Harry Potter encounters some wonderful people during his time at Hogwarts. Rubeus Hagrid is one, with the half-giant always looking out for the young student. Hermione Granger is another, befriending the wizarding world's most famous celebrity after a rocky beginning to their relationship. But Ron Weasley is the very best of the lot, sticking by his friend through thick and thin and becoming immensely iconic as a result of his loyalty.
Ron is funny, too, often providing comic relief, even when things are at their darkest. These are just a few of his best quotes, with both the books and movies considered.
"She Needs To Sort Out Her Priorities."
In The Sorcerer's Stone blockbuster, the main trio is appalled at the discovery of Fluffy the Three-Headed Dog. They encounter the shocking beast while attempting to run away from the loathsome Argus Filch, who loves getting students in trouble. And when they're safely back at Gryffindor Tower, Hermione rounds on Harry and Ron, saying she's off to sleep before they get her "... killed or worse, expelled."
It's here that Ron hilariously murmurs that Hermione should sort out her priorities, and with good reason. While being expelled from Hogwarts would be bad, getting mauled to death would be considerably worse. Hermione is clever - but this was a moment of foolishness on her part.
"Oh, I'm So Glad We Know What It's Called, That's A Great Help."
Sarcasm is synonymous with the character of Ron, who can't help himself at times. And he uses it to great effect when being suffocated to death by Devil's Snare, the deadly plant that's placed at the trapdoor to prevent Nicolas Flamel's stone from being acquired by any wrongdoers in the first book and movie.
Hermione politely informs Ron of the plant's name and that's when he snaps, uttering the words above. He later loses his temper when his friend suggests she can't start a fire - when she's got a magic wand in her hand. The duo later ends up together, but it was clear they could barely stand each other, to begin with.
"Percy Wouldn’t Recognize A Joke If It Danced Naked In Front Of Him Wearing Dobby’s Tea Cozy."
Ron gets on pretty well with all of his siblings. He looks up to Bill and Charlie, puts up with the shenanigans of Fred and George while also acting as a protector of Ginny, especially during her early years at Hogwarts. But one member of his family he doesn't exactly see eye to eye with is Percy.
So when he jokingly takes aim at Percy's sense of humor, it's the difference between the two brothers in a nutshell. Percy is on the straight and narrow - too much for Ron's liking - and later falls out with his family over Harry's claim Voldemort has returned. Fortunately, the future Ministry of Magic employee realizes he's in the wrong and joins his family in the Battle of Hogwarts.
"Why Spiders? Why Couldn't It Be 'Follow The Butterflies?'"
In The Chamber of Secrets movie, Ron and Harry see Hagrid carted off to Azkaban after being wrongly accused of being behind the spate of attacks on muggle-borns that year. Before he leaves, though, the half-giant tells the pair to "follow the spiders" if they want to learn more about when the Chamber was opened the first time around.
And this is when Ron amusingly vents his fury, asking why they couldn't have followed something nicer, like butterflies, instead. Their journey takes them to Aragog in the Forbidden Forest, who nearly kills them. Luckily the intervention of Arthur Weasley's flying Ford Anglia sees them saved from a terrible fate.
"I Hate Being Poor."
Ron can certainly be easy to dislike at times. In the Goblet of Fire, he doesn't believe Harry when the Boy Who Lived insists he didn't put his name into the magical object for participation in the Triwizard Tournament. And he also falls out with Harry in the Deathly Hallows novel, allowing Voldemort's locket Horcrux to influence his mood and cause friction in their relationship.
What it boils down to, though, ultimately, is jealousy. And when Ron says he "hates being poor" in the fourth book, it pretty much sums up why he feels so inadequate. He utters these words at the Quidditch World Cup when Harry buys him Omnioculars to watch the game, with Ron not having the finances required to make the purchase.
"I Want To Fix That In My Memory Forever. 'Draco Malfoy, The Amazing Bouncing Ferret.'"
During Ron's time at Hogwarts, he's frequently picked on by Draco Malfoy. The Slytherin student aims digs at the youngest Weasley boy over all manner of things: from his lack of money to his questionable Quidditch skills. Yet Ron has a moment to enjoy in the fourth book and movie when his enemy is transformed into a ferret by Barty Crouch Jr, who is disguised as Alastor Mad-Eye Moody.
Harry and Hermione attempt to engage Ron in conversation about the incident in the aftermath, but Ron shuts them down. It's a rare moment when Malfoy is the one humiliated, instead of himself. And it's clear Ron wants to savor every last second of it, which is understandable.
"Those Muggle Nutters That Cut People Up?”
Ron and Harry come from two very different backgrounds. The former was raised by wizards and witches, therefore isn't really shocked by much when he gets to Hogwarts. Harry, meanwhile, spent his childhood being brought up by the vile Dursley family - who keep him in the dark about his roots until the events of The Sorcerer's Stone.
And the contrast is evident in the Order of the Phoenix when they're talking about St Mungo's Hospital. Ron labels doctors as "muggle nutters," showing his intolerance towards anything non-magic. In the wizarding world, medical professionals are called "healers" instead - which does make sense given that's their job.
"Are You That Bad At Kissing?"
Friends can make difficult situations easier to handle with their humor. Ron is a perfect example of this, using his golden personality to make light of the fact that Cho Chang was crying when she and Harry shared a kiss in the Room of Requirement in the Order of the Phoenix.
Ron quips that Cho was crying because Harry was kissing her, rather than because she still feels sad following the heartbreaking death of Cedric Diggory. Harry and Cho do date for a bit during the novel, but end up calling things off after a date in Hogsmeade goes appallingly.
"And That's The Second Time We've Saved Your Life Tonight, You Two-Faced Bastard."
Another example of Ron's great sense of humor is in the Deathly Hallows book. At the battle of Hogwarts, Ron sees Draco Malfoy pleading with Death Eaters - despite saving his life earlier on. Harry and Ron then take action, removing the Death Eater from Draco's path, with the latter then punching him in the face.
It's a great moment for the redhead, allowing him to physically attack Draco without consequence after many years of tension. Malfoy later switches allegiances and he and his family are spared from Azkaban after Narcissa helps Harry play dead in front of Lord Voldemort himself.
"It's Me. I'm Extremely Famous."
The Deathly Hallows book ends in a similar fashion to the movie, with Harry, Ron and Hermione escorting their young children to Platform Nine and Three Quarters ahead of their own journeys to Hogwarts. When standing on the platform, Ron and Hermione's children note the number of stares they get.
It's here when Ron jokes that they're looking at him, instead of Harry - the Chosen One, the one actually responsible for Voldemort's destruction. This shows he's become used to being in the shadows and is comfortable with it because he's got everything he needs: Hermione, young children and a fiercely loyal best friend.