Top 100 Quotes From The Woman King

- You disobey your king, nanisca.
- I will resign my command.

- Grab the agojie.
- Oyo, move!
- Oba wants the agojie.
- Move, move, move!
- They are retreating!

- Get up. You are just waiting to die.
- Are we training to cook?
- You are cutting a body, not a yam.
- Swing with purpose!

Izogie: [to Nawi] Close your mouth. You look like a fish.

[Man] Hurry up, this way, this way!
- Move, damn it!
Santo: Malik!
- Bring a boat! I need a boat!
- No, no, no!

- What is this?
- My father used to call it the devil's Mark.
- It was there when he chose me from the orphanage.
- You are an orphan?
- But your father...
- He took me in.
- I guess I didn't turn out to be the daughter he wanted.

- But I want to see.
- Shh! The king does not allow us to look upon the agojie.

[Chuckles] No.
- Those are the heads.
- Some of the men who raided our village.
- The rest will be sold in ouidah.
- No men but the eunuchs are allowed in the palace after dark.
- Beyond this wall, this is a palace of women.

- Why have you not bathed?
- You are going to bring the buzzards.
- I let the others go before me.
- Ah.
- The first rule of training: Always obey izogie.
- I am izogie.

[Slave] Agojie.
- Agojie's here.

- Nanisca.
- What happened?
- Your nuts were finally right.

- in those shackles by those men.
- I've hidden her away.
- I have denied her pain.
- But I'm going to hear her now.
- I have to try to save her.
- No.
- Please.

- Then why did you stay?
- I have nowhere else to go.
- You are mahi.
- Why did you stay?
- Here I will be the hunter, not prey.

- I am sorry.
- I left you.
- I was not brave enough.
- But you survived because you are meant to be here.

- It is not your fault what happened to me.
- Are not the thing that hurt me.
- You are nawi.
- You are my daughter.
- I am sorry.

- What did you do with it?
- With what?
- You told me never to tell you.
- I'm asking.
- You said you would ask, and you made me swear.
- Amenza!
- I am not your servant, nanisca.

- Everything I knew.
- And when I finally escaped,
- I was with child.
- A child of those men.
- I would have to leave my sisters forever, so I had to hide.
- I bathed alone.
- And my belly grew.

- "Fear not. Face it head-on.
- Relentlessly we will fight."
- You are izogie.
- You said it.
- "Relentlessly we will fight."
- Come on!

- Sister!
- Nawi.
- Hm?
- We have a visitor.
- It's a rich man from cana.
- Come.
- Come!
- Maybe he is handsome.

- Do you threaten the oyo, usurper?
- You will respect the king!
[Ghezo] Uh-uh-uh. Migan, this new general seeks to bait us.
- We won't jump at his foolishness.
- Let us talk.

- I made a cut on the back of the left arm, and I pressed a tooth into it.
- A shark's tooth.
- It isn't me.

Nanisca: Your tears mean nothing. To be a warrior, you must kill your tears.

Santo: Malik!
- Is the water good?

- Again.
- A rope is not a weapon.
- You wish for a different weapon?
- Stand up.
- Go. Attack the soldier. Take his head.
- I apologize.
- Do not apologize. Do it.

- I can help you. I have the king's ear.
- We should work together to serve our king to ensure he grows only more powerful.
- It is you who wants to be powerful.
- To stay safe and rich in your fine palace.
- Too much change can be dangerous.
- I have said this much to my husband.
- Then we will soon understand who truly has his ear.

- I failed.
- No. You stayed alive.
- You are not tied to anyone.
- Go over.
- Huh?
- Do you want to live?

- Horses.
- That can only mean oyo soldiers.

- Where are the prisoners?
- Where are our people?
- We are farmers. We took no one!
- Miganon.

- And now you rise.
- Dance with us.
- Be with us.
- You live for me and I for you.
- Izogie.

- Fear not.
- Face it head-on.
- Relentlessly we will fight.

Malik: Nawi!
- What the hell are you doing!
[In Portuguese] What I came here to do!
Malik: You call them savages?
- It is you who is savage!
- Stay out of this! Count yourself lucky you are not on the block!
- Stay where you are!

- Where are the others?
- Izogie was killed, miganon.
- Nawi is gone.
- There will be no prisoners.
- Burn their whole trade to the ground.

- My men will find plenty of use for them.
- You're mistaken.
- These soldiers are not your tribute.
- This is your tribute.
- Let it be known to all!
- The great and mighty king ghezo fears no one!

- But you don't need a gun to use gunpowder.
- You just need a spark.
- Sometimes a termite can take down an elephant.
- We will bring the war to them.
- Agojie!

- Malik, no!
- Loose me! Loose me!
- Malik! Malik, no!

[Man] Move! Back!
- Make space for one more.
- Izogie.

