As a child in the Naruto franchise, Hinata Hyuga is painfully shy around others and incredibly timid in a fight. She's been told so many times that she's not good enough to be a shinobi that it sinks in. Her admiration of Naruto Uzumaki actually helps her overcome her own fears and put herself out there.
In fact, most of her early lines of dialogue in the series center around that admiration for Naruto. Not all of her most memorable quotes are about him though. They're also about her family, her courage, and her decision to not give up on her path to become a ninja.
Hinata Feels Guilt For Losing Her Sister
"I'm a terrible big sister, aren't I?"
In The Last Naruto The Movie, one of the best Naruto movies, the audience gets to know Hinata quite a bit more beyond her being scared to speak up. So does Naruto as the two work together to retrieve her little sister after Hanabi is kidnapped. Hinata spends her downtime on the mission knitting a scarf, which is secretly for Naruto. It's something to keep her busy, but it's also something that makes her feel guilty.
When she worries that she's a bad sister, she voices her concern to Naruto, who reassures her that she's not. Hinata and Hanabi, after all, have only reconnected recently. As a child, Hinata was essentially disowned by her father, who didn't believe she had what it took to maintain the Hyuga legacy. Naruto doesn't fully absolve her of guilt, as Hinata eventually goes on to take her sister's place in the kidnapping situation.
Naruto Gives Her Courage
"When I watch you, I feel strong, like I can do anything - like even I am worth something."
Hinata's self-worth takes quite a beating as a kid. Her father has no confidence in her and she gets teased for her shyness by her classmates. She repeatedly sees Naruto put himself out there though, no matter what anyone says about him.
It's his confidence (and sometimes impulsivity) that helps her realize that she can do anything she puts her mind to. She might not ever be the strongest shinobi in the world, but with a lot of hard work, Hinata more than proves that she can be powerful.
Hinata Is Very Protective Of Naruto
"I won't let you lay another finger on Naruto!"
Despite Hinata's shyness around him (she faints when he attempts to talk to her), Hinata is fiercely protective of Naruto. In filler episodes and canon events from the manga alike, she stands up to incredibly powerful villains to protect him.
She goes up against Guren in the anime filler, a woman who can encase people in crystal with a specialty jutsu. Hinata faces off against Pain when Naruto is subdued with chakra rods. As an adult, she even attempts to save Naruto when he's taken by Otsutsuki clan members in Boruto. She always stands up for him.
Hinata Recognizes Neji As A Hyuga Victim
"I can see that you are suffering more than me... you are the one who is confused and suffering inside the fate of the head and branch families."
Hinata might be ridiculed by her father as a child, but she doesn't carry the same animosity in her that her cousin Neji does. Though she's timid, Hinata stands up to Neji when they have to fight for the Chunin Exams, and she recognizes that he's suffering even more than she is thanks to their family.
Neji lost his father because his father volunteered to go in Hinata's father's place on a mission and was killed. He believes for most of his childhood that Hinata's father forced his to do it, and he blames the head family for his loss. Eventually, he finds out that he was wrong, but for a long time, his grief and anger are aimed at Hinata.
Hinata Develops A Ninja Creed
"...Never ...go back ...on my word ...because... that's... my ninja way, too!"
During her Chunin Exams battle with Neji, Hinata refuses to give up. While most of the audience is worried for her life, Hinata pushes on. She's committed to the fight and feels like she can't just go back on her word. She's injured so severely that she can barely get the words out, but she still manages to say them and surprise the audience.
That idea is one she takes from Naruto, whose creed is essentially the same throughout the series. Hinata adopts it as her own, and that's part of the reason she is so determined to become a better shinobi following the exams.
Hinata Wants So Badly To Prove Herself
"Was I able to change myself... even a little?"
Hinata becomes so obsessed with the idea of "changing herself," of becoming a better shinobi, that she is nearly killed by Neji during their match-up. It's only due to the intervention of their teachers that Neji doesn't kill his own cousin.
Despite how grave her situation is, all Hinata can think about as she's taken to see a medical ninja is whether or not she proved herself, if she changed even a little bit in the eyes of everyone else. It's a heartbreaking moment, and it also leaves a lot of the other students shaken in regards to their own battles.
Hinata Sees The Value In Mistakes
"You make mistakes, But because of those mistakes... you get the strength to stand up to them. That's why I think you are truly strong!"
Hinata voicing one of the reasons she admires Naruto isn't just about Naruto. She notices, especially in their younger days, that he isn't a particularly skilled ninja yet. He makes a lot of mistakes because he lacks knowledge and foresight. In her eyes, that's fine, because he learns.
Hinata understands that in order to learn and move forward, mistakes are going to be made. Seeing that in action, and seeing how someone like Naruto progresses as a shinobi as a result, makes her more willing to push forward, to try, and to make mistakes of her own that she can learn from.
Hinata Is Determined
"Failure is not an option."
Of course, by the time the Fourth Shinobi World War rolls around, Hinata knows that the time for learning from mistakes is over. The allies can't afford to fail, learn from it, and try again. When the rest of her peers are worried about failure, it's Hinata who tells them all that isn't an option for them anymore.
Hinata actually gives a few speeches during the war about perseverance and having to succeed. While there is a large number of the audience that might believe Hinata never lived up to her full potential, her time in the war shows that she does. Hinata is no longer meek and holding back, but secure in her own power, and encouraging others to do all they can as well.
Hinata Reminds Naruto What They're Fighting For
"Neji just said... that your life is not just your own anymore... Do you understand what he meant?"
Naruto has always fought to defend the village, his friends, and even random people he meets in his travels. He's never been one to just walk away. After Hinata and Neji protect him during the Fourth Shinobi World War though, and Neji dies for them, Naruto has a rare moment of self-doubt, and he seems ready to just give himself up.
It's Hinata who makes Naruto realize that giving up is no longer an option for him. Naruto has become the symbol of hope for their people. Whether he wants to be or not, he's made himself responsible for all of them, and Hinata recognizes that he has a duty to finish out the war, no matter what happens.
Hinata Admits She Loves Naruto
"I always chased after you... I wanted to catch up to you... That is why I'm not afraid to die protecting you. Because I love you!"
Though Hinata and Naruto wouldn't become a couple until The Last Naruto The Movie, Hinata had the courage to admit her feelings once during the series - when she stood up to Pain. Naruto doesn't truly understand the gravity of Hinata's words at the time, but she does.
Hinata never talks about what she says again, but she willingly stands between someone she knows she can't beat and an injured Naruto to buy him time to recover. She knows that if the fight progresses, she'll die, but she's willing. It's another heartbreaking moment for Hinata, but one that shows everyone around them that she's not just a shy girl with a crush.