The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom feels so much more alive than its predecessor, Breath of the Wild, and that's partly due to the expansive amounts of dialogue. With expanded dialogue comes a lot more NPC lines, some of which are run-of-the-mill and don't leave much of an impact, others are hints to treasure or side quests, and some are downright funny or memorable.
Considering that Link doesn't talk in Tears of the Kingdom, the burden of providing memorable quotes lies on every other character in both Hyrule and the Sky Islands. If you take the time to talk to NPCs, though, you won't be disappointed.
Updated on June 19, 2023 by Tallis Spalding: It's hard to say what the most memorable quotes of a game will be when it first launches, since you can only interact with so many characters and hear so much dialogue. As Tears of the Kingdom has finally settled in and the community has finally had time to comb through the game (almost completely), favorite characters have been picked, and among them, so have favorite, memorable quotes.
The following contains some spoilers for Tears of the Kingdom - proceed at your own risk.
11 "Linky... You're Not A Ghost, Are You? Hey, That Looks Interesting..."
Purah quickly became a crowd favorite (maybe even your favorite) and understandably so! She's inquisitive and fun, trying to keep things light while still taking a dire situation very seriously. Yet, when her attention is caught by something, like Link's new hand, her attention can be pulled away quickly.
She has to snap herself back on track, but it's so easy to love her character and enjoy the endearing nickname for Link. Purah's quotes are always great, but this first introduction to her will always be memorable.
10 "Son And Done."
If you ever visit Tarrey Town or talk with one of the members of Hudson's Construction Company, you'll probably hear them say the slogan, "Son and done," quite a bit. It might be a bit confusing at first, but aside from being catchy, the slogan is, admittedly, brilliant.
If you opt for Hudson's Construction Company for all your needs, it will be done in no time. At least, that might have been the way it was before the Upheaval, but afterward, it seems like they need a fair bit of Link's help to get things done.
9 "May The Light Of Blessing Grant You The Strength You Seek."
Although this line is at the end of every shrine, it's a beautiful one. Every time you pick up your reward at the end, a small bit of corruption leaves Link, and you're left for a brief moment in the beauty of that shrine.
No matter how frustrating it was, seeing the statues of Sonia and Rauru is a comforting sight and a reminder that you're on the right path. This line is sure to stick with you, even if you're blazing through the game. There are a lot of shrines in Hyrule, and you're bound to see these words a lot, so they'll, more than likely, end up sticking with you.
8 "When The Glow Of The Blood-Stained Moon Shines Upon The Land, The Aimless Spirits Of Slain Monsters Return To Flesh. The World Is Threatened Once Again."
Be prepared to hear this line a lot and see the blood moon a fair bit while you're playing. There's no escaping it, and it happens regularly throughout the game. One way or another, you will witness the blood moon's rise, and there's nothing you can do to stop it.
The Blood Moon quote from Tears of the Kingdom, and the way that Zelda says it (it's her and yet there's something off about it that you can't quite put your finger on until later), makes it seem like a genuinely threatening event. The Blood Moon's rise has three different dialogues, though this is by far the one that repeats the most throughout the majority of the Tears of the Kingdom.
7 "Yes, The Spikes Were Incredibly Painful! But Once I Was Able To Transcend The Pain, There Was Magic Awaiting Me..."
This doozy of a line is waiting for you as soon as you finish the Water Temple in the Zora domain. Talk to the shop keep, and you'll learn of his newfound obsession with crabs, born of his ravenous need to eat something when all the sludge was raining down.
Of course, a nearby Zora is a bit concerned about his mumbling, and considering that he ate a Bright-Eyed Crab whole, you should be a bit concerned as well. Shouldn't you cook it a bit? Maybe throw it into a crafting recipe? Apparently not.
6 "But My Requests Have So Far Gone Unanswered."
If you've ever submitted a help request or a request for some kind of fix at work, you know that it might take a while. It might take even longer if your civilization is long since dead or has left entirely, which means our little Mining Construct, who just wants help to break through rock, should probably just move on to another task in the meantime.
However, this Mining Construct just keeps moving on and trying its best to work through the problem. You may not have emotions, little buddy, but your despair at not receiving any answer to your requests is heard loud and clear.
5 "If We Destroy Nature, There Won't Be ANYTHING Left. No Bugs, No Us, Nothing!"
In this game, Beedle is coming at you with the hard truths. There's a good chance when you talk to Beedle on the road that he will go on a rant about protecting nature, in both a desire to protect his little beetle friends and to protect us, and honestly, it's nothing but the truth.
It's especially poignant when it seems that all the regional phenomena you have to investigate deal with some serious shifts in the environment, to the point where it could be detrimental to any life living there.
4 "Was That The Sword That Seals The Darkness? A Blade That Shatters So Easily Against My Power Cannot Save You From Me."
Ganondorf might not seem all that threatening as a shriveled-up husk, but the destruction of the Master Sword and these subsequent words could strike fear into the hearts of heroes. Ganon leaves quite a significant impact in his introduction, and it won't be one that is easily forgotten.
As Calamity Ganon, he might have been a piece of cake, but that was hardly his true form. In Tears of the Kingdom, it seems like you'll finally be facing the man himself and not just a fragment of his power, and it is utterly terrifying.
3 "I'm Sure An Answer Will Come To You. Wisdom Takes Time."
It's easy to get worked up and try to find a solution to a problem immediately, but Queen Sonia reminds you (and Zelda) that answers will come with time. When you're in the past, and your problem is in the future, you have nothing but time, though.
Regardless, Queen Sonia's words were spoken with such a gentle yet knowing demeanor that it's hard not to want to follow her every word. Whether you're Zelda and got dropped in the past (which is doubtful) or you're trying to figure out problems you're dealing with right now, Queen Sonia's reminder to be patient is one worth remembering.
2 "To Become An Immortal Dragon Is To Lose Oneself."
Spoken by Mineru to Rauru and Zelda, this is an interesting take on immortality and one that few pieces of media seem to think about. Immortality is often treated as a gift and something to search for relentlessly, yet in recent stories, including Tears of the Kingdom, that seems to have changed.
Although the concept of losing oneself as a dragon is taken quite literally, the immortality of it isn't a celebratory event. While you may know who you are now, that can be completely lost upon consuming a Secret Stone and transforming. Eternal life is gained, and yet, as Mineru's quote warns so clearly, the cost is not worth it.
1 "Maybe So, But It Is My Duty To Try."
It's clear from Rauru's quote shortly before the Imprisoning War fight that King Rauru clearly has a strong sense of duty. Even though Zelda warns him that they won't be able to beat Ganondorf, Rauru refuses to be dissuaded. To fail, one simply has to not try, and Rauru refuses to fail.
Ultimately, we know that Rauru will sacrifice himself to imprison Ganondorf for a period of time, but Rauru's words are something that everyone should follow. Although only spoken to Zelda, these few words tell you a lot about Rauru's character.