We’re all familiar with the beloved Disney tale of Fa Mulan. The animated film was released in 1998 and follows the story of a young woman who breaks boundaries by changing her identity to become a war hero in the Chinese army.
The film is based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, The Ballad of Mulan. It is one of the most famous Disney movies, partly because of the powerful Mulan quotes and inspiring message.
There are several famous quotes from the original movie including, “A single grain of rice can tip the scale. One man may be the difference between victory and defeat.”
There are also classic sayings from Mushu about bunny slippers, the tongue thing, and the beauty sleep thing.
A live-action version of the movie came out in 2020, and it features many of the same messages about family and great sacrifices.
Before we share our favorite quotes from the new movie, here’s a quick reminder of the family tree in Mulan.
The Fa Family consists of the oldest daughter, Fa Mulan; the youngest daughter, Hua Xiu; the father, Fa Zhou; the mother, Fa Li; and grandmother Fa. There are also several Fa ancestors featured in the story.
Some characters like General Li, Chien Po, and Mushu were not included in the new movie. Mushu was Mulan’s little dragon buddy who was always there to say good morning and help her out.
Now that you’re all caught up, here's the scoop on the best Mulan quotes!
Best Mulan Quotes
1. There have been many tales of the great warrior Mulan. But ancestors, this one is mine. There she is a young shoot, all green. Unaware of the blade. If you had such a daughter, a chi, the boundless energy of life itself speaking through her every motion. Could you tell her that only a son could wield chi, that a daughter would risk shame, dishonor, exile. Ancestors, I could not.” -Zhou
Mulan faced a great deal of inequality and was not able to join the imperial army because of her gender.
She may have broken the rules, but she had good intentions. Her father, Fa Zhou, comes to realize that at the end of the film and becomes proud of her.
2. "A girl has come to save the dynasty.” -Böri Khan
Bori Khan is the main antagonist in the movie.
His goal is to kill the Chinese emperor as revenge for killing his father. He makes a deliberate attempt to annihilate China.
3. “Tell me your sister is not the cause of this.” -Li
Hua Xiu is a new character in the 2020 live-action Mulan. She is Mulan’s younger sister.
There are several changes due to the addition of a new family member.
4. “Your chi is strong, Mulan, but chi is for warriors, not daughters. Soon you’ll be a young woman, And it is time for you to hide your gift away, too, to silence its voice. I say this to protect you. That is my job. Your job is to bring honor to the family. Do you think you can do that?” -Zhou
Family honor is extremely important in Mulan.
Her father always told her that he would fight for the family.
However, Mulan stole her father’s armor and conscription notices so she could sneak into the army. She didn’t fail to bring honor to the family!
5. “It is forbidden to use chi in destructive ways.” -The Chancellor
Chi Fu is the Chancellor in Mulan. He is the trusted advisor of the Emperor of China.
He takes quite a bit of pride in himself, and it’s no secret that he dislikes Mulan.
6. “Mulan, take control of yourself.” -Li
Like her husband, Li is quite traditional.
Ever since Mulan was a little girl, her mother tried to raise her as a perfect daughter.
7. “When employed correctly, four ounces can move a thousand pounds.” -Mulan
This quote is not only used in Mulan. It is a popular Chinese phrase that discourages excessive force.
8. “Devotion to family is an essential virtue.” -Emperor
Mulan is one of the best movies because of its focus on family. The Emperor is a traditional old man who values family.
9. “Yes. It is best. I will bring honor to us all.” -Mulan
In the 1998 version of Mulan, she sings a song called, “Honor To Us All.”
However, her idea of bringing honor to her whole family is different from that of her society. She brings honor by becoming a mighty warrior!
10. “The fiercest winter storm could not ruin this makeup.” -Mulan
Mulan’s mother expects her to be the perfect bride, but Mulan doesn’t have quite the same feelings about matchmaking!
11. “I am blessed with two daughters. I will fight.” -Zhou
Hua Zhou believes that his daughters are his greatest gift, and plans on fighting for them.
In the original movie, Mulan and her father share meaningful moments under the beautiful blossoms of the magnolia flower tree.
12. “If gold is not enough, I will give you blood.” -Bori Khan
In the live action film, Bori Khan is immediately established as the villian. He will travel through high mountains to conquer China.
13. “You stink, my friend.” -Honghui
Mulan has its fair share of funny quotes as well.
Hongui is a confident recruit who joins the army of Commander Tung, and replaces capt. Li Shang from the first movie.
Mulan could not bathe around the other soldiers because they would find out the truth. In the original film she says the famous quote, “I never want to see a naked man again.”
14. “You will die pretending to be something you’re not.” -Xianniang
Xianniang is a powerful female witch in the new Mulan movie.
