50 The Color Purple Quotes on Hope Amidst Adversity

This heartwarming collection of The Color Purple quotes will gear you up with positive messages that’ll help you win your battles in life.

The Color Purple is a drama movie based on Alice Walker’s award-winning novel of the same name.

It follows the story of Celie, an African American teenage woman who suffered abuse from the people around her.

Later in the story, she’ll encounter strong-willed women who will make her realize that life is worth fighting for.

The story is very delicate and deep—portraying the struggle of a woman to win against gender and racial discrimination.

Get a glimpse of what this masterpiece has to offer through the list below.

Make sure you don’t miss out and read through to the end!

Continue reading here.

And check out these Scent of a Woman quotes.

Best The Color Purple Quotes

1. “Folks don’t like nobody being too proud, or too free.” – Celie

2. “Don’t let them run over you. You got to fight.” – Nettie

3. “The jail you plan for me who’s the one you’re gonna rot in.” – Celie

4. “Nothing but death will keep me from it.” – Nettie

5. “The world is changing. It is no longer just a place for boys and men.” – Nettie

6. “Not being tied to what God looks like frees us.” – Nettie

7. “I curse you. Until you do right by me, everything you think about is going to crumble.” – Celie

8. “I think it pisses God off when you walk by the color purple in a field and don’t notice it.” – Shug 

9. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” – Celie

10. “All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my uncles. I had to fight my brothers. A girl child ain’t safe in a family of men. But I ain’t never thought I’d have to fight in my own house! I love Harpo, God knows I do. But I’ll kill him dead ‘fo I let him beat me!” – Sofia

Famous The Color Purple Quotes

11. “You see, Daddy? Sinners have a soul too.” – Shug 

12. “Girl, you betta bash Mister’s head open and think about Heaven later.” – Sofia

13. “White folk is a miracle of affliction.” – Sofia

14. “But I don’t know how to fight, all I know how to do is stay alive.” – Celie

15. “More than anything God loves admiration.” – Shug

16. “You better not tell nobody but God. It’ll kill yo mama.” – Alphonso

17. “You a low-down dog is what’s wrong. It’s time to leave you and enter into the creation. And your dead body just the welcome mat I need.” – Celie

18. “Fact is, I got to get rid of her. She too old to be living here at home. And she a bad influence on my other girls. She ain’t smart either, and I’ll just be fair, you have to watch her, or she’ll give away everything you own. But she can work like a man.” – Alphonso

19. “‘Dis life be ova soon. Heaven last always.” – Celie

Also read: Famous Quotes

The Color Purple Quotes That Exhibit Faith and Hope

20. “Well, us talk and talk about God, but I’m still adrift. Trying to chase that old White man out of my head. I been so busy thinking about him I never truly notice nothing God make. Not a blade of corn—not the color purple—.” – Celie 

21. “I keep hoping he find somebody to marry. I see him looking at my little sister. She scared. But I say I’ll take care of you. With God’s help.” – Celie

22. “I’m poor, Black, I might even be ugly, but dear God, I’m here. I’m here.” – Celie

23. “Sat in that jail, I sat in that jail till near about done rot to death. I know what it’s like who wanna go somewhere and can’t. I know what it’s like who wanna sing—and have ’em beat outta ya. I wanna thank you, Miss Celie, for everything you’ve done for me. I remember that day in the store with Miss Millie. I’m feelin’ real down, I’m feelin’ mighty bad. And when I see you—I know that there is a God.” – Sofia

Emotional The Color Purple Quotes to Move Your Heart

24. “Yeah, Celie. Everything wanna be loved. Us sing and dance, and holla just wanting to be loved. Look at them trees. Notice how the trees do everything people do to get attention—except walk?” – Shug 

25. Harpo: “Who this, Pa? Who this?”

Albert: “The woman that shoulda been yo’ mammy.”

26. Shug: “That means you still a virgin.”

Celie: “Yeah, because don’t nobody love me.”

Shug: “I love you.”

27. Celie: “He beat me when you ain’t here.”

Shug: “Who do? Albert?”

Celie: “Mister.”

Shug: “Why he do that?”

Celie: “He beat me for not being you.”

