Arya Stark is one of the main characters of Game of Thrones, brought to life on the screen from the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by Maisie Williams. She's a member of House Stark, a family who famously fail to stay together throughout the show. Torn apart by outside circumstances, Arya ends up going off on her own very early after her father's execution, but that doesn't put her any less in the spotlight. She has her own chapters throughout most of the series.
The show can't possibly have taken everything from the books or it would have been twenty seasons long, but that doesn't mean the book doesn't have some truly iconic words to contribute that didn't make it to the screen. These quotes, both by Arya and about her, truly say a lot about her character.
"Needle Was Jon Snow's Smile."
Jon Snow, Arya's brother (actually, cousin, but that's another story), got her a sword named Needle that she kept with her. Although the sword was undoubtedly useful, the books delved further into the meaning it had to her. Arya often looked at the sword and reflected on just how much she missed her brother, though she was probably idealizing him a bit — Jon wasn't much of a smiler, after all.
"It's Like An Inn, With Girls."
It's often hard to that Arya was just a child, kicking off her story before she was even a teenager. This conversation with Gendry, when she failed to understand exactly what a brothel was, was a sharp reminder of her naivety and the show could have benefitted from reminding its viewers how young she was. She behaved so maturely most of the time.
"She Sometimes Felt Like She Was A Little Girl After All."
“I wish I was home", She said miserably.
She tried so hard to be brave,
to be fierce as a wolverine and all,
but some times she felt she was a little girl after all.”
Another reminder that she was just a child, far more obvious this time. The books reminded readers that although Arya might read like an adult, like some of the other characters, this was ultimately a child being put through so many horrors.
"You Told Me You Could Be Strong. You Have The Wolf Blood In You."
This quote was said to Arya to remind her that regardless of how much she felt small and helpless, she was strong and there were points where she knew it well. It's almost the opposite of the above quotes — reminding readers that although she was very young, she was stronger than even some of the adult characters in the show, and a girl to be ired.
"In There, She Was Someone. But That Was Not The Answer He Wanted."
In the show, when Arya became someone with no name, it seemed convincing. It was a shock when she announced herself as Arya Stark again.
But in the books, she ed deep down that she was a Stark always. It would have been hard to translate this to the screen, since it was not something she ever said aloud, but there was still power in knowing she had not forgotten her identity.
"Make Me A Water Dancer And A Wolf And Not Afraid Again, Ever."
Arya's ambition truly shines through in this quote. She wanted to be so many things and in the end, she actually managed to achieve all of them — in the show, at least, though there's little doubt she will in the books too. The main thing she wanted though, was to be someone who was never afraid again.
"She Walked Fast, To Keep Ahead Of Her Fear."
Fear was exactly what drove Arya, as much as she wanted never to experience it. It was constantly the force behind her and what kept her moving, and that was easy to forget in the show when she seemed so utterly fearless at times. She only managed to be brave by keeping ahead of her fear, and this quote where she imagines it following her speaks volumes.
"There's No Law, Just A Sword."
Arya may have thought of death as her god, but her sword was what she relied on. It was clear in the show too, but this quote is particularly poignant. Arya isn't governed by anyone's laws except her own and exactly what she can do with a sword and as time goes on, this proves to be a lot. She wasn't Arthur Dayne or Jaime Lannister, but she was certainly getting there. In the show, she even defeated Brienne of Tarth in a duel, though it's doubtful she could have done this in the books.
"Could You Bring Back A Man Without A Head?"
"Just once, not six times."
A shortened version of this quote was spoken in the show, but the long version in the books really spoke of how much she had lost. Another reminder that, at the end of the day, she was a child who stood in a crowd as her father was unfairly and brutally executed. It's hard to imagine anything worse, let alone at such a young age.
"The Lone Wolf Still Lived, But The Wolves Of The Pack Had Been Taken And Slain And Skinned."
The famous Stark quote goes, "The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives." Arya countered it with this in the books, because at one point, it didn't seem true. It was an effective way to stop anything seeming like it would have a fairytale ending, and give the books some gritty realism. Robb died with Catelyn, even though they were together. Ned died even though he was with Sansa. Arya went off alone and lived.