Steel Magnolias (1989) - Quotes

Taglines: The funniest movie ever to make you cry.

Taglines: Sometimes laughter is a matter of life and death.

Truvy: How you holdin up, honey?

M'Lynn: I'm fine.

Clairee: It was a beautiful service.

Ouiser: The flowers were the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen!

M'Lynn: They were beautiful.

M'Lynn: Yes, Annelle, I guess it should.

M'Lynn: Well you go on ahead!! I'm sorry if I don't feel like it! I guess I'm a little selfish. I'd rather have her here.

M'Lynn: Thank you, Annelle. I appreciate that. And it's a real good idea. Shelby, as you know, wouldn't want us to get mired down and wallow in this. We should handle it the best way we know how…and get on with it. That’s what my mind says. I wish somebody’d explain to my heart.

Truvy: Drum says you never left her side for a second.

M'Lynn: [Pause; ''slight laugh''; ''sighs''] No.. I couldn't leave my Shelby. I just sat there and kept pushin the way I always have where Shelby was concerned.... I was hopin she'd sit up and argue with me. Finally we realized there was no hope. They turned off the machines. Drum left.. couldn't take it. Jackson left. I find it amusin'.. men are supposed to be made outta steel or somethin. I just sat there. I just held Shelby's hand. There was no noise. No tremble. Just peace. Oh God.. I realize as a woman how lucky I am! I was there when that wonderful creature drifted into my life.. and I was there when she drifted out of it. It was the most precious moment of my life... I gotta get back. Has anybody got a mirror?

Truvy: Does anybody have a mirror? I don't know how you're doin on the inside honey…but your HAIR sure is holdin up beautiful.

M'Lynn: [''looking in mirror, upset''; ''begins to cry''] Shelby was right! This IS a brown foot ball helmet!!!!

Clariee: Ohh…honey are you okay?

M'Lynn: [''crying''; ''screaming''; ''in a firm tone''; ''continues sobbing''] I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm fine! I can jog all the way to Texas and back, but my daughter can't! She never could! Oh God! I'm so mad I don't know what to do! I wanna know why! I wanna know why Shelby's life is over! I wanna know how that baby will ever know how wonderful his mother was! Will he ever know what she went through for him? Oh God I wanna know why!! Why Lord, I wish I could understand! No! No! No! It's not supposed to happen this way! I'm supposed to go first. I've always been ready to go first! I-I don't think I can take this! I-I don't think I can take this! I-I just wanna hit somebody til they feel as bad as I do! I just wanna hit something! I wanna hit it hard!

Clairee: [''grabs Ouiser by the shoulder and positions her in front of M'Lynn''] Here! Hit this! Go ahead M'Lynn, slap her!

Ouiser: Are you crazy?!

Clairee: Hit her!

Ouiser: Are you high, Clairee?!

Truvy: Clairee, have you lost your mind?

Clairee: We'll sell t-shirts sayin I SLAPPED OUISER BOUDREAUX! Hit her!

Annelle: Miss Clairee, enough!

Clairee: Ouiser, this is your chance to do something for your fellow man! Knock her lights out, M'Lynn!

Ouiser: [''gets out of Clairee's grip''] Let go o me!

Clairee: [''everyone, except Ouiser, starts laughing''] M'Lynn, you just missed the chance of a lifetime! Half o Chiquapin Parish'd give their eye teeth to take a whack at Ouiser!

Ouiser: [''Ouiser turns and walks away''] YOU ARE A PIG FROM HELL!!

M'Lynn: Ouiser, don't leave!

Clairee: Ouiser! Ouiser, I was just kiddin'!! Come back!!

M'Lynn: l shouldn't have gone on the way l did. l made everybody cry. I'm sorry.

Truvy: [''Annelle goes over to Jack Jr. to play with him''] Oh, don't be silly. Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion. Thanks, Annelle.

M'Lynn: [''Clairee and Ouiser approach the other woman, and they've clearly made up''] Maybe l should have an emotional outburst more often. Maybe l should start havin them at home. Drum would be so pleased.

Ouiser: I have feelins'.

Clairee: Of course you do.

Truvy: Well, l'm glad to see the two of you made up.

Clairee: [''Ouiser hugs M'Lynn''] Ouiser can never stay mad at me. She worships the quicksand l walk on.

Drum: [''to Sammy''; ''Ouiser sticks her hand like a knife into Drum's back, as a sign of sympathy; Drum watches her walk away with Clairee; M'Lynn puts Jack Jr. into a tree swing''] Then I guess we can't talk about it.

M'Lynn: Let's get in the swing, shall we? Get our feets in there. There we go. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on!

M'Lynn: [''softly''] Shelby would love that. I'm tickled pink. Pink.