Despite her fine work and evident power, she is still not treated equally by men. Her role is symbolic in the movie.
15. “Now I understand how much that sword means to you.” -Mulan
Mulan stole her father's army gear before her first day of joining the army. She didn’t understand the importance of her dad’s sword until after it was gone!
16. “I know my place. And it is my duty to fight for the kingdom and protect the emperor.” -Mulan
Mulan decided to fight for the army while sitting under the great stone dragon by her home. From this point on, she was determined to honor her true duty.
17. “You can still take the noble path. It’s not too late” -Mulan
Xianniang is a master witch, but dark magic is not accepted by Mulan’s culture.
18. “There is no courage without fear.” -Zhou
Although fighting for the army is intimidating, it is evident that Zhou appreciates vulnerability and honesty.
19. “Some say the phoenix is consumed by flame and emerges again. I think she can survive a broken wing.” -Zhou
Although Mulan may not seem like the perfect daughter that her parents expected her to be, her father still appreciates her strength.
20. “There’s no shame in being fearful before battle. In fact, it’s a testament to your honesty that you confess such doubt.” -Commander Tung
As the Hun army inched toward the great wall at the northern border, soldiers became fearful.
The Chinese commanding officer always knew what to say to calm the troops.
21. “She has brought honor to her ancestors, to her family, to her village, and to her country.” -Commander Tung
When Mulan started fighting, she had a long way to go. Nevertheless, she brought honor to her whole country.
22. “Rise up. You are a mighty warrior like a phoenix. Rise up. Fight for the kingdom and its people.” -Emperor
Mulan is often referred to as a phoenix by others.
This is a mythical bird that rises from the ashes. The Emperor believes in strength and power.
In the original movie, he had many meaningful quotes such as, “no matter how much the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it.”
23. “We’re going to make men out of every single one of you.” -Commander Tung
Commander Tung meant it when he said he was going to make men out of the soldiers.
He wasn’t looking for a couple of guys who could fight. China was in need of a great army, and the soldiers took it seriously.
In the animated movie, the soldiers would say things like, “I’m gonna hit you so hard, it’ll make your ancestors dizzy!”
24. “Yet here I stand, proof that there is a place for people like us.” -Mulan
One of the main messages in Mulan is facing adversity and ignoring people that don’t believe in you.
She decided that she wasn’t gonna stay in a place that she didn't belong.
25. “Merge your path with mine. We will be stronger together.” -Xianniang
Xianniang knew what it was like to be an outcast who is not respected by society. After talking with Mulan, she felt understood for the first time.
There are many messages about strength in Mulan; the bronze disks in the original film represent strength and discipline.
26. “Your deceit weakens you. It poisons your chi.” -Xianniang
Chi refers to the energy of human beings, and it is very important to Chinese culture. Xianniang believed that Mulan’s deceit with her identity threatened her chi.
27. “Loyal, brave, and true.” -Mulan
The characters in Mulan have several virtues that they live by.
28. “Quiet, composed, graceful, elegant, poised, polite. These--are the qualities we see in a good wife. These--are the qualities--we see in Mulan. When a wife serves her husband, she must be--silent. She must be... invisible.” -The Matchmaker
It’s quite obvious that the matchmaker has a traditional mindset, which doesn’t match with Mulan’s. From the time they are a little baby, women are expected to follow traditions.
The matchmaker thinks marriage should be between a tough guy and a perfect bride.
29. “Insult me again and you’ll taste the tip of my blade.” -Mulan
Mulan knows that if you want to show someone who’s boss, you gotta be this honest!
30. “I am not a witch, I am a warrior. I could tear you to pieces before you blink.” -Xianniang
Xianniang is shunned by the Chinese because they don’t support dark magic and they think she is an evil witch.
31. “You are my equal. We fight together against the same enemy. I will do all I can to protect the others. You can turn your back on me, but when the time comes, do not turn your back on them.” -Honghui
Hongui is Mulan’s love interest in the live-action remake. He replaced captain Li Shang, who was her love interest in the animated version.
32. “Hua Jun did die, for a lie can only live so long. But Mulan. Mulan lived.” -Zhou
Hua Jun is the alias used by Mulan when she pretends to be a man. She didn’t know if her disguise was gonna work, but she proved to be one of the greatest warriors.
33. “She’s braver than any man here. She’s the best warrior amongst us.” -Honghui
Some people, such as Honghui, appreciated Mulan’s bravery and recognized that she risked more than any of the men.
Her disguise as a man was dangerous, but she did it all to honor her country.
34. “You can’t allow your father’s legacy to hold you back. You need to cultivate your gift. Your chi is powerful, Hua Jun. Why do you hide it?” -Commander Tung
Whether a parent or a great ancestor, many of the imperial soldiers felt pressure to live up to the legacy of someone in their family.
