Summary

• Real-life women & their achievements influenced the fictionalized film Hidden Figures, highlighting their pivotal roles in NASA during the space race.
• The movie addresses race, gender, and scientific progress through memorable quotes, showcasing the struggles and accomplishments of Katherine, Mary, and Dorothy.
• The cast of remarkable women, led by Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monáe, and Octavia Spencer, won an award for their portrayal of these groundbreaking figures.

Hidden Figures is a film about groundbreaking women and there are a lot of memorable Hidden Figures quotes within the story. The central characters are played by actresses who are remarkable women in their own right, so much so that the film won an award for best cast. Hidden Figures stars Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson, Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson, and Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughn.

The movie itself is partly fictional in of the narrative, but the bulk of the major details are based on the real-life hard-won achievements of these three women. Hidden Figures marks an important moment in the history of America. The space race captured the attention of the world, but so did the Civil Rights Movement, and the story of the real-life women in the middle of both historical moments is a compelling one. Race, gender, and scientific progress are all addressed in some of the best Hidden Figures quotes.

20 “Mary, It’s Sunday. Please Have Some Shame.”

Taraji P. Henson As Katherine Johnson

When Katherine, Mary, and Dorothy attend a local picnic after church services on a Sunday, Katherine meets her future husband, played by Blade star Mahershala Ali. Before she can even get up the courage to speak to him, however, Dorothy waves him over and Mary makes a few suggestive comments. Katherine tries to shame Mary into stopping her commentary, but it doesn’t work.

Hidden Figures is a movie about three women who take on astronomical challenges and make huge strides not just for themselves, but for people of color as a whole. Sometimes, it’s easy to see them as larger than life. Moments like this in the movie remind the audience that these women were real people. Katherine is a brilliant mind in her field and yet she can still get embarrassed by her friends talking about a handsome man.

19 “You Could Fly Up To Space If You Wanted To, Mama. You Could Be An Astronaut.”

Zani Jones Mbayise as Kathy Johnson

Katherine, Mary, and Dorothy are very much aware of the limitations placed on them because of the society they live in. Each barrier they break is one they hope their children don’t have to. The movie doesn’t spend a ton of time with the children of these women, but this is one of the Hidden Figures quotes from Katherine’s daughter that makes it clear that boundary-breaking is working.

Kathy firmly believes that her mother could become an astronaut and that there shouldn’t be anything stopping her from going to space. For Kathy, there isn’t an invisible line between her mother and the men who are going to space, which is a sign that the world is changing. It is also an example of how children sometimes see things better than adults do as Kathy sees the amazing things that her mother accomplishes and doesn't see why society is holding her back due to their own ignorance.

18 “Any Upward Movement Is Movement For Us All, Just Isn’t Movement For Me.”

Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughn

Though Mary and Katherine both end up with surprising opportunities to advance in their careers, Dorothy finds herself consistently ed over for a promotion. This results in Dorothy venting to Katherine and Mary in the car on their way home. Dorothy understands how unfair it is that white women keep being named supervisors when she’s doing all the supervisory work herself.

She amends all of her venting with this line to show that she isn’t ungrateful for the opportunities her friends have gained. She points out that progress is being made and that benefits them all, but it doesn't mean that she cannot be frustrated by the fact that she is not getting recognized in the ways she deserves. Dorothy, however, wants an opportunity as well. She eventually finds a way to make that happen for herself, but this line is a reminder of the people left behind in the changing world.

17 "If She Says [The Numbers] Are Good, Then I'm Good To Go."

Glen Powell as John Glenn

Glen Powell's Top Gun role helped to launch him to a sought-after position in Hollywood, but now that he is a huge star in his own right, it is fun to look back on this early role as another high-flying pilot, John Glenn. The astronauts being sent into space on test flights had to have complete faith in the people sending them there. John Glenn, however, didn't have faith in the team of men sitting in the conference room. Instead, he had faith in Katherine Johnson after seeing her work out the math first-hand.

He refused to launch until Katherine double-checked everyone else's math, including the actual computer brought in to eliminate all the handwork. His trust in her in the movie is the same as it was in real life, which was monumental at the time. It might have angered some of the men on the team, but helped Glenn feel secure to have Katherine running the numbers.

16 "We All Get To The Peak Together, Or We Don't Get There At All."

