Summary

  • The best Inside Out quotes highlight the humor, heart, and insight that make this one of Pixar's best movies. It has clever and thoughtful stories that resonate with audiences.
  • Inside Out 2 will continue the story and introduce new and challenging emotions for Riley as a teenager. However, the first movie stands on its own as a wonderful and rewatchable film.
  • The quotes from Inside Out show the importance of embracing all emotions, including sadness, and how they can lead to personal growth and understanding.

The best Inside Out quotes show the humor, heart, and insight that makes this one of the best Pixar movies. The movie centers around a little girl named Riley, but the real focus is on the emotions that operate inside her, like Joy, Sadness, and Anger, who help her deal with the experiences of growing up. The movie won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and became one of Pixar's highest-grossing movies. It features the funny, clever, and thoughtful stories the animation studio creates when it is at its best and the Inside Out quotes highlight all those aspects.

Pixar's Inside Out 2 is confirmed to continue the idea of the first movie, adding new and challenging emotions to Riley's head as she deals with the struggles of being a teenager. While it will be fun to see what the next chapter in the story looks like, Inside Out stands on its own as a wonderful movie that is still a joy to revisit years later. The most memorable quotes from the movie show how the inventive premise grew into a thoughtful and important movie about human emotion.

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20 "I Sure Am Glad You Told Me Earthquakes Are A Myth, Joy."

Fear

Split image of Fear in Inside Out and Bill Hader as Barry

When Riley's family moves to San Francisco, it is an adjustment for all the emotions. Certainly, the most unnerved by the move to a brand new city with many unknown elements is Fear (Bill Hader). Fear has more than a few worries about the whole situation while the rest of the emotions look to Joy to smooth things over. However, he takes solace in the fact that earthquakes are not a real thing, or so he has been told.

As Joy takes on her natural leadership role, she seems to have decided that keeping the truth about certain things from Fear would help everyone. Bill Hader's relieved delivery of the line is hilarious, and it is fun to imagine what his reaction would be when he finally does experience his first earthquake in San Francisco.

Disgust

Joy looking excited with the other uninterested emotions in Inside Out

Joy is such a lovable character, but one of the key lessons she learns in Inside Out is that her best intentions are not always the best way forward. She has such a bright and happy view of things that she can get carried away - right from reality. In the hopes of distracting everyone with some fun stuff when they are all overwhelmed, Joy goes over all the imagined ideas of what their new house could look like. There's one with slides, a tree house, and more.

Joy reveals her favorite being a fairy-tale-like house made out of various desserts with walls of gingerbread, which Disgust correctly points out is not a great idea. This Inside Out quote is an early hint that, despite Joy's enthusiasm, she is not always the emotion that should be guiding everything.

18 "Is It Garbage Day?"

Father's Anger

Riley's dad's emotions watch a hockey game and celebrate a goal.

While much of the action in Inside Out takes place inside Riley's head, some of the funniest moments are when the audience gets a brief glimpse inside the heads of some other characters. This comes into play as Riley's parents try to deal with her sadness. While eating dinner, Riley's mom gives Riley's dad a signal to address Riley's behavior. However, a glimpse inside his head reveals none of his emotions were paying attention since they were reliving his memory of a good game, and they desperately try to guess what she might be wanting from him.

Each of the emotions has their own guess for what Riley's mom might have said to their person, and Anger goes straight for something that he thinks usually makes her mad - forgetting to take out the trash. It is the kind of humor that proves Pixar movies are for adults just as much as for younger audiences.

17 "I'm Positive You'll Get Lost In There!"

Sadness

Joy smiling and looking down at Sadness on the ground in Inside Out

Part of what makes Inside Out one of the most rewatchable Pixar movies is seeing how it built up to that impactful ending. Sadness is initially seen as a troublesome character who makes everything harder for Joy and is a constant pessimist. She touches memories made by Joy and makes them sad without understanding why she's doing it. She slows Joy down when they're both stuck outside of the emotional headquarters, tinting long-term memories with sadness as she does.

However, when looking back at the movie, it is clear that Sadness was often right and what was initially seen as pessimism was actually just a more rational approach than what Joy had in mind. Sometimes, Riley's going to make sad memories even if Joy doesn't want her to. When Sadness advises against taking a shortcut, Joy tells her to be positive, leading to this wonderful comeback.

