100+ Best Tyrion Lannister Quotes That Define Genius & Wit

"I drink and I know things."

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone."

"The only thing worse than being lied to is knowing you're being lied to."

"Any man who must say 'I am the king' is no true king."

"When you find yourself in bed with an ugly woman, the best thing to do is close your eyes and get on with it."

"I'm not questioning your honor, Lord Janos. I'm denying its existence."

"I'm guilty of being an ugly little beast. Fortunately, that's not a crime."

"By all means, break your fast. It's been hours since you've stuffed your mouth with something."

"You're not going to leave me here, are you? I'm far too pretty for this cell."

"I don't hate you because you're ugly. I hate you because you're stupid."

"The family name means nothing if you don't have the guts to live up to it."

"If I had to give a speech every time I took a shit, I'd be talking all bloody day."

"Power resides where men believe it resides. It's a trick, a shadow on the wall."

"The throne does not make the king. The king makes the throne."

"Chaos isn't a pit. Chaos is a ladder."

"Those who were born great will never understand what it takes to become great."

"The greatest fools are those who think they're clever."

"It's easy to confuse 'what is' with 'what ought to be,' especially when 'what is' has worked out in your favor."

"A good ruler doesn't make peace. A good ruler keeps the peace."

"History is written by the victors, but the dead remember the truth."

"The realm comes first. That's why you serve the realm, not your own pride."

"No sane man would want power. Power is responsibility."

"Kings can be gentle or cruel, but the realm doesn't care. It only cares if they're strong."

"In the game of thrones, even when you win, you lose."

"All dwarfs are bastards in their father's eyes."

"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."

"A lion does not concern himself with the opinions of sheep."

"There's no creature on earth more dangerous than a genuinely kind man."

"The night is dark and full of terrors. But so is the day, if you’re paying attention."

"Even the wisest man cannot see through a black cloak."

"Hearkening to the common folk won’t make them love you. But it might make them follow you."

"People's lives are fragile things. Easily broken."

"The truth is often a bitter brew, but a necessary one."

"Sometimes duty is the death of love."

"A man without friends is a man without power."

"We should get drunk and philosophize. That's what I do whenever I'm sad."

"All my life, women have hated me for my face and my father blamed me for my mother's death. So thank the gods you're not hideous, and you won't be blamed for anything."

"I loved you. You were my sister. You were supposed to protect me."

"Love is more powerful than reason. We all know that."

"She was mine. Mine! And you gave her to the Mountain!"

"I want someone who sees me. Sees me."

"You’d rather die than be married to me?"

"I’m not made for monogamy. I’m not made for marriage either."

"I tried to be a good husband. I tried to love you."

"I’ve always known how to satisfy a woman. Just not how to keep one."

"You don’t choose who you love. That’s why it’s called love."

"I would have died for you. I would have killed for you."

"I know I’m not handsome. But I can be kind. I can be loyal."

"Look at me. Look at my face. Do you think I haven’t heard every possible joke about my nose, my legs, the size of my cock?"

"I will hurt you for this. Not today, not tomorrow, but one day."

"I'm not going to fight you. I'm going to drink, and I'm going to whore, and I'm going to sleep late."

"I survived because I’m a dwarf. They saw me as harmless. They let down their guard."

"The next time I raise my hand, I pray to the gods there’s a crossbow in it."

"I’ve been despised all my life. By my father, by my sister, by half the world. So why should I care what the other half thinks?"

"I'm tired of being pushed around by people bigger than I am."

"They made me monster. Now they want me to pretend I’m not."

"I'm not going to die here. I refuse."

"I've learned to live with pain. I've learned to live with shame."

"I’ve been beaten, betrayed, exiled. But I’m still here."

"I’ll take what comfort I can get. Even if it’s just a bottle."

"A lion does not concern himself with the opinions of sheep. But a lamb must always fear the wolf."

"My own father sentenced me to death for something I didn’t do. How’s that for family loyalty?"

"I am a Lannister. Hear me roar."

"Tywin Lannister is not a man. He’s a fucking stone."

"You are not your father. You don’t have to repeat his mistakes."

"The Lannister name is worth more than gold. But only if we uphold it."

"I may be a dwarf, but I’m still a Lannister. And I’m not going anywhere."

"Family isn’t just blood. It’s who stands by you when the storm hits."

"I defended this family. I ruled in its name. And still, I was cast aside."

"I’ve done terrible things. But I did them for the family."

"You can’t choose your family. But you can choose how you treat them."

"I’ll carry the name with pride, even if they strip everything else from me."

"I’ve been forced to endure the company of worse men than you."

"When the sun rises, even the ugliest things look beautiful."

"I’m not proud of what I’ve done. But I did what I thought was right."

"The law is meant to protect the innocent. But too often, it protects the powerful."

"I’ve seen justice perverted in every court from Casterly Rock to King’s Landing."

"Mercy is not weakness. It’s strength."

"You can’t punish everyone. But you can try to do what’s fair."

"I’ve judged men. I’ve spared men. I’ve condemned men. None of it was easy."

"A trial is only as just as the judge who presides over it."

"I once believed in justice. Now I believe in survival."

"The innocent suffer while the guilty feast."

"I’d rather be a bad man than a fool."

"It's not easy being drunk all the time. If it were easy, everyone would do it."

"The war isn’t won with swords alone. It’s won with minds."

"A battle is easily lost by one mistake. A war is not."

"Fire is a living thing. Respect it."

"The city is yours. Take it. But spare the smallfolk."

"Tactics win battles. Logistics win wars."

"Men will follow a lion. But they’ll follow a clever fox longer."

"You don’t need an army to start a war. You just need a spark."

"The battlefield favors the prepared, not the brave."

"Victory means nothing if the cost is everyone you love."

"A commander who leads from behind inspires loyalty."

"The enemy’s plans are only as good as their weakest link."

"I am not a hero. I’ve never pretended to be."

"I’m not trying to be a good man. I’m trying to be a survivor."

"I’ve spent my life being ashamed of what I am. Now I wear it proudly."

"I’m not proud of all my choices. But I own them."

"I don’t want redemption. I want peace."

"I’ve looked into the abyss. Sometimes, it looks back."

"I’m not a monster. But I’ve done monstrous things."

"I’ve built walls so high, even I can’t climb them."

"I’m not running from who I am. I’m running toward what I could be."

"I’ve disappointed many. Most of all, myself."

"I’m not seeking forgiveness. I’m seeking understanding."

"I’m not broken. I’m battered. There’s a difference."

"I plan to write the definitive history of these times. It will have sex and violence. People will read it for the stories."

"Let future generations wonder how a dwarf became Hand of the Queen."

"I don’t care if they curse my name. Let them. I lived."

"If I die tomorrow, let it be known I lived on my terms."

"History won’t remember me as a hero. But it will remember me."

"I saved cities. I served queens. I defied kings. That’s enough."

"Don’t mourn me. Pour a drink. Tell a dirty joke. That’s how I’d want it."

"I hope they say: 'He wasn’t perfect, but he tried.'"

"Let the tales exaggerate. Let them lie. I earned that."

"I may not have changed the world. But I changed a few lives."

"They said I’d amount to nothing. I proved them wrong."

"I leave behind no children. But I leave behind choices. That’s my legacy."