Littlefinger's Best Game Of Thrones Line Didn't Come From George R.R. Martin

Published Oct 19, 2026, 12:31 PM EDT

Angel Shaw is a Lead Writer and Critic on ScreenRant's TV team, covering new-release and classic TV shows across all major streaming platforms. She has been a writer with ScreenRant since 2022 and specializes in Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and fantasy. 

Angel holds a bachelor's degree in language interpreting and is passionate about all things culture and communication—especially in how it relates to popular media throughout history (from Shakespeare to Friends to Game of Thrones).

Game of Thrones often went wrong when it strayed from George R.R. Martin's writing, but there are a few exceptions. For the most part, earlier seasons of this HBO fantasy series stuck pretty closely to Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. Things didn't really get out of control until later in Game of Thrones, when the show's story caught up with the books and was therefore largely on its own. This fact generally makes us quickly turn our nose up at the mention of changes, but David Benioff and D.B. Weiss sometimes got it right.

A prime example is Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish's (Aidan Gillen) monologue from Game of Thrones season 3, episode 6, "The Climb." This character gave a speech during a conversation with Lord Varys (Conleth Hill) about the concept of Chaos. The Spider said that chaos is a pit that will consume those who disregard the narrative that holds the realm together. Littlefinger argues that chaos is, instead, a ladder, and that, regardless of how a person regards the realm, love, or other comforting concepts, climbing this ladder is all there is to life:

"Chaos isn't a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. And some are given a chance to climb, but they refuse. They cling to the realm, or the gods, or love. Illusions. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is."

What starts as a conversation between two men who are very much playing the Game of Thrones turns into a powerful voiceover monologue with a variety of layers. As Littlefinger speaks, the episode transitions over to a scene of Prince Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) torturing and murdering Ros just for the sport of it. Then, just as he says "the climb is all there is," we're immediately taken to Jon Snow's arduous climb up the Wall with the Wildlings. There are several layers of meaning here, which makes the monologue an addition of real substance.

Littlefinger's Iconic Quote Is One Of Game Of Thrones Most Meaningful Additions

Many of the changes through the first few seasons of Game of Thrones were done for the sake of shock and drama, and that's especially true for those around Petyr Baelish. The "Chaos is a Ladder" monologue is no exception, in many ways. Gillen gave an excellent performance as this complicated character, and his unique way of speaking made each of Littlefinger's big lessons all the more powerful. Still, as far as creative liberties go, this is well in keeping with Martin's style and the tone of A Song of Ice and Fire, and that can't always be said of Game of Thrones's additions.

Petyr Baelish is a character who thinks he has cracked the code of power and ambition. He started with nothing, and slowly climbed his way to status and success—but it was never enough. We don't yet know how this character's story will end in Martin's books, since they are not yet complete. However, it's very evident from his existing arc that Littlefinger's climb will never end, in his eyes. There isn't a single end goal but a perpetual battle for more power.

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This contrasts with Varys' view. These are two characters whose motivations are highly questionable throughout those early seasons of Game of Thrones. They both sneak and scheme, and aren't afraid to get their hands dirty. However, Varys commits careful sins for the sake of the greater good, skirting the all-consuming pit of chaos with the goal of one day stepping back to see a realm at peace. Petyr's methods are similar, but this conversation demonstrates how he considers chaos a delicious, necessary element of the game.

Game Of Thrones' Season 7 Callback Makes Littlefinger's "Chaos Is A Ladder" Monologue Even Better

While there is plenty to criticize about Game of Thrones seasons 7 and 8, it was always a great deal of fun to see Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) freak people out with seemingly impossible knowledge. It was especially satisfying in Petyr Baelish's case, since his efforts in season 7 to sow chaos among the surviving Stark children failed largely because Bran could see right through him.

Petyr attempted to make a gift of the Catspaw dagger, offering it to Bran despite having been the one who had given the weapon to an assassin all those years before. Bran went along with the charade for a moment, but when Littlefinger mentioned the word chaos, the Three-eyed Raven replied with the line "chaos is a ladder." The fact that Petyr said this during a private conversation with Varys obviously made the line pretty alarming. Bran was sending a message in Game of Thrones—"I know what you have done. You're losing control of the Climb and are doomed to fall."