The 60 Best Quotes From Mad Men

Mad Men was an American series set in the 1960s, the plot takes place in a fictional marketing agency, located on Madison Avenue in New York. In this series we follow the personal and professional life of Don Draper, creative director, as well as the bonds he creates.

The series explains that the term, ‘mad men’, comes from the popular slang of New York publicists to refer to themselves and how they change in the fight to stay afloat.

If you are interested in seeing a compilation of the best quotes from Mad Men you will like this compilation.

Memorable Mad Men quotes

Struggle, consistency and challenges to overcome to achieve a goal, it is not only a personal search, but a race to be successful in the world of American advertising in the 1960s.

1. If they have tried to make you feel like you are different from them, you are. That’s a good way to be. (Joan Harris)

The differences are what make us unique and special.

2. Make it simple but meaningful. (Don Draper)

Simple things can be impressive, because they do not need decorations to show their strength.

3. He was born in 1898 in a barn. He died on the 37th floor of a skyscraper. She is an astronaut. (Bert Cooper)

Showing how much we can advance. Success is personal.

4. I go to a lot of places and always end up somewhere I’ve already been. (Don Draper)

They say we return to the places where we feel comfortable.

5. He may act like he wants a secretary, but more often than not, he’s looking for something between a mother and a waitress. (Joan Holloway)

People build their relationships based on their previous experiences.

6. This is America: Pick a job and become the first person to do it. (Bobbie Barrett)

A country where competition is life itself.

7. People tell us who they are, but we ignore it because we want them to be what we want them to be. (Don Draper)

This is where disappointments occur, when people show us that they are actually different from what we think.

8. Honestly, why is it that every time a man takes you to lunch around here… you’re dessert? (Peggy Olson)

A critique of the double intentions of men.

9. For most people, love is not just a slogan. (Rachel Menken)

In the world of consumerism, love is just a tool.

10. They say that when you have to drink less, you have a drinking problem. (Don Draper)

The sign that we must change?

11. I should have known that the end was near. Every time an old man starts talking about Napoleon, they know he’s going to die. (Roger Sterling)

Do you think people know when they are going to die?

12. What is happiness? It’s the time before you need more happiness. (Don Draper)

Happiness is instant, but it makes a great impact forever.

13. That poor girl. She doesn’t know that loving you is the worst way to get to you. (Betty Francis)

Not all people look for love in their life.

14. I guess what I’m saying is that at some point, we all parked in the wrong garage. (Roger Sterling)

Making mistakes is part of growing up, even when we look for company.

15. Advertising is selling happiness. (Don Draper)

It’s convincing people to have something they didn’t think they needed.

16. An actor can’t cough and die before a Lucky commercial, it’s just common sense. (Harry Crane)

About commitment and the demands of roles.

17. Life is too long if you are alone. (Don Draper)

Loneliness can become a burden if we stay immersed in it.

18. You’re going to need a stronger stomach if you’re going to go back to the kitchen to see how sausage is made. (Bert Cooper)

There are things we simply don’t want to know how they are made.

19. Should I entertain your ballad of dissatisfaction, or did something really happen? Because I’m at work, dear. (Lane Pryce)

It is always better to speak honestly than to give hints that are not always understood.

20. You are painting a masterpiece, make sure to hide the brush strokes. (Betty Draper)

Does every end really justify the means?

21. You never know how loyalty is born. (Bert Cooper)

But when it is created, it is the most powerful support we can have.

22. One day you are there and suddenly, there is less of you and you wonder where that part went; yes it is living somewhere outside of you. (Peggy Olson)

Talking about feeling lost and when we realize it, we forget how to get back.

23. Why does everyone need to talk about everything? (Don Draper)

Communication is a fundamental part of human relationships.

24. My job is to go hunting so they can shoot their guns an inch from my ear and laugh when I get startled because it is. My. Job. (Ken Cosgrove)

Committed to what you are supposed to do.

25. My mother wore a girdle all the time and always had a stomach ache and I always thought, ‘Would you rather have a stomach ache just so Dad would like me?’ (Sandy Schmidt)

Even bad times leave us valuable lessons.

26. I am not the solution to your problems. I am another problem. (Joan Harris)

Not everyone at your side is there to help you.

27. I don’t like vegetarian food, it reminds me of Lent. (Peggy Olson)

There are tastes that we lose due to some previous bad experience.

