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All About Eve - Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night.
— Margo Channing
Context:
Spoken at the birthday party Margo is throwing for Bill Sampson. Feeling insecure and increasingly irritated by Eve's machinations and Bill's attention to her, Margo has been drinking heavily. As she heads upstairs, she delivers this line with relish, signaling her intent to make the rest of the evening a dramatic and confrontational affair.
Meaning:
This iconic line signifies Margo's declaration of war. Knowing the evening will be filled with tension and conflict, especially concerning Eve, she dramatically warns her party guests that she intends to cause turbulence. It perfectly encapsulates her theatrical personality and her refusal to go down without a fight.
Funny business, a woman's career. The things you drop on your way up the ladder so you can move faster. You forget you'll need them again when you get back to being a woman.
— Margo Channing
Context:
Margo says this to Karen in a moment of vulnerability after a fight with Bill. She has realized that her identity has become consumed by "Margo Channing, the star," and she fears it has cost her the chance at a happy personal life with the man she loves.
Meaning:
This quote is the heart of Margo's epiphany about her life and priorities. She reflects on the sacrifices she's made for her career and realizes that in her pursuit of stardom, she has neglected her identity as a woman who needs love and partnership. It speaks to the film's broader theme of the perceived conflict between professional ambition and domestic fulfillment for women in that era.
You can always put that award where your heart ought to be.
— Margo Channing
Context:
This line is said after the Sarah Siddons Award ceremony. Eve gives a gracious-sounding acceptance speech, thanking Margo and the others she has used. Later, Margo encounters Eve and delivers this devastating assessment, letting Eve know that despite her public triumph, her true, heartless nature is clear to those she betrayed.
Meaning:
A sharp, final barb from Margo to Eve, delivered with cutting sincerity. It implies that Eve has achieved her goal but has sacrificed her humanity and capacity for love in the process. The award is a cold substitute for the genuine human connection that Eve has destroyed on her path to success.
I'll admit I may have seen better days, but I'm still not to be had for the price of a cocktail, like a salted peanut.
— Margo Channing
Context:
Margo directs this remark at Eve during Bill's birthday party. She feels that Eve, the producer Max Fabian, and others are treating her as if she's already washed up and are plotting behind her back. The line is a direct challenge to their assumptions and a reassertion of her status.
Meaning:
This line is a fiery assertion of Margo's self-worth and refusal to be dismissed or taken for granted. Despite her anxieties about aging, she retains her pride and demands respect. It showcases her wit and her fighting spirit, reminding everyone that she is still a formidable presence.