To celebrate Valentine’s Day 2020, we’re looking at some of the most romantic quotes Lord John Grey has ever said on Outlander.
Valentine’s Day is the most romantic day of the year. There’s no better show than Outlander to celebrate romance. After all, Claire and Jamie certainly have their fair share of moments.
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But it’s not just about Claire and Jamie. Many others have had romantic moments or said romantic things. One of those “others” is Lord John Grey. Initially introduced as a teen in Season 2, David Berry took over the adult role in Outlander Season 3, and with him brought a character many of us fell in love with.
He’s said some extremely romantic things. At first glance, they may not seem all that romantic. There’s a bittersweetness to some of his quotes, but that doesn’t take away from the love and heartfelt elements to the lines.
Here are Lord John Grey’s five most romantic quotes throughout Outlander.
5. “So was I.”
Out of context, you’re probably scratching your head. Let me give you the context to understand why it’s so romantic. It comes from a conversation between Claire and Lord John in Outlander Season 4, when John is recovering from measles. He explains how he’s never met someone as striaght forward as Claire, to which she responds “I was born this way.”
“So was I” is a beautiful response to that. Lord John makes no apologies for the way he feels about Jamie. Despite it being against the law, he also doesn’t make any apologies of being gay to the people he trusts. He is who he is. Either accept it or don’t.
4. “Some people you grieve forever.”
This comes from the time Jamie and John are at Ardsmuir, when they’re having dinner together and building on that friendship we would come to love. Before meeting Jamie, Lord John was in love with another man, Hector. During the Battle of Culloden, Hector died.
John touched on how his brother Hal said that knowing that Hector was dead would help with the grief. While there would always be a sense of sadness, seeing Hector’s body would prevent the wonder of what had happened and it would stop the grief.
That’s not something John found. Outlander brings this beautiful line, which is oh so true in many ways.
3. “You gave me my life all those years ago. Now I give you yours.”
As all other prisoners were being sent off to the Colonies, Lord John Grey needed to find what to do with Jamie. As an officer of the Jacobites, Jamie couldn’t head off to the Colonies and as an indentured servant. He could have ended up in another prison where he wouldn’t have been treated as well, but Lord John Grey managed to arrange a time at Helwater instead.
It was certainly a chance for John to give Jamie his life. It was a way to protect him. And with their relationship being tense at this point, it was viewed as “a life for a life” situation. However, there was more to it. John wanted to know the love of his life was safe.
2. “I should probably want you to the day I die.”
We’ve always known that Lord John Grey had feelings for Jamie that would never be shared from the other side. Jamie doesn’t swing that way. It really is as simple as that. And yet, John’s feelings haven’t changed.
There’s been a longing for decades. And that longing isn’t going away. How many squealed at this sentence in Outlander? There was just so much heart to the sentence and it didn’t make anyone feel uncomfortable.
1. “You shall always have my friendship.”
While most people would turn to hate and anger in rejection, that’s not Lord John Grey’s style. Rather than being angry that Jamie doesn’t have feelings for him, John opted for friendship and kindness. He’d rather have the man in his life in some sort of way than not at all.
This is something that has drawn so many people to Lord John’s character. He’s admirable and honorable. We’d love a man like that in our lives, whether romantically or platonically.
When it comes to conversations with Jamie, this is a line that stands out. He makes it clear that no matter what happens, no matter what side of any battle the two find themselves on, John will always be a friend. Book readers know that continues later in the series but with some trouble. Will the show stick to that storyline?
Which Lord John Grey quotes are your favorite? Which are the most romantic lines on Outlander? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Outlander Season 5 premieres on Feb. 16 on STARZ.