With HBO's long-awaited House of the Dragon on the horizon, the Game of Thrones franchise is primed for a big return to the limelight, with the reports of a Jon Snow-led sequel bringing the Starks back to prominence as well. The house of direwolves hailing from Winterfell was one of the few that made great efforts to align themselves with the greater good.
Characters like Ned Stark and Jon Snow provided the show with many showcases of their and the greater house's sense of honor. However, they weren't the only ones as the likes of Robb, Arya, and Sansa had their fair share of memorable quotes that were emblematic of the Stark personality.
"The Man Who Passes The Sentence Should Swing The Sword."
Ned Stark - "Winter Is Coming" (S1.E1).
Despite his short tenure on Game of Thrones, Eddard "Ned" Stark was easily one of the most popular characters. It helps when an actor is as masterful -- and experienced in fantasy works -- as Sean Bean is portraying him, and Ned is perhaps one of the most classic examples of the House Stark ideology.
In the series premiere, he passes on his wise words that those who cast judgment should be equally prepared to carry out the execution. It's a vintage brand of honor that characterized Ned and the House as a whole, with the execution of the deserting Night's Watchmen showing that the family patriarch has a sense of respect toward the law in its purest form (though also a bit naive) as well as humanity. However, this case of desertion did turn out to be justified and his death -- unbeknownst to Ned -- unjustified.
"I Followed You Into War, Twice, Without Doubts, Without Second Thoughts... But I Will Not Follow You Now."
Ned Stark - "The Wolf And The Lion" (S1.E5).
Of course, Ned Stark's courage and indomitable spirit in fighting for justice were admirable. However, it was also the cause of his downfall. It could also be argued that his sacrifice was naive or that it worked out in the long run, given that the legacy he left behind eventually led Westeros to finally move forward and thwart its true threats.
Ned was best friends with former King Robert Baratheon, but the latter was left a bitter, jaded husk of his old self after Lyanna Stark's death. After seeing Robert tread down a grim path not too dissimilar from the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen, the way he stood up to him was certainly a reflection of House Stark's best personality traits. To this day, Ned's execution remains one of TV's most tragic deaths.
“When The Snows Fall And The White Winds Blow, The Lone Wolf Dies But The Pack Survives.”
Sansa Stark - "The Dragon And The Wolf" (S7.E7).
Though these were originally words of her father Ned, Sansa Stark remembers them in season 7. The Stark children spent much of their young lives tragically ripped apart from one another following Ned's unraveling of the Lannisters' bloody political conspiracy that set Game of Thrones' main plot in motion.
They were wise words to remember, as with the house's symbol being the direwolf, Sansa and co. had to keep in mind more than ever before that they are strongest together. Season 8's disappointing conclusion left this out after such a brief spell back together, but perhaps it's something worth revisiting in the Game of Thrones sequel with Jon.
"The North Remembers."
Various Starks, Several Episodes.
Perhaps barring the Starks' famous house words, "The North Remembers" is the most unforgettable saying that is synonymous with the family. It was unfortunately elevated to new heights due to a gruesome tragedy in the form of the Red Wedding -- orchestrated by Tywin Lannister, Roose Bolton, and Walder Frey -- but it became an incredible rallying cry for House Stark and all their allies in the North.
The words have been said by several of the house's family members, including the Red Wedding's victims in life, but they became symbolic of the nobility and reputation behind the house and the support of their loyal Northern comrades (even if the phrase wasn't explicitly about the Starks when conceived).
"When Enough People Make False Promises, Words Stop Meaning Anything... There Are No More Answers, Only Better And Better Lies."
Jon Snow - "The Dragon And The Wolf" (S7.E7).
Jon Snow developed into one of Game of Thrones' most beloved characters alongside the likes of Daenerys Targaryen (proving to be a modern pop-culture fantasy and heroic icon). Should the aforementioned sequel series develop as intended, it could give Jon a much better ending than the anticlimactic one season 8 did, but he provided no shortage of powerfully true-to-Stark moments.
For better or worse, Jon was like a grown version of his surrogate father (and brother Robb in terms of ideals) and his refusal to give Cersei what she wanted -- or at least lie about it -- was pure, unfiltered Stark as well as himself. It was frustrating for his ally/lover Daenerys and those with them, but his eloquent reasoning for his Batman-level commitment and unwavering moral code proved honorable at worst, and beneficial in the long run at best.
"If I’m Going To Die, Let It Happen While There Is Still Some Of Me Left."
Sansa Stark - "Mother's Mercy" (S5.E10).
It's hard to point to a character in Game of Thrones that didn't have a grueling and long-running character arc and Sansa Stark was dealt with some particular horrors. She started as an entitled child but gradually matured into a cunning tactician in her own right, learning how to read people, even though her bleak road to get there occasionally fell into gratuitousness.
That being said, her maturity and growth were something worth applauding, and as melancholy as her quote in Mother's Mercy was, it demonstrated her path toward a stronger sense of self that's reminiscent of a Stark at their best. While the conclusion was rushed in season 8, as with several characters, seeing Sansa end up as Winterfell's queen has some merit to it.
"A Girl Is Arya Stark Of Winterfell, And I’m Going Home."
Arya Stark - "No One" (S6.E8).
As with many characters in Game of Thrones, there are plenty of things unique to the source material's interpretation of Arya Stark. Nonetheless, she became another fan-favorite character in the TV series, with Arya's cruel separation from her family through tragedy sending her on a globetrotting quest.
It was often fueled by vengeance and eventually led her to try and become an assassin of the cult of the Many-Faced God. Known as Faceless Men, Jaquen H'ghar attempted to train Arya in their ways at her request, before ultimately embracing who she is as a true Stark of Winterfell. Triumphantly, she earned his respect in the process, took his teachings, and still honored the strength in her roots rather than casting them aside.
"All Men Should Keep Their Word, Kings Most Of All."
Robb Stark - "The Rains Of Castamere" (S3.E10).
Robb Stark was another compelling character of the family, also taking after his father in the best and worst of times. Like Ned and his surrogate brother/cousin Jon, these words show that he took the family's moral and noble code to heart (though, in a moment of cruel irony, love is what kept him from keeping his own promise despite arguably being justified in a metaphorical sense).
Regardless, Robb always had the best of intentions in mind even when he stumbled, and that included his desire for justice in a Westeros that's rife with political backstabbing and bloodshed. His late wife helped bring him down to earth, and his demise could also be attributed to a dark world forcing a talented, yet flawed young man into turmoil that should never have happened.