20 Quotes From 'Star Wars' Movies That Literally Rule, Ranked

Admiral Ackbar it's a trap
Admiral Ackbar in 'Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi' | 20th Century Fox
Admiral Ackbar in 'Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi' | 20th Century Fox

Need to read the best Star Wars quotes you do. That anyone is able to understand that sentence is a testament to the lasting impact of the Star Wars movies. For me, the Star Wars movies hold the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything (shoot, I'm mixing my galaxies), or at minimum pack in romance, sarcasm, heartbreak, drama and every emotion in between. Like Star Wars GIFs, their wide appeal is why so many people deploy them in everyday life and inevitably get them tattooed on their bodies. To get you excited for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, I present to you the definitive best (i.e., my favorite, an objective measure of brilliance in my household) quotes from the movies collectively known as the "Skywalker Saga."

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20. "I don't know who you are or where you came from but from now on you'll do as I tell you, okay?"

Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope 
There's nothing I love more than a woman standing up for herself and taking no prisoners. And as soon as Princess Leia is faced with the team of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo she lays down the law with the incredible delivery of this line. I think of this quote whenever someone replies all on a work email asking a question I just answered. Read the email, Greg, and from now on you'll do as I tell you!

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19. "So this is how liberty dies… with thunderous applause."

Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith
This line is delivered by Padmé Amidala after the announcement of the formation of the Galactic Empire to, you guessed it, thunderous applause. And it would have been a line I only found chilling in the context of my Star Wars pals had the last Presidential election not gone as it did. I'm not going to make the direct leap to "our lives are exactly Star Wars and here's why" or anything like that but it's a line I've come back to frequently since 2016.

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18. "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious."

Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope 
Of course Obi-Wan is referring to Mos Eisley Spaceport in this quote. But what I like about it is how versatile it is. Vegas? You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. A YouTube comment section? You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. The folder of Instagram DMs from people you don't follow? You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. 

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17. "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…"

Every Star Wars movie
This is, hands down, the most iconic and familiar opening in movie history by this point. Once you see that scroll, you know exactly what you're in for. It's very popular to use Old Rose from Titanic saying "it's been 84 years…" to express feeling old and reminiscing (and I'm sure I've done it too) but I think we can all admit this is the winner when it comes to lamenting the passage of time. Try using it next time you're posting a #tbt, I guarantee it will go over a lot better.

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16. "Chewie, we're home."

Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens
This line just sticks with me. It's sometimes-too-tough-for-his-own-good Han Solo, speaking to Chewbacca, as they re-enter the Millennium Falcon. He's expressing real emotion! He misses his ship! He's a new man after all these years! The line appeared in one of the teaser trailers to The Force Awakens and since that moment I've been using it for everything. I'll say it to my husband as we enter our apartment after a weekend away, I've used it to caption a picture of my favorite diner from back home, and I thought it the entire time I was in Tokyo for the first time.

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15. "That's no moon." 

Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope 
"...It's a space station." Obi-Wan sets us up with the perfect, simple, chilling phrase in "A New Hope." My favorite part of this quote might be Han's face as Obi-Wan's delivering this line. Or I might just love this quote because it's coming from Alec Guinness (Genuine Class for you Simpsons fans). I've seen this phrase pop up on a lot of pregnancy shirts (where the unborn child is the Death Star) and I've seen it pop up in real life whenever some large thing in the sky looks like a moon but isn't (it's usually some big round thing that I have no idea what it actually is).

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14. "You are no Vader. You are just a child in a mask." 

Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi
This is just such a brutal burn. Snoke, the Emperor Palpatine of the new trilogy (or maybe actually just still the original Palpatine according to some redditors), says this to Kylo Ren, the Darth Vader of the new trilogy and also Darth Vader's grandson. So poor Kylo is seduced by the Dark Side, he's like, lemme do right by my grandpa, and then Snoke is like you're nothing compared to Vader. Way harsh, Snoke. I also love this line because it'd be a cool thing to say to your kid if they were dressed as Darth Vader for Halloween. Maybe that's just me.

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13. "No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try."

Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back
This quote is perfect for all situations which is why it's quoted all the time. Yoda is trying to train Luke on Dagobah while R2D2 beeps around, but sadly, Luke is not having an easy time training to be a Jedi (It's exactly like watching Sandra Bullock train to be in a pageant in Miss Congeniality) and Yoda instantly snarks this line back to him. I'm not sure I agree with the sentiment of it but I do like any chance I get to speak like Yoda, so. (Look out for my Halloween costume in 2021, our baby will be Yoda in a backpack carrier, my husband will be Luke and somehow, I will be R2D2.)

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12. "I know how to run without you holding my hand!"

Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens
I love a woman who puts boundaries on the men in her immediate vicinity. Rey has just met Finn, they're running for their lives and he's trying to steer her as they run. It's a relatable feeling for anyone who's being tied down by someone not as good as themselves and also just the mechanics of what's actually happening are so absurd. Why would you grab someone's hand to run as fast as you can? Now you're slowing both of us down! This is the perfect reaction to anyone who tries to inaccurately correct you on Twitter. A way to say, "I got this" but with a flourish.