35. “Dishonor to the Hua, they have failed to raise a good daughter.” -Matchmaker
The matchmaker’s idea of a “good daughter” is a daughter who gets married and bears children (especially boys).
In the Hua family’s heart, they know that Mulan is more than a good daughter.
36. “I ask you what man would want to marry a girl who flips around rooftops chasing chickens?” -Li
In Mulan’s society, a woman who paints on a war face is not generally seen as “attractive.”
Her mother thought that she would never marry if she behaved like this.
37. “I know my place, and it is my duty to fight for the kingdom and protect the emperor.” -Mulan
In the original movie, Mulan sings a famous song with the line, “when will my reflection show who I am inside.”
By the end of the movie, she seems to have found her place and who she is inside.
38. “You were exiled, a scorned dog. When I sit on the throne that dog will have a home.” -Bori Khan
Xianniang was exiled by her community because of her reputation as a witch. Bori Khan used her magical skills to help in his revenge against the Chinese.
39. “I taught her too late to know her place. I indulged her. She is innocent of the world of men and evils of war. And now she is in great danger. Please honored Phoenix, protect her.” -Zhou
Zhou wanted his daughter to feel confident about her place in the world, but he didn’t expect her to fight in the army.
Knowing she had zero fighting experience with real size weapons, Zhou had every right to worry about her safety.
40. “Listen to me, all of you. We will live. I guarantee it. Because I will protect you. We will protect each other. We’ll fight for each other.” -Hua Jun
Mulan was raised to have good morals, so she was a valuable asset to the army with her ideas about teamwork.
41. “It is my daughter that means everything to me. And it is I who should apologize. My foolish pride drove you away. One warrior knows another. You were always there, yet I see you for the first time.” -Zhou
Zhou’s realization and acceptance of his daughter’s decision is definitely a tear jerker. It provides a great message about family and acceptance.
42. “The green shoot has grown up to the sky and her ancestors celebrate her in the vault of the heavens. The girl became a soldier. The soldier became a leader and the leader became a legend.” -Zhou
At first, Zhou thought only a dear son could become a legendary soldier. Mulan changed her community forever.
43. “Are you suggesting our family not comply with the imperial edict?” -Zhou
Imperial edicts were used by emperors in ancient China to give or enforce orders. They were taken very seriously and were not to be disobeyed.
44. “Mulan is young. She is still learning how to control herself.” -Zhou
After Zhou said this, Li reminded him that “Mulan is a daughter, not a son.”
Mulan’s mother was far more strict and expected Mulan to bring honor through marriage and feminine duties.
45. “Beautiful tool for terrible work.” -Zhou
Zhou was referring to his sword. In the original movie, the sword of Shan-Yu was important.
Shan Yu was the villain in the 1998 version, but he was replaced with Bori Khan for the live-action.
46. “Hua Mulan, your actions have brought disgrace and dishonor to this regiment, to this kingdom, and to your own family. But your loyalty and bravery are without question.” -Commander Tung
While Mulan proved to be a great warrior, she still lied about her identity and broke the rules.
47. “The chi pervades the universe and all living things… But only the most true will connect deeply to his chi and become a great warrior. Tranquil as a forest, but one fire within.” -Commander Tung
Once again, chi is an important aspect of Chinese culture. In Mulan, connecting to one's chi was essential to becoming a true warrior.
48. “Remember what you want. A place where your powers will not be vilified. A place where you are accepted for who you are. You won’t get what you want without me.” -Bori Khan
Xianniang’s powers were vilified by those in China, so Bori Khan took advantage of her desire to be appreciated.
49. “You were right. We are the same. With one difference. They accept you, but they will never accept me.” -Mulan
Women in Mulan’s society were not generally accepted if they chose a different path. Many aspects of her community were based on gender.
Even the color of their animals determined masculinity and femininity. White horse hair was traditionally masculine.
50. “I’m cricket. My mother says I was born under an auspicious moon. That is why my mother says I’m a good luck charm.” -Cricket
In the live-action Mulan, the lucky bug, Cricket, is portrayed by a human. The character’s personality is inspired by cricket from the original movie. He might not do the cri-kee chirps, but his character is wholesome.
Although the new Mulan film is packed with great quotes, there are plenty of beloved sayings that make the original movie outstanding.
If only indestructible Mushu, the ‘little lizard’ voiced by Eddie Murphy, were in the live-action to say his famous lines, “all 'cause Miss Man decides to take her little drag show on the road,” and “play nice, unless one of the other kids wanna fight.” Even Grandmother Fa was missing her famous line, “who spit in her bean curd?”
There you have it, 50 of the best quotes from Mulan!
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