28. Let me ask you something: what do women want? (Don Draper)

A question that many men have not yet given an answer to.

29. Do you know what would make you feel better? Drugs. (Amy)

Drugs may silence problems for a while, but eventually they only create more chaos.

30. We are defective because we want much more. We are ruined because we get these things and we wish for what we had. (Don Draper)

The problem with ambition is that we have a void that we cannot fill with anything.

31. Just cash the checks, you’re going to die one day. (Ted Chaough)

Don’t be ashamed to charge the price your talents are worth.

32. Meet me in Africa. (Glen Bishop)

Do you have a place that serves as an escape for you?

33. Men don’t take the time to finish things. They will ignore you until you force them to tell you that they hate you. (Joan Holloway)

There are those people who prefer to avoid conflicts than face problems.

34. Perpetuating the lie. How do you sleep at night? (Roy)

Lies don’t last long.

35. Success comes from standing out, not fitting in. (Don Draper)

To excel in what you do, not to stay in the comfort zone.

36. Young people love risk because they cannot imagine the consequences. (Bert Cooper)

It is common for teenagers to consider themselves reckless, because they do not believe that something can go wrong.

37. Sex sells. (Peggy Olson)

Whether for pleasure, morbidity or indignation.

38. What would you do if you were me? Would you love yourself? (Betty Draper)

Before loving someone else, we must love ourselves.

39. It’s your life. You don’t know how long it’s going to last, but you know it doesn’t end well. You must move forward… As soon as you find out what that means. (Don Draper)

The only thing left for us is to move forward and discover which path we should follow.

40. She is the apple that goes in the pig’s mouth. (Marie Calve)

The Apple of discord?

41. We won’t be lucky. We have decisions. (Peggy Olson)

Luck happens when we can take advantage of all the opportunities we can.

42. You don’t know me. And I don’t know you. We simply have the same problem. (Beth Dawes)

Two strangers cannot maintain a long-term commitment.

43. And you keep thinking maybe you’ll get it back and then you realize it’s just gone. (Peggy Olson)

There are times when we must let something go, in order to be free.

44. You think you’re going to start your life over and do it right, but what if you never get past the beginning again? (Pete Campbell)

Giving up is when we stop trying.

45. We are defective because we want too much. (Don Draper)

Vulnerability can be a defect.

46. ​​People buy things to see their aspirations fulfilled, it is the basis of our business. (Bertram Cooper)

Taking advantage of people’s needs and desires to create a business.

47. You don’t kiss boys, boys kiss you. (Betty Francis)

A way to take control.

48. What you call love was invented by guys like me. To sell stockings. (Don Draper)

Disregarding the meaning of love in real life.

49. If I’m going to die, let it be in Manhattan. (Pete Campbell)

There are those who have in mind a good place to want to die.

50. My father used to say that this would be the ideal job if it weren’t for the clients. (Roger Sterling)

Working with the public is not easy at all.

51. Bottle friendship attracts more people to advertising than any salary you can imagine. (Cooper)

Alcoholism is a serious problem that is fueled by people’s problems and their search for an easy solution.

52. That’s life, one minute you’re on top, and the next minute a secretary is walking over you with a lawnmower. (Joan Harris)

Success is not a guarantee of having a guaranteed life.

53. If you don’t like what is being said, change the conversation. (Don Draper)

A good ability to adapt is to change your attitude for something better.

54. This was a flirtation, a cheap affair. You don’t want to run away with me; you just want to run away. You are a coward! (Rachel Menken)

Not all loving promises are really full of love, it’s just convenience.

55. Sometimes we can’t choose where our talents are. (Don Draper)

It is our passions that drag us to where we should be.

56. Remember, Don. When God closes a door, he opens a dress. (Roger Sterling)

Never play with a person’s feelings just for comfort.

57. Jane wanted a baby, but I thought, ‘Why do that to someone? (Matthew Weiner)

Not all people want to become parents.

58. Change is neither good nor bad, it is simply change. (Don Draper)

It is a natural part of life.

59. Dissatisfaction is a symptom of ambition. It is the coal that feeds the fire. (Trudy Campbell)

When we are not happy inside, we try to fill the void with material things that do not make us happy.

60. Because I want love. And I’d rather die waiting for that to happen than make any arrangements. And you should too. (Joan Harris)

Getting love is one of the goals that many people share.