Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and The City is truly iconic in her search for love. What makes her so unique is the fact that she is far from perfect, and she slips up often just like everyone else. She is human, after all, and the fact that she's so realistic is why so many love her so much.
When it comes to dating and relationships, Carrie is filled with endless wisdom after all of the heartache and romantic paths she has taken. She has some of the most thought-provoking ideas when it comes to the subject of romance, and some truly inspiring lines.
Updated on September 27th by Rose Graceling-Moore: Carrie Bradshaw is back - or she will be, with the Sex and the City revival, ...And Just Like That. Thus far, the release date and plot is unknown, but the new show will catch up with where Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda (but not Samantha) are in life - and of course, that includes where they are in love, and is sure to add some phenomenal new quotes for SATC fans.
“THERE IS A GOOD WAY TO BREAK UP WITH SOMEONE AND IT DOESN’T INCLUDE A POST-IT”
Love isn't always hearts and flowers, and Carrie knows that well - especially in this iconic episode where she is broken up with by Post-It! Not every quote about romance in the series is about it going well, but most of the time, it's also about treating people with respect.
Carrie hates the games that Big plays (even when she's been known to play a few herself), and she hates the fact that Berger wouldn't even talk to her about breaking up in person. At the end of the day, she knows that even when love ends, it should end with consideration.
"IT WASN'T LOGIC, IT WAS LOVE"
In the Sex and the City movie, Big leaves Carrie at the altar, and she spends most of the movie getting over him - so it seems as though the two are done for good. However, in the end, when she finds him at their apartment, Carrie and Big fall into each other's arms as she explains that it wasn't logic, it was love.
It's a perfect quote to remind fans that while logic has a place in romance, intuition and emotion does too - a storyline backed up with Steve and Miranda's arc. Miranda tries to logic her way into deciding if she can forgive Steve for cheating, but in the end, it's her heart that guides her.
"Being single used to mean that nobody wanted you. Now it means you’re pretty sexy..."
Being single used to mean that nobody wanted you. Now it means you’re pretty sexy and you’re taking your time deciding how you want your life to be and who you want to spend it with.
While most of the time, the women of Sex and the City are actively looking for love, Carrie also makes a point that being single is better than being in a bad relationship with this line. Singledom isn't the spinsterhood of old, and it's not something to hate.
And she knows that being single is a perfect opportunity to figure out exactly what she wants, so that she'll be able to get it (even if fans know that just means that she'll be back with Big).
"A relationship is like couture; if it doesn’t fit perfectly, it’s a disaster."
When Carrie is in Paris, of course fashion is the first thing on her mind - but she is also struggling in her relationship with Aleksandr Petrovsky. She thinks it works, she wants it to work, but fans can see that it's just not lining up, no matter how hard they try.
So of course, this line is classic Carrie - combining love and fashion in one quotable quip. And she's right, of course. For a lifelong relationship, things have to fit in order to really work (and to be comfortable... even if that's not something that always applies to couture).
"After all, computers crash, people die, relationships fall apart. The best we can do is breathe and reboot."
Carrie is know for being surprisingly bad with her computer, given that she writes on it for a living - and when it crashes, she panics. She hasn't backed up her work, she doesn't know what to do, and she is absolutely exhausted. Which, of course, is a fantastic metaphor for the end of a relationship, too.
And as usual, Carrie hits the nail on the head with this advice about dealing with a breakup. Take a deep breath, try not to panic over it all being lost, and then start again.
"I'M LOOKING FOR LOVE. REAL LOVE."
I'm looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other-love.
Carrie has built her whole career on love, sex, and relationships. The topic of romance is constantly on her mind, and therefore, the New York writer refuses to settle for anything less than absolute love.
Carrie wears her heart on her sleeve and this quote comes when she realizes she needs Mr. Big to respond to her level of ion, or else it won't work for her. Carrie suggests it's never a good idea to settle for someone who doesn't provide the level of affection and ion that someone wants - no matter what that is.
"THE MOST EXCITING, CHALLENGING, AND SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP OF ALL IS THE ONE YOU HAVE WITH YOURSELF."
The most exciting, challenging, and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you that you love, well, that's just fabulous.
While Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte seem as though they're constantly on the lookout for a man to fulfill them, at the end of the day, their most important relationship is the one they have with themselves.
When it comes to love, it's okay for someone to put their own needs first, because self-respect is incredibly important. A person has to look out for themselves, love themselves, and take care of themselves in order to be truly happy.
"SOME LOVE STORIES AREN'T EPIC NOVELS, SOME ARE SHORT STORIES."
Some love stories aren't epic novels- Some are short stories, but that doesn't make them any less filled with love.
One of the big surprises of the first Sex And The City movie was that Samantha and Smith broke up at the end - as Samantha realized that their life simply didn't work for her any more, even though she loves him. Here, Carrie is narrating the change, talking about how loving their relationship was, even if it wasn't life long.
Sometimes people aren't compatible and they split up, but that doesn't always mean the love between them wasn't real. This is also the case for Carrie and Aidan who were deeply in love, yet they both wanted different things.
"I DO HAVE FAITH...FAITH THAT I WOULD ONE DAY MEET SOMEONE WHO WOULD BE SURE THAT I WAS THE ONE."
After he left, I cried for a week. And then I realized I do have faith. Faith in myself. Faith that I would one day meet someone who would be sure that I was the one.
When Carrie and Big break up (one of many times in their series-long relationship), she is absolutely heartbroken, but eventually decides that she has made the right decision. With this quote, Carrie is talking about her decision to leave when Big couldn't give her the kind of relationship she wanted.
It's hard to believe in love after experiencing heartbreak, and it takes a lot of courage to keep your faith intact. Yet Carrie somehow manages to have faith not only in love but also in herself. At the end of the day, that's what matters most of all.
"DON'T FORGET TO FALL IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF."
Carrie seems to fall in love many times throughout the course of the series, whether it be with Mr. Big, Aidan, Berger, or Aleksandr Petrovsky. Yet none of those relationships would have ever been possible if Carrie didn't love herself.
Her self-love is what caused those relationships to last for as long as they did because self-respect is a crucial ingredient to sharing real love with someone else. Otherwise, it simply won't work. When it comes down to it, in the words of Ms. Bradshaw herself, the most significant relationship is the one that you have with yourself.
