We May Not Be Living in Westeros, but Jon Snow's Quote is Still Relevant for Modern Life
Throughout its eight-season run, Game of Thrones provided a plenty of memorable quotes, some inherited from George Martin's books, which were its source material, some invented by the show's scriptwriters.
A number of them even became iconic: "Winter is coming," "If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention," or unforgettable "You know nothing, Jon Snow."
Well, speaking of Jon Snow (Kit Harington).
He may know nothing, and certainly he may not be the wittiest character in the show, given that his best eventual rebuttal to that famous assertion was "I do know some things…" but he too had some memorable lines. From "First lesson, stick 'em with the pointy end" to "My watch has ended."
However, his probably most remarkable quote – or at least the one most relevant for modern life – is this one:
"They were born on the wrong side of the wall – doesn't make them monsters."
It is remarkable not because he's saying the right thing, which agrees with our present-day sentiments, or at least not just because of that – after all, moral platitudes are not exactly uncommon in fiction, and so are authors making their characters drop some right-sounding words for the sake of moving the plot forwards. And not even because, unlike many examples of characters saying something righteous in Game of Thrones, this phrase does not come from either hypocrisy or bone-headed stupidity.
No, Jon says that when he's attempting to ensure peace and cooperation between the Wildlings and the Northerners, something which he genuinely desires, but also something necessary to both sides in the face of the apocalyptic threat from White Walkers.
It is remarkable because it is also the result of a long thread of character development. After all, much of Jon's life revolves about being born at the wrong place, his attempts both to surpass the stigma of his bastard birth and to conquer his own palpable resentment against the world. Similarly, he sympathizes with the Wildlings, but understands that their bad luck does not entitle them to doing as they please.
The phrase above truly comes from Jon's heart, on top of being morally right and strategically expedient. And it, alongside with Jon's hard work, achieves its purpose of uniting the disparate groups of men. It is an example of character taking good lessons from his hard, unforgiving life and using them to achieve a noble goal – a rare case of a truly inspirational development in Game of Thrones, and something that is relevant to us beyond the mere contents of his words.