Truvy: [''Truvy looks down at Jack Jr. with a big smile''] Well, what are you gonna name it if it happens to be a boy?

M'Lynn: [''cut to a year later, parents are helping their children in the Easter egg hunt, including Jackson and Jack Jr. Annelle and Sammy approach the party; Sammy is wearing an Easter bunny costume''] That's how it should be. Life goes on.

Truvy: They're closed!! What is it?!

Truvy: Okay. Now?

Truvy: Yep!

Truvy: [''gasps when she sees Spud has opened a shop called Truvy's West, a new addition that connects with her beauty spot''; ''Truvy kisses Spud, then they hug. Cut Annelle, putting the head of the Easter Bunny costume on Sammy's head''] All right. l don't believe it! I'm a chain!! Oh, Spud!!

Annelle: Over there!!

M'Lynn: Ouiser, Owen.

M'Lynn: Just a second, it's Jackson.

M'Lynn: Oh, Jack!! Sweetheart…

Truvy: Oh, honey, it's okay. lt's okay. Women have babies every day. M'Lynn!

M'Lynn: Annelle…

Truvy: Jonathan, quick! Get that Easter Bunny over here now!

Jonathan: Hey, Tommy, where's Sammy?

Tommy: He's over there.

Jonathan: Oh, excuse me!

Tommy: Why? What's going on?

Clairee: [''Jackson and Marshall help Annelle into Spud's Jeep; Truvy gets in after her''] This way, this way. Spud's Jeep is this way!! Come on!! Here, here! Get her in!

M'Lynn: We'll find Sammy! We'll find Sammy! lt's all right, honey. We'll get Sammy.

Louie: Come on, Sammy! Get your tail hoppin'!

Clairee: Said what?

Clairee: Ouiser, nobody pays any attention to you.

Clairee: No, you're not. You'd give your dog a kidney if he needed one.

Clairee: Drum loves pork and beans. He eats them with everything.

Ouiser: I'm not speakin to you.

Ouiser: I mean it, Drum!!

M'Lynn: Drum and I both feel that she should not work after she gets married.

M'Lynn: You should not be on your feet all day!! You should be kinder to your circulatory system!!

Clairee: A radio. What did I just hear—? Oh, yes! The Antilley family is sellin KPPD! I wonder how much radio stations sell for.

Clairee: What would I do with a radio station? Oh, business never interested me. Lloyd took care of all that stuff. Shelby, I hope you and Jackson will be as happy as Lloyd and I were. We had such a good time. Until November. Well, at least he hung on through the state playoffs.

Clairee: Well, I really do love football, but it's hard to parlay that into a reason to live.

Truvy: What are your colors, Shelby?

Shelby: They're blush and bashful.

M'Lynn: Her colors are pink and pink.

Shelby: My colors are blush and bashful, Mama.

M'Lynn: How precious is this wedding gonna get, I ask you?

Shelby: My colors are blush and bashful. I have chosen two shades of pink, one is much deeper than the other.

M'Lynn: But the bridesmaids dresses, they are really beautiful.

Shelby: Ceremony will be too. The walls are banked with sprays of flowers, and my two shades of blush and bashful. Pink carpets especially laid out for my service, and pink silk bunting, draped over anything that would stand still.

M'Lynn: That sanctuary looks like it's been hosed down with Pepto Bismol!

Shelby: I like pink! Pink is my signature color.

Truvy: How many bridesmaids?

Shelby: Nine!

Truvy: Nine?! Good Lord!!

Shelby: Exactly. Mama made me have my cousins and Margie St. Maurice.

M'Lynn: Shelby, let's not go into this now! You know there was no way around it!

Shelby: It will be pretentious. And Daddy always says, An ounce of pretension is worth a pound of manure.

M'Lynn: The poet laureate of Dogwood Lane.

Shelby: Mama, I wish you'd get off Daddy's back.

M'Lynn: Shelby, look, now l don't really wanna get into—

Truvy: Fill us in on the reception!!

Shelby: My reception! My reception! Ferns, dancing, tons of people! Every pink flower west of the Mississippi. Wedding cake in the dining room and the groom's cake... Hidden in the carport?

M'Lynn: Shelby and I, we agree on one thing.

M'Lynn and Shelby: The groomscake!!

Shelby: It's awful!! lt's in the shape of a giant armadillo.

Truvy: An armadillo?! You're jokin right?

Shelby: No. Jackson wanted a cake in the shape of an armadillo. He's got an aunt that makes them.

Clairee: It's unusual.

M'Lynn: It's repulsive! It's got gray icing! I can't even begin to think how you make gray icing!

Shelby: Worse the cake part is red velvet cake. Blood red!! People are gonna be hackin into this poor animal that looks like it's bleedin to death.

M'Lynn: The rehearsal supper was a real experience.

