50 Epic "Star Wars" Quotes from a Galaxy Far, Far Away

"I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft and smooth."

There, now that we've got that Anakin classic out of the way, we can move on to the fifty-two best Star Wars quotes! We're looking at some of the most memorable lines from Star Wars movies, TV series, and books.

This iconic A New Hope line delivered by Force Ghost Obi-Wan to Luke is instrumental in helping Luke destroy the first Death Star.

Ahhh, Yoda. Always so wise. This Empire Strikes Back line is delivered by Yoga on Dagobah to Luke as a warning of caution about rushing off to Cloud City.

star_wars_quotes — Photo Credit: Lucasfilm

Nobody knows how to Jedi mind trick their way through a Stormtrooper checkpoint like Ben Kenobi. This classic Jedi quote is delivered in A New Hope as Luke and Ben make their way to Mos Eisley.

Leia has some thoughts about Stormtrooper height requirements, and she's not afraid to share them with Luke when he arrives at her Death Star cell in A New Hope.

This line from the excellent Claudia Gray Star Wars novel Bloodline, set several years before The Force Awakens, encapsulates a lot of Leia's concerns about the political situation within the Galactic Senate during the very early days of the First Order.

Ahsoka Tano shares this bit of strategic wisdom in the season 2 Star Wars Rebels finale, "Twilight of the Apprentice."

Leia knows the best way to hide on a Death Star in A New Hope.

While doling out a fatal force choke with his 'sorcerer's ways,' Vader delivers this sinister line to some dubious Moffs in A New Hope.

After Lando Calrissian objects to Vader taking Leia and Chewie from Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back, Vader has this snappy response.

An Ewok phrase very loosely translated as "celebration," Yub Nub is a lyric in the rousing song heard during the final scene in the Ewok village of Return of the Jedi. Whip this line out for any Ewok haters out there.

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Heed this warning from Admiral Ackbar in Return of the Jedi.

An iconic line from Princess Leia, delivered by way of a hologram on R2-D2, and the first thing Luke ever hears his sister Leia say.

A chilling line from Obi-Wan, about the sensation he experienced when Vader demonstrated the power of the Death Star on Leia's home planet of Alderaan.

Finn makes the call to run for a "garbage ship" on Jakku while under attack by the First Order. Of course, that garbage ship also turns out to be the Millennium Falcon...

Wise words from Timothy Zahn's 2017 book Thrawn.

Yoda delivers an unflattering but accurate assessment of Anakin's character in The Phantom Menace.

Senator Padme Amidala expresses her horror at watching Palpatine rise, virtually unchecked, from senator to chancellor in Revenge of the Sith.

The ultimate Vader dad joke, delivered in Rogue One as he Force chokes Director Krennic.

Captured rebel pilot Poe Dameron sasses Kylo Ren—and expresses my thoughts about every social interaction—during a raid on a Jakku village in The Force Awakens.

Han Solo reminds Finn that the force isn't a catch-all during The Force Awakens.

An epic battlecry delivered by Stormtrooper FN-3181 (or TR-8R, as he's frequently referred to on the Internet) upon seeing defected Stormtrooper Finn outside of Maz's tavern on Takadana.

Maz Kanata is shameless about her affection for Chewie in The Force Awakens, and we love her for it. Someone find Maz's boyfriend for her! She loves that Wookie!

The mantra of Guardian of the Whills monk Chirrut Îmwe during times of strife in Rogue One is epic and unyielding.

Saw Gerrera's final words to his adopted daughter Jyn Erso before NaJheda is destroyed are a haunting reminder of the struggle between fascism and freedom that is at the heart of Star Wars.

The Thrawn trilogy, also known as the Heir to the Empire trilogy, is no longer canon, although Thrawn himself is. Regardless, this quote from the first book in the trilogy perfectly encapsulates Grand Admiral Thrawn's tactical brilliance, and deserves a spot on this list.

A mortally ill and ridiculously old Yoda still has sass in Return of the Jedi.

This iconic exchange between Leia and Han immediately before Han is frozen in carbonite in The Emperor Strikes Back warms the hearts of nerds everywhere.

Han has no use for C-3PO's pessimistic calculations in A New Hope.

C-3PO is characteristically snooty to R2-D2 soon after meeting Luke on Tatooine in A New Hope.

Moisture farm boy Luke is full of swagger when he arrives at Leia's cell to save her from captivity on the Death Star. Of course, she's the one who really wound up saving Luke.

One of the most famous Star Wars quotes and most iconic lines in movie history, period. We might take this line for granted now, but the thought of hearing it for the first time in theaters, long before it became a universal pop culture reference, is absolutely goosebump-inducing.