- This is ogou.
- He is courage and strength.
- Perhaps he will bring you back to us.
- I have nothing to give to you.

- An offering for izogie.
- She does not want that water.
- She wants this.

- With the dagger here.
- She's standing there, not moving, not in pain.
- I'm going to be like her.
- Yes, my friend.
- As strong as her.
- Mm-hm.
- You try to stab me, I'll stab you back.
Nanisca: Backswing.

[Man 2] Come here!
[Man 1] Daughter! Come!
[Man 3] My sister!
[Woman 1] My sister!
[Woman 2] Mother!
[Man 2] I'm so happy to see you.

- We are the spear of victory.
- We are the blade of freedom.
- We are dahomey!
- Agojie!
- Agojie!
- Agojie!

Izogie: Rule number one: Always obey Izogie.
[she gives Nawi a strict look]
Izogie: I am Izogie!

- The powen'u/ oyo have new guns and horses, but the young king has his own fearsome weapon: An elite force of female soldiers, the agojie, led by a general, nanisca.
- Now, these warriors are all that stand between the oyo and dahomey's annihilation.

[Man] Lift the gate!
- Miganon!
Nanisca: Go!

- No husband will have her.
- I will not marry an old man who beats me!
[Father] Go to war, then.
- You will understand what pain is.
- Enter.

- They are a day's journey from our plateau.
- They will set up camp there.
- They expect us to defend ourselves from behind our walls.
- We are greatly outnumbered.
- Their size makes them arrogant and slow, like their guns.

- No, not just the oyo.
- Other tribes too.
- I heard the general plotting.
- We must tell the miganon.
- I must get back.
- Nawi, wait.
- Tomorrow we are going to leave.

- In the palace, you do not have to look away.
- Come.
Izogie: Close your mouth.
- You look like a fish.

- He's not a slaver. His mother was dahomey.
- You defend him?
- Is that knife a gift?
- Where have you been?
- I have been nowhere.
- Come here.
- Here.

[In Portuguese] You wish to see dahomey?
- Then we must go now.
- Before it is no more.

- Agojie!
- Agojie!
- Agojie!
- Come! We cannot stay here.
- Get in the boat!

- They usually fail.
- All our lives they tell us stories about the agojie.
- That you have magic.
- You look like a regular old woman to me.
- Fighting is not magic.
- We will see if you have any.

Izogie: In the morning, they will come.
- Move it! Move it!
- Get back! Back!
- Back!
- Move it!
- Stay back!
- Move!
Izogie: They will take the agojie first.

- You think I could have my pants now?
- I saw you in ouidah.
- Why are you here in the jungle?
- I am going to dahomey.
- The place my mother told me so much about.
- Perhaps I will see you there too.
- If you are allowed into the palace.

- You fought well, my young sister.
- Now you must rest.
- She is not here.
- No one has seen her.

- Who is she?
- My mother.
- We will take you back to your village.
- Perhaps your father...
- They sold him.
- And my brothers.
- They sold them all. [Sobbing]

- On your feet.
- We must have Patience.
- When we are brought to the block, we will be unshackled.
- We will have our legs.
- We must not let them see my arm is broken.

- Tonight we take our blood oath.
- If you wish for a girl to come to your tent, there are girls you can pay in the market.
- No, no, I just want to talk to you.
Santo: Malik!
- Will you come to see me?

- You do not remember me.
- You will never forget.
- [Gunshofl

Nanisca: Fighting is not magic. It is a skill. We'll see if you have any.

Nanisca: We are the spear of victory, we are the blade of freedom, we are Dahomey!

- The dahomey grow too bold under their new king.
[Ghezo] My loves.
- My loves.
- My love.
- My love.
- Nanisca, come with me.

- And yours with dahomey is none of ours.
- It will be over soon enough.
- The mahi, the igbo, they are with us.
- By the full moon, we will march on their city, and we will take it.
- Ouidah is open for business.
- You will have your cargo.

- It was a girl.
- I told amenza, "take it away."
- But the blood, it kept coming.
- And amenza ran away to find medicine, and she left me with her.
- So I did something.

- Twenty agojie.
- Of our choosing.
- We will march them to ouidah and surrender them.
- And the port remains open for our trade.
- I will leave boma to enjoy the feast that you have prepared.
- In ouidah, I will be waiting.

- Miganon. The prisoners are ready to march.
- Bring me stronger warriors.

- [Gunshofl
[man] Sound the alarm!

- We will bear no children.
- Mahi women, no harm will come to you for the sins of your men.
- I offer you and our people a choice.
- Any woman who does not wish to stay...
- May leave.

- I'm 3 o rry, I'm 3 o rry let's go. Let's go.
- Izogie?
- Izogie. Izogie.
- You get away from her!
- Get away!

