Fans of Audrey Hepburn will love these Breakfast at Tiffany’s quotes!
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a movie starring the ever-beautiful Audrey Hepburn. It was based on Truman Capote’s novel of the same title. And, if Hepburn’s appearance isn’t enough to get you hooked, rest assured that it has countless lines that’ll make you think.
Audrey Hepburn plays Holly Golightly, a young socialite who falls in love with a struggling writer. There wouldn’t be many issues with their relationship if it happened in this generation. But, remember that the story itself occurred in the 1940s when people were more conscious of class differences.
Holly was in a dilemma—will she choose a rich man who would give her all the comforts of life, or would she go with her gut feel and take a leap of faith in love? While the plot makes us believe that Holly will choose the former, in the end, she realizes what truly matters.
Learn more about Holly’s realizations in Breakfast at Tiffany’s through this list. We’ve got the best quotes from the movie and the novel!
And make sure to check out these Gone with the Wind quotes and Titanic quotes.
Best Breakfast at Tiffany’s Quotes From the Movie
1. “I’ll never get used to anything. Anybody that does, they might as well be dead.” – Holly Golightly
2. “People do fall in love. People do belong to each other because that’s the only chance that anyone’s got for true happiness.” – Paul Varjak
3. “You could always tell what kind of a person a man thinks you are by the earrings he gives you. I must say, the mind reels.” – Holly Golightly
4. “You mustn’t give your heart to a wild thing. The more you do, the stronger they get, until they’re strong enough to run into the woods or fly into a tree. And then to a higher tree and then to the sky.” – Holly Golightly
5. Paul Varjak: “So you’re getting married, then?”
Holly Golightly: “Well, he hasn’t really asked me—not in so many words.”
Paul Varjak: “Four, you mean?”
Holly Golightly: “Huh?”
Paul Varjak: “Well, that’s how many it takes: will you marry me?”
6. “It should take you exactly four seconds to cross from here to that door. I’ll give you two.” – Holly Golightly
7. “Hand me my purse, will you, darling? A girl can’t read that sort of thing without her lipstick.” – Holly Golightly
8. Holly Golightly: “I’ll never let anyone put me in a cage!”
Paul Varjak: “I don’t want to put you in a cage; I wanna love you.”
Holly Golightly: “Same thing!”
Paul Varjak: “No, it’s not, Holly.”
Holly Golightly: “I’m not Holly! I’m not Lula Mae, either. I don’t know who I am. I’m like cat here. We’re a couple of no-name slobs. We belong to nobody, and nobody belongs to us. We don’t even belong to each other.”
9. Paul Varjak: “Let’s get something straight. I am not now nor have I ever been Fred, nor am I Benny Shacklett, whoever he may be. My name is Paul—Paul Varjak, and I love you.”
Holly Golightly: “Let me go.”
10. “Anyone who ever gave you confidence, you owe them a lot.” – Holly Golightly
11. “It’s tacky to wear diamonds before you’re 40, and even that’s risky. They only look good on the really old girls—wrinkles and bones, white hair and diamonds. I can’t wait.” – Holly Golightly
12. “He’s alright! Aren’t you, cat? Poor cat! Poor slob! Poor slob without a name! The way I see it, I haven’t got the right to give him one. We don’t belong to each other. We just took up one day by the river. I don’t want to own anything until I find a place where me and things go together. I’m not sure where that is, but I know what it is like. It’s like Tiffany’s.” – Holly Golightly
13. “Promise me one thing: don’t take me home until I’m drunk—very drunk indeed.” – Holly Golightly
14. Holly Golightly: “Did I tell you how divinely and utterly happy I am?”
Paul Varjak: “Yes.”
Breakfast at Tiffany’s Quotes That’ll Take You Back to the Most Interesting Scenes
15. “It’s better to look at the sky than live there. Such an empty place; so vague. Just a country where the thunder goes, and things disappear.” – Holly Golightly
16. “I don’t think I’ve ever drunk champagne before breakfast before. With breakfast on several occasions, but never before, before.” – Holly Golightly
17. Holly Golightly: “You know those days when you get the mean reds?”
Paul Varjak: “The mean reds, you mean like the blues?”
Holly Golightly: “No. The blues are because you’re getting fat, and maybe it’s been raining too long; you’re just sad, that’s all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you’re afraid, and you don’t know what you’re afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?”
Paul Varjak: “Sure.”
Holly Golightly: “Well, when I get it, the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany’s. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that’d make me feel like Tiffany’s, then—then I’d buy some furniture and give the cat a name!”
18. “No, no, you disapprove of me. And I will not accept drinks from gentlemen who disapprove of me. I’ll pay for my own whiskey, and don’t you forget it!” – Holly Golightly
Meaningful Breakfast at Tiffany’s Quotes for Fans of Capote’s Work
19. “Love should be allowed. I’m all for it. Now that I’ve got a pretty good idea what it is.” – Truman Capote, Author
20. “It may be normal, darling, but I’d rather be natural.” – Truman Capote, Author
21. “‘Everybody has to feel superior to somebody,’ she said. ‘But it’s customary to present a little proof before you take the privilege.’” – Truman Capote, Author
22. “Reading dreams. That’s what started her walking down the road. Every day she’d walk a little further: a mile, and come home. Two miles, and come home. One day she just kept on.” – Truman Capote, Author
23. “You’re wrong. She is a phony. But on the other hand, you’re right. She isn’t a phony because she’s a real phony. She believes all this crap she believes. You can’t talk her out of it.” – Truman Capote, Author
24. “The answer is good things only happen to you if you’re good. Good? Honest is more what I mean. Be anything but a coward, a pretender, an emotional crook, a wh*re: I’d rather have cancer than a dishonest heart.” – Truman Capote, Author
25. “You call yourself a free spirit, a wild thing, and you’re terrified somebody’s gonna stick you in a cage. Well, baby, you’re already in that cage. You built it yourself. And it’s not bounded in the West by Tulip, Texas, or on the East by Somaliland—it’s wherever you go, because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself.” – Truman Capote, Author
Breakfast at Tiffany’s Quotes From the Novel
26. “I told you. You can make yourself love anybody.” – Truman Capote, Author
27. “We don’t belong to each other. He’s an independent, and so am I.” – Truman Capote, Author
28. “It is a natural thing that we should change.” – Truman Capote, Author
29. “My yardstick is how somebody treats me.” – Truman Capote, Author
30. “I’m very scared, Buster. Yes, at last. Because it could go on forever. Not knowing what’s yours until you’ve thrown it away.” – Truman Capote, Author
Is Breakfast at Tiffany’s Your Favorite Audrey Hepburn Movie?
Audrey Hepburn is an icon when it comes to American cinema. She’s the pillar that pushed the industry forward, and her wisdom is something little girls and boys can all embody. However, out of all her works, Breakfast at Tiffany’s must be the best.
In this work, she reached out to audiences feeling or experiencing the same thing. Love, after all, is a very relatable topic for us humans. Holly Golightly knew that life would be much easier if she chose a man with riches, but in the end, she followed her heart.
As Paul Varjak famously says, “People do fall in love. People belong to each other because that’s the only chance anyone’s got for true happiness.” This is such a beautiful line that allows everyone to let go of their inhibitions regarding love.
Money can give you a comfortable life but won’t necessarily give you a happy life. Through Holly and Paul, Truman Capote shows us what’s essential and non-negotiable.
With that, we hope these Breakfast at Tiffany’s quotes were able to inspire you today. Keep the lessons that Holly learned in your mind, and remember to follow your heart wherever it might take you!