One of my personal favorite lines in Star Wars, C-3P0 says this on reuniting with Han and Chewie in The Force Awakens. But why would having a red arm render him unrecognizable? What happened to the arm? Why does 3P0 think anyone cares about the arm with the First Order wreaking havoc across the galaxy? All these questions are answered in Star Wars books and comics, but they make for a pleasingly bizarre moment of comedy in the movie.

Luke delivers this line while in the Ewok village on Endor, subtly revealing to Leia that she is his own flesh and blood.

Leia is full of nothing but piss and vinegar for her tormentors while captured on the Death Star in A New Hope.

'Old Ben' pauses upon hearing himself referred to as Obi-Wa Kenobi in A New Hope.

Han, such a maverick! Upon being cautioned not to go outside at night on Hoth in search of Luke, Han heads out on a lone tauntaun, telling a rebel guard 'I'll see you in hell' when warned the rescue mission will mean certain death. Bad. Ass.

Cassian Andor, reminding Jyn in Rogue One that she isn't the only one who has lost people she loves.

Said by the majority of characters, in the majority of the movies.

Yoda challenges Luke to lift an X-Wing out of a Dagobah swamp inThe Empire Strikes Back.

I love everything about the scene where Yoda and Luke first meet on Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back, before Luke realizes he is in fact talking to revered Jedi master Yoda and not an irreverent tiny swamp grubber. This line is particularly absurd.

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Han takes objection to Leia's description of him as a "half-wit, scruffy-looking nerf herder" in The Empire Strikes back.

That's just good advice. As Han says in A New Hope, when playing Dejarik (or in any contest, really) it's best to let the Wookie win.

Han has some sarcastic words for Leia after she urges them to escape stormtroopers by fleeing into the garbage chute in A New Hope.

Listen, when you've spent your life bulls-eyeing womp rats and helping out around a moisture farm, I'm sure picking up power converters sounds like a wild time. This is a quintessential whiney Luke line from A New Hope, and I love it.

Han's boast about the Millennium Falcon in A New Hope has inspired countless nerd debates over parsecs as a unit of measurement vs. distance.

This Ahsoka Tano quote from the Season 2 Star Wars Rebels episode "Twilight of the Apprentice" is a powerful representation of her self-awareness and commitment to her own ideals. When the Jedi Order fails her, she leaves it, but remains loyal to the Rebellion.

If you didn't get misty-eyed at the moment Chewie and Han step back onto the Falcon in The Force Awakens, then I don't know what to say to you.

Obi-Wan Kenobi's iconic review of lightsabers in A New Hope.

The final line from Rogue One, spoken by Leia, encapsulates the spirit of the entire Rebellion and the appeal of the Star Wars universe.

This Kylo Ren line demonstrates his commitment to abandoning allegiance to the past and ruling the galaxy as his own person—not simply as a retread of his martyred grandfather Darth Vader, or as a crony of Snoke. With this decree, Kylo has nothing left to lose, and he's not afraid to scorch the galaxy around him and destroy old faces from his past on his quest for power.

In a funny Star Wars quote that is representative of the refreshing irreverence for tradition seen throughout The Last Jedi, Force Ghost Yoda delivers this bit of wisdom to Luke after destroying the Jedi temple and library on Ahch-To. Here, Yoda is reminding Luke that Rey has everything she needs to learn the ways of the Jedi, even without tradition.

With this swagger-filled line from young Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Donald Glover immediately proved he had the charisma and charm to capture the character originated by Billy Dee Williams. Calrissian is one of the most magnetic, but least-explored, characters in the Skywalker trilogies. This line nods to Lando's confidence, and to his knack for exaggerating his own exploits to create a useful mystique around himself and his various shady enterprises.

This snappy Han Solo line from A New Hope is often overlooked, but it’s one of our faves. Outrunning imperial cruisers, the crew of the Millennium Falcon gears up to travel at light speed. They’re running out of time as they’re being bombarded by lasers, but Han Solo knows the importance of precise calculations when commandeering a large ship through hyperspace. Luke is practically breathing down his neck, insisting that he make the jump to light speed already. Han reminds him that doing so is no easy task, certainly unlike “dusting crops.” The look on Luke's face makes it all the more funny as he promptly shuts up.

Padme confesses her feelings for Anakin in this heart-wrenching Star Wars love quote. Her confession takes place in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, just moments before their sentenced execution. Neither of them have any hopes of making it out of the Archduke’s arena alive, so Padme feels it’s only right to tell him how she really feels. They share a kiss before they’re taken away to face off against bloodthirsty beasts. Even while they’re battling for their lives, their love becomes the motivating factor to survive.

Oh, look at that. It made the list anyway.

Featured still from "The Empire Strikes Back" via LucasFilm

Quotes