Every fandom has their own batch of quotes that are quintessential to their following, whether it’s making people laugh or cry. They can often be seen plastered onto home made t-shirts or GIF’d a hundred different ways on Tumblr. Just quoting that one line casually into a conversation is a great way of finding out if there are any other fellow fans amongst you.

Below is a short list of some of the most well known quotes from a variety of different fandoms.

“Winter is Coming.” – ‘Game of Thrones’

I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m kind of crazy about Game of Thrones (or A Song of Ice and Fire for the book purists), and although this is something anyone could say in a regular conversation, I immediately think of Ed Stark whenever I hear it. Even in the latest Doctor Who episode when Ian McKellen says it, I couldn’t help but be jarred out of the show for a minute, wondering whether the writers did that intentionally or if they could somehow not know that it was a famous quote from another successful TV show.

If a quote can take you out of staring at the strange attractiveness of Matt Smith’s face, then you know it is a line that is well worth remembering.

“Luke, I Am Your Father.” – ‘Star Wars’

This quote is not only one of the biggest movie quotes of all time, it is also probably one of the most misquoted. In reality, the actual line is, “No, I am your father”, and then cuts to Luke screaming, “NOOOOOOOOOO!” (Which really needs to be used way more as a reaction GIF on Tumblr.)
However, it is understandable why it’s misquoted all the time. The original just doesn’t pack as much of a punch as the altered version. Not to discredit George Lucas, although most Star War fans do so on a daily basis, but the fans adaptation is better.

“You Shall Not Pass!” – ‘Lord of the Rings’

I knew this reference well before I ever saw the Lord of the Rings trilogy (which was an embarrassingly long time after they were released), a sure sign that this quote is used all the time by fans and non-fans alike. How many times have you or your friends shouted it back at each other while crossing a bridge or stressing out over a test? I’m pretty sure I even used it before I had even seen the movie. It’s a classic, like the Titanic scene. Everybody knows it and does it, whether they’ve seen the original or not.

“Not My Daughter, you Bitch!” – ‘Harry Potter’

This was probably one of the hardest ones to choose from over 7 books and 8 movies! It’s hard to whittle it down to just one. Of course there are a lot of great one-liners, from serious to funny, but this one is memorable simply because it was the first time J.K Rowling swore!
The fact that Molly swore was more shocking than her actually killing Bellatrix. JK’s so posh and British, it was basically like catching the Queen swearing.
It’s also super fun to quote because you can’t get into trouble for saying it; it’s in a “children’s” book!

“I Volunteer! I Volunteer as Tribute!” – ‘The Hunger Games’

Okay, so I’ll admit it. I chose this one based solely on the amount of times I’ve seen it on Tumblr, or have used it underneath any basically good-looking photos of celebrities. But that’s what makes the line so great! Any quote that you can use outside of its original context is guaranteed to be memorable. We live in a highly intertextual society now, and this line is a perfect fit to our referential needs, which earns it the title of the most iconic quote from The Hunger Games.

Obviously, there are many more quotes from so many other great fandoms, and some honourable mentions have to be included: Starkid – “Totally awesome!” and Once Upon a Time – “I will always find you!”

But if there are anymore, which there surely are, leave your favourites in the comments below.

Listen to similar discussions related to pop culture on the podcast Memoirs of a Fangirl.