Summary

• Mary Poppins quotes are inspirational and iconic, making the movies memorable for fans of all ages.
• Mary Poppins encourages imagination and a childlike sense of wonder in both children and adults.
• The power of Mary Poppins quotes lies in their ability to teach important life lessons while being whimsical and fun.

Mary Poppins quotes like “Let’s go fly a kite!” are part of what make Disney's movie musical and its sequel so memorable. Hear one of these lines, and many people instantly know it’s from Mary Poppins. They’re inspirational, sweet, comical, and they always make fans feel better. That’s the power of the best Mary Poppins quotes. Since 1964, families have loved the Disney live-action musical. It’s an endearing classic that brings joy to fans of all ages. From the first time the audience sees Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews), it’s a thrilling adventure and everyone wants a nanny like Mary.

Some audience might find the feel-good messages of the original Mary Poppins film a little dated, but there's something special about Mary Poppins, her words of wisdom, and the imaginative journey on which she takes the audience. The sequel, Mary Poppins Returns, released several decades after the first movie, is just as charming and fun as the first, and Mary (Emily Blunt) still has a way with words. Mary Poppins quotes will always be iconic.

“I Told You She Was Tricky.”

Michael Banks, Mary Poppins

When Mary Poppins begins, the Banks children are known for being troublemakers. They have run off several of their caretakers by refusing to listen to them, and their father wants a much stricter household for his children. The Banks children just want to have a little fun. They get a little bit of both when they meet Mary Poppins, though Michael isn’t entirely expecting that.

It’s Michael who tells Jane that Mary is going to be a tricky nanny, and he’s not wrong. Mary Poppins doesn’t argue with the children or allow them to get the better of her. When she decides to make a game of cleaning up the nursery, Michael knows exactly what she’s doing, prompting this Mary Poppins quote to his sister, and demonstrating that the kids are actually very smart, not just misbehaving.

“We’re On The Brink Of Adventure, Children. Don’t Spoil It With Questions.”

Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins Returns

Whether she is truly magic and leading them to whole new animated worlds or whether they are simply playing pretend is left up to the interpretation of the audience .

Mary Poppins, in both of her Disney movies, is very much a “show, don’t tell” character. Even though there are tons of great Mary Poppins quotes from the titular character, she doesn’t like to fully explain herself or spoil the surprises that are in store. She prefers to lead people into new situations without them having any preconceived ideas and allow them to experience things for themselves.

This idea is largely because Mary Poppins encourages the children under her care to use their imaginations. It's entirely possible that her fostering of their imaginations is what really leads to the adventures of the Banks children. Whether she is truly magic and leading them to whole new animated worlds or whether they are simply playing pretend is left up to the interpretation of the audience . That’s what makes the adventures they go on so great.

“Well, Most Things He Can. Sometimes A Person We Love, Through No Fault Of Their Own, Can’t See Past The End Of His Nose.”

Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins

When Mary Poppins tells the Banks children that their father is going to take them to the bank with him, Jane gets very excited about the idea. They don’t, after all, spend a lot of time with their father. Jane thinks Mr. Banks will show them all the sights in London on the way, but Mary has her doubts, leading to her giving this Mary Poppins quote. The quote is less about sight-seeing and more about Mr. Banks not seeing that his children are unhappy and want to see more of him.

Mary understands that their bad behavior in the past has been a way to get rid of nannies, but also to gain the attention of their parents. She believes that Mr. Banks is missing the things that are right in front of him, like how much his children want to spend time with him, and how important it is to foster their imaginations, another point that comes up in the movie. Jane and Micheal don’t see that about their own father though.

“When The World Turns Upside Down, The Best Thing To Do Is Turn Right Along With It.”

Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins Returns

Mary Poppins is a firm believer in adaptation. She often finds herself in strange situations thanks to the households that call her and the imaginative adventures on which she takes the children while she's watching them. As a result, she understands the value of adapting to brand-new surroundings as needed.

This particular Mary Poppins quote highlights adapting to the world as it changes. When she returns to the Banks family in Mary Poppins Returns, she might seem like she’s still the same, but her original charges are all grown up, and she takes a new generation on a new adventure in which they get to learn new lessons from her. She might still be encouraging the use of imagination, but not in exactly the same circumstances as she did before because she has changed, even slightly, with a changing world.

“Then You’ve Forgotten What It’s Like… To Be A Child.”

