Sailor Moon has many stellar lines depicting love, beauty, friendship, philosophy, and hope all throughout the anime series, manga, and movies. The monster of the week and archetypal villains can get formulaic, but the unique characters and fresh insights into life are a huge part of what makes such a long series so watchable.
The best Sailor Moon quotes are a mix of both overt and subtle life lessons, and many of them are emotionally moving and show the complexity in people. Even the moments that aren't incredibly didactic in theme are memorable for the genuine emotions they depict. Both the viewers and Sailor Moon herself learn invaluable lessons throughout the course of Sailor Moon, and the series' most impactful quotes are remembered fondly to this day.
Updated on March 28, 2024 by Rae Grimes: Sailor Moon is still one of the most recognizable, beloved anime out there, and we've updated this list to include more information about these impactful quotes, and adhere to CBR's updated formatting standards.
10 "Watching Over Someone From Afar Is A Kind Of Love, Too."
Sailor Pluto, Sailor Moon Crystal: Episode 25, "Showdown: Death Phantom"
Sailor Pluto can relate to watching over her loved ones from afar as she guards the Door to Time and Space. She's a very wise and protective Sailor Scout who Queen Serenity tasked with a great responsibility. Sailor Pluto understands what it means to protect someone from afar, and displays that in this powerful Sailor Moon quote.
When it's discovered that Chibi-Usa and Pluto were secretly meeting, the former gets into trouble. When the thought of not being able to see each other again feels unbearable, Pluto tells Chibi-Usa that thinking about someone from afar and watching over them is also a form of love.
9 "We're All Sailor Guardians."
Usagi Tsukino, Season 3, Episode 21: "Death Of Uranus And Neptune? The Coming Of Talisman"
Usagi sees the best in everyone, whether they start as an ally or an enemy. This is true with Haruka and Michiru - Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune - who make it clear to Usagi that although they're Sailor Guardians, they aren't out to be her friends. Even so, Usagi persists, telling them that they're all Sailor Guardians who should be allies, no matter what.
Since the start of Sailor Moon, Usagi's learned that no matter what she thinks about someone, she should find out for herself what kind of person they are. She applies this to even her initial enemies, including Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, and this Sailor Moon quote teaches a valuable lesson.
8 "You Have Such A Big Heart, Sailor Moon."
Prince Demande, Sailor Moon: Season 2, Episode 40, "Diamond In The Rough"
Prince Demande had the right intentions, but he lost his way and was influenced by evil forces. He eventually found his way back to the right path. All through his misguided deeds, though, he admired Sailor Moon for her heart.
In the end, Prince Demande uses his last act to save Sailor Moon at great cost to himself. When she cries for him, he's struck by her compassion. She was ready to see goodness in him, and that is everything to him. In return, Prince Demande reminds her that she has the strength to save Earth, culminating in one of the most powerful Sailor Moon quotes.
7 "If A Soldier's Pride Means Hurting Someone, Then I Don't Want It."
Usagi Tsukino, Season 5, Episode 34: "Usagi's Love! The Moonlight Lights Up The Galaxy"
Since the start of Sailor Moon, Usagi's been determined to save the day without actually harming or killing her enemies. Instead, many of Sailor Moon's iconic attacks are based around healing or cleansing her enemies, no matter how villainous they are. Usagi's morals never bend, even if someone tells her the prideful thing for a soldier to do is to hurt someone else.
In one of the most powerful Sailor Moon quotes, Usagi rejects the idea of a prideful soldier who hurts others in the name of duty, instead doubling down on her own more peaceful ideology. Usagi stays true to her beliefs no matter the circumstances, a powerful message that any Sailor Moon fan should take to heart.
6 "Just 'Cause You're A Girl Doesn't Mean You Have To Wait..."
Sailor Mini Moon, Sailor Moon: Season 4, Episode 1, "Dreams Take Flight"
For a show that focuses so much on idealized love and romance, Sailor Moon has very empowering advice for young girls about relationships and agency. Even one so young as Sailor Mini Moon understands that girls shouldn't wait for life to happen to them; they need to make their own well-educated choices in life and love.