16 "They Came To Help… Because Of Sadness."

Joy

Joy (Amy Poehler) from Pixar's Inside Out in the long-term memory storage

Inside Out is a great children's movie not just because it is bright and fun, but also because of the very worthwhile messages at its core. While animated movies deal with serious issues at times, Inside Out might achieve it better than any other movie. The big revelation comes when Joy realizes that sadness is not something that Riley needs to avoid, but something she can embrace at times to feel the love of her family and friends.

It is a worthwhile message for young viewers as it teaches them not to cover up emotions but rather embrace them, so they can be understood and dealt with more effectively. It's okay for Riley's memories to be tinged with sadness at times. As Joy sees, when she and Sadness finally work together, Riley's memories and the emotions attached to them become more complex, with Joy and Sadness both attached to the same memories.

15 "Take Her To The Moon For Me. Okay?"

Bing Bong

Bing Bong raises his hands in the air next to the Luxo ball from Pixar

Inside Out is one of the saddest Pixar movies and a lot of that has to do with the character of Bing Bong. As Riley’s childhood imaginary best friend, he’s become a part of her past, something only vaguely remembered. Ultimately, Bing Bong sacrifices his own existence so that Joy can escape from the Memory Dump. His parting words to Joy are a reminder of just how much he loves Riley.

While it is an imaginary character, there is something beautiful and heartbreaking about him accepting that his time in Riley's life is done and that his parting moment is the hope that she keeps a little bit of that child's imagination, even if he's not a part of it. Riley is growing up, and she might not have the need of an imaginary friend to keep her entertained, but that doesn't mean she has to be rid of all of her imagination.

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14 "Crying Helps Me Slow Down And Obsess Over The Weight Of Life's Problems."

Sadness

Sadness from Inside Out laying on a rock in a lava flow in Imagination Land

While Joy is obviously the main character of the film — full of all the infectious charms that only Amy Poehler can deliver — Sadness also proves to be a remarkable character. Sadness is also the source of many of the best Inside Out quotes. Because she is so consumed with feeling down, many of her lines are played for laughs as Joy sees her as an obstacle to making sure Riley's life is a happy one.

However, she also delivers a lot of thought-provoking ideas about sadness, such as this one about the benefits of wallowing in that sad feeling. It serves as a reminder that, though sometimes it’s hard to accept, crying can be a useful means for someone to take a few moments out of their day to reflect, even about the darker aspects of human existence.

13 "DID I ASK FOR THE GUM COMMERCIAL?!"

Anger

TripleDent Gum commercial inside a memory sphere in Inside Out

The TripleDent gum commercial is a running joke throughout Inside Out, with the annoying jingle popping up at various points throughout. As Joy discovers when she and Sadness are trying to make their way through the long-term memory storage area, sometimes, the memory workers send the commercial up to headquarters just for fun. They mix it in with other memories.

It's a fun play on all the jingles that people get stuck in their heads from television, and Anger's reaction showcases exactly how most people react to them when they pop up. Every time the advert appears, it is the cause of frustration, but the best moment comes when Anger is planning for Riley to run away. In the midst of all the madness, the advert appears and Anger truly lives up to his name as he loses his temper at such an inconsequential thing.

12 "Remember The Funny Movie Where The Dog Died?"

Sadness

Sadness at the controls in Inside Out

While Pixar movies often are able to cater to adults with their humor without being edgy, this is a rare example of some dark comedy in one of their animated movies. The idea of Sadness fondly looking back on a movie that featured a dog dying is hilariously morbid. While most people find those movie deaths to be more than a little bit difficult to bear, Sadness’s words here reveal that there are actually ways that it can be pleasurable to indulge in sorrow.

In fact, as Inside Out makes clear again and again, sorrow is a necessary part of the human condition. Sadness, as the emotion in charge of that aspect of Riley's feelings, is going to be the only one to appreciate that at first. That's why she appreciates the movie and rainy days that send a chill down Riley's spine.

11 "Congratulations San Francisco, You've Ruined Pizza!"