The Balloon Lady, Mary Poppins Returns

One of the best aspects of the Mary Poppins movies is that the adventures are told with a sense of childlike wonder. That’s because the central characters of the story are the children and their nanny. The movies also, however, do a great job at reminding the adults in the stories that having fun and the sense of wonder they experienced as a child don’t have to vanish once they have adult responsibilities. The exchange between Michael Banks and the Balloon Lady is a good example of that.

Michael Banks: “Those days are long behind me. I don’t think I’ve held a balloon since I was a child.”

Balloon Lady: “Then you’ve forgotten what it’s like.”

Michael Banks: “To hold a balloon?”

Balloon Lady: “To be a child.

In the first movie, it’s Michael’s father who has to be reminded that his children should be enjoying their childhood with him. In the sequel, Michael has faced tragedy and the responsibilities of being a father himself and seems to have fallen into the same role his own father did. He has to be reminded to enjoy his life.

"Close Your Mouth, Michael. We Are Not A Codfish."

Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins

While a lot of Mary Poppins' quotes in the original movie are meant to foster imagination and make following the rules fun, this one also reveals that she knows how to make onishments funny. She isn't afraid to be stern when she needs to be because she can make those stern moments funny. As Michael Banks opens his mouth in shock at things like her bottomless bag and talking umbrella, Mary barely spares him a glance to give this line.

Michael immediately closing his mouth might make the audience laugh, but it also shows the audience that Mary means business. As fun as she is for the rest of the movie, she puts the job of bringing the family together first. That doesn't just mean bringing imagination back to Mr. Banks, but also getting the Banks children to behave.

"That's A Piecrust Promise. Easily Made, Easily Broken."

Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins

Pie crusts are fragile. They crumble in hand and are nearly impossible to keep whole.

The iconic nanny is a lover of metaphors. They're just one of the many ways Mary Poppins conveys her intelligence to the audience. When she uses these metaphors, they really paint a picture for the Banks children and the audience. Everyone knows exactly what her words mean because they can see it.

With this particular Mary Poppins quote, she references the potential for a broken promise as a "pie crust promise." Others might just say they're afraid of a child not being truthful, or of them not being able to commit to what they say, but Mary takes it a step further to really make the children see what she means. Pie crusts are fragile. They crumble in hand and are nearly impossible to keep whole. That's a great visual for a promise that is impossible to keep.

"Nothing. Such A Useful Word, Isn't It? It Can Mean Anything And Everything."

Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins Returns

In the original movie, Mary keeps an air of mystery about her despite all the magical things happening in plain sight. The children are mesmerized by her as a result. Part of that is due to her inventive dialogue and getting the children to pay attention to her particular choice of words.

In the sequel, the magical nanny does the same thing, drawing the children's attention to exactly how they speak and exactly what they mean, even as she's teaching them lessons and getting the new generation of siblings to use their imagination. While some audience complained that Emily Blunt and Julie Andrews weren't exactly the same version of Mary Poppins, Blunt's delivery of lines like these made them a nearly perfect match. Mary Poppins' quotes are just as memorable the second time around.

"What Do You Get When You Feed The Birds? Fat Birds."

Mr. Dawes, Mary Poppins

...it's a sign of a lack of imagination from the banker.

Out of context, this line isn't anything special, and if someone saw it, they would think the character was simply stating the audience. When the audience, however, sees Mr. Dawes swoop in and take Michael's money from him when saying this quote, it's a sign of a lack of imagination from the banker.

The man in charge of the bank has one thing on his mind, and that's making money. He represents the future that Mr. Banks could have if he doesn't stop for a moment and how to use his imagination. Mr. Dawes doesn't appreciate that Michael wants to do something sweet with his hard-earned dollar, like feed the birds while he spends time in the park; Mr. Dawes thinks only of investments. He's one of the least likable characters in Mary Poppins thanks to that lack of imagination. This line only solidifies that.

"The Man Said, 'I'd Like To Replace Your Cat.' And The Lady Said, 'That's All Right With Me, But How Are You At Catching Mice?'"

Bert, Mary Poppins

If Mary Poppins loves a good metaphor, Bert loves a good dad joke. Dad jokes are a little cheesy and usually, have a great pun. Bert and the Banks children in particular find this one very funny. Some might miss the punchline if they're too busy seeing what's going on in the scene with its hovering table and tea party, but Bert, Michael, and Jane laughing uproariously during tea time clues them in that there's a good line to catch.

Compared to some of the most iconic lines from the songs in the movie, this one might not be as memorable. It's hard for someone to get the joke down exactly right on the first watch, but it's likely that nearly every child who sees the movie tries their hand at retelling the joke at least once.