- I am your king.
- Let me tell you: You will not seek out those captives.
- You must stay by my side and take the honor I bestow you.
- Do not force my anger.

- My mother guided me here to find myself.
- And I found you.
- I have booked passage on a cargo ship bound for england.
- I want to keep you safe.
- My heart has many scars.

- My king, please forgive me.
- Nanisca's gone to ouidah with the migan and a number of her soldiers.
- Eh?
- We must postpone the feast.
- No, no. The people gossip.
- You cannot postpone it now, not without looking weak.

- You speak in secret to the king.
- You seek to cut me out.
- If the king respects me, it is because I have earned it.

- I will be miganon one day.
- You cannot have both.
- Will that be enough?
- This is the life we have chosen.
- We each survive in our own way.
- You will find yours.

- To stay, she must pass the test.
- To be useful, she must stand on her own.
- You would not help your friend, miganon?
- Amenza? I would step on her head to win a footrace.
- Your first scars. The Mark of a warrior.
- You see?
- You will have many more.

- And I chose to give her away.
- And that is all you know?
- Yes! I do not lie to you.
- Why do you ask these questions after all this time?
- Because nawi is an orphan?
- You couldn't possibly think that she...
- Of course not.

- Are they...?
- The dahomey Amazons.
- Virgin soldiers.
- Bloodiest bitches in Africa.

- You hide yourself!
- Your Portuguese is flawless, your majesty.
- My father sends his regards.
- So you are now a captain?
- Sim.
- Very good.
- He taught me well.
- Gifts. For you.

- Fumbe.
- No, no, no.
Nawi: Come.
- Come. Come. Come.

- And those who fail will leave the palace, never to return.
- Look at you.
- The oyo will catch you.
- Hang you by your feet and cut your throat.
- Use your feet and walk.

- Shante, well done. You deserve it.
[All chanting] Nanisca! Nanisca! Nanisca!
- Nanisca! Nanisca! Nanisca!

- j' rise up j' j' rise up j' j' rise up j' j' rise up j' j' rise up j' j' rise up j'

- If she was not so skilled,
- I would have made her a wife.
- To the Victor!
- The gods will bless you.
- The gods will keep you safe.
- Well done to all of you!
- You are the strongest warriors in Africa!
- Welcome to the king's guard.

- We are under attack! Attack!
- Grab your weapons!
- We are oyo!

- Forgive my daughter.
- The whispers were right.
- Girl is worthless.
- Master abade.
- Come!
- I wish to give my daughter to the king.

- Do you own me now?
- Of course not.
- Get out!
- I am trying to protect you.
- By locking me in?
- Do you know what they would do to you?
- A white man was killed.
- You have the key now.
- You can choose when the lock is turned.

- We are not going home?
- We have lost.
- At home we are dead men.
- Put this one on display.
- The bids will be higher for soldiers.
- Move!
- I said move.

- Something or someone from your past.
- This is nonsense.
- And your medicine too.
- I am not even tired.
- Go to the altar.
- Leave gifts for the dead.
- If you do not respect if a, respect your own dream.

- In my blood is the blood of a killer.
- A man who gave you so much pain.
- I am sorry.
- You are agojie.

- Ruined by the enemy!
- Sit down and be quiet!
- Shante.
- Kelu, efe, go and talk to her. Go, go, go.
- We will celebrate.
- We will bring the city to the palace, and we will have a big feast.
- Go and prepare.

- Perhaps we pay, to buy us time.
- I promise...
- This will be our last.
- As for the palm oil, nanisca, show me.
- Show me how much you can produce and we will see.

- It is better to die.
- Cut your own throat.
- I will never question you in front of the others, but it is you who did not follow the plan.
- I only ever had one plan, amenza.
- To take his head.
- Nanisca, I...

- Push it back together.
- You are strong for a little fly.
- Now what?

- Where is oba?
- Where is oba?
- Fall back! Oyo, fall back!

- I can say the same for your ship.
- Slave ships are the only kind that come to these shores.
- And I intend to run it as my father.
- Your father runs a print shop.
- That is all you know.
- Come.
- Let's see the city.

- I see the majesty.
- I see the beauty.
- I think you are a good man.
- You must not ally yourself with slavers.
- We grew up together.
- But does he see our beauty as you do?

[Man] Ready.
- Fire!
Izogie: Good, ode.
- Nawi, you move like a sloth.

- Our magnificent agojie, they are doing their final test.
- So, please, sit.
- Go. Go on, sit. Go.
- Prepare the seats for them.
- Very good.
- Let us begin!

[Scoffs] Ooh.
- You know, I am under no illusion that you see us as anything but a commodity.
- But I am a king.
- With or without your respect.
- And if you are no longer a necessity to me, you, too, are unprotected.

- j' rise up j' j' rise up j' j' rise up j' j' rise up j' j' rise up j' j' rise up j'