It is a line that sticks in your throat. Short. Sharp. Utterly final. When Arthur Dayne—the legendary Sword of the Morning—looks at a young Ned Stark outside the Tower of Joy and says, "I wish you good fortune in the wars to come," he isn't just being polite. He’s acknowledging a shared doom.
Most people remember this as a cool Game of Thrones quote from season 6. You see it on t-shirts or as cheeky signatures in corporate emails sent by people who hate their jobs. But if you actually look at where the phrase comes from and why George R.R. Martin used it, it’s a lot darker than a simple "good luck."
It is the ultimate Westerosi "goodbye." It's what you say when you know you're about to kill someone, or when you know you're never going to see them again because the world is falling apart.
The Tower of Joy and the Birth of a Legend
Context matters. A lot.
In the episode "Oathbreaker," we get a flashback through Bran Stark’s Greenseeing. We see a younger Ned Stark. He’s desperate. He's trying to find his sister, Lyanna. Standing in his way is Ser Arthur Dayne. Dayne is the pinnacle of knighthood—white cloak, two swords (in the show version, at least), and a calm that feels terrifying.
When Ned says the battle is over and Dayne’s prince is dead, Dayne doesn't argue. He doesn't beg for his life. He just delivers the line. "I wish you good fortune in the wars to come." Then he tries to kill Ned.
That’s the irony. It’s a blessing delivered right before an attempted execution. It suggests that even if Ned survives this specific fight, the "wars to come" are going to be so much worse. And honestly? He was right. Ned survived the Tower of Joy only to be beheaded in King's Landing years later.
Mance Rayder and the Echo of the North
While the Arthur Dayne scene is the most visually stunning, it wasn't the first time we heard it. Back in Season 5, Mance Rayder—the King Beyond the Wall—says it to Stannis Baratheon.
Mance is about to be burned at the stake. Stannis is offering him a way out, a chance to live if he just bends the knee. Mance refuses. He chooses the fire over the loss of his people's freedom. As he's being led away to die, he looks at Stannis and drops the line.
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It hits differently here. From Mance, it feels almost like a pity. He knows Stannis is obsessed with a throne that will probably destroy him. He knows the White Walkers are coming. He’s basically saying, "You're killing me now, but honestly, I'd rather be dead than deal with what you’re about to face."
It’s a linguistic bridge. It connects the chivalry of the past (Dayne) with the gritty reality of the present (Mance).
Why This Phrase Hits Different
Most fantasy dialogue is clunky. It’s full of "forsooths" and "thees" and "thous." Martin avoided that. He created a specific "high-born" way of speaking that feels formal but grounded.
The power of i wish you good fortune in the wars to come lies in its ambiguity. Is it a curse? A blessing? A taunt?
- It’s professional. These are soldiers talking to soldiers.
- It’s prophetic. In a world with dragons and ice zombies, the "wars" are never really over.
- It’s final. You don’t say this to someone you’re meeting for coffee next week.
Think about the sentence structure. It doesn't use the word "luck." Luck is for gamblers. "Fortune" implies destiny. It implies that your fate is already written, and the speaker is just hoping it isn't too painful for you.
The Real-World Impact and Fan Culture
Fans have latched onto this because it’s the perfect "mic drop."
You'll see it used in sports when a player leaves a team for a rival. You'll see it in political commentary. It’s become a shorthand for "we disagree, we’re about to fight, but I respect you enough to acknowledge your struggle."
But there’s a nuance people miss. In the show, the person who says the line usually dies shortly after. Arthur Dayne? Stabbed in the back by Howland Reed. Mance Rayder? Shot with an arrow by Jon Snow to spare him the pain of the fire. Benjen Stark says it to Meera and Bran in Season 6 before staying behind to fight the dead. He dies too.
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Basically, if someone says this to you, one of you is probably toast.
What George R.R. Martin Is Actually Doing
Martin loves deconstructing the "noble knight" trope. Ser Arthur Dayne is described in the books as the perfect man. But in the show, we see that his death wasn't noble. He was winning a fair fight, and he got stabbed in the neck from behind.
By having Dayne use such a formal, beautiful phrase right before a messy, ugly death, Martin is showing us the gap between the songs and the reality. The "wars to come" aren't glorious. They're just a series of tragedies that happen to people who think they're the heroes of their own stories.
Using the Phrase Correctly
If you're going to use this in your own life—and let's be real, you're going to—don't use it for small stuff. Don't say it because your coworker is going to a meeting. That’s cringey.
Save it for the big exits.
- Resigning from a toxic job? Put it at the end of the email. It’s polite enough that HR can’t complain, but heavy enough that everyone knows how you feel.
- Ending a long-term rivalry? Use it. It shows you’ve moved past the petty stuff.
- Final goodbye to a friend moving across the world? It actually works. It acknowledges that life is hard and you're rooting for them.
The Philosophy of the "Wars to Come"
There is a certain stoicism in the phrase. It’s very Roman. It’s the idea that life is essentially a series of conflicts, and the best we can do is hope our friends (and enemies) have the strength to survive them.
In Game of Thrones, the "wars" are literal. Swords, fire, blood. In our world, the wars are different. Economic shifts, personal loss, health battles, societal change. When you tell someone you wish them good fortune in those wars, you’re acknowledging their humanity.
It’s one of the few lines from the show that actually got more powerful as the series went on. While the writing in the final seasons faced a lot of criticism—and rightfully so for things like the "Beyond the Wall" logic—the call-backs to this specific phrase remained some of the strongest emotional beats.
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Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Writers
If you're a writer trying to capture this kind of "human-quality" dialogue, look at the rhythm.
- Avoid the obvious. Instead of "Good luck with your life," try something that acknowledges the difficulty of the path ahead.
- Use contrast. Put a polite blessing in a violent situation. It creates instant tension.
- Be brief. The more words you add, the less impact it has.
For the fans, the next time you re-watch the Tower of Joy scene, don't just watch the swordplay. Listen to the silence after the line is spoken. That’s where the real storytelling is happening. It’s the sound of the old world dying and the new, messier world of the Starks beginning.
Understand that "good fortune" isn't a guarantee of safety. It's just a hope for a better outcome in an inevitably difficult future. It’s the most honest thing any character in the series ever says.
When you find yourself at a crossroads with someone, and there's nothing left to say, this is the phrase that fills the gap. It's respectful. It's dark. It's perfect.
Keep the weight of the words in mind. They aren't just a meme. They're a reminder that the wars never really end; they just change shape.
Good luck out there. You’ll need it.
How to Apply This Knowledge:
- Study the Scene: Watch Season 6, Episode 3 ("Oathbreaker") to see the precise delivery by Luke Roberts (Arthur Dayne).
- Read the Source: Compare the show's dialogue to the "Tower of Joy" dream sequence in A Game of Thrones (Chapter 39, Eddard X). The phrasing is slightly different in the book, but the sentiment is identical.
- Contextual Usage: Only use this phrase in high-stakes situations to maintain its emotional gravity. Overusing it in casual settings dilutes the "expert" tone you're trying to project.