Top 10 Epic Speeches on Grey's Anatomy

On the day she’s meant to marry Callie, Arizona realizes things aren’t as perfect as they can be. Remembering her beloved brother, she finds herself unable to look past what might have been. While it seems as if this is a sentiment that is ill-timed considering she’s about to be married, Arizona tells Mark how much her brother would have loved to attend the ceremony. Not only does this make for a heartfelt declaration of inner pain, but it also shows how long Arizona has kept these feelings bottled up inside. Sharing this information with Mark ultimately helps Arizona find support when she needs it and the confession encourages her to continue with her wedding, even if things seem less than perfect.

Cristina’s competitiveness has rubbed people the wrong way several times and she’s never apologetic about it. Feeling slighted by the lack of empathy she shows toward patients, Owen calls her out on treating people like a game or a competition. He doesn’t hold back on his personal shots until Cristina decides to tell him why she became a doctor. Sharing the story of the loss of her father as a child, Cristina calmly puts Owen in check for thinking less of her. We watch as she reveals a new side of herself and it turns out that everything Cristina does is to avoid making someone else feel the loss she did. It’s also a good lesson not to make assumptions about others as everyone has their own life stories, like Cristina.

After learning that her boyfriend Denny was overlooked for a heart transplant, Izzie takes matters into her own hands. Her plan to force the hospital to give him the heart is met with resistance from Denny, who doesn’t want another man’s pain on his conscience. However, Izzie breaks down and pleads with Denny to fight for her sake, as she can’t live knowing he will die. Having put up a brave front all this time, Izzie bares her sorrow to Denny, asking him to be selfish to spare her the pain. Although what Izzie plans to do is both unethical and illegal, it’s understandable why Denny relents as her speech delivered all the pent-up grief she kept fighting to lock away.

Alex is known for his reluctance to show his emotions and the times he does open up are worth remembering. With Meredith and Derek’s planned wedding gifted to Izzie due to her seemingly terminal illness, Alex arrives to give her the moment of happiness she’s always wanted. Even though he knows they might not have much time, he claims that his entire life has been building up to his vows. Alex was always afraid under the facade of his tough-guy act, but he leaves all pretense behind to show Izzie who he truly is. This sincere commitment isn’t lost on any of the attendees either, with Alex’s words proving that he’s in it with all his heart.

Sometimes it’s best to keep things short and sweet, and a simple statement can say a lot. When Cristina’s departure from the hospital is due, she spends her last moment enjoying with Meredith. After making her best friend promise not to go through all the tragedies and accidents they experienced in the last decade, the pair are close to parting ways. However, Cristina has some final advice to give Meredith over her imminent move to Washington with Derek, which really makes her think. True to her personality, Cristina encourages Meredith to watch out for her own needs, even if it means compromising on her love with Derek. Meredith ultimately realizes she doesn’t want to move, as Cristina’s last advice was to empower Meredith to make the decision for herself.

A big wedding was never the only thing that Alex wanted to give Izzie and he’s heartbroken when she makes peace with the possibility of dying. Izzie manages to make Alex reluctantly go along with the DNR clause by telling him about her pain, for which she is completely justified. However, it’s Alex’s earlier pleas for her to fight for her life that hit hard in the feelings. With nothing left to do but operate on Izzie’s tumor, Alex becomes desperate for his wife to allow the doctors to resuscitate her should she crash. It’s clear that even though it’s Izzie on the line, Alex has a lot more to lose and he even volunteers to give up his career to spend his life with her.

Meredith is left to pick up the pieces of her life after Addison’s arrival to take Derek back. With her former flame deciding to give his marriage another chance, Meredith drowns her sorrows with meaningless hookups. Derek, who still has feelings for her, becomes jealous and shames Meredith, but she’s in no mood to be judged. Reminding Derek that it was his decision to let her go after she wanted to be with him, Meredith lets him know that she owes him nothing. Her retort is a metaphorical slap to Derek’s face for looking down on her when he has no right to and Derek knows he has absolutely no legitimate comeback.

The fifth season finale ends on a double tragedy, with both George and Izzie’s lives on the line. Neither character got to say their final goodbyes to their loved ones and Meredith’s inner monologue reminds us of the importance of last words. The doctors rush to try and revive their friends, who are seen in limbo hurtling between life and death. Meredith also realizes that the challenges of life are ultimately secondary to the people that matter, and that no matter what, we need to go back to them while we still can. The season ends without confirmation of who between George and Izzie passed away, leaving us to ponder on the poignancy of Meredith’s message.

Mark and Lexie spend years on their on-and-off relationship and are never quite able to make it work. Just when Mark thinks they’re done for good, Lexie blurts out her undying love for him, much to her own surprise. Relieved that she can finally say what she’s wanted to for so long, Lexie doesn’t hold back once she’s started, leaving Mark unable to process this sudden declaration of her feelings. The speech works even for someone who hasn’t watched the show, as Lexie recaps everything that went wrong between them. However, the point is that it doesn’t matter what doesn’t work since Lexie knows her love will always win. Mark does return her feelings before she dies, making her speech worth going for in the end.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“He Took Little Pieces of Me”, "State of Love and Trust"
There’s a Lot for Cristina to Offer That Goes Unappreciated

"Picture the Life You Dreamed of Living”, “When I Grow Up”
Because Life Is a Constant Work in Progress

"It’s Guys Like You Who Don't See Girls Like Me", “Forever Young”
Because We’ve All Been There, Just Like Bailey

"Good Man in a Storm", “Invasion”
Because This Was When Arizona Stepped Up When She Needed to

"I'm Not Meredith Grey!", “17 Seconds”
Because We Finally Saw What Addison Was Going Through

Being abandoned by her father and raised by a neglectful mother made Meredith believe she didn’t deserve love. It was after experiencing real happiness with Derek that she began to think her problems could go away and Meredith decided to give everything she had to get him back. Putting it all on the line, Meredith asks Derek to go for the love they share over his marriage to Addison. We can’t fault her for being selfish here when this is a rare moment where Meredith sets herself up to be hurt to regain her happiness. Her speech is also relatable for the fact that the need to be loved is something everyone can appreciate. In Meredith’s case, she knows who she wants and is willing to be vulnerable to be with Derek.