This article contains spoilers for Game of ThronesWith his wit, subtle humor, and seldom role amongst the Lannister family, Tyrion Lannister (played byPeter Dinklage) quickly burst on the scene as a fan favorite character inGame of Thrones, an epic show full of fan favorite characters.Lord Tyrion is the youngest sonof Lord Tywin Lannister and the late Lady Joanna Lannister, and brother to both Cersei and Jaime Lannister. In Westeros, dwarfs are heavily discriminated against, but Tyrion is able to use his intelligence and cunning deception to maneuver himself through the disadvantages, often protecting himself through the birthright of his family name, Lannister, one of the most powerful families in Westeros.
Tyrion is most likely drunk holding a chalice filled with the country’s finest red wine with a prostitute, or several, laying naked in his bed. His sister, Cersei, carries much of the same disdain for him as their father. However, their brother Jaime (played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), has a soft spot for Tyrion, often times protecting him behind closed doors without the knowledge leaking out to Tywin. He may not look like it, but he deeply craves the love and acception of his family. Although he has a strong political position and comes from a family that holds massive wealth and power, Tyrion feels rather lonely at the top and longs for lust, as well as the desire to be useful outside his family name.
His journey through Westeros has made for one of the best individual stories in the series, and uses a combination of humor and wisdom to keep fans of the show longing for the show to circle back around to his story. Here are Tyrion’s top 10 quotes fromGame of Thrones, ranked:
What is the mostGame of Thronesthing ever? Oh, how about, the entire conflict that starts the series spawns from an act of incest? Multiple acts, in fact. Cersei Lannister (played byLena Headey), married to King Robert Baratheon, has three children with her brother Jaime. This little secret is hidden from the public, as it is presented that these children are the sons and daughter of King Robert. Incest is a great sin, and inGame of Thrones, sins come back to haunt those that committed them. In Cersei’s case, this karma comes in the form of her oldest son, and eventual King of the Seven Kingdoms,Joffrey (played by Jack Gleeson).
In a conversation between Tyrion and Cersei, Cersei feels regret for having a sexual affair with Jaime, and sits in sorrow as she believes Joffrey’s violent personality is a direct product of her sins. Despite her deep love for all of her children, she is able to see that there is a clear problem with Joffrey and that he must somehow be tamed. This is one of the few sincere, sympathetic moments between Tyrion and Cersei throughout the entire series. Tyrion, on top of basically claiming that there is no hope for Joffrey, attempts to comfort his elder sister by saying that her other two children, Tommen and Myrcella, are both good-hearted children.
9"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." - Season 1, Episode 2
In theGame of Thronesworld, you need knowledgeable folk as much as you need those to fight the wars on the battlefield. They are a sort of yin and yang to one another. In order for a soldier to properly defeat his or her enemy, they may need a maestor, or a book smart person in general, to help them freshen up any sort of battle strategies. Someone like Tyrion would know the sort of materials an enemy’s weapons are made of, what materials can best counteract it, the terrain of the potential battlefields, the history of past war winners and their battle tactics, etc. This is what Tyrion means when he says this quote.
In the second episode of the series, Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister travel north to the Wall together, where the two have a very intimate conversation. Tyrion goes on to explain how his weapon is his mind and that he needs books to keep it sharp at all times. Jon Snow is quite the opposite: an honorable swordsman, one of the best in all of Westeros.
8"A wise man once said the true history of the world is the history of great conversations in elegant rooms.” - Season 6, Episode 3
In history books, what primarily gets talked about are the battles where many people die. The heroics of a leading general, the downfall of a tyrannical army. However, what gets unnoticed, perhaps for a good reason, is the conversations held by important people in between this brutal clash of bodies. Decisions are made by important people having important conversations (and yes, typically, especially inGame of Thronesa grandiose room, or perhaps an illustrious garden, are the backdrops of such conversations). Tyrion is a wise man, offering this little spec of wisdom to Missandei and Grey Worm, and maybe a tiny bit arrogant, as he admits that he is indeed the wise man who proclaimed such a thing.
7“Once you’ve accepted your flaws, no one can use them against you.” - Season 2, Episode 1
The beautiful thing aboutGame of Thronesand all of George R.R. Martin’s characters is that nobody is perfect. Nobody in this show is your typical hero. Everyone has their flaws and rides the moral line of good and evil, of courageous and cowardly, of loyal and disloyal. Tyrion is no stranger to flaws, as everyone around him since his birth sees his height as a flaw, making him a lesser man incapable of fighting in wars, sitting upon the Iron Throne, etc. As a man, he cannot change his height. He can not magically transform himself into a “normal” man, so why stay dreadful about it? This piece of advice from Tyrion also acts as a reassurance to himself, being a proven example of the quote.
