The Devil Wears Prada is widely considered one of the best Meryl Streep movies, which is saying a lot, given her long and wildly successful career. Among the other things to celebrate about the movie is the excellent screenplay, and the unforgettable quotable lines from throughout the movie.
Given how quotable the movie is, plenty of folks have re-watched The Devil Wears Prada in the decade and change since it’s been released. In addition to featuring one of Meryl’s most iconic performances ever, it’s also one of Anne Hathaway’s best movies. While the movie is endlessly quotable, there are 32 Devil Wears Prada quotes that stand out among the rest. In no particular order, here are my favorite lines. Obviously spoiler alert for the contents of that beloved movie.
“That’s all.” – Miranda
Two words have truly never been so chilling. While Miranda Priestly says plenty of memorable lines throughout The Devil Wears Prada, the way she shuts people down by saying “That’s all” it truly iconic. And plenty of characters get told that very statement, including Emily and Andy.
“It’s a tough call, they’re so different.” – Jocelyn
Prior to Miranda’s iconic speech about fashion and the color cerulean, her employees are hard at work styling looks for an upcoming issue of Runway magazine. During this exchange Jocelyn (played by Lost cast member Rebecca Mader) pulls out two belts, exasperated by how “different” they are. This is what kick starts the legendary monologue by Meryl Streep.
“Gird your loins.” – Nigel
Stanley Tucci’s character Nigel’s scenes are chock full of quotable lines in The Devil Wears Prada, from his first scene to his very last. One of his first iconic lines comes when the staff of Runway is panicking over Miranda’s impending (early) arrival, where he tells the clackers to “Gird your loins!”
“The Chanel Boots? Yeah I am.” – Andy
This one has been turned into countless memes over the years, because sometimes the internet has a mind of its own. Once Andy gets her fun makeover by Nigel, she returns to her desk to see Emily gobsmacked. She confirms that she’s indeed wearing the Chanel boots, changing the dynamic between Miranda’s two assistants forever.
“There’s like $8 worth of Jarlsberg in there.” – Nate
Throughout The Devil Wears Prada, we watch as protagonist Andy gets more and more invested into the world of Runway magazine, and the fashionistas who run the industry. Her friends and boyfriend stand in juxtaposition, although some fans think Nate is the villain. During one scene Andy says she’s lost her appetite, but Andy refuses to let her throw out the delicious-looking grilled cheese he made for her.
“Florals? For Spring? Groundbreaking.” – Miranda
Throughout The Devil Wears Prada, Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly is a force of nature who is constantly verbally dominating those around her. One super memorable line of dialogue that’s constantly being quoted comes around halfway through the movie, where Jocelyn suggests Runway go with florals for a spring issue. Groundbreaking, truly.
“She explained every detail of her decision-making. And then we brushed each others’ hair and gabbed about American Idol.” – Andy
When Andy is struggling to fit in at Runway, her first real ally is Stanley Tucci’s Nigel. The pair have plenty of memorable bits of dialogue together, usually where Nigel is throwing shade. Although the tables turn in one particular scene, where Andy jokes about how little information Miranda typically offers to her.
“Why is nobody ready?” – Miranda
While the cerulean monologue is arguably the most iconic bit of dialogue from The Devil Wears Prada, there are a number of other memorable lines from that scene that have had staying power over the years. Chief among them is Miranda saying under her breath “Why is nobody ready?”, which has remained utterly quotable.
“Is there a reason that my coffee isn’t here? Has she died or something?” – Miranda
Miranda Priestly is largely a boss from hell, one with high expectations that seemingly no one is able to meet. She throws plenty of hilarious barbs to the staff as a result, especially toward Andy in the first half of he movie.
“I’m just one stomach flu away from my goal weight.” – Emily
During The Devil Wears Prada, Emily Blunt’s character has two main goals: making it to Paris Fashion Week and being as thin as possible. Plenty of punchlines come from her relationship with food and weight, even if those jokes haven’t aged super well. But who doesn’t love her wanting to pick up a flu in order to slim down?
“By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me.” – Miranda
Even when Miranda Priestly is at her worst emotionally, she’s still got a few zingers up her sleeve. Case in point: when her personal life is falling apart in Paris, but she’s still able to judge Andy by the speed at which she’s moving. This another line that’s been quoted countless times over the years.
“You went upstairs? You went upstairs. Oh my God. Why didn’t you just crawl into bed with her and ask for a bedtime story?” – Emily
Andy makes a few big blunders throughout The Devil Wears Prada, one of which being that she went upstairs in Miranda’s brownstone in order to give her a mock-up of Runway. After this mistake, Emily berates Andy with a hilarious line about having a slumber party with Meryl Streep’s antagonist.
“Details of your incompetence do not interest me.” – Miranda
Miranda Priestly has a way with words, and habit of cutting people down privately and publicly. The first person we saw get a verbal lashing is Emily, as the pair walk through the halls of Runway. Clearly Meryl Streep’s character isn’t into excuses.
“One nod is good, two nods is very good. There’s only be one actual smile on record and that was Tom Ford in 2001.” – Nigel
When Nigel is teaching Andy how the fashion world works within the halls of Runway, he tells her about how Miranda gets a private preview of various designer’s work before they roll them out for the season. During this memorable monologue, Stanley Tucci’s character shared Miranda’s subtle scale of approval, and the one time a preview got a smile out of Ms. Priestly.
“Everyone wants to be us” – Miranda
In the third act of The Devil Wears Prada, Andy has to make a big decision about her career path. Does she want to follow in Miranda’s footsteps (and crush those around her) or make a change to keep her morality? During an exchange with the fashion icon, Meryl Streep’s character claims that her concerns are silly, and that everyone wants to be one of them.
