of finding out whether he could do it or not. According to Yoda and the Force itself, “try” and “maybe” are illusions.

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5 Darth Vader: “You Have Controlled Your Fear. Now, Release Your Anger. Only Your Hatred Can Destroy Me.”

The villainous Darth Vader had countless iconic quotes in the original Star Wars trilogy, including his comments on Imperial officers’ lack of faith or revealing that he was Luke’s father. One of Vader’s best quotes was in The Empire Strikes Back, when he faced his son in a lightsaber duel in Cloud City.

At the time, Darth Vader wanted to turn Luke to the Dark Side, and his quote made that fact chillingly clear. In addition, Vader was speaking from the heart, already having personal experience with facing fear, releasing anger, and using hatred as a source of villainous strength. However, that only brought Vader misery, and then he wanted the sake for Luke, all because Palpatine demanded it.

4 Rey: “You Underestimate Skywalker And Ben Solo And Me. It Will Be Your Downfall.”

In many ways, the scavenger turned Jedi simply named Rey echoed Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, including her zero-to-hero arc and her direct confrontations with powerful Sith Lords. Like Luke before her, Rey was pressured to embrace the Dark Side to gain power and realize her destiny, but her will was stronger.

Rey spoke this defiant quote to Supreme Leader Snoke in 2017’s The Last Jedi. Her words were prophetic, since Snoke’s overconfidence meant his guard was down when Kylo Ren lethally turned on him. Also, Rey mentioned Kylo Ren by his original name, Ben Solo, proving that she had faith Kylo Ren would return to his original Jedi self, which he eventually did.

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3 Finn: “We’re All In This. Until The End.”

Stormtrooper FN-2187 switched sides and helped his Resistance friends fight back against the First Order. He was always a good-hearted person who secretly rejected the First Order’s brutal ways, while the power of friendship and hope spoke to him on a much deeper level.

Finn’s simple but impactful quote also reminded Star Wars fans that above all, this franchise is about swashbuckling fun and adventure, setting it apart from grittier or more serious sci-fi franchises like Aliens or Star Trek. That optimistic, friendly spirit encapsulated all that makes Star Wars fun, and it also described the attitude of not just the Resistance, but the original Rebel Alliance.

2 Jyn Erso: “Trust Goes Both Ways.”

Jyn Erso was introduced as a pragmatic, unsentimental outlaw in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, like an even more dejected version of Han Solo. She lived for herself for a time and trusted no one, but then Jyn met the Rebel hero Cassian Andor and K-2SO on Wobani, and joined the Rebel cause for real.

Jyn spoke this simple quote about trust, and it meant a lot, coming from her. Jyn had never trusted anyone before, but if she was ready to trust the Rebels, that showed some growth. Most of all, Jyn expected trust from others in return, meaning she was trustworthy, too. She needed more than a mutual goal to cooperate with someone — their hearts had to align.

1 Darth Sidious: “Only Through Me Can You Achieve A Power Greater Than Any Jedi.”

Emperor Sheev Palpatine, who also went by Darth Sidious, had many sinister and cruel lines in most of the Star Wars movies, often to Anakin and Luke. In the prequel movies, Sidious earned Anakin’s trust and presented himself as a helpful, sympathetic friend whom Anakin could trust with even the most personal matters.

Sidious delivered this line to win Anakin over to the Dark Side, but he wasn’t being too blunt about it. Sidious’ intent was to create Darth Vader the apprentice, but he packaged it as a half-true offer to help Anakin. What Sidious said was technically true, but he also withheld some information that led Anakin to believe he was doing the right thing — which he was not.