The Princess Diaries was one of those movies that made a bigger impact than any of its creators could have guessed and Princess Diaries quotes have made a lasting impression in the world of pop culture. The movie is responsible for bringing Anne Hathaway into the spotlight as Amelia "Mia" Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi, Princess of Genovia. The film takes an honest approach to the frustrations and insecurities of being a teenager, and despite the outlandish plot, Mia never feels like an unrealistic character.
While Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews's performances were incredible, the writing made the movie what it was, with memorable quotes that still resonate over two decades later. Inspired by Meg Cabot's series of novels, The Princess Diaries sees Mia adjust to royal life after her family heritage is revealed to her and spawned a sequel with Chris Pine. Fans have been clamoring for a Princess Diaries 3 ever since, and the best Princess Diaries quotes each highlight why the original is so beloved.
20 "No One Can Quit Being Who They Really Are..."
Joe (Hector Elizondo)
The Princess Diaries has a surprising amount of thematic depth, and many of the best quotes from the movie are also sound advice to live by, both for Anne Hathaway's Mia as she attempts to navigate both adolescence and her life as royalty, and for viewers. Many people struggle with accepting just how unpredictable life is when it comes down to it, trying to beat uncertainty and ensure themselves the future they dreamed up. However, nobody actually has that much control over their lives.
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Whether it's health crises, natural disasters, or social pressures, there are always things keeping people from total control. Mia does not want the pressures of being royalty, but Joe reminds her that saying no to the job doesn't change who she really is. Once she stops fighting that, she can work on changing the things she can control, a plot that really applies to any unexpected change that a person could attempt to resist.
19 “The Brave May Not Live Forever, But The Cautious Do Not Live At All.”
Prince Eduard (René Auberjonois)
Some of the Princess Diaries quotes originate in the novels by Meg Cabot that inspired the movie. One of the most prominent of these is the narrative voiceover that sets the scene for the events of the story. The 2001 movie from Gary Marshall is opents with a voiceover taken directly from the novel, and is the voice of Prince Eduard (René Auberjonois). The full monologue is a little more detailed, and in full makes for one of the most poignant and memorable quotes in The Princess Diaries:
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.
This particular The Princess Diaries quote is a nice snapshot of Mia’s journey in the first movie. Mia laments that she is invisible to others, but also is afraid to get too much attention from other people. Her journey to act like a princess for her grandmother also helps Mia to gain more confidence and understand that sometimes, it’s okay to stand out, otherwise, she might not get the chance to experience some of the things in life that she wants to.
18 “What Am I? A Duck?”
Miss Harbula (Mindy Burbano)
One of the best things about the script of The Princess Diaries is that the best quotes come from a multitude of different characters, with even relatively minor roles giving pearls of wisdom to Mia and, by extension, viewers. Such is the case with Miss Harubla (Mindy Burbano), who is Mia and Lilly’s gym teacher at school. While she’s hard on her students, it’s clear that she cares about them as well. She actively tries to help Mia her class despite Mia’s lack of coordination or participation.
Miss Harbula doesn’t want her female students to feel limited in her class, and that’s something the audience can really appreciate about her.
In this particular instance, Mia protests that act as the goalie for soccer shots because she’s a girl, which prompts this surprised question from the teacher. Miss Harbula doesn’t want her female students to feel limited in her class, and that’s something the audience can really appreciate about her. It's an important thematic moment, and one that ensures Mindy Burbano's appearance comes complete with a highly quotable The Princess Diaries line.
17 “Just In Case I Wasn't Enough Of A Freak Already, Let's Add A Tiara!”
Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway)
While many of the best The Princess Diaries quotes are memorable due to them veing emotional, touching, or wise, there are just as many fans will never forget due to the fact they're so funny. One of the best examples is also one of the most-quoted lines from The Princess Diaries, and comes from Anne Hathaway's titular Princess, Mia. It’s the line that was used to promote The Princess Diaries in trailers for prior to its 2001 theatrical release, and the one in commercials when the movie finally aired on television.
Anne Hathaway’s delivery as an angry teenager who just wants to blend in instead of stand out is pitch-perfect, and this single quote sums up a great deal about her character. When Mia finds out she’s a princess in The Princess Diaries, it’s not a fairy tale or a dream come true for her. Instead, it’s an obstacle she has to get beyond because she’s so worried about the attention her new status will bring. She already sees herself as an outsider who can’t fit in with anyone, and the idea of being royalty terrifies her.
16 “No Matter How Many Times You Press That, It Will Still Go Up And Down The Same Way.”
Joe (Hector Elizondo)
Joe is the head of Queen Clarisse’s security in The Princess Diaries, but he also becomes the one responsible for Mia’s safety as Mia travels back and forth between school and princess lessons. The two form a close friendship, with Joe being a source of guidance and counsel for Mia as well as simply being her bodyguard. Joe sees the version of Mia that her grandmother doesn’t necessarily see, and it's his perspective and the well-meaning advice he gives her that ensures many of the best The Princess Diaries quotes are delivered by Hector Elizondo's character.
