A scene from “Unfinished Business”

Cregan Stark: Duty is sacrifice. It eclipses all things; even blood. All men of honor must pay its price. The North owes a great duty to the Seven Kingdoms. One older than any oath. Since the days of the First Men, we have stood as guardians against the cold and the dark. Through its long tradition, the Night's Watch cultivated its strength from doomed men who had their life as their only possession. But my ancestor, Torrhen Stark, began a tradition by making an offering at the onset of winter: one in ten men from our household was to be chosen to fortify the Watch. This is not a sentence, but an honor. A duty embraced by all who serve the North. Even by mine own kin. The North must stand ready. Winter is coming.