Top 20 Grey's Anatomy Quotes of All Time

Grey’s Anatomy has had fans swooned for almost two decades and takes us through the life of a surgeon–from intern to Chief of General Surgery.

Being the longest-running medical drama series, the show has left its audience with numerous feelings. Love, angst, anger, and heartbreak consume all of us, and then add in some steamy surgeons? Of course, there will be amazing quotes.

This Shonda Rhimes show about Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital featureing an amazing cast like Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey, Sandra Oh, and more is beloved by many! Everyone can enjoy Grey’s Anatomy because the show touches on so many different topics like med school, a doctor who weight lifts, mental health, romance, quiet moments, breakups, high school, friendships, and so much more.

Continue reading for the top 20 Grey’s Anatomy quotes of all time, and reminisce with us!

Warning: Spoiler Alert!

1. “Pick me, choose me, love me.” -Meredith Grey

This scene shows Derek Shepherd and Meredith Grey in the operating room, where she opens up with a monologue about her love for him. Derek was going through a divorce at the moment, and was questioning his decision on separating.

This scene left a gut-wrenching feeling for viewers. Pouring your heart out and telling someone to pick you isn’t the easiest thing to do, but we all know Meredith and Derek’s bond couldn’t be broken. Sometimes people need a little affirmation.

Meredith precedes this statement explaining her feelings for Derek saying, “I love you. In a really, big really big pretend to like your taste in music, let you eat the last piece of cheesecake, hold a radio over my head outside your bedroom window, unfortunate way that makes me hate you… love you.”

This is one of the most popular Grey’s Anatomy quotes of all time and with good reason!

2. “I’m asking you, to give me my dad.” -Lexi Grey

Although Meredith has had a rocky relationship with her dad, her relationship with Lexi became seemingly unbreakable. In this scene, Meredith and Lexi’s father is sick, and Lexi pleads with Meredith to save his life. It’s not the typical sister-to-sister monologue you’d expect.

It shows a complex story of two sisters with the same dad, but different experiences. Lexi understands Meredith may not feel obligated as his daughter to save him, but she could understand how Lexi, as her sister, felt about their father.

3. “You’re my person, I need you alive, you make me brave.” -Cristina Yang

Unlike many other tear-jerking quotes that revolve around romance, this quote represents the essence of friendship. The duo, Cristina and Meredith, are finally coming to a close when Cristina departs in the season 10 finale.

Christina says this line to Meredith, her best friend in the whole world. Saying goodbye to your best friend is just one of those crappy things in life that sometimes you have to do. Christina is grateful for Meredith’s friendship and being grateful means showing Meredith just how much she means to her.

Cristina pleads with Meredith to do the right thing and keep herself safe and to not be the hero while she is away. This scene shows how best friends can (platonically) be soul mates. Their last dance together where for a brief moment the two find little peace and dance for the last time.

This scene gave them a proper goodbye. Things change sometimes but real friends are forever and friendship is one of the best gifts you can give. Christina always delivers some of the best quotes and this one is our favorite!

4. “It’s a beautiful day to save lives.” -Derek Shepherd

Throughout the series, this is Derek’s signature line. It might just seem like a catchy saying, but to Dr. Shepherd, it’s his good luck charm. Many other characters, patients, and other doctors feel comforted when Derek says it.

Although the phrase was coined by “McDreamy”, it’s truly an inspiring quote– because every day is a beautiful day to save lives.

5. “You’re the love of my life. I can’t leave you. But you’re constantly leaving me.” -Derek Shepherd

The push and pull between Derek and Meredith have consistently left the audience in awe. Derek never frayed from showing Meredith his true emotions, even though there were many obstacles challenging their great love.

Most people can only imagine their true love expressing such a desire for them, and that’s why we live vicariously through Derek and Meredith.

6. “The only way to fail is not to fight. So you fight until you can’t fight anymore.” -Amelia Shepherd

Amelia Shepherd has had her battles throughout the show. She’s struggled with addiction, heartbreak, and even death, yet through it all, she continues to persevere. Amelia shows the complexity of depression and addiction because she maintains her brilliance.

First, seen as Derek’s “troubled little sister”, she overcame every obstacle, including a tumor! Hopefully, this inspires people to never give up because fighting is simply part of life.

7. “Live or die, hero or coward, fight or give in. I’ll say it again to make sure you hear me. The human life is made up of choices. Live or die, that’s the important choice and it’s not always in our hands.” -Derek Shepherd

This scene was one of the most emotional scenes in the entire show. After Derek fails at saving a patient, her husband seeks revenge and goes on a mass-shooting spree at Seattle Grace Hospital.

This season 6 finale left many fans in tears because the fate of Derek and Owen was questionable. Grey’s Anatomy never ceases to question the depths of life–how much control do we actually have?

8. “It always feels like there is just one person in this world to love. And then you find somebody else, and it just seems crazy that you were ever worried in the first place.” -Lexi Grey

Everyone goes through heartbreak and everyone eventually moves on. In this scene, Lexie Grey consoles a patient and she shows the audience how it’s very plausible to find love again. Although they might feel like the one for you now, time is everchanging, and with new people come new experiences.

Whether you believe in finding love by chance or soulmates, the world doesn’t limit you to just one person!

9. “Don’t let what he wants eclipse what you need. He’s very dreamy, but he is not the sun. You are.” -Cristina Yang

Every person needs their person, whether it’s romantically or platonically. Cristina and Meredith’s bond shows us the best bonds come from friendships. In this scene, Cristina Yang is finally leaving Seattle Grace and before she left, the duo needed a proper goodbye.

Cristina reminds Meredith to not let Derek’s wants to stand in the way of her own goals, and this can relate to any relationship. Don’t let another person affect the outcome of your own future.

