Summary

• Real-life women & their achievements influenced the fictionalized film Hidden Figures, highlighting their pivotal roles in NASA during the space race.
• The movie addresses race, gender, and scientific progress through memorable quotes, showcasing the struggles and accomplishments of Katherine, Mary, and Dorothy.
• The cast of remarkable women, led by Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monáe, and Octavia Spencer, won an award for their portrayal of these groundbreaking figures.

Hidden Figures is a film about groundbreaking women and there are a lot of memorable Hidden Figures quotes within the story. The central characters are played by actresses who are remarkable women in their own right, so much so that the film won an award for best cast. Hidden Figures stars Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson, Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson, and Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughn.

The movie itself is partly fictional in terms of the narrative, but the bulk of the major details are based on the real-life hard-won achievements of these three women. Hidden Figures marks an important moment in the history of America. The space race captured the attention of the world, but so did the Civil Rights Movement, and the story of the real-life women in the middle of both historical moments is a compelling one. Race, gender, and scientific progress are all addressed in some of the best Hidden Figures quotes.

20 “Mary, It’s Sunday. Please Have Some Shame.”

Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson

When Katherine, Mary, and Dorothy attend a local picnic after church services on a Sunday, Katherine meets her future husband. Before she can even get up the courage to speak to him, however, Dorothy waves him over and Mary makes a few suggestive comments. Katherine tries to shame Mary into stopping her commentary, but it doesn’t work.

Hidden Figures is a movie about three women who take on astronomical challenges and make huge strides not just for themselves, but for people of color as a whole. Sometimes, it’s easy to see them as larger than life. Moments like this in the movie remind the audience that these women were real people.

19 “You Could Fly Up To Space If You Wanted To, Mama. You Could Be An Astronaut.”

Zani Jones Mbayise as Kathy Johnson

Katherine, Mary, and Dorothy are very much aware of the limitations placed on them because of the society they live in. Each barrier they break is one they hope their children don’t have to. The movie doesn’t spend a ton of time with the children of these women, but this is one of the Hidden Figures quotes from Katherine’s daughter that makes it clear that boundary-breaking is working.

Kathy firmly believes that her mother could become an astronaut and that there shouldn’t be anything stopping her from going to space. For Kathy, there isn’t an invisible line between her mother and the men who are going to space, which is a sign that the world is changing.

18 “Any Upward Movement Is Movement For Us All, Just Isn’t Movement For Me.”

Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughn

Though Mary and Katherine both end up with surprising opportunities to advance in their careers, Dorothy finds herself consistently passed over for a promotion. This particular Hidden Figures quote is the result of Dorothy venting to Katherine and Mary in the car on their way home. Dorothy understands how unfair it is that white women keep being named supervisors when she’s doing all the supervisory work herself.

She amends all of her venting with this line to show that she isn’t ungrateful for the opportunities her friends have gained. Dorothy, however, wants an opportunity as well. She eventually finds a way to make that happen for herself, but this line is a reminder of the people left behind in the changing world.

17 "If She Says [The Numbers] Are Good, Then I'm Good To Go."

Glen Powell as John Glenn

The astronauts being sent into space on test flights had to have complete faith in the people sending them there. John Glenn, however, didn't have faith in the team of men sitting in the conference room. Instead, he had faith in Katherine Johnson after seeing her work out the math first-hand.

He refused to launch until Katherine double-checked everyone else's math, including the actual computer brought in to eliminate all the handwork. His trust in her in the movie is the same as it was in real life, which was monumental at the time. It might have angered some of the men on the team, but helped Glenn feel secure to have Katherine running the numbers.

16 "We All Get To The Peak Together, Or We Don't Get There At All."

Kevin Costner as Al Harrison

Al Harrison might initially be blind to the way Katherine is treated by the other men in the office, but once his eyes are open, he doesn't have time for the pettiness the scientists and mathematicians throw her way. He makes it very clear that everyone on the team has to work together in this Hidden Figures quote.

As he points out, they can't send men into space safely if their work isn't flawless. For that to happen, they have to work together and trust one another to do their best job. His team doesn't openly defy him after that.

15 "There's Only One Thing To Do: Learn All We Can."

Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughn

If there's one character who is always looking ahead, it's Octavia Spencer's Dorothy. She understands that progress can be a double-edged sword. Dorothy is the one who has the vision to understand what the IBM means for her "computers."

