As the Editor-in-Chief of the fictional Runway magazine, The Devil Wears Prada‘s Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) has no choice but to be ruthless and she dishes out the appropriate amount of savage quotes. 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. While this makes her a merciless boss, Miranda does do a very good job of running the magazine. 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 the character has cemented Priestly 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 likable about her uncompromising attitude, even when it’s unreasonable.
15 “I Had Hope. Anyway, You Ended Up Disappointing Me More Than Any Of The Other Silly Girls.”
When Andy decides to quit at the end of the movie, Miranda is upset and frustrated as it seems that Andy was finally getting the hang of things, but Andy didn’t want to be in the industry anymore and felt she had to leave. This Miranda Priestly quote is said to Andy, and it shows a rare moment of vulnerability from the character, even if it is a typically devastating putdown from Priestly.
14 “Find Me That Piece Of Paper I Had In My Hand Yesterday Morning.”
Miranda Priestly expects a lot, arguably 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. It’s a favorite Miranda Priestly quote among fans with over-demanding bosses themselves.
13 “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 and explain but only gets on the receiving end of this classic Miranda Priestly quote.
12 “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. This Miranda Priestly quote certainly isn’t the harshest response, but it still is difficult to hear. 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.
11 “Did You Fall Down And Smack Your Little Head On The Pavement?”
Miranda Priestly doesn’t care much, if at all, about her staff and employees’ well-being and 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. This Miranda Priestly quote is ice-cold but reminds the audience that it’s never just an at with Miranda and that she’s dedicated to being ruthless 24/7.
10 “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.
9 “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.
8 “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, you have 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 new husband is asking for a divorce. Even in the face of the breakdown of her marriage, Miranda Priestly still has the ability to be totally savage.
7 “We Have All The Published Harry Potter Books. The Twins Want To Know What Happens Next.”
This Miranda Priestly quote out of context might not seem too demanding or savage, but when you think about what it means for Andy, it’s pretty brutal. This Miranda Priestly quote 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.
6 “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 shows how ruthless she is. 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 she only plans to stay for 15 minutes. This Miranda Priestly quote 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.
5 “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.
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. Poor 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. Miranda Priestly is perfect for Runway, and Streep was perfect for the role of Miranda.