6“Death is so final. Whereas life, ah, life is full of possibilities.” Season 1, Episode 2
This quote comes in a conversation between Tyrion and his brother Jaime. At the end of the show’s pilot episode, Ned Stark’s son Bran (played by Isaac Hempstead Wright) climbs a tower and spots Jaime and Cersei having sex on top of it. In fear of the boy spilling the beans to the rest of town (and more importantly, his father and Hand of the King), Jaime kicks him off the tower. This leaves Bran alive, but crippled. Here, Jaime and Tyrion simply just talk about the condition of the boy. Jaime tries to play it off as if it wasn’t him that delivered the blow, claiming that he would rather die clean and quick as opposed to being disabled the rest of his life. Tyrion disagrees, as he believes life has much to offer, even for someone who may never be able to walk again.
5"In my own bed, at the age of 80 with a bellyful of wine…" - Season 1, Episode 8
Tyrion is one of the biggest comedic reliefs in the show. His humor is quick, sharp, and witty, where he delivers these funny, yet truthful, lines without even breaking a smile, as if his life thus far has prevented him from doing so. In the 8th episode of the first season, Tyrion and Bronn, Lord of Highgarden, Master of Coin, travel to the western edge of the Vale where they find themselves trapped by some western tribe, led by a warrior named Shagga, leader of the Stone Crows. Before convincing the terrifying group to build an alliance with him, Tyrion is asked by Shagga how he would like to die. Tyrion then responds in Tyrion fashion, without the lack of truth.
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4“It’s not easy being drunk all the time. Everyone would do it if it were easy.” - Season 3, Episode 10
It is hard to find many scenes inGame of Thrones, especially the early ones, where Tyrion does not have a chalice in his hand, sipping wine. In this scene, he and Podrick (played by Daniel Portman) sit at a table, where Tyrion practically challenges Podrick to a drinking contest. Podrick is a knight of House Payne,he started off as a squire in King’s Landingbefore being appointed to accompany Tyrion at all times. There’s a reason he is a squire: he is not man enough to wield a sword and not man enough to drink like a hog. He struggles to keep up with Tyrion’s pace, who can gulp an entire glass of wine in one, large swig.
3"Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor and it can never be used to hurt you." - Season 1, Episode 1
Tyrion and Jon Snow has something in common: they are both ostracized based on their births. Tyrion was born a dwarf, while Jon was deemed to be a bastard child, hence the name “snow” which is a cruel name given to bastards of the north. Tyrion has thick skin and refuses to let the injustices of his treatment affect him negatively. He did not choose to become a dwarf, so why sit and dwell and sob over something that is not under your control? In this quote during the pilot episode, Tyrion simply just offers Jon Snow some advice, feeling that he can relate to Jon’s public frustration.
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2"I wish I was the monster you think I am! … I’m guilty of a far more monstrous crime. I’m guilty of being A dwarf." - Season 4, Episode 6
“The Laws of Gods and Men” is perhaps the most important episode for Tyrion. The youngest child of Tywin Lannister is on trial for the assassination of King Joffrey Baratheon at his wedding feast. This was a false accusation, of course, but at the time of the murder, Tyrion was the only suspect, holding the former King’s chalice after he choked to death from poison. Tyrion’s father Tywin is leading the trial and has the ultimate say on Tyrion’s future fate.
The tension between Tyrion and Tywin has lasted since Tyrion’s birth, which led to the death of his mother. The combination of that with Tyrion being a dwarf has long made Tywin ashamed to call Tyrion a son. This was Tywin’s attempt to make it right with the Gods, as he sees fit. After bringing up Shae, a prostitute and former lover of Tyrion, to the stands as a witness, this unleashes perhaps the greatest rant inGame of Throneshistory, one where Tyrion finally stands up for himself and shows that his dwarfism does not make him any less of a man.
1"That’s what I do: I drink and I know things" - Season 6, Episode 2
Practically every character has a quote that even people who have not seenGame of Throneshave probably heard.Daenerys Targaryen has, “I’m not going to stop the wheel. I’m going to break the wheel,“Ned Stark has the haunting and unknowing “Winter is coming,“and the Wildling Ygritte with perhaps the most famous of all, “You know nothing, Jon Snow.”
“I drink and I know things” is that for Tyrion Lannister. It is a perfect quotable and an even more perfect representation of Tyrion as a character. Unironically, if someone asked to describe Tyrion as a character, they would simply say he is a dwarf, he drinks, and he knows things. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.
The context comes when Tyrion is in Meereen, serving as Hand of the Queen to Daenerys Targaryen. He is appointed by Dany to keep the city peaceful and govern properly while she is away. Two of Dany’s advisors, Missandei and Greyworm, express their skepticism of Tyrion’s ability to govern a place like Meereen, given his background as a wealthy nobleman. This elicits a response from Tyrion that will stand the test of time forever.
