8 Most Iconic Star Wars Quotes Of All Time

Not technically a single Star Wars quote, this legendary exchange between the feuding, fighting, and ultimately fervid couple is so iconic it has adorned greeting cards and even wedding cakes. As Han Solo is about to be put in carbon freeze toward the end of The Empire Strikes Back, the passionate confession from Leia is met with Han’s confident, stubbornly stoic, yet somehow weirdly romantic reply. To this day, it’s the ultimate way to tell some nerds you really do care.

It’s not the most iconic Star Wars Force quote, but it holds its own as a singularly potent moment. It’s the final instruction from master to student as Obi-Wan Kenobi reaches out from the Force ghost hotel (or wherever dead Jedi go) to remind Luke Skywalker to always trust in the cosmic energy that binds all things at the end of A New Hope. And maybe, we surmise, if the Force is always with Luke, good ol’ Ben will be as well.

Star Wars is rife with ways to quote its most well-known villain-turned-hero, but this moment of quiet, malevolent retaliation stands as a supremely sinister one. After Admiral Motti mocks Darth Vader’s “sad devotion” to the Force, Vader gives him an epic taste of the power he derides, using it to choke the officer nearly to death. Villainous as it is, it’s a moment many a geek has wished they could replicate in response to real-life bullies.

This unintentionally comical Star Wars quote from the fish-faced admiral leading the Rebellion’s charge in The Return of the Jedi has found its way to T-shirts, bumper stickers, and coffee mugs, both in its original form and in parodies (“It’s a Frappe!”). It’s even the title of a Family Guy episode, and a YouTube pop song. No matter how it’s repeated, it will always remind us to look out for subterfuge, wherever it may be hiding.

It’s the Star Wars quote that introduced the name of everyone’s favorite desert wizard into the franchise, back in the original 1977 film. At the end of Princess Leia’s desperate holographic message, hastily recorded and stored in R2-D2 to be delivered to the aged Jedi, she delivers the plea that would echo across fandom for decades to come. Insert your favorite nerd’s name into this line instead of Obi-Wan’s and watch them nobly rise to any task!

It’s the Star Wars quote that has been repeated by many a fan of the franchise now that we have become parents. Spoken by Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, it’s meant to inspire unwavering determination in Luke to follow through and never give up. In everyday life, it’s meant to annoy our kids, who are quick to point out to us that making a good effort is actually worth something, even if we fail at first.

Star Wars quotes don’t get much more iconic—or spoiler-filled—than this one from The Empire Strikes Back. The revelation from Darth Vader that he is indeed Luke’s father Anakin is often misquoted as beginning with Luke’s name, and the shock value of the moment is frequently undermined by its endless repetition in pop culture. The phrase itself has become synonymous with spoilers as the most legendary giveaway of all time of what was originally a big franchise secret.

It’s really the Star Wars quote, standing without rival as the single most recognizable phrase from the franchise. Spoken by many characters in various forms across the films and series, it was first uttered by General Jan Dodonna in A New Hope as he wished the Rebel pilots success in their mission. The phrase is so strongly associated with Star Wars that the fourth day of May has become Star Wars Day, based solely on the wordplay, “May the Fourth be with you.”