Summary

• Miranda Priestly's savage one-liners make her one of the most entertaining movie villains ever.
• Fans love using Miranda's cold quotes in day-to-day life because of her uncompromising attitude.
• Miranda expects perfection from her staff and treats them as objects, showing her lack of self-awareness.

The Miranda Priestly quotes in The Devil Wears Prada helps to cement her as one of the most entertaining movie villains ever. As the Editor-in-Chief of the fictional Runway magazine, Priestly (Meryl Streep) is ruthless and merciless as she dishes out her savage one-liners. She treats the people who work for her like objects with no feelings and expects every one of her demands to be met, no questions asked. When Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), comes to fill the role of her assistant, she learns first-hand how fierce Miranda can be.

The best Miranda Priestly quotes from The Devil Wears Prada will never go out of fashion. Streep's pitch-perfect performance as Priestly has cemented her as one of the all-time great bad bosses of movie history while also giving her an important degree of humanity. Fans of the movie love to use even the coldest Miranda Priestly quotes in day-to-day life because there's something undeniably compelling about her uncompromising attitude, even when it's unreasonable.

20 "I Asked For Clear, Athletic, Smiley. She Sent Me Dirty, Tired And Paunchy."

There is a nice buildup early in the movie about how difficult Miranda is as a boss as the audience watches her employees scurry in fear and make a mad dash to ensure everything is as close to perfect as can be for her much-dreaded arrival at the office. From the first moments Meryl Streep is on screen, she nails the character as Miranda enters the movie spewing impossible demands and complaining about everything around her.

Speaking about a model who was chosen for a new campaign proves that she is not only hard to please but can also be quite cruel as well. Yet these opening moments show why Miranda has become such an icon in The Devil Wears Prada movie and the musical that followed.

19 "I Had Hope. Anyway, You Ended Up Disappointing Me More Than Any Of The Other Silly Girls.”

There is something in Andy that Miranda sees when she applies for the assistant job, even if so much about her suggests she is wrong for the fashion industry. However, despite taking a chance on her, Miranda doesn't go any easier on Andy and it doesn't take her long to be disappointed with her. After explaining what she first saw in Andy that made her choose her, Miranda delivers a scathing and brutal takedown of the young woman, taking away any sense of kindness or compassion she might have shown in hiring her in the first place.

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18 “Find Me That Piece Of Paper I Had In My Hand Yesterday Morning.”

Miranda Priestly expects a lot, often the impossible, from her staff, especially her assistants. Her assistants should be able to read her mind and anticipate her every need like finding some random piece of paper she was holding the day before. It's not a normal request in any other world, only in Miranda's world, and she'll be upset with her assistants if they can't figure out what she's asking for on the first try. Never for a moment does she feel unreasonable showing a lack of self-awareness that likely disappeared long ago.

17 “There You Are, Emily. How Many Times Do I Have To Scream Your Name?”

When Andy starts working as Miranda's assistant, Miranda only refers to her as Emily, which Andy obviously doesn't answer to on her first day. Miranda screams the name Emily from her office until the main assistant called Emily (Emily Blunt), tells Andy that it's actually her she's asking for. Andy runs into the room to try as Miranda wonders why calling the wrong name doesn't get an immediate reaction. It is the simplest way Miranda shows how little she cares for her employees and Streep's delivery hammers home who this character is.

16 "The Tales Of Your Incompetence Do Not Interest Me."

Another one of the standout members of The Devil Wears Prada cast is Emily Blunt who shines in the role of Emily. While she is immediately an abrasive and hostile person when it comes to greeting Andy at the new job, it is also not hard to feel sorry for her as soon as the audience sees how she is treated by Emily. When an appointment needs to be rescheduled due to a medical emergency, Miranda unfathomably suggests that it is Emily's fault and the moment she tries to defend herself, Miranda makes it clear that she only wants to complain about the issue, she doesn't want to hear the rational reasons behind it.

15 “And This Layout For The Winter Wonderland Spread. Not Wonderful Yet.”