Anger

Split image of Lewis Black in The Daily Show and Anger in Inside Out

Voiced by Lewis Black — a man who has made incandescent rage part of his comic persona — Anger is one of the funniest Pixar characters, with his outbursts and tendency to burst into literal flame when he gets frustrated. Anger doesn't often get to run things in the emotional headquarters, even splitting time at the controls with Fear and Disgust when Joy and Sadness disappear. Joy usually does her best to temper Anger for Riley.

While there are moments in Riley's life when her anger is well-placed and even understandable, he also loses his cool at such minor things that it foreshadows how ill-suited he is to run the show when Joy goes missing. When Riley's family arrives in their new home in San Fransisco, all the emotions are worked up, but Anger's biggest reaction is that the city serves broccoli on their pizza.

10 "Okay, Caution, There Is A Dangerous Smell, People."

Disgust

Digust in headquarters in Inside Out

Disgust is one of the more relatable emotions in Inside Out as she also has a rational outlook on things, even if they can be a bit snobbish at times. However, her sheer shock and horror over broccoli is one of her greatest moments in the movie. It's something that everyone can relate to, with parents having struggled to feed their children different vegetables, and children disliking certain ones.

The way that she reacts as if it's incredibly serious is what makes the scene work perfectly. She firmly believes that broccoli isn't just disgusting, but that it's dangerous to Riley. When Riley is a toddler trying it for the first time, Disgust is sure she saved everyone's life by taking control. It's Pixar at its best in terms of catering to such a wide audience, which is why it's such a great Inside Out quote.

9 "Oh No! These Facts And Opinions Look So Similar!"

Joy

Joy in Inside Out with her arms spread and a smile on her face

One of the things that set Pixar apart as an animation studio is that it is pretty upfront about the fact that its films address some of the key philosophical questions of the present. When Joy, Sadness, and Bing Bong are traveling through Riley's mind, they inadvertently make a mess of things on the Train of Thought. They knock over two boxes of tiles that are revealed to be made of facts and opinions. Joy points out that they've mixed up the facts and opinions, making it hard to distinguish them. Bing Bong throws them indiscriminately back into boxes.

Certainly, it is sometimes very difficult to discern the difference between fact and opinion, especially in the age of social media. This witty little Inside Out quote is a potent reminder that there is a difference between the two, and it’s important to learn to tell them apart.

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8 "Boy Band Island? Hope That's Just A Phase."

Fear

Towards the end of Inside Out, when Riley's Mind World expands with new islands, the emotions observe the new changes coming. All of her wold islands, the core tenets of her personality, were destroyed as she experienced the upheaval of the move and the missing Joy. Though some, like Family, were rebuilt, others are brand new.

The evolution of a young person's mind with changing emotions and interests is something Inside Out 2 looks to be exploring. Fear's comment is perhaps the funniest, where he takes a dig at the world of boy band music. It's nothing too offensive and is something that a lot of parents can probably relate to, having to listen to various boy bands over the years. It will be interesting to see how that phase lasted in the sequel and what new areas of interest have occupied Riley's ever-growing mind.

7 "I'm Too Sad To Walk. Just Give Me A Few... Hours."

Sadness

Sadness crying on a cloud and Joy watching from the ground  in Inside Out

In Inside Out, it’s not just that Sadness has some of the most amusing quotes. The animators also make her physically amusing, as when she reveals that she is so overcome with her own signature emotion that she can’t even walk. Joy has to physically drag her through the maze that is the long-term memory storage, even as Sadness touches all the memories she can reach. She also has to prod her along when they travel through Riley's imagination where different structures are being demolished.

Once again, though Sadness can slow things down at times, she is also very relatable in how she deals with those moments. Wanting to curl up in a ball and escape from the world is a common desire when overcome with sadness. The idea that Joy is there to force her along is a nice subtle comment on how these emotions can work hand in hand.

6 "I... I Know You Don't Want Me To, But... I Miss Home..."

Riley

Riley crying in Inside Out

The trope of a child being unhappy about having to move to a new town and leave everything behind is one that many youngsters can empathize with. Riley misses her friends, her hockey team, and the pond where her family used to skate in Minnesota, but she tries to put all that aside when her mother requests that they both show Riley's father how happy they are. However, Inside Out might help kids deal with that troubling time as she tries to be happy at first, then gets angry, and then finally admits to herself and her parents that the whole experience has just made her sad.

