15 Top Movie Lines From Boss Women

It's always a breath of fresh air when a boss female character delivers a boss line in a great movie that we can all relate to. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, we're pretty much going to be jumping around like kids. Sometimes, it takes a huge Hollywood movie star to tell us what we already know about ourselves, and then the facts really sink in. Other times, the characters in our favorite movies phrase things in some ways that we've never actually thought of before, and we secretly plan on effortlessly working those lines into our everyday lives. We would love to be as cool as these women! The wise women of the big screen have much to teach us about the hardships and double standards that we face thanks to our gender, the respect we deserve and need to have for ourselves, and the influence we have the potential to unleash on the world. Here are 15 top movie lines from boss women that we just love.

15 'Sex And The City'

Vivian from Pretty Woman was a bit of a boss, wasn't she? She made the most of a job she didn't want to do to keep herself alive, and still demanded respect from those around her. She ended up realizing her worth and potential, and rather than continuing to take the easy way out, she chose to go back to studying and try to make something of herself. The top boss line Vivian comes up with has to be at the end when Edward conquers his fear of heights to declare his love for her. He asks her, “So what happens after he climbs up and rescues her?” She responds with, “She rescues him right back.” Love it! Traditionally, men are expected to rescue women from their perils, but there's a certain power that comes with being there to save him too. It's a two-way street, and women aren't just damsels-we're actually useful!

12 'The Breakfast Club'

10 Things I Hate About You had a lot of lines that have stuck with us over the years, and Kat Stratford wins the prize for coming up with the most brilliant quotes. She's an outcast with ambition who literally DGAF what people think of her, and we learn that she has done things she regrets. When trying to stop her little sister Bianca from making the same mistakes, she tells her, “You don't always have to be who they want you to be, you know.” Man or woman, that's advice we can all take on board! When defending her actions and attitude, she says, “Why should I live up to other people's expectations instead of my own?” Why indeed, Kat. When her English teacher forces Kat to read Hemingway, she responds with, “I guess in this society, being male and an ass**** makes you worthy of our time.” We'll just leave that there.

10 'Harry Potter'

When it comes to boss women from Harry Potter, there are a few women we could be talking about, but naturally the biggest boss of all the bosses has to be Hermione Granger. Described as the smartest witch of her age, Hermione's advice is worth taking note of. She has a lot to say about the importance of friendship, and her counsel usually keeps Harry from getting killed. One of our favorite Hermione lines comes from the second instalment of the series. Lucius Malfoy tries to reprimand Harry for uttering the name “Voldemort”, but Hermione smoothly lets him know that, "Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself." That is true when it comes to Voldemort, but also when it comes to things that scare us in life. We might not be scared to utter particular words, but usually avoid everything to do with our fears, and it's much better to face them.

9 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'

The Greek culture in My Big Fat Greek Wedding shows us that in some families, the man is the undisputed head of the house. Every marriage is different, and while that might work for some people, it seems like it can be a pain when the husband, or the head of the household, is stubborn and insufferable. But family matriarch Maria Portokalos gives her daughter Toula this little seed of wisdom: “The man is the head, but the woman is the neck. And she can turn the head any way she wants.” This is spot on! Now, we're not condoning the manipulation of men, but this is a great statement! It's saying that just because women might not be as physically powerful as men, it doesn't mean they have no power. They can have influence in other ways, like using their brains to think things through. Never underestimate the power of an intelligent woman!

8 'Mean Girls'

You can't have a discussion about boss women from movies and not include Thelma and Louise! For those who aren't familiar, Thelma and Louise are friends who embark on a road trip and then end up running from police after Louise shoots and kills a man who tried to attack Thelma. Louise is an independent waitress, who's usually the person who keeps it all together, while Thelma is the housewife who's a little more sensitive and not as strong. As Louise is trying to convince Thelma to come with her on the trip in the first place, Thelma expresses that her husband won't be happy. Louise ingeniously replies with, “Is he your husband or your father?” The best! This is all about being an adult and making your own decisions, rather than having somebody dictate what you can and can't do the way a parent does. Thelma's husband didn't respect her one little bit!

