18 Years Later, the Greatest Quote From the Best Game of All Time Still Hits Hard

The article argues that a line spoken by Sheik in *The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time* captures why the game’s story remains affecting. The 1998 game follows Link’s transformation from a child into an adult tasked with saving Hyrule, and the quote reflects its themes of time, change and growing up.

Sheik tells Link, “Time passes, people move. Like a river’s flow, it never ends,” before teaching him the Serenade of Water. The article reads the speech as the game’s central idea: Link’s journey is not only a fight against Ganondorf, but also a path of struggle, discovery and personal change. It also notes that a remake is among the most anticipated games of 2026.