Kevin Costner as Al Harrison

Al Harrison might initially be blind to the way Katherine is treated by the other men in the office, but once his eyes are open, he doesn't have time for the pettiness the scientists and mathematicians throw her way. He makes it very clear that everyone on the team has to work together in this Hidden Figures quote.

As he points out, they can't send men into space safely if their work isn't flawless. For that to happen, they have to work together and trust one another to do their best job. His team doesn't openly defy him after that. There are some who have criticized Harrison's role in the movie, claiming it makes a hero out of a man who was ignorant of racism. However, Kevin Costner's performance adds a commanding and stoic vibe that sells the character well.

15 "There's Only One Thing To Do: Learn All We Can."

Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughn

While the movie is an important way of highlighting some forgotten figures in history who deserve to be recognized, Hidden Figures is also a great movie about the value of learning. If there's one character who is always looking ahead, it's Octavia Spencer's Dorothy. She understands that progress can be a double-edged sword. Dorothy is the one who has the vision to understand what IBM means for her "computers."

Dorothy is the supervisor of the women of color in charge of computing mathematical equations for NASA, though it takes a long time for her to get any kind of supervisor credit. When she learns that IBM can do thousands of calculations in the time it takes women to do one, she declares that they all have to study up on the new machine. Without Dorothy's understanding of what's coming, her entire department would have been out of a job.

14 "We Go From Being Our Fathers' Daughters To Our Husbands' Wives To Our Babies' Mothers."

Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson

Race is clearly a big issue that is addressed in Hidden Figures with the main characters being met with the limitations society puts on Black people during his era. However, they also have the fight to be taken seriously as women with many thinking their gender doesn't even belong in the professional world. Katherine, Dorothy, and Mary are women who have their intelligence and careers in mind. They want to provide for their families, but they're all hampered by the way the world sees them.

Mary has to deal with the surrounding men not believing a woman can be an engineer; Katherine gets off on the wrong foot with her future husband when he thinks working at NASA would be too taxing for a woman. The women are used to being defined by the men in their lives, as Mary points out, and they work incredibly hard to change it.

13 "Whoever Gets There First Will Make The Rules."

Kevin Costner as Al Harrison

Al Harrison is instrumental in helping Katherine have a long career with NASA. He has a reputation for being hard on his computers, and no one is sure Katherine will last in his office. Harrison, however, wants one thing more than anything: to get men into space successfully. Harrison's Hidden Figures quote here is made during a meeting about the space program.

He's referencing the Russians putting a man in space first, but his words apply to the world of Hidden Figures. The women at the center of the story are hampered by the rules made by the white men who got to positions before them. Harrison tries to eliminate hurdles to Katherine's success because, in his eyes, color isn't important in getting to space - the math is what's important but the rest of the world might not see things that way.

12 "I Have Never Seen A Mind Like Your Daughter Has. You Have To See What She Becomes."

Katherine's Teacher

Before Katherine worked at NASA, she was a little girl with a head for numbers. The state of the United States means that a young person of color would have a hard path to an education. The teacher who sees potential in Katherine, however, wants to make sure that she has a chance to go as far as possible. It is not just about allowing Katherine to excel but to discover the great things this young girl can one day accomplish,

The community bands together to make sure a little girl has a fighting chance to succeed.

Not only does her teacher reach out to high schools to get Katherine a better education, but the church takes up a collection to help Katherine's parents make the move closer to the school that wants Katherine there. The community bands together to make sure a little girl has a fighting chance to succeed in a difficult world, and without that, Katherine might never have made it to NASA.

11 "It's Equal Rights. I Have The Right To See Fine In Every Color."

Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson

While most of the lines referencing the Civil Rights Movement in the movie are of the dramatic variety, there is a lot of humor. Mary is often the one to bring a little lightness and sarcasm to what could be a serious situation in her Hidden Figures quotes. Janelle Monae's Hidden Figures role served as a true breakout for her and helped to kickstart the incredible career she has had.

When the women are introduced to the astronauts they'll be helping to send into space, John Glenn, in particular, stops and chats with them. Mary takes a moment to ire the men's appearances when they're introduced, and after Katherine onishes her for it, Mary gives her spin on the equal rights they've all been fighting for. Mary can't be faulted for iring smart and charismatic men who trust their work.