Miranda isn't afraid to let her opinions be known in a typically harsh and mocking way, and she rarely gives any positive feedback to offset her typical negative responses to other people's work. Though it certainly isn't the harshest response, the way she delivers it with a condescending tone adds to the coldness. Everyone in the fashion industry in the movie works extremely hard at their job and putting together a spread for Miranda's approval, only to be shot down by her within seconds, must hurt.

14 "Did You Fall Down And Smack Your Little Head On The Pavement?"

Miranda Priestly's lack of humanity for those around her might be a persona she adopts to some degree, but there is a sense she only cares about whether they're getting their job done. If they can't do their job perfectly then they're deemed incompetent and will be fired immediately without any remorse. Miranda's insulting question is ice-cold and reminds the audience she's dedicated to being ruthless 24/7. All it takes is one sentence to completely cut down someone working hard.

13 “Is There Some Reason That My Coffee Isn’t Here? Has She Died Or Something?”

This Miranda Priestly quote perfectly sums up what she expects of her staff. If a person has a job to do at Runway, even if it’s as trivial as getting coffee, they better do it. Miranda is basically saying that the only possible reason why someone wouldn’t meet her demands is if they died. On that note, the lack of emotion Miranda says it with makes it pretty clear how little she actually cares about her staff. She speaks as if it wouldn’t be a tragedy if her assistant were to die. It would be just an inconvenience.

12 "Is It Impossible To Find A Lovely Slender Female Paratrooper?"

There are so many great movies set in the fashion industry and most of them make it a point of showing that the world can be vain when it comes to looks and appearances. This is no secret to the general public either, but it makes for some of the best Miranda Priestley quotes when she aims her mean spirited gaze on people. When discussing a magazine article about female paratroopers, she complains that none of them meet her definition of beauty and acts as if she is being reasonable to insist that they do. It is a look into her strange mind as she feels it is the world's job to be beautiful for her.

11 “You Have No Sense Of Fashion.”

If there’s one thing that becomes clear about Miranda Priestly pretty early on in The Devil Wears Prada, it’s that she doesn’t sugarcoat anything. She’s not afraid of being honest, so when Andy walks into her office with a far less put-together outfit than what the usual Runway staff members wear, it comes as no surprise that Miranda puts it to her this bluntly: “You have no sense of fashion.” To make matters worse, Miranda makes it clear that this isn’t a question. It’s a fact.

10 “By All Means, Move At A Glacial Pace. You Know How That Thrills Me.”

Miranda Priestly would be a terrible boss to work for, but as a viewer watching from afar, it is hard to deny that she’s entertaining. When she makes comments like this, the audience has to admire her wit and boldness. When Miranda says this to Andy, her character is actually going through quite an emotional time having just found out that her romantic relationship is coming to an end. Even in the face of the breakdown of Andy's love life, Miranda still has the ability to be totally savage.

9 "The Girls Need New Surfboards Or Boogie Boards Or Something For Spring Break."

While Rachel McAdams turned down The Devil Wears Prada role, Anne Hathaway makes for a pitch-perfect Andy, a protagonist whose rational and reasonable view of the world is refreshing and worth rooting for even as the stress of working for Miranda gets to her. The audience sympathizes with her mission as she is put through endless hoops of delusional tasks. Miranda's almost absent-minded demand that Andy gets some Spring Break gear for her daughters without really knowing the specifics suggests that she expects her assistant to know her daughters better than Miranda herself does.

8 “We Have All The Published Harry Potter Books. The Twins Want To Know What Happens Next.”

Miranda's impossible demands might be humorous for Andy if the consequences for not achieving them were not so brutal. In this instance, it is the equivalent of modern-day Herculean tasks as she's effectively asking Andy to secure the unpublished Harry Potter manuscript (at a time before the series was complete). Miranda gives Andy this seemingly impossible task because she thinks it will give her a reason to fire her when she can’t complete it, but Andy comes through in the end, defying the odds to get the manuscript.

7 “And R.S.V.P. Yes To Michael Kors’ Party, I Want The Driver To Drop Me Off At 9:30 And Pick Me Up At 9:45 Sharp.”

