“It’s not a question of can or can’t. There are some things in life you just do.”

• Lightning Farron, Final Fantasy XIII

Characters in gaming often enjoy monologuing themselves or just having a good conversation with a fellow character. And most of these phrases are often words to pep up the team.

Or, at least, that was a lot of Final Fantasy XIII. Final Fantasy XIII came out in 2010, and is still one of my favorite titles in the franchise, even though everyone hates it. XIII had an addictive storyline, while very confusing at first, and loveable characters. Except for Snow. No one likes him. However, This game is very sad, and there’s often a lot of good quotes thrown about in the title. So here are my picks for quotes that should inspire you to act, and not let anyone other than yourself write your fate.

Beware. Spoilers ahead for Final Fantasy XIII!

Starting off this list we have the classic quote from Lightning Farron, the protagonist of the game.

This quote plays during Chapter 4: The Vile Peaks. In this cutscene, we see soldiers putting passengers on a train, for their exile. Lightning, a former member of the Guardian Corps, was supposed to be exempt from this exile, considering her status. However, she knew her sister was on that train, and so she got on too, to save Serah. While she’s explaining this to her teammate for the chapter, Hope Estheim, he tells her that if he was in her shoes, he doesn’t believe he could do it. That’s when she tells him, 

“It’s not a question of can or can’t. There are some things in life you just do.”

This quote is so inspiring and just powerful within itself. This shows that while yes, Lightning begins the game as a stone-cold soldier, that she does have a heart. This is one of the first times we see her express an emotion other than punching Snow! (Which is a good emotion, nonetheless) throughout the story, Lightning’s character development is insane, and she really does turn around. Which is why she’s my favorite Final Fantasy hero.

Next on the list is a quote from the end of the game, like, the last 4 seconds of it. So yeah. This is your mega spoiler warning.

After characters Oerba Yun Fang and Oerba Dia Vanille turn to crystal with the rest of the party, they actually turn into the crystallized pillar holding up Cocoon. Now, there’s more story explanation, but I’m trying to keep this as spoiler-free as possible. Anyways, the rest of the team looks up at Cocoon in awe of what Fang and Vanille did, as they speak to each other. That’s when Fang drops this one on the audience.

“When prayers turn into promises, not even fate can stand in their way.”

Vanille continues this quote, but that half will be in her part. Both of the quotes could sum up the entire story of Final Fantasy XIII, and this was such a perfect way to end the emotional story our characters had just embarked upon. However, this quote tells the listener or reader in this case that perseverance is key. After a while, your prayers, your hopes, and your dreams will become achievable. Nothing will stop them from coming your way. So hang in there.

Vanille finishes the scene with this line.

“We held the light of hope in our hearts and achieved the impossible. Now we live on, to greet a new dawn.”

When a L’Cie, (a magically appointed soldier by demigods called Fal’Cie), finishes their mission, or Focus, their reward is eternal life as crystal. And they lived on, holding up the world of Cocoon. Vanille’s whole character was holding onto a light of hope, whether it be from Serah or just Oerba stories. And she held on, until the end, where she saved Cocoon from crashing into Pulse.

Final Fantasy XIII, while agreeably one of the not-very-loved titles in the series was a beautiful, and emotional story. And it’s for those reasons that I call it one of my favorites. And I hope these quotes inspire you to act and achieve what you thought previously unachievable.