Dorothy is the supervisor of the women of color in charge of computing mathematical equations for NASA, though it takes a long time for her to get any kind of supervisor credit. When she learns that IBM can do thousands of calculations in the time it takes women to do one, she declares that they all have to study up on the new machine. Without Dorothy's understanding of what's coming, her entire department would have been out of a job.

14 "We Go From Being Our Fathers' Daughters To Our Husbands' Wives To Our Babies' Mothers."

Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson

Katherine, Dorothy, and Mary are women who have their intelligence and their careers in mind. They want to provide for their families, but they're all hampered by the way the world sees them. Mary has to deal with the surrounding men not believing a woman can be an engineer; Katherine gets off on the wrong foot with her future husband when he thinks working at NASA would be too taxing for a woman. The women are used to being defined by the men in their lives, as Mary points out, and they work incredibly hard to change it.

13 "Whoever Gets There First Will Make The Rules."

Kevin Costner as Al Harrison

Al Harrison is instrumental in helping Katherine have a long career with NASA. He has a reputation for being hard on his computers, and no one is sure Katherine will last in his office. Harrison, however, wants one thing more than anything: to get men into space successfully. Harrison's Hidden Figures quote here is made during a meeting about the space program.

He's referencing the Russians putting a man in space first, but his words apply to the world of Hidden Figures. The women at the center of the story are hampered by the rules made by the white men who got to positions before them. Harrison tries to eliminate hurdles to Katherine's success because, in his eyes, color isn't important in getting to space - the math is what's important but the rest of the world might not see things that way.

12 "I Have Never Seen A Mind Like Your Daughter Has. You Have To See What She Becomes."

Katherine's Teacher

Before Katherine works as a computer at NASA, she was a little girl with a head for numbers. The state of the United States means that a young person of color would have a hard path to an education. The teacher who sees potential in Katherine, however, wants to make sure that she has a chance to go as far as possible.

The community bands together to make sure a little girl has a fighting chance to succeed.

Not only does her teacher reach out to high schools to get Katherine a better education, but the church takes up a collection to help Katherine's parents make the move closer to the school that wants Katherine there. The community bands together to make sure a little girl has a fighting chance to succeed in a difficult world, and without that, Katherine might never have made it to NASA.

11 "It's Equal Rights. I Have The Right To See Fine In Every Color."

Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson

While most of the lines referencing the Civil Rights Movement in the movie are of the dramatic variety, there is a lot of humor. Mary is often the one to bring a little lightness and sarcasm to what could be a serious situation in her Hidden Figures quotes.

When the women are introduced to the astronauts they'll be helping to send into space, John Glenn, in particular, stops and chats with them. Mary takes a moment to admire the men's appearances when they're introduced, and after Katherine admonishes her for it, Mary gives her spin on the equal rights they've all been fighting for. Mary can't be faulted for admiring smart and charismatic men who trust their work.

10 "I Wouldn't Have To. I'd Already Be One."

Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson in response to "Would You Try To Be An Engineer If You Were A White Man?"

Mary is talking to one of the NASA engineers about the issues with a contraption. She instantly sees what is going wrong with the machine and what needs to be done for it, proving herself as an obvious choice for an engineer - and yet the likelihood of her being one is slim, purely due to her skin color and gender.

She knows she's brilliant and that if given the chance, she could be exactly what she wants to be.

Mary never shies away from the reality of her situation. She knows she's brilliant and that if given the chance, she could be exactly what she wants to be, but it takes a little more prodding for her to take the plunge and attempt it. It's part of why Hidden Figures is an important movie to Monáe.

9 "I Have To Walk To Timbuktu Just To Relieve Myself!"

Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson

Katherine spends what seems like most of her time on-screen running through hallways, across parking lots, sometimes through the rain, and always toting a huge pile of books, just to be able to go to the bathroom.

It never occurs to her boss how inconvenient her life is compared to that of her co-workers - all of them white males who have a toilet close by and who, on top of taking their ease for granted, also make Katherine's life more difficult and humiliating by forcing her to use a separate coffee pot than the rest of the staff. It's not until Katherine explains why she's missing from her desk so often that Harrison begins to understand.

8 "No Crime In A Broken Down Car." And "No Crime Being Negro, Neither."

Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughn and Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson

The women are stuck on the side of the road with a broken-down vehicle. When a police officer begins to approach them, Mary tenses up and barks at the girls to pay attention and prepare themselves. She expects the worst from the situation.