Iconic The Color Purple Quotes to Remember

28. “Miss Celie, why are you always covering up your smile?” – Shug

29. “Sofia’s home. Things are gonna change ’round here.” – Sofia

30. “Everything you’ve done to me, already been done to you.” – Celie

31. “Shug likes honey. And now I’m just like a bee.” – Celie

32. “My God, the dead has arisen.” – Old Mister

33. “Most time I pretend I ain’t even there. He don’t know the difference.” – Celie

34. “I had enough bad luck to keep me laughin’ the rest of my life.” – Sofia

35. “Don’t do it, Mrs. Celie. Don’t trade places with what I been through.” – Sofia

The Color Purple Quotes to Revisit Some of Its Most Impactful Scenes

36. “She black as tar, nappy-headed, got legs like baseball bats, and I hear she got that nasty women’s disease.” – Old Mister

37. “Nettie and my kids be comin’ home soon, and when they get here we gonna set around and whip your ass.” – Celie

38. “Celie, you have my sympathy. Ain’t many women allow they husband’s ho to lay up in the house.” – Old Mister

39. “Boy, you goin’ let this ol’ nappy-headed girl cuss you out like that? You sittin’ at the head of your own dinner table and actin’ like the waiter!” – Old Mister

40. Harpo: “Listen, woman, can’t a man dance with his wife if he wants to?”

Squeak: “Not if she left’m! And not if he my man! You just a big ol’ heifer. Ha ha ha.”

Sofia: “Like I said, fine with me!”

41. “Sofia thinks too much of herself. Needs to be taken down a peg or two.” – Albert

42. “I can’t remember being the first one in my own dress. Now to have one made just for me. I try to tell Kate what it means. I git hot in the face and stutter.” – Celie

43. “I am making some pants for you to beat the heat in Africa. Soft, white, thin. Drawstring waist. You won’t ever have to feel too hot and overdress again. I plan to make them by hand. Every stitch I sew will be a kiss.” – Celie

44. “Celie is coming with us to Memphis.” – Shug

More The Color Purple Quotes for Everyone Who Enjoyed the Book

45. “A grown child is a dangerous thing.” – Alice Walker, Author

46. “Time moves slowly, but passes quickly.” – Alice Walker, Author

47. “People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.” – Alice Walker, Author

48. “I think us here to wonder, myself. To wonder. To ask. And that in wondering bout the big things and asking ‘bout the big things, you learn about the little ones, almost by accident. But you never know nothing more about the big things than you start out with. The more I wonder, the more I love.” – Alice Walker, Author

49. “I believe God is everything, say Shug. Everything that is or ever was or ever will be. And when you can feel that, and be happy to feel that, you’ve found It.” – Alice Walker, Author

50. “I am an expression of the divine, just like a peach is, just like a fish is. I have a right to be this way—I can’t apologize for that, nor can I change it, nor do I want to. We will never have to be other than who we are in order to be successful. We realize that we are as ourselves unlimited and our experiences valid. It is for the rest of the world to recognize this if they choose.” – Alice Walker, Author 

Did These Quotes Motivate You to Win Against the Challenges You’re Facing in Life?

Each of us is special and should be treated equally regardless of race, gender, or what group we belong to. The Color Purple is a reminder of this and serves as the push we need to find the strength and courage to fight for justice. After all, we will never move forward if we don’t act!

Celie embodies the qualities of a great survivor who can rise above all the hardships and struggles she’s been through. From an oppressed victim, she transformed into a genuinely admirable fighter. Her character inspires everyone dealing with injustice and gives them hope that something better will come.

This movie is a gem that leaves an indelible impact on our views in life. Remember, we are all human, and we are all equal. Learn from Celie, and feel free to reread this collection whenever you need a reminder!

What do you think of Celie’s personality and learnings? Which of these quotes are your favorites? Share your thoughts and leave a comment below.

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Karen Danao

Hi, I’m Karen, a content curator and writer for Quote Ambition; I’m also a marketing and advertising professional. Beyond the keyboard and the screen, I’m someone who’s out to enjoy every bit that life has to offer!

Poetry, philosophy, history, and movies are all topics I love writing about! However, my true passion is in traveling, photography, and finding common ground to which everyone from different cultures can relate.

With the many places I’ve been to, I found that love, inspiration, and happiness are some things that bring people together. No matter how different we are on the outside, I’m a true believer that our emotions don’t lie; if you dig deep into our psyche, we’re all the same inside.

This belief was further amplified when I joined Quote Ambition. Through the quotes I’ve read, collected, organized, and written about, I found that humans are resilient, creative, and compassionate.

We take from each others’ hearts and courage, and it’s through our individual experiences that we learn how to rise above our challenges and pain. In so many ways, Quote Ambition is a platform that allows people from all over the world to gain the inspiration they need anytime, anywhere!

You can find me on MuckRack and LinkedIn.