Joe sees the Mia who is nervous in the car and changes into clothing she thinks her grandmother will approve of, for example. Joe is able to see Mia’s nerves and angst, especially if she’s repeatedly pushing the button for the divider between the front and back seats of the limo. While Joe might be amused by some of Mia’s antics, he’s also not someone who is going to hesitate to tell her that something she’s doing is ridiculous.
15 “, Virtual Homework May Not Be Submitted For Actual Credit.”
A Student Over The PA system
There are a lot of announcements made over the PA system at Mia’s high school that might have gone unnoticed by the audience on the first watch of the movie. This Princess Diaries quote is one of them. The quote has only become funnier over time too, since in the 2020s digital homework (as well as remote learning) has become something of the norm. This definitely wasn't the case in the ealry 2000s, however.
What makes this quote so great is that it really is a snapshot of how times have changed. The idea in 2001 when the movie was released is that “virtual” implies fake. In the modern day, however, virtual work has become the norm. Students can attend school in a virtual sphere and turn in homework digitally. Students can, in fact, turn in virtual work for actual credit.
14 “You Want To Know A Big Secret? The Cucumber Does Nothing.”
Paolo (Larry Miller)
Many of the funniest characters in The Princess Diaries are the entourage of helpers Mia encounters during her transformation from American teenager to Genovian Royalty, such as the hairdresser and beautifican Paolo (Larry Miller). Queen Clarisse is determined that Mia be turned into the perfect princess for Genovia. She wants to make sure that the country can continue with the royal family. To get Mia ready to present to the press and other dignitaries. To do that, she hires Paolo.
Paolo initially talks down to Mia and treats her like someone unworthy of his services, but he gradually thaws and becomes more friendly toward Mia the more he works with her. During the course of Mia’s makeover, this is one of Paolo’s most memorable Princess Diaries quotes as he reveals the cucumber slices over Mia’s eyes aren’t actually doing anything to improve her appearance or the health of her skin.
13 “A Queen Is Never Late. Everyone Else Is Simply Early.”
Queen Clarisse (Julie Andrews)
The presence of The Sound Of Music star Julie Andrews added no shortage of gravitas to The Princess Diaries, and its unsurprisingly that she's also responsivle for several of the best quotes in the 2001 movie. While Mia might spend a lot of her time worrying about how others see her, Queen Clarisse is supremely confident in her own image. She understands that she is the queen, and she understands that her decisions are her own and other people will simply have to deal with them.
When Mia is worried about everyone else waiting on her, Queen Clarisse points out that she is never late because she is queen. Queen Clarisse embraces her confidence in a way that Mia still has to learn to do.
This concept is something Mia can’t understand right away, and one of the key emotional hurdles she has to get past by the ending of The Princess Diaries. When Mia is worried about everyone else waiting on her, Queen Clarisse points out that she is never late because she is queen. Queen Clarisse embraces her confidence in a way that Mia still has to learn to do.
12 "Wait Up, Wait For Me! Not You, I Don't Even Know You."
Lilly Moscovitz (Heather Marazzo)
For Mia, life as a highschooler is just as important as life as a Genovian princess, and she often gets advice from her friends that can be applied surprisingly well to her royal duties in The Princess Diaries. Not only that, but many of these moments are funny too, such as many of the lines from Heather Matarazzo as Lilly. Though Mia would prefer to blend into the background during most of her high school experiences, her best friend Lilly doesn’t have that issue. Lilly would rather do anything she could to make herself heard than blend into the background which is why they balance one another out.
Because Lilly is so ready to speak her mind, she has a few great Princess Diaries quotes, including this one, which involves her running down the street and trying to get Mia’s attention. While calling for Mia to wait, however, she ends up getting someone else’s attention, who, surprisingly, stops to wait for Lilly, despite Lilly not even knowing them.
11 “Oh Come On Girls, It's A Ball Not A Snake. Back In Formation!”
Vice Principal Gupta (Sandra Oh)
Sandra Oh had a short but memorable appearance in The Princes Diaries as Vice Principal Gupta, and while only having a few lines the future Grey's Anatomy and Killing Eve star is still responsible for one of the best quotes in the film. One of the great aspects of The Princess Diaries is that it plays to many of the teen comedy stereotypes but in fun ways. One of those ways is by making the cheerleaders in Mia’s school the mean girls, but also by making them hyperfeminine.
Mandy Moore leads that group of characters as Lana. They’re cheerleaders, so they clearly have athletic ability, but when a ball comes their way while practicing, they all promptly scatter and scream. Vice Principal Gupta, played by the fantastic Sandra Oh, onishes them with one of the strangest Princess Diaries quotes: “...it’s a ball, not a snake.” It’s a ridiculous scene, but in the movie, it works. Oh's most mimicked Princess Diaries scene might be her phone call with Queen Clarisse, but this is arguably one of her funnier lines.