“I’m sorry, do you have some prior commitment? Some hideous skirt convention you have to go to?” – Emily
Andy’s first day at Runway is a hilarious disaster, and a number of The Devil Wears Prada‘s most quotable lines come from that ill-fated date. While panicking and trying to please Miranda (a task that’s nearly impossible), she also takes a number of quotable jabs from Emily Blunt’s character Emily. That includes when Andy is tasked with getting skirts from Calvin Klein, while the first assistant pokes fun at her “hideous” skirt.
“Please, bore someone else with your questions.” – Miranda
Miranda Priestly has a way of intimidating everyone around her, especially while ruling over Runway with an iron fist. Anne Hathaway’s Andy learns this the hard way on her very first day as an assistant. One of Miranda’s first tasks for the newbie is collecting a bunch of skirts from Calvin Klein. But when Andy asks what kind of skirts, she gets quickly shut down.
“You eat carbs…!” – Emily
Throughout the majority of The Devil Wears Prada’s runtime, Emily Blunt’s character has two things on the mind: going to Paris Fashion Week and being as thin as possible once she gets there. So when she gets by a car and Andy gets tapped in to go on the trip with Miranda, she’s gobsmacked. And it’s comedic genius to see her throw shade at Andy while shoving pudding and bread into her mouth from the hospital bed.
“Who is that sad little person? Are we doing a before-and-after piece I don’t know about?” – Nigel
While Meryl Streep is playing Miranda Priestly, the dialogue of The Devil Wears Prada is arguably the star of the show. Everyone who works at Runway has one-liners, but Stanley Tucci’s Nigel might have the most. His very first line proves this, as he judges Andy after she left her interview with Miranda. Little did he know how close he’d become to that sad little person.
“You must have done something right.” – Interviewer
By the end of The Devil Wears Prada, Anne Hathaway’s Andy decides to leave Runway and the fashion world behind, and go back to her roots as a journalist. When she has an interview with a New York newspaper, it’s revealed that Miranda surprisingly offered a glowing recommendation. So while she mentions that she messed up the gig at the magazine, her interviewer tells her that she clearly did something right to impress its editor-in-chief.
“You have no style or sense of fashion.” – Miranda
The dynamic between Miranda and Andy is fascinating to watch throughout the movie’s 109-minute runtime, especially as their power dynamics change. Miranda establishes dominance immediately in Andy’s job interview to be her second assistant, telling her boldly that she has no fashion sense at all. And no, that wasn’t a question.
While the cast of The Devil Wears Prada mostly play powerful figures in the fashion industry, that success comes at a cost. When Andy laments that her personal life is “hanging on by a thread”, Nigel explains that’s exactly what happens when you start doing well… and to expect more of it.
“Where’s that piece of paper I had in my hand yesterday morning?” – Miranda
Andy is a fish out of water for the first half of The Devil Wears Prada, and it’s fun watching her panic and try to fit in while working at Runway. One particularly great sequence is a montage of Miranda throwing her coat and bag on Andy’s desk and making a variety of demands… some of which are more wild than others.
“What does she want you to do, call the National Guard and have her airlifted out of there?” – Richard
Miranda puts Andy through a ton of wild circumstances while they worked together at Runway, many of which occur during the first half of the movie. Thats exactly what happens when Meryl Streep’s character is stuck in Miami due to weather grounding planes, and she demands her assistant find her a way home. Andy’s Dad Richard is in New York visiting, and the two have a hilarious exchange about the situation.
“Let’s say a young boy growing up in Rhode Island with six brothers, pretending to go to soccer practice when he was really going to sewing class and reading Runway under the covers at night with a flashlight.” – Nigel
When Andy is struggling to deal with Miranda’s personality, she goes to vent to Nigel. But it was the wrong day, and he tells her to quit because plenty of other fashion hopefuls would die to get the job, including his younger self.
“You ended up disappointing me more than, um – more than any of the other silly girls.” – Miranda.
Miranda gives Andy a number of verbal lashings throughout The Devil Wears Prada, and one of the most memorable comes after she “fails” to get her out of Miami and back to New York. After insulting her appearance she tells Anne Hathaway’s character how utterly disappointing she’s been as an assistant.
“You sold your soul to the devil when you put on your first pair of Jimmy Choos, I saw it.” – Emily
When Emily gets hit by a car and sent to the hospital she’s at her lowest… until Andy tells her she’s not going to Paris anymore. At that point Emily Blunt’s character goes in, and tells Andy she lost her moral high ground long ago.
“Can you please spell ‘Gabbana’?” – Andy
Andy isn’t someone who knows fashion, and that’s clear on her first day. When answering the phone for the first time, she’s seemingly never heard of Dolce & Gabbana.
“Excuse me, can we adjust the attitude? Don’t make me feed you to one of the models.” – Nigel
Andy complains about her job to Nigel a ton throughout The Devil Wears Prada. And after giving him sass at a photo shoot, he threatens to turn her over to the jungle-themed models.
“You have some very large shoes to fill. I hope you know that.” – Emily
While Emily writes Andy off after she replaces her for the Paris trip, Anne Hathaway’s character does make it up to her in the end. After leaving Runway behind her, giving the first assistant all of her free couture that she got.
“Fashion is not about utility. An accessory is merely a piece of iconography used to express individual identity.” – Doug
Andy’s friends give her a hard time about her job, but one of them seems to get it. Doug, who makes a bold and poetic statement about the power of accessories.
“A little crisco and some fishing line and we’re in business.” – Nigel
There are countless jokes made about Andy’s weight throughout the movie, which is pretty ridiculous considering how thin Anne Hathaway is. And when Andy suddenly has to go to a formal event with Miranda, Nigel jokes about what it’ll take to get her into a dress.
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