10 most used phrases in The 100 and what they mean

The 100 — “DNR” — Pictured: Eliza Taylor as Clarke — Credit: Jeff Weddell /The CW — © 2017 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved

5. “I bear it, so they don’t have to.”

This phrase is specifically spoken by Clarke for the most part and perfectly captures her journey and her significance on the show.

Clarke originally used this statement when parting ways with Bellamy at the end of season 2, having just made the decision to radiate Mount Weather, killing hundreds of people, in order to save her own people.

Clarke makes the choice to leave the Sky People after this event, being riddled with guilt from her terrible actions and feeling unable to live with the people she performed those actions for. She is the first character we see who willingly takes on a lot of responsibility, and flourishes into this self-sacrificing role, taking on all the weight herself, so her people can live guilt-free.

Clarke repeats this statement again in season 4 when she offers up herself to trial the Nightblood serum in an attempt to find a vaccine against the second wave of radiation. At the last minute, Clarke makes the decision to put her own life at risk whilst testing the serum rather than Emori’s, whispering her motto to herself.

This is another turning point for the character as Clarke is now not only referring to making difficult decisions on behalf of her people and bearing it, but also physically sacrificing her life so that her people don’t have to. It’s such an interesting twist on the phrase that had been coined two seasons prior.

Furthermore, the recent season saw an expansion of this saying even further, but this time it’s used to describe Octavia, as Madi defends her decision to force her people in the bunker to eat human flesh to keep them alive.

When the bunker ran out of protein for a year, some of Octavia’s followers rebelled against being a cannibal and Octavia had no choice but to kill anyone who didn’t eat to ensure the survival of the human race.

This has brought Octavia closer to the role Clarke has always played. Up until season 5, Octavia has been very independent and rarely made massive sacrifices or decisions for her people, having never really felt a part of any one clan. Season 5, however, forced Octavia to lead WonKru in the bunker and this meant making some tough choices.

Madi argues for Octavia’s actions stating that forcing people to commit cannibalism was kind, as she took away their will and “bore it, so they didn’t have to”. This was one of the sentences that made Clarke rethink her position against Octavia. She could understand Octavia’s motivations as she has also held weight on her shoulders for the sake of the many.