6 'Erin Brockovich'

Erin Brockovich tells the true story of an incredibly powerful woman who came from nothing and ended up making a real change in the world. In the movie, Erin (played by Julia Roberts) clearly isn't going to let anybody tell her how to dress, and says, “I'll wear what I like if that's all right with you.” Controlling what women wear seems to be a thing that society is obsessed with. From some directions, we get the message that we can't wear too little because that gives men the wrong idea-yes, wearing a short dress to a super-hot and sweaty club must be all about trying to appeal to a man! From other directions, we get the message that you're only empowered if you take your clothes off (and evidently, look good naked). How about, everybody just wears what they want? We don't obsess over men's clothes, so let's stop doing it to women!

5 'Honey'

The movie Honey is filled with strong women. You have Honey Daniels herself, who's a hard worker and dream-follower, refusing to compromise her morals for a shot at the big time. Then there's also her best friend Gina, who is full of sass and makes no apologies for it. At one point, Gina gets kind of upset with Honey who's becoming more and more obsessed with work. After Honey blows off Gina, Gina tells her, “If you don't want to go shopping with me, I'll go by myself. Only person I can depend on anyway.” These are such simple words, and yet they say so much. In life, you just have to be able to depend on yourself. It doesn't matter if you've got an amazing partner who supports you or a best friend who would do anything for you. Life has too many surprises to totally rely on another person.

4 'Before Sunrise'

Before Sunrise is one of the most romantic movies of our time, and leading lady Celine makes a good point about the current state of women and love: “I always feel this pressure of being a strong and independent icon of womanhood, and without making it look my whole life is revolving around some guy. But loving someone, and being loved means so much to me.” When it comes to boss women, we hear all about independence, and we do believe that you need to be able to rely on yourself, no matter what gender you are. But at the same time, there is nothing wrong with being in love. It doesn't make you any less of a boss, because real power isn't about women having to be single career-women, or having to be wives and mothers, or having to be both. It's about the freedom to choose what you want.

3 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'

Holly Golightly has been inspiring women for decades, and there's one quote of hers that always comes up when we feel like we're losing ourselves. In one conversation with Paul, he tells Holly, “I love you plenty. You belong to me.” Some might find that strong statement romantic, but Holly doesn't, and responds with, “No. People don't belong to people.” Yes, Holly! This is such a simple truth, and yet for some, it's so hard to understand. Women should feel free to love deeply without being judged for it, but loving and being loved does not mean that somebody owns you. After Holly says this, Paul replies with, “Of course they do.” Holly then says, “I'm not going to let anyone put me in a cage.” We say that everybody has the right to love and at the same time stay true to who they are and keep hold of their own identity.

2 'Suffragette'

The 2015 film Suffragette is hard to watch, but it tells the fascinating story of the women's suffrage movement in Britain, or the actions women of the time had to take to secure the vote. Not only is the movie good for reminding us how hard women of the past worked to deliver us closer to equality, but it also has some brilliant lines! The women in the film resort to violence to get their message heard, and as the police start responding to them and punishing them, protagonist Maud Watts lets her oppressors know that this is a fight they can't win. “What are you gonna do?” she asks. “Lock us all up? We're in every home, we're half the human race, you can't stop us all.” Whether you agree with these women turning to violence or not, the point is that women are actually much more powerful than we get credit for!

1 'P.S. I Love You'

Without a doubt, our favorite line from a female boss in a movie comes from P.S. I Love You. While most of this movie is too sad for words (seriously), the newly widowed Holly's BFF Denise keeps the mood as light as can be. After she gets told off by her friend's husband for admiring a man's body, she says this: "After centuries of men looking at my t**s instead of my eyes and pinching my a** instead of shaking my hand, I now have the divine right to stare at a man's backside with vulgar, cheap appreciation if I want to.” Now, that totally deserves a round of applause! It's true that two wrongs don't make a right, but if men can get away with staring, why can't women as well? There's only so much disrespect a person can take, and eventually, the truth is that there's nothing to do but dish it back!