10. “The body is a slave to its impulses. But the thing that makes us human is what we can control. After the storm, after the rush, after the heat of the moment has passed, we can cool off and clean up the messes we made. We can try to let go of what was.” -Meredith Grey

Meredith Grey is known for her inspirational monologues in Grey’s Anatomy. This outro breaks down what it truly means to be human. We live life with choices, and even though we may not make the right choices every time, what matters is what we do after.

Humans are humans because they have weaknesses and strengths. Instead of letting the “bad” impulses control you, let go, and devise a plan to get you through the storm.

GREY’S ANATOMY – ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” stars Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey. (ABC/Mike Rosenthal)

Through the course of 16 seasons, Grey’s Anatomy has had many infamous lines that have left its audience tears (both positive and negative).

11. “You want to be a mess, be a mess. I don’t care. I can take it.” –Alex Karev

After Christina leaves, Meredeth is in desperate need of a friends to lean on. Alex Karev steps up to the plate and shows Meredeth how much he cares for her.

Alex served as the season replacement for Christina Yang’s friendship with Meredith.

12. “We’re hot doctors with babies, people are going to stare.” -Mark Sloan

Mark Sloan knows that he’s good looking, and he’s not afraid to admit it. When he’s with Derek and they’re both holding their respective children, Derek gets uncomfortable with the attention.

Mark confidently assures his friend that, “We’re hot doctors with babies, people are going to stare.”

13. “Yes, horrible things do happen. Happiness in the face of all of that… that’s not the goal. Feeling the horrible and knowing that you’re not gonna die from those feelings, that’s goal.” -Katharine Wyatt

Dr. Katharine Wyatt offers this advice to Meredith to help her cope with so much adversity. This quote is a great reminder to everyone who is facing bad things and some of the worst crap that life can throw at you.

14. “It’s good to be scared. It means you still have something to lose.” -Richard Webber

Everyone in the hospital looks up to Richard Webber and with good reason. Richard is always around to offer sound advice to the younger staff. Helpful reminders like this one are just one of the many reasons we love him!

15. “Pain comes in all forms. The small twinge, a bit of soreness, the random pain. The normal pains we live with everyday.” -Meredith Grey

Meredith Grey perfectly sums hum the human experience with pain in this quote. The only time we will not feel pain is after our lives are over, so we have to take appreciate the everyday pain along with the good things in life. People are gonna feel pain in life and you just have to live with it.

She follows it up by further explaining, “Then there’s the kind of pain you can’t ignore. A level of pain so great that it blocks out everything else… Makes the rest of your world fade away, until all we can think about is how much we hurt. How we manage our pain is up to us. Pain. We anesthetize , ride it out, embrace it, ignore it, and for some of us the best way to manage pain is to just push through it.”

16. “This is your starting line. This is your arena. How well you play…That’s up to you.” –Richard Webber

Greeting the new group of surgical residents, Webber reminds them that all of their years in school have lead them to this point. He reminds them that getting here was the easy part and that they will truly be tested from her on out.

Speaking candidly as a human being he reminds them that they do not have unlimited chances and even tells them, “You will be pushed to the breaking point.”

He also clarifies, “Eight of you will switch to an easier specialty. Five of you will crack under the pressure. Two of you will be asked to leave.” They may do the wrong thing or make a big mistake and then think that leaving is a good idea, so he wants to prepare them for the real breakthroughs where they make choices that change their lives.

They have quite the journey ahead of them, and he makes sure they know that they gotta do well or else face their biggest failure. The unknown is the home of our deepest fears so Webber is just preparing them.

17. “And also, you can remember, that no man, not Derek, not Mark, defines who you are.” -Miranda Bailey

Miranda Bailey is another great. She says this line to Addison Montgomery reminding her to stand up for herself in her own time and to be a confident woman.

Miranda is a great friend who reminds Addison to look out for herself and to pursue her wildest hopes and dreams not for any guy, but for herself. Miranda reminds us that is it important to have good people looking out for us.

18. “In medical school, we have a hundred classes that teach us how to fight off death and not one lesson in how to go on living.” -Meredith Grey

Meredith talks about how doctors spend their whole lives working to save lives and never learn how to deal with death. They can make sure everyone is gonna wear seat belts and take care of themselves, but when someone like a third party is a lost cause you have to grieve in your own way.

Facing grief is dealing with so much pain that not many people know how to cope with. The worst part of grief is that no matter who you are, you face it.

Meredith even credits Elizabeth Kübler-Ross and her five stages of grief, commenting how doctors never learn to go through any of them. Over time pain may decrease, but in the moment of loss it can be unbearable to feel so many different things.

19. “I know nothing good can come of me asking you to stay, so I’m not.” –Owen Hunt

After a roller coaster romance with Owen Hunt, Christina ultimately decides to leave Seattle. Even though they both love each other very much, they also recognize that they are not meant to be together.

Owen sweetly tells her goodbye, and lets her go on to bigger and better things in the rest of the world. Christina needs to leave and get fresh air on her own, without Owen.

20. “Intimacy is a four syllable word for here is my heart and soul – please grind into hamburger, and enjoy.” – Meredith Grey

Fans love Meredith Grey for her unique yet relatable outlook on life. This quote about intimacy being a four-letter syllable is not just hilarious because it sums up vulnerability, but it also illustrates Meredith’s character and sense of humor.

With so many lovable characters like Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Callie Torres, Mark Sloan, Alex Karev and more this show has someone for everyone to love.

After uninterrupted hours and so many seasons of Grey’s Anatomy there have bene so many great quotes. Whether they are in surgery or one of the on call rooms our favorite Grey’s Anatomy characters are always saying memorable lines.

Hope you enjoyed the list! Feel free to comment with your favorite quotes below. Sign up for updates with your email addresses so you never miss the scoop!

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