Shelby: Mama, it wasn't that bad! It was out at Jackson's uncle's place on the river.

M'Lynn: Jackson comes from the good old Southern family with good old Southern values. Ya either shoot it, stuff it or marry it.

Shelby: They're simply outdoorsy, that's all.

Truvy: Did ya'll do anything especially romantic?

Shelby: We drove down to Frenchmen's Point and went parkin'!

M'Lynn: Oh, Shelby. Really!

Truvy: Oh, M'Lynn, leave her alone. This is my favorite part. This is the romantic part. Now, see, that's what really melts my butter.

Shelby: well, then we went skinny dipping, and we did things that frightened the fish.

Clairee: It's been a long time since we had a youngster in this place.

Shelby: We talked and talked and talked…

Truvy: I love those kinda talks in the arms of the man you love!

Shelby: Actually, we fought most of the time.

Truvy: You fought?

Shelby: Well, cause I told him I wouldn't marry him.

M'Lynn: What?!

Clairee: Why'd you go and do a thing like that?

Shelby: Oh, it's okay now. We worked it all out.

Truvy: Oh, it's probably one of those last minute jitter things.

Shelby: No, but the weddin's still on.

Truvy: [''pointing to Shelby's hairstyle''] Well, thank goodness. Cause this is going to be in the hairdo hall of fame.

Clairee: Shelby, you scared us. That wasn't a nice thing to do to your mama. You should never say something like that to a woman who's marinating fifty pounds of crab claws

Truvy: Oh, but the makin up can be extremely romantic. I miss romance so much.

Clairee: Oh, Truvy, it can't be that bad.

Truvy: Oh really, now? Well, the last romantic thing my husband did for me was back in 1972. He enclosed this carport so that I could support him!

M'Lynn: Well, Truvy, now I think I have somethin that could cheer you up. Drum and l have been plannin to talk to your husband about buildin a room on to our house.

Truvy: M'Lynn, are you serious? lf you give Spud a job, l'll give you hot oil treatments for the rest of your life! Annelle, this looks pretty good. I think you know what you're doin'.

M'Lynn: I try.

Truvy: Well, it must run in the family. This young'un's got the prettiest hair l've ever had my hands in. So thick. Well, just because l'm braggin on you don't mean you can get lazy on me. Hold your head up, Shelby.

Shelby: Stop it!!

Truvy: Shelby? Shelby! M'Lynn!!

Clairee: I'll get some juice!!

M'Lynn: Truvy, there's some candy in my purse.

Truvy: [''grabs a peppermint''] I have some right here.

M'Lynn: Shelby. Shelby. Hold on. Clairee's getting you some juice. Shelby. Shelby. Shelby.

Truvy: Should I get her a cookie?

M'Lynn: No, juice is better.

Clairee: Here's the juice!!

M'Lynn: Shelby! Shelby, you need some juice. You need some juice.

Shelby: Stop it, Mama!

M'Lynn: Drink the juice.

Truvy: Please drink the juice.

Shelby: No! Stop it, Mama! l have some candy in my purse.

M'Lynn: No, you didn't bring your purse, sweetheart. You didn't bring your purse. No you didn't!! No, here you go. There you go. Drink some of this. lt's not any wonder with all this runnin around and weddin nonsense.

Clairee: She's a diabetic.

M'Lynn: She just has a little too much insulin, that's all. We'll get a little more in her. She'll be all right.

Shelby: lf you don't leave me alone, l'm gonna leave.

M'Lynn: Oh, I'd love to see you try!! Cooperate, please!!

Clairee: This one hit her fast.

M'Lynn: Yeah. She's been so upset lately. Dr. Mitchell told her on her last appointment…children aren't possible.

Clairee: Here, M'Lynn.

Ouiser: Oh, God, come here, Rhett!!

Annelle: That is one ugly dog. What kinda dog is that?

Ouiser: This is it, I have found it, I am in Hell!!

Truvy: Good mornin, Ouiser.

Ouiser: Don't try to get on my good side, Truvy. I no longer have one! Come here, Rhett.

Truvy: You're a little early, ain't ya?

Ouiser: That is PRECISELY why I'm here! I've gotta talk to M'Lynn about her husband. He is a boil on the butt of humanity!

M'Lynn: They're blanks. Drum would never, ever point a gun at a lady.

Clairee Belcher: Well, as somebody always said: if you can't say anything nice about anybody, come sit by me!

Louisa "Ousier" Boudreaux: I'm not crazy, M'Lynn, I've just been in a very bad mood for 40 years!

Shelby Eatenton Latcherie: I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.

Truvy Jones: Oh get with it, Clairee. This is the 80s. If you can achieve puberty, you can achieve a past.

Truvy Jones: Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.