While Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) is known for her tough personality, it’s fair to say that the Grey’s Anatomy character with the strongest, no-holds-barred attitude is Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson). Over the course of the hospital drama, which just began airing its 16th season, fans have gotten to know Bailey and have realized that she’s actually a real softie.
Whether she’s chewing out her interns (in the name of teaching them, of course) or displaying her vulnerability, Bailey is the greatest and she always has awesome things to say. Here are 10 of Miranda Bailey’s best quotes on Grey’s Anatomy.
10. “I have five rules. Memorize them. Rule number one, don’t bother sucking up. I already hate you, that’s not gonna change.”
This is, perhaps, Miranda Bailey’s most famous quote, so it had to make this list of the best ones. This is her introduction to the group of interns that she’s responsible for (and it’s our first introduction to her as well). She’s trying to be scary and, well, it works. No one thinks that she’s a very nice person for a pretty long time.
This quote has a lot of significance in the Grey’s Anatomy universe because, later, Cristina says this when she has her own interns. It’s a sweet callback to the earlier days of the show.
9. “But at the end of the day, the fact that we show up for each other, in spite of our differences, no matter what we believe, is reason enough to keep believing.”
Miranda says this in the season four episode “Lay Your Hands On Me” and it couldn’t be more beautiful. This quote proves that Grey’s Anatomy often has inspiring quotes about the way that we treat one another and how we fight to be the best versions of ourselves so we can keep helping others.
This quote is particularly great since it’s always nice when Miranda Bailey shows off her softer side. Sure, she’s pretty hilarious when she yells at people and gets passionate about what she does, but fans enjoy when she says something profound and wise, too.
8. “I thought you told me to keep the animals under control!?”
This season four quote is from the episode “Where The Wild Things Are” and is part of a conversation that Miranda has with Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.). When she asks him this question, he has a hilarious reply: “From time to time, I like to go to the zoo.”
It’s always funny in the early seasons of the show when Bailey and Webber act like the interns (aka the characters that we all know and love, from Meredith Grey to George O’Malley) are acting like children. It’s definitely true and it takes a while for them to mature and grow up.
7. “Did you know that carrying a boy in your uterus means that you burn 10% more calories than if you had a girl? Guess what I’m carrying?”
Miranda Bailey’s little rant in the season two episode “Let It Be” is definitely one of her best quotes. She’s talking to Dr. Webber and she’s very passionate about how tough pregnancy has been.
I tried for 7 d*** years and a month before my fellowship notification, the stick turns blue. Men. From the very beginnin’ they just suck the life right outta you. I’m not leaving. I’m pregnant.
Webber and Bailey have very similar personalities and it can be hard for them to open up to others. They both have tough exteriors and will sometimes use humor as a self-defense or coping strategy. But this is a great moment since Bailey is opening up to him and he’s learning more about her and her personal life, which bonds them.
6. “And also, you can remember, that no man, not Derek, not Mark, defines who you are.”
When she’s talking to Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) in the season three episode “What I Am,” Bailey makes a really smart point about standing up for yourself and not letting yourself get too tangled up in romantic endeavors. This is a particularly poignant quote considering how the characters on Grey’s Anatomy are always dating one another and getting all bent out of shape over their experiences.
Bailey is proud of the fact that for the most part, she focuses on the medicine and nothing else. Of course, later on, she falls for her co-worker Ben Warren (Jason Winston George) and it’s a different story.
5. “Because I need something more. I know you all have your messy love lives and your secrets and your silliness, but I want more. I need something to hold on to…”
Bailey wants a free clinic in the season three episode “Great Expectations” and this is such a great quote. It really sums up how passionate she is about her career but also says something interesting about the experience of watching Grey’s Anatomy.
I need a reason to believe that medicine can do more than stitch you up and, and send you away. I need to believe that medicine can not only save lives, but, but change lives! I need… I need… I need to believe in something the way I used to believe in you all. Sign the papers!
While fans do care about the relationships on the show, it’s true that sometimes the dating drama can seem more important than the cases that the doctors are handling. When Bailey says that she “needs something more,” so do fans of the series. Watching Bailey and how much she cares about helping people is one reason that we keep coming back to the show, so many seasons later.
4. “Okay, first of all, you do not need the law or a priest or your mother to make your wedding real…”
This quote is part of a sweet moment between Bailey and Callie (Sara Ramirez) in the season seven episode “White Wedding.” Callie says that her wedding to Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw ) isn’t “real” and Bailey has the perfect thing to say.
And the church can be anywhere you want it to be. In a field, on a mountain, right here in this room, anywhere because where do you think god is?
This is a really good reminder that people should get married however they want to. Like Bailey says, “in a field” or “on a mountain” is the best place to get married because it’s where you’re starting your life with someone. Same goes for a cafe, backyard, restaurant – wherever and however you want to commit to the person that you love.
3. " Because they had me. I need a me, and I believe that you can be a me for me. I need you to be my me. That’s what they don’t know I’d like to appoint you chief of general surgery."
In the season twelve episode “Walking Tall,” Bailey tells Meredith that she wants to promote her, and she explains that she helped Owen Hunt ( ) and Webber when they were Chief. She wants Meredith to do the same thing.
This is a huge moment for both Bailey and Meredith. It’s heartwarming and when Bailey tells Meredith that she “deserves” this promotion fans can’t help but get super emotional.
2. “You don’t scare me. Look, I’m not gonna advertise your extracurricular activities with my intern…”
Miranda Bailey says this in the season one episode “If Tomorrow Never Comes” to Derek about his relationship with Meredith. Since she’s being so honest and so tough, it’s one of her best quotes from the show.
However the next time I see you favoring Meredith Grey in any way, I’ll make sure she doesn’t see the inside of an OR for a month. Just for the sake of balance.
Although fans love Meredith and Derek and don’t think that anyone should stand in the way of their grand romance, it’s fair to say that Derek was a little bit wrong to date Bailey’s intern. It’s just not that professionally accepted. Bailey is awesome and she always speaks her mind.
1. “No one holds a scalpel until I’m so happy I’m Mary Freaking Poppins.”
Miranda Bailey’s season one quote from “The First Cut Is The Deepest” is absolutely her best one.
She’s fed up with the interns thinking that they can just literally walk into a big surgery their first day and she wants them to “make her happy” and think more about that. She’s often trying to explain to the interns that they need to toughen up and stop expecting everyone to just hand things to them, and this is the greatest example of one of her life lessons.
