The Best Debbie Mitford Quotes

Debbie: Goffman says we wear these masks to make everyone else comfortable. Like you and your suits.
Holden: We're not talking about my clothes again.
Debbie: Your suit is your uniform you wear to fit in at Quantico.
Holden: I don't want to fit in.
Debbie: Everyone is trying to fit in.
Holden: Guess that explains your hippie thing, too.
Debbie: My "hippie" thing?
Holden: Your peasant tops, long hair, bracelets, leather sandals. Helps you assimilate on campus.
Debbie: Right. It's exactly the same.
Holden: What would you wear if no one were looking?
Debbie: Probably nothing. What about you?
Holden: I'd wear my suit.

Holden: Please stop analyzing me.
Debbie: I'm not analyzing you.
Holden: You run this commentary on everything I do.
Debbie: I was talking about your work. That's how we communicate, right? You talk about your job, I give my opinion.
Holden: Maybe I don't always want your opinion.
Debbie: When I'm not in agreement with you...
Holden: Could you just be my girlfriend? Could you just listen?
Debbie: You mean shut up and adore you?
Holden: Well, you could try it. Once...

Debbie: You look like a Mormon. You look like my dad.
Holden: Is he a Mormon?
Debbie: No, but he looks like one.
Holden: So does mine. He bought me this suit, as a matter of fact.
Debbie: Did he buy you those nice shiny shoes?
Holden: Yes. I have one brown pair and one black pair. I've got sneakers, but I had to buy those myself.
Debbie: What kind of grown-up lets their parents choose their clothes for them?
Holden: Are you coming on to me?
Debbie: How do you like my approach?

Debbie: Those shirts looked good on you. I can't believe you didn't buy them.
Holden: I don't like patterns.
Debbie: You know, you dress the same off-duty as on-duty?
Holden: I'm wearing plain clothes.
Debbie: Yeah, *plain* is right.

Debbie: Durkheim says all forms of deviancy are simply a challenge to the normalised repressiveness of the State.
Holden: So he's an anarchist.
Debbie: No. He was the first person to suggest that if there's something wrong with our society, then criminality is a response to that.
Holden: Well, maybe one of the things wrong with our society, is all the criminality.

Holden: You want to get something? It's getting late, we should get going.
Debbie: No, I don't think so.
Holden: Okay... Are you still mad? Are you... What exactly are you?
Debbie: Must I *be* something?

Holden: I've been warned to watch out for women like you.
Debbie: [handing him a pipe] You mean normal ones?