While Riley is honest about her feelings, she expresses them in a way that is totally comprehensible and respectful of her parents, and they return that respect. Though Riley is not as entertaining as the personified emotions in her head, moments like this make her one of the most relatable Pixar characters.

5 "Who's Your Friend Who Likes To Play?"

Bing Bong

Bing Bong is one of the best supporting characters in Pixar's history, and he's incredibly memorable for his bubbly and happy personality. Fans love how excited he is about all of the different aspects of the imaginary land in Riley's mind. He loves Cloud City and the literal house of cards that gets knocked down repeatedly. While the emotional side of his story is obviously very well known, there's no doubt that his catchy song is also one of the best Inside Out quotes.

The way he continues to sing the song to himself long after he has mostly faded from Riley's memory is a fun little moment of him trying to remain relevant while also adding to that heartbreaking aspect of the character. The fact that Joy also knows his song by heart and sings it to herself might mean that even if he's gone, his memory is still there too.

4 "We Should Lock The Door And Scream That Curse Word We Know."

Anger

Another brilliant aspect of how Inside Out is so insightful about emotions is the characterization of Anger. Anger has some of the most amusing lines in the movie because he seems so over the top for the audience. He is a very funny character with his frustrated remarks, but the fact that things always get worse when he takes over is another great lesson the movie subtly shows. However, this Inside Out quote from Anger is not only hilarious, but represents a reaction that a lot of people can likely remember from their childhood.

Becoming increasingly enraged by the new situation, Anger suggests the only course of action is for Riley to lock herself in her room and let the curse words fly. He even makes the point that Riley only knows one curse word for sure when he tries to take over the console, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't encourage Riley to use the one she knows.

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3 "Do You Ever Look At Someone And Wonder..."

Joy

Joy showing excitement in Inside Out

Pixar movies are known for their clever premises, and Inside Out jumps right into introducing audiences to the idea of learning where emotions come from and how they operate inside a person's mind from Joy's first line of the movie. Joy speaks directly to the audience and explains that she and the other emotions are there to help guide Riley's view of the world, understanding that it is an important job.

Joy sees keeping Riley happy as the best and most important thing in the world, and considering her world consists of Riley's mind, it really is. From that first line, Inside Out presents a story that is funny even in concept, but also suggests many possibilities for where the story could go. Given all that can be explored, it is not surprising that Pixar wants to continue the journey in Inside Out 2.

2 "The Foot Is Down. The Foot Is Down. Whoo!"

Father's Fear

Anger of the Father leading the emotions in Inside Out

During the scene where Riley and her parents are having a meal at home, and she has a tantrum, the emotions of both mom and dad come into full effect. With Joy and Sadness missing in Riley's long-term memory storage instead in control at the emotional headquarters, Riley's Anger, Disgust, and Fear take control of her reaction to all of the changes in her life, which leads to her lashing out. That gives a chance for the audience to see the emotions of her parents reacting.

It shows how emotions can change and mature, which is something Pixar will follow up with the sequel. However, this scene shows a great joke as the father showcases some force, which is exactly what his wife doesn't want. Seeing the confidence with which the father's emotions decide the stern approach is best and the pride they have despite not fixing anything is a hilarious jab at the same approach taken by many fathers, making this one of the best Inside Out quotes to come from outside Riley's head.

1 "I Just Wanted Riley To Be Happy…"

Joy

One of the key conflicts in this film is between Joy and Sadness, with the former fervently wanting to protect Riley from the influence of the latter. Joy's instinct is to curb all of the other emotions, but especially Sadness, to keep Riley happy all the time. Ultimately, of course, she has to come to terms with the fact that, though undiluted sadness can be stifling and destructive, this emotion also gives birth to important things such as empathy and compassion.

This Inside Out quote is one of those moments where Joy really starts to examine herself and her own assumptions about the other emotions. However, it is also a moment that shows how much Joy cares about Riley and just wants the best for her, even if she's not always sure what that means.

Inside Out
PG

Release Date
June 19, 2015
Director
Pete Docter
Cast
Lewis Black , Mindy Kaling , Phyllis Smith , Amy Poehler , Bill Hader , Richard Kind , Kaitlyn Dias
Runtime
95 minutes
Studio(s)
Disney