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11. "I'm rather embarrassed, General Solo, but it appears that you are to be the main course at a banquet in my honor."

Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi
If there's one thing I love it's a neurotic, gold droid. I love everything surrounding the events that make this quote possible. I love C-3PO's over-politeness and frankness, I love that he's not offering a solution to the fact that Han is going to be barbecued, and I love his one of voice in any situation. It's the perfect emoticon shrug guy of statements.

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10. "But I was going into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters!"

Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope 
I was never a big fan of Luke in the original trilogy (I even bought a button off Etsy that says, "Luke is a putz") and part of it was the whine he uses in this line. He doesn't want to clean these droids, he wants to go into Tosche Station, Uncle Owen! It's great and you can use this line for anything you don't want to do. Do the dishes??? "But I was going into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters!", you might whine. And you'd at least get a laugh.

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9. "Boring conversation anyway…" 

Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope 
Han Solo is rugged, he's gruff, he's cocky, he's a cowboy, but he is not a spy. He's gone undercover as a Stormtropper and is trying to chat over the coms as if everything is cool. But once they directly ask who he is and what is his operating number he blasts the speaker rather than continuing the conversation. This exchange is basically an entire encapsulation of Han Solo in three words.

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8. "Let the Wookiee win." 

Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope 
Wookiees might pull your arms from their sockets if they lose at Dejarik - but also probably any game. This is what Han teaches C-3PO about Chewbacca. So C-3PO makes the obvious decision to tell R2D2: "Let the Wookiee win." Honestly this is great for any board game scenario because calling someone a Wookiee is probably always an insult. This scene is always a little strange now because of the later-added holographic element but I'll let it slide because the sentiment is solid.

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7. "These aren't the droids you're looking for."

Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope 
And finally we get to the Jedi mind trick. Obi-Wan hides the exact droids the Stormtroppers are looking for just with a wave of his hand and a little Jedi mind bending. This quote has absolutely become meme-ified across the internet but is also just perfect to throw anyone off the trail with ease. "These aren't the pizza bites you're looking for, Carol" would be an excellent thing to say in a breakroom to keep Carol from stealing your snack.

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6. "Why you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder."

Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back
There was a point in my life when my AIM profile had two quotes spoken by Carrie Fisher in it. One was from her character Marie in When Harry Met Sally: All I'm saying is that somewhere out there is the man you are supposed to marry. And if you don't get him first, somebody else will, and you'll have to spend the rest of your life knowing that somebody else is married to your husband." And the other was this Princess Leia line. This insult to Han is one of my favorites. The fact that a band then used Nerf Herder as their name is just *chef's kiss.* Special mention to Han's reaction to this insult which is, "Who's scruffy-looking?"

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5. "Laugh it up, fuzzball"

Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back
Han loves Chewbacca but also, as is his custom, he shows affection by constantly mocking Chewie or being annoyed by him. This line comes from Chewie laughing at another hurtful dig by Princess Leia calling Han "laserbrain" and right before she goes on my aforementioned favorite insulte run of quote number 4.

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4. "I love you." "I know."

Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back & Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi
This is one of those Star Wars lines that has completely taken on a life of its own. Did you know Harrison Ford ad-libbed this line? Of course you did! It doesn't make it any less good. Leia says, "I love you" and Han, as he's about to be frozen in carbonite says simply, "I know." it's an incredible move of confidence and I'm sorry but I have to support it (especially because my wedding band is engraved with "I know" and my husband's wedding band has, you guessed it, "I love you"). But I love even more in Return of the Jedi when Leia pulls a Han on Han himself. This time he says "I love you" and she says "I know" and the thing is...Leia and Han get me every single time.

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3. "No. I am your father."

Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back
Obvious inclusion just because it is a line that is possibly most frequently misquoted. Let's get it right, people! The line is perfect as delivered. Darth Vader is like, you don't even know what happened to your dad and Luke's like yeah I think I know enough, you killed him. And then all of a sudden Darth Vader is like, "NO. I am your father." It's gut-wrenching and chilling and though I don't recall a time of my life when I didn't know this information because I feel like I was born watching these movies (and learning the references from Muppet Babies), it still feels new and heart-breaking each time. James Earl Jones' voice definitely helps.

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2. "Never tell me the odds."

Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back
I cannot let this list end without one more Han line. Apparently I love C-3PO and Han pairings because while they're trying to navigate an asteroid field, C-3PO decides it'd be helpful to point out the odds of survival as Han is trying to fly (real chill, dude). And Han's retort of "never tell me the odds" is beautiful and simple and useful for any situation where odds come up, like, getting pulled over for a traffic violation, winning the lottery or, telling you how many spiders you eat in your sleep. Who needs that info? No one. That's who.

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1. "It's a trap!"

Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi
This is the hill I will die on. This is the best, most iconic, easiest to quote Star Wars line in history. It's fun to talk like Admiral Ackbar. It's also fun to watch Admiral Ackbar say this line. It's also, also fun to say this about any email from someone you haven't heard from in over five years. All of these lines are things I personally say all the time and hopefully now you can be as annoying to your loved ones as I am to mine.

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Erin Mallory Long is a writer, TV podcaster and general Funny Person. Follow her @erinmallorylong.