The life of Arya Stark within Game of Thrones is hardly a pleasant one — she loses her family, one after the other, in different gruesome ways. As such, it is easy to understand why she bears such a fiery grudge against the names mentioned in her list. Although she initially struggles at it, Arya quickly learns how to wield the blade, even proceeding to "intern" with the Faceless Men of Braavos.
Throughout her adventures, Arya comes across a variety of characters and scenarios, each of which helps her forge the direction of her path ahead. However, as much as she learns from others, it is clear that the youngest Stark daughter is quite wise in her own right.
"I'm Not A Lady. I Never Have Been. That's Not Me."
Gendry tells Arya that he isn't "Gendry Rivers... but Gendry Baratheon, Lord of Storm's End." When she congratulates him, he responds by kissing her and telling her he loves her, before proposing to her.
She kisses Gendry back, but gently dismisses his proposal by saying that "any lady would be lucky to have" him, except that she's "not a lady" and has never been one. Audiences agreed with Arya's assessment of herself wholeheartedly — she is nothing like her ladylike sister Sansa (although the latter is strong in her own way).
"Stick Them With The Pointy End."
Jon Snow tells Arya that the main thing to remember about sword fighting is to "stick them with the pointy end," a line that turned into a massively popular meme. As such, Arya says the exact same line to Sansa when the sisters are in Winterfell during the Night King's attack.
The older Stark is resolute, stating that she is "not abandoning [her] people," so Arya gives her a dagger made of dragonglass. The quote is a hilarious, yet poignant, call back to the first season, a favorite with viewers.
"Fear Cuts Deeper Than Swords."
This Arya line appears only in the books, as a lesson taught to her by Syrio Forel, her beloved teacher. Considering that the power dynamics in GoT are not necessarily based on brute strength or economic flamboyance, this quote helps Arya come to terms with her burgeoning identity as a future assassin.
Arya's thought process revolves around being "Swift as a deer. Quiet as shadow. Quick as a snake. Calm as still water. Strong as a bear. Fierce as a wolverine." before concluding with "Fear cuts deeper than swords. Fear cuts deeper than swords. Fear cuts deeper than swords.” Fans understand this notion better than anyone else.
"You're The Worst Sh*t In The Seven Kingdoms."
When the Hound steals money from a poor farmer who helps him, Arya indignantly asks him why he had said that he wasn't "a thief". He coldly responds with "He's weak. He can't protect himself... Dead men don't need silver."
Arya manifests the righteous anger of the show's audience by calling the Hound "the worst sh*t in the Seven Kingdoms." Of course, this makes no difference to Sandor Clegane; he just says that "there's plenty worse than [him]."
"You Know Who I Am."
Meryn Trant is about to realize that the girl he's assaulting is not who he thinks he is, and is understandably shocked upon discovering that it's Arya Stark in her Faceless Man disguise. Before he can react, she puts both his eyes out and gags him with a filthy rag.
She tells Meryn that he is the "first person on [her] list... for killing Syrio Forel." Arya proceeds to ask him if he knows who she is, before stabbing Meryn and saying "you know who I am. I'm Arya Stark." It was a pointed reminder that no matter how much the Faceless Men wanted her to be no one, she would always be Arya Stark.
"Then I Wouldn't Get To Insult Anyone."
During a discussion about knighthood with Hot Pie and Arya, Gendry explains that armor has nothing to do with being a knight. Arya then asks him why the Gold Cloaks are after Gendry, to which he says he doesn't know. She calls him "a liar", so he tells her that she "shouldn't insult people that are bigger than" her.
In her trademark self-effacement, Arya merely tells him that she would never be able "to insult anyone", gently mocking her own stature, a joke that audiences both enjoyed and related to.
"I'm Going To Kill The Queen."
Arya comes across a band of Lannister soldiers who sing a song that she admires, and she stays with them for the night when they give her some food. They have an amicable conversation about their ambitions and desires, with most of the men having accepted their lot in life.
However, when one of them asks why "a nice girl" is "on her own, heading to King's Landing," Arya bluntly states that she's "going to kill the queen." Nobody takes her seriously, of course, but fans knew exactly what's going on in her mind.
"Do I Have To Call You Lady Stark Now?"
When Arya finally makes her way back to Winterfell, the guards at the gate stop her, refusing to believe that she is the real Arya Stark. They inform her that "the Lady of Winterfell, Lady Stark" is in command, so Arya asks them to "tell Sansa her sister his home."
Regardless of what the guards do, she sneaks into the catacombs anyway, which is when she asks Sansa if she has "to call [her] Lady Stark now." This question resonates with viewers, especially because of how quickly Sansa has changed over the course of the past few years.
"Anyone Can Be Killed."
After Tywin worriedly discusses the problems that Robb Stark might create for the Lannisters in King's Landing, he asks Arya where she is from and what family she belongs to. Thankfully, Arya manages to trick him into thinking that she's from House Dustin in Barrowton, and that they call Robb Stark "the young wolf."
Tywin presses her for more opinions, so she tells him that the Northerners believe that Robb "can't be killed." The Lannister patriarch smugly questions if Arya believes in that philosophy, but she informs him that "anyone can be killed." This indirect threat pointedly reflected audience perceptions of Tywin, as it implies that nobody is above death.
"Winter Came For House Frey"
Walder Frey throws an enormous feast for all his allies, raising a toast with "the finest Arbor gold... for proper heroes," slyly bypassing the fact that his House is far more treacherous than it is heroic. He goes on to cheer his men for the events of the Red Wedding, before curiously telling them that they "didn't slaughter every one of the Starks."
As the Freys begin to choke on their own blood, "Walder" is revealed to be Arya — and she tells the surviving scullery maid to tell everyone "that the North remembers... that winter came for House Frey." Fans were beside themselves in jubilation, having waited to see the destruction of Walder Frey for several seasons.