Dorothy makes the point that having a broken-down car is no crime, so they shouldn't be worried, but Mary points out that it's technically no crime to be Black, and yet it's still treated like it is. Both women are right, and if the police officer hadn't been interested in the Space Race, Mary's worries about their situation may have been valid.

7 "Separate And Equal Are Two Different Things. Just Because It's The Way Don't Make It Right."

Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughn

Dorothy is the most likely character to tell others that they should keep their heads down and avoid trouble if they can, but she also doesn't let herself be trodden on if she can help it. This Hidden Figures quote as she attempts to teach her sons about inequality proves that.

Dorothy and her sons aren't allowed to take out the book they need from the library, so Dorothy swipes it anyway, explaining that she is not stealing because, as a taxpayer, she has just as much right to things as anybody else. She reminds her children that just because they are being kept separate from their white peers doesn't mean they are being given equal opportunities either.

6 "Every Time We Have A Chance To Get Ahead, They Move The Finish Line."

Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson

Mary recognizes her ability to be an engineer and decides to set her sites on making her dream a reality. She already technically has the same credentials as every other engineer at NASA, and so should be able to obtain the role, but as soon as she applies, her supervisor asserts that there is an addendum to the position requirements. Mary is understandably angry, and she begins her push to meet the new requirements, despite feeling like she's constantly set back.

Mary has seen first-hand that every time she and her co-workers do something to give themselves an edge, suddenly the workforce needs more from them. She knows that it's unfair, but she still sets out to prove that she can catch up with the requirements.

5 "Civil Rights Ain't Always Civil."

Aldis Hodge as Levi Jackson

Throughout the film, there are flashes of scenes that suggest the greater levels of unrest that were occurring during the 1960s. Some members of the Black community will be seen protesting, which the women mostly try to stay apart from because their jobs are likely to depend on it.

All the same time, it's a reminder of the fact that gaining more rights is not always a peaceful and clean path, especially since such a request is grounded in the unjust fact that rights were being withheld in the first place. Mary's husband, Levi, is the one who makes the point to her with this Hidden Figures quote.

4 "And It's Not Because We Wear Skirts. It's Because We Wear Glasses."

Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson

Katherine is originally put off by the man who ends up being her husband due to his instant doubt of her abilities because she is a woman. Unimpressed, Katherine rattles off all the high-level requirements of her position and makes sure he understands that the reason women get into these jobs isn't because of their sexuality, but because of their intelligence.

She jokingly likens wearing glasses, not skirts, to being intelligent, and it has the effect she wants as he understands that he offended her. It's one of the best Hidden Figures quotes to show Katherine's sense of humor.

3 "There's No Protocol For Women Attending." And "There's No Protocol For A Man Circling The Earth Either, Sir."

Jim Parsons as Paul Stafford and Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson

Katherine is expected to make the computations for the NASA team, and yet she isn't allowed into the conference room when they are discussing the very information that is integral to her job.

Her superior, Paul Stafford, uses the cop-out excuse that the system is merely not set up for women to attend, and Katherine curtly points out how ridiculous a statement this is when considering the values behind their work. While Katherine is always polite, she does get the courage to speak her mind so that she can be part of the historic event of sending men to space.

2 "You, Sir, You Are The Boss. You Just Have To Act Like One... Sir."

Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson

The head of the program finds himself confused and struggling to understand exactly why Katherine shouldn't be able to attend the conferences, a task that is difficult because of the simple fact that no answer makes sense because the rule is purely founded on prejudice.

Katherine reminds him that he is the one with all the power.

He muses on who could change this rule, and Katherine reminds him that he is the one with all the power, if only he'd wake up to the fact. Harrison isn't a bad guy in Katherine's eyes, but he does need some prodding to help her when it seems like everyone else is against her.

1 "Despite What You Think, I Have Nothing Against Y'all." & "I Know You Probably Believe That."

Kirsten Dunst as Mrs. Mitchell and Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughn

Mrs. Mitchell, who has treated Dorothy with disrespect in every encounter, begins to see herself in the mirror - literally - when she and Dorothy find themselves using the same bathroom. Mrs. Mitchell attempts to assert a common understanding with Dorothy but only succeeds in exposing the fact that she doesn't see how her daily treatment of Dorothy as an inferior person is due to her intrinsic racism.

It takes a long time for her to even slightly understand what she's put Dorothy through, and it's only when her team of white women who act as computers have their jobs threatened as well that she starts to see it. It's moments like this that reveal the ingrained racism of the institutions and the period that make Hidden Figures such a great historical watch.