Jo started out on Grey's Anatomy as an intern with a mysterious past and a lot to prove to her peers. She has since grown into a strong, caring doctor who has overcome a great deal and is admired by many.
Throughout her time on the series, Jo has experienced incredible growth in her character, with many heart-warming and funny moments along the way. However, she has also faced many obstacles, producing some great moments of bravery and strength that in turn offered many memorable quotes.
"I Want The World To Be Good For Once. I Want To See Sun And Be Happy."
- Season 13, Episode 10 "You Can Look (But You'd Better Not Touch)"
With the story of this episode centering around Arizona, Bailey, and Jo visiting a maximum-security prison to help deliver a woman's baby, Jo's quote shines through as a beacon of light. Jo has this realization, after having left the prison, that she wants more for herself than to be confined to the darkness of her past and instead wants to move forward, wherever it may lead her. The scene is moving to watch, as the sentiment truly dawns on her that there is a future for her that can be happy, one that she actually wants.
"I Always Thought There Was Something Wrong With Me, And I Always Wanted To Run. Until I Met You."
- Season 14, Episode 15 "Old Scars, Future Hearts"
Alex and Jo's wedding may be a bitter-sweet memory of what the two could have been if Alex hadn't left, but the sweet vows the two share still hold up. Jo's admission feels unusually vulnerable for her character and showed fans that she had finally found someone who made her want to stay. Whilst Alex and Jo are no more, Jo's realization that there isn't something wrong with her and she is more than worthy of a love that is good is a sweet moment for fans to witness. It showed Jo overcoming a significant hurdle in her own life, and cemented her as a character who is here to stay.
"It Might Be Too Fancy For Me. Oh Yeah, Put Us Down For A 'Maybe'."
- Season 14 Episode 23 "Cold As Ice"
In an episode that switches from light to dark in the blink of an eye, Jo's natural humor resonates significantly. After receiving a copy of their wedding invites from April, Jo quips this line to Alex with care-free reference to her personality not fitting in with their own wedding.
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Whilst the episode follows a car accident that April has been in, Jo's joke is one that fans will remember - not only for the fact that April always goes above and beyond for her friends but also because Jo offers subtle humor suggesting she may not attend her own wedding that lifts some of the tragedy of the episode.
"I Super Do."
- Season 15, Episode 14 "All Of Me"
In another exhibition of Jo's quirky humor, this quote shows her almost child-like glee of finally getting to marry Alex and exemplifies their compatibility with one another. Whilst wedding ceremonies are usually meant to be formal and traditional, Alex and Jo's wedding day proves to be anything but, with many various catastrophes taking place throughout the event. Therefore, when they finally get to stand in front of each other in a spontaneous arrangement, Jo's cute addition to the traditional wedding vows stands out and makes the moment even sweeter.
"I Am Your Chief. Your Boss, Your Commander, Your Overlord, Your Queen. It Means When I Speak, You Listen."
- Season 14, Episode 8 "Out of Nowhere"
Having finally moved up through the command chain in the hospital, Jo is granted the prestigious title of chief resident. Watching Jo comfortably order around her interns feels like a milestone achievement for fans to see - from the shy intern who was running from her troubles to a confident chief resident with purpose and drive to her name. It's a full-circle moment for her character, which of course includes some of her quirky humor to really drive her point home.
"You Don't Deserve Anything. You're A Monster."
- Season 14, Episode 9 "1-800-799-7233"
In a particularly powerful confrontation, fans finally see Jo confront the man she has been running from ever since she joined the hospital. Despite Jo's worries that none of her new friends will see through Paul's lies and fear for herself should she have to see him, she triumphantly confronts him herself, stating words she finally has the courage to. After all that Jo has suffered through, the moment is full of emotional impact and was a significant marker in Jo moving on from her past rather than running from it.
"So There's Light And Darkness And They Both Coexist. And Sometimes It's Really Beautiful."
- Season 14, Episode 10 "Personal Jesus"
When comforting Paul's new partner after his death, Jo beautifully articulates how cruelty can sometimes lead to kindness. Paul's fiancee worries that by donating his organs, someone may somehow end up with part of Paul's evil personality, despite the fact that these organs would be saving a life.
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Jo's words are a powerful statement that sometimes the world isn't linear, nor is it fair. However, in spite of what Paul was like when he was alive, in death he can be something better - light and darkness can exist together, and the result can be something good after all.
"I'm A Freaking Warrior Queen."
- Season 14, Episode 1 "Break Down the House"
Throughout Jo's time on the show, fans have been able to see her character grow stronger and happier - lighter even, as she settles into her life at Grey Sloan. Jo's defiance in this line is a perfect example of this - to be able to take all that she has been through and say such an empowering statement with such joyous confidence is truly a heart-warming moment for Jo. It emphasizes her strength and shows that the battles you fight through don't have to make you weaker - they can make you a warrior.
"I'll Rise So High That I'll Make Him A Fool For Ever Having Left Me, And I'll Do It Because Of How Well You Loved Me."
- Season 16, Episode 17 "Life On Mars?"
Jo's courage after Alex left her is one of her best moments yet. Rather than retreat into her previous tendencies of hiding away from her friends, she utters this powerful quote that proves how much she has grown. It shows how she doesn't regret her relationship with Alex, but more that she will use the pain he has caused to rise higher and to be better, because of him. The sweet inclusion of Alex's love for Jo left fans with a reminder of how beautiful their relationship was before he left and that perhaps there is more waiting for Jo after this.
"You're A Survivor. You Survived."
- Season 15, Episode 19 "Silent All These Years"
Jo says this emotional quote to a woman who suffered a harrowing assault and is scared of how to move on. When Jo utters these words to her patient, fans get a sense that she's also saying them to herself - after traveling to meet her birth mother, and finding out why she was abandoned, Jo can finally confront her past and recognize her own survival. The statement helps the woman accept her status as a survivor and moves Jo to ultimately do the same.