Miranda delivers this line quickly in between a whole set of other instructions, so it’s kind of easy to miss. However, it is a hilarious look at the social life of these iconic figures and the lack of interest Miranda has for anything. Asking her assistant to ask her driver to drop her off at a party at 9:30 and pick her up at 9:45 means Miranda only plans to stay for 15 minutes. It shows how she fulfills social obligations when they’re expected of her but really has no desire to socialize, even with the likes of Michael Kors’s people, unless she has to.

6 “Florals? For Spring? Groundbreaking.”

She has her moments of anger throughout the film, but mostly, Miranda Priestly is at her most brutal when she is quiet, calm, and sarcastic. This Miranda Priestly quote is the perfect example: When florals are mentioned as a potential theme during a meeting about a spring issue, Miranda points out how boring the idea is. There is no pleasing a boss like this. Even when Andy or anybody else does something right, Miranda doesn’t actually acknowledge it. It makes for an entertaining film but would be totally frustrating in real life.

5 "Only When The First Assistant Hasn’t Decided To Become An Incubus of Viral Plague."

Part of the reason The Devil Wears Prada is one of Meryl Streep's funniest movies is because of how straight she plays the part. Miranda is someone who takes herself very seriously and creates an environment where she is taken seriously by everyone around her. That has allowed her to get to a place where she doesn't recognize how ridiculous some of the things she says are and Streep's performance sells them even more. When Emily becomes sick on the night of a big benefit, Miranda obviously shows no sympathy while also blaming Emily for it. The fact that she suggests Emily "decided" to become sick is a hilarious and cold-hearted example of her detachment from reality.

4 “Please Bore Someone Else With Your Questions.”

When someone works at Runway, they don’t have the pleasure of asking questions. If an employee doesn't understand their task, they’d better figure it out without bothering anyone, especially Miranda. Andy doesn’t get the memo at first, so Miranda has to put her in her place. Miranda tells Andy to bore someone else with her questions after telling her that she wants 10 or 15 skirts from Calvin Klein. Andy never gets clarification on which skirts, she just has to work it out for herself

3 “Oh, Don’t Be Ridiculous, Andrea. Everybody Wants This. Everybody Wants To Be Us.”

Miranda Priestly remains an icy character for most of the film, but she and Andy do have a few moments together in Paris where she opens up and shows a hint of a vulnerable side. Andy finally feels comfortable enough to tell her that she’s questioning whether this fast-paced life is for her, to which Miranda replies that it must be. “Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Andrea,” she says, still refusing to call her Andy. “Everybody wants this. Everybody wants to be us.”

2 “Truth Is, There’s No One Who Can Do What I Do.”

As a person, Miranda Priestly has a few issues to work through. But as the Editor-in-Chief of Runway, she does a brilliant job of keeping the magazine afloat. She’s demanding and unreasonable, but she also makes a lot of sacrifices that have a lasting impact on her personal life. Ultimately, she puts the magazine before anything else, which makes her the perfect person for the job. After betraying Nigel (Stanley Tucci), Miranda justifies her actions by telling Andy that she had to manipulate the situation to prevent Jacqueline from taking her job because “there’s no one who can do what I do.”

1 “That’s All.”

Miranda says this a few times throughout the film, to the point where these two words almost come to represent her character. By finishing interactions with a simple “that’s all,” Miranda reinforces that she doesn’t personally care about any of the people she speaks to. She sees everyone as small pieces of the huge machine that is Runway. Once she tells them what she needs from them, she’s not interested in any further interaction. Few actors could deliver this line in a cold, ruthless way like Meryl Streep. The Devil Wears Prada's Miranda is perfect for Runway, and Streep is perfect for the role of Miranda.

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  The Devil Wears Prada

  Director:

  David Frankel

  Release Date:

  2006-06-30

  Cast:

  Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Meryl Streep

  Writers:

  Lauren Weisberger, Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway

  Rating:

  PG-13

  Runtime:

  109minutes

  Genres:

  Comedy, Drama

  Budget:

  $35 million

  Studio(s):

  20th Century

  Distributor(s):

  20th Century