Pursuing romance is a great responsibility, and it's important to empower others and help them realize that they have control over who they choose to let into their life. Chibi-Usa conveys this perfectly to Elizabeth with this memorable Sailor Moon quote about living one's own life, without waiting for a fairytale romance to come along and save them.
5 "Are You Really Willing To Kill People?"
Usagi, Sailor Moon: Season 3, Episode 20: "A Time Of Shock! True Identities Revealed To One Another"
Unlike Sailors Mercury, Mars, Venus and Jupiter, when Usagi meets Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, it isn't as allies. They're single-mindedly driven towards their goal, and they don't care who they go against in the process - even if they have to kill them. This moral philosophy shocks Usagi, who does everything she can to avoid violence, and she presses them.
Usagi can't believe anything would be important enough to kill over, and questions Haruka and Michiru in this impactful Sailor Moon quote. Even when her enemies are willing to kill, Usagi still tries to see their point of view and come to an understanding, an admirable trait that makes her one of anime's best protagonists.
4 "You're In My Heart."
Nephrite, Sailor Moon: Season 1, Episode 20, "A Friend In Wolf's Clothing"
Nephrite has one of the sadder final scenes in the classic Sailor Moon anime. After he forms a bond with Naru, he tries to protect her rather than let the Negaverse continue to use him as a puppet. In his final moments, Nephrite shares a heartbreaking farewell with Naru that's become one of the most iconic Sailor Moon quotes.
Nephrite's request that Naru not forget him is particularly significant because, like the Sailor Scouts, he had also forgotten his previous life when he fought on the side of good. He was once one of Prince Endymion's four Shitennou. He wants someone, Naru, to remember him for his true identity and his acts of love rather than the Negaverse's machinations.
3 "You'll Know What To Do When You Look In Your Heart."
Luna, Sailor Moon: Season One, Episode One: A Moon Star Is Born
Although they occasionally bicker, Usagi and Luna are each other's biggest supporters in Sailor Moon. Luna only teases Usagi because she knows how much more Usagi's capable of, and is always around to help push Usagi forward. When Usagi first learns of her powers as Sailor Moon, she's understandably overwhelmed, and doesn't understand what to do or how to use her new abilities.
Rather than hold her hand through everything, or chide Usagi for overreacting, Luna calms her down and reassures her that all the strength and power she needs is already within her. All she needs to do to succeed is believe in herself, and it's a powerful Sailor Moon quote that teaches an important lesson.
2 "You Are My First Love, My Only Love..."
Usagi, Sailor Moon Crystal: Episode 13, "Final Battle -Reincarnation-"
Usagi holds on to her hope even in the face of despair and failure, and there are times when she needs to encourage Tuxedo Mask, even though most of the time, that's what he does for her. Her knowledge that they are meant to be together and can never truly be separated is romantic and bittersweet, acknowledged in this beautiful Sailor Moon quote.
Their fated love that endures through death and millennia is very reminiscent of the sort of legendary loves that inspired the Sailor Moon creator, Naoko Takeuchi. The Grecian moon goddess Selene and her human shepherd lover, Endymion, are who partly inspired the series. They, too, were star-crossed lovers who were separated, but they found a way to bypass death and remain together — even if it's not in the most straightforward way.
1 "The Tough Experiences In Life Are What Make Us Girls Prettier."
Usagi Tsukino, Sailor Moon: Season 2, Episode 21: "Shared Feelings: Usagi And Mamoru In Love Once Again"
Usagi is a tough heroine who never backs down when someone's in danger, even at the cost of her life - but at the end of the day, she's also still just a teenage girl. She cares about looks and fashion, with many Sailor Moon episodes focused around the pursuit of beauty in one way or another. Usagi wants to save the world, but she also wants to look pretty while doing it.
This great Sailor Moon quote teaches the idea that hardships girls inevitably face in life only add to their beauty, and shouldn't be run away from. This can be applied to anyone, as life's toughest moments build confidence and make people more self-assured, thus adding to their beauty.
