She's the Man

She's the Man Quotes and Analysis

"So you play the beautiful game, bro? Brothers? Brethren?"

Viola (dressed as Sebastian)

The quote is taken from the beginning of the movie. Viola Hastings has just changed her appearance but understands that there is more to being a boy than short hair and baggy clothing. She needs to learn the slang, norms and rules of masculinity. Here she is trying out some lingo to see if she can fit in with the guys.

"Viola, darling. Remember, chew like you have a secret."

The coordinator of the debutante ball

The uppity coordinator for the debutante ball says this to Viola at one point to encourage her to be more ladylike and feminine. This quote satirizes the absurdities of debutante culture, and shows the ways that Viola doesn't fit in with her peers.

"Heels are a male invention designed to make a woman's butt look smaller."

Viola (dressed as Sebastian)

Immediately after Malcolm goes to Headmaster Gold to tell him that he thinks "Sebastian" is keeping a secret, Viola walks past, still in Sebastian drag, but talking to her mother on the phone. She rails against having to wear heels in the debutante ball, uttering this zinger. The line is humorous in that it both reveals the complexity of Viola's character—how she refuses to do the expected girly things—but also contrasts with Headmaster Gold's insistence that "Sebastian" is just figuring out his identity. This line seems to go along with Malcolm's insistence that "Sebastian" has something to hide.

"Remember, inside every girl there's a boy."

Paul

Paul, Viola's friend and the person who helps transform her into a boy, says this to her as she goes off to her first day at Illyria. He is trying to encourage her to find the part of her that can perform masculinity, but it comes out sounding a lot weirder than he means.

"Oh for the love of God! It burns!"

Viola (dressed as Sebastian)

After a soccer ball hits her in the crotch, Viola doesn't react for a moment, before realizing that she has to pretend to have testicles, and that they should hurt. She puts on a show of being hurt. The comedy comes from the fact that the viewer knows she is actually a girl and is totally faking the pain.

"I'm allergic to the sun."

Viola (dressed as Sebastian)

This is Viola's excuse for not wanting to take her shirt off during soccer try-outs. The real reason she doesn't want to play shirtless is that it will undoubtedly reveal that she is a girl, but she makes up an allergy for the coach.

"Does he have your number? 1-800-BEYOTCH?"

Viola

Viola says this to Monique, Sebastian's clingy and annoying girlfriend, as a way of insulting her and trying to get her to leave the family alone.

Viola (as Sebastian): Ask me if I like cheese.

Duke: Ok. Do you like cheese?

Viola: Why, yes I do. My favorite's gouda.

Viola and Duke

In their dorm room, Viola, pretending to be Sebastian, tries to school Duke in how to make conversation with girls. She roleplays being a girl and encourages Duke to ask her about her favorite cheese, which he does, sheepishly.

"I get really bad nosebleeds."

Viola (as Sebastian)

When she moves into her dorm room with Duke, some tampons accidentally fall out of her boot, and Viola has to think of an excuse fast. This is what she comes up with, before sticking a tampon up her nose to demonstrate.

"Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them."

Duke

Duke says this in the definitive soccer game against Cornwall, to pump up his teammates. He might speak in clichés, but his words are motivating to the team.