The Color Purple (1986) - Quotes

Empowerment and Resilience in Alice Walker's Work

Taglines: Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize Winning Story.

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Themes of Life, Love, and Connection

Taglines: It's about life. It's about love. It's about us.

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Consequences of Betrayal and Resilience

Celie: [lunging towards Albert with a knife] I curse you. Until you do right by me, everything you think about is gonna crumble!

Sofia: Don't do it, Miss Celie. Don't trade places with what I been through.

Shug: Come on, Celie, let's go to the car.

Sofia: He ain't worth it, he ain't worth it.

Albert: Who you think you is? You can't curse nobody. Look at you. You're black, you're poor, you're ugly, you're a woman, you're nothing at all!

Celie: Until you do right by me, everything you even think about gonna fail!

Grady: It's been a pleasure meeting all of you. Goodbye.

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Conflict Over Celie's Departure to Memphis

Shug: Celie is coming with us.

Albert: What?

Shug: Celie is coming with us to Memphis.

Albert: Over my dead body.

Shug: You satisfied? That what you want?

Albert: [to Celie] NOW what's wrong with you?

Celie: You a low down dirty dog, that's what's wrong. Time for me to get away from you and enter into Creation. And your dead body'd be just the welcome mat I need.

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The Divine Desire for Appreciation and Acknowledgment

Shug: More than anything God loves admiration.

Celie: You saying God is vain?

Shug: No, not vain, just wanting to share a good thing. I think it pisses God off when you walk by the color purple in a field and don't notice it.

Celie: You saying it just wanna be loved like it say in the Bible?

Shug: [they laugh] Yeah, Celie. Everything wanna be loved. Us sing and dance and holla just wanting to be loved. Look at them trees. Notice how the trees do everything people do to get attention... except walk? Oh, yeah, this field feels like singing! Oh Miss Celie, I feels like singing!

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Discussion of Abuse and Its Impact

Celie: He beat me when you ain't here.

Shug: Who do? Albert?

Celie: Mister.

Shug: Why he do that?

Celie: He beat me for not being you.

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The Power of Writing and Connection

Young Celie: Nettie. Write.

Young Nettie: What?

Young Celie: Write.

Young Nettie: Nothing but death can keep me from it.

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Resurrection and the Divine in Life

Old Mister: [Sofia begins to laugh after years of silence] My God, the dead has arisen.

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Sympathy for Celie's Struggles with Infidelity

Old Mister: Celie, you has my sympathy. Ain't many women allow they husband's ho to lay up in they house.

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Confronting Authority and Self-Respect

Old Mister: [to Albert] Boy, you let this ol nappy-headed girl cuss you out like that? You sittin at the head of your own dinner table and actin like a waiter.

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Resilience Through Adversity and Hope

Sofia: I done had enough bad luck to keep me laughin the rest of my life. Sat in that jail. I sat in that jail til I nearby done rot to death. I know what it like, Ms. Celie, to wanna go somewhere and cain't. I know what it like to wanna sing... and have it beat outch'ya. I want to thank you, Miss Celie, fo everything you done for me. I members that day I was in the store with Miss Millie - I's feelin real down. I's feelin mighty bad. And when I see'd you — I knowed there is a God. I knowed there is a God. And one day I was gonna get to come home.

Struggles Against Oppression and Domestic Violence

Sofia: All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my uncles. I had to fight my brothers. A girl child ain't safe in a family of mens, but I ain't never thought I'd have to fight in my own house!! I loves Harpo, God knows I do. But I'll kill him dead fo I let him beat me...