10 best Sex and the City quotes to celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Sex And The City with the show’s 10 most memorable and iconic quotes.

Just prior to Sex and the City debuting on June 6 of 1998, fans of Candace Bushnell’s book had one big (make that Mr. Big) question: Could the TV show do justice to the over-the-top novel?

Thanks to a cast of fierce females, that question quickly got answered with a sassy “yes.” As Sex In The City celebrates its 20th anniversary, quotes from the TV show remain just as memorable and iconic as Sarah Jessica Parker’s love for shoes.

So put on your prettiest pumps or loveliest loafers, mix up a Cosmopolitan, and join us in celebrating the 10 most memorable and iconic quotes from Sex In The City.

1. “Abso-f*cking-lutely.”

Less is more, despite Mr. Big (aka John James Preston aka Chris Noth). One of the most memorable quotes from Sex And The City occurred during the first season when Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) questioned Mr. Big about his experience with love. Viewers had no doubt when he responded “absof*ckinglutely.” We still use that phrase today.

2. “I’m a 34-year-old woman with braces and I’m on a liquid diet. Pain doesn’t begin to cover it.”

Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) spoke for every cynical woman who has suffered for her looks and isn’t sure that the price (standing out in the City) is worth that pain. We empathize with her Type A style and love the way that she reigned as the Voice of Reason on the show.

3. “I love you…but I love me more.”

For Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), talking about sex seemed as natural as discussing the weather, albeit much, much more interesting. And when it came to love, Samantha had no questions about who ranked number one on her list. Kim played the character’s seductive self-esteem to perfection (of course).

4. “He’s just not that into you.”

What would girl culture be without that phrase? While today we use “he’s just not that into you” in reference to everything from a movie to self-help advice, those words of wisdom originally were uttered by Carrie’s boyfriend Jack Berger (also known as the Post-It Note Breakup Boyfriend). Jack said those immortal words in response to Miranda whining about her own boyfriend’s confusing comments.

5. “Don’t hate me.”

Celebrities getting dumped via text message are nothing new these days (Taylor Swift turned to national TV to share how Joe Jonas broke up with her over the phone). But long before Swift ever crooned “We are never ever getting back together,” Jack Berger was dumping Carrie via a Post-it note and giving us three little words to weave into our relationship language: “Don’t hate me.”

6. “I couldn’t help but wonder…”

Oh, Carrie. We can’t help but wonder just how much time you devoted to, well, wondering. Vulture answered that question by going through every episode of Sex And The City to compile a list of all the times that Carrie wondered. For example, in “Valley Of The Twenty-Something Guys,” Carrie pondered, “Okay, we were attracted to younger men for various reasons. But I couldn’t help but wonder: What do they see in us?”

7. “I’d like a cheeseburger, large fries, and a Cosmopolitan.”

Well, there’s one topic that Carrie never had to wonder about: Whether she should order a Cosmopolitan. The answer was always “yes, please.”  SATC is so linked to Cosmopolitan drinks that when I recently played Sex And The City word association with friends (a great party game, BTW), five people shouted out “Cosmopolitans!” as their number one choice.

8. “I curse the day you were born!”

Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) took a break from her search for Mr. Right by turning on Mr. Big to utter that memorable line: “I curse the day you were born!” That quote has spawned some memorable memes.

9. “They say nothing lasts forever; dreams change, trends come and go, but friendships never go out of style.’

While the fashion alone made Sex And The City worth watching, the friendships formed by the women gave us the ultimate #FriendshipGoals. And while we loved watching Carrie coo more over her precious pumps than her current boyfriend, her quote about friendships sums up what was so special about the women of SATC.

10. “The truth was, vodka was my only ally.”

Much as Carrie adored her shoes and her girlfriends (in that order), there were times when she, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte healed their blues with a boost from booze. When Mr. Big, the man we loved to hate-watch on Sex And The City, wounded Carrie, vodka was there for her.

Related Story: 20 iconic episodes of Sex and the City you need to rewatch

And if you ever want to defend yourself from accusations of being drunk, just channel your inner Carrie for another of her iconic lines about alcohol: “I’m not drunk, I’m sedated for my pain.”