“What is better? To be born good or to overcome your evil…” — Who Said It? Paarthurnax, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)

Original artwork, not a still

What is better? To be born good or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?

— The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim · 2011

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

It is the question the whole Paarthurnax subplot turns on, and the reason players argue over whether to kill him at the Blades' request. The line frames goodness as effort, not birth, which makes him one of Skyrim's most quoted philosophers and the Blades mission one of its best-known moral choices. Fans quote it in any debate about redemption.

Context reviewed 12 October 2026

In context

Spoilers for The Elder Scrolls V: SkyrimShow the scene

Paarthurnax is an ancient dragon who lives on the summit of the Throat of the World above High Hrothgar in Skyrim (2011). He was once Alduin's lieutenant in the Dragon War and is blamed for atrocities, but he turned on Alduin, taught men the Voice, and now leads the Greybeards in the Way of the Voice. The Blades, led by Delphine and Esbern, refuse to keep helping the Dragonborn until he is killed. The line is part of his own dialogue, put as a question about whether goodness is a gift or a choice.

Sources (3)