No one’s funnier than Samantha Jones in Sex And The City, which is funny in itself, because she’s friends with sex-pert Carrie Bradshaw whose job it is to be funny and relatable. Despite Carrie’s cred as a columnist, it’s Samantha’s no-filter wisdom on sexuality and happiness that fans connected with.
Besides her crackling wit, it’s her approach to self-love and sex that many women around the world found so empowering. She’s had some good moments, some bad moments, but she's always had the most interesting things to say. Here are some of the funniest and the most heartbreaking quotes by Samantha.
Funniest: "I’m A Try-Sexual. I’ll Try Anything Once."
As the show progressed, fans realized Samantha really was a "try-sexual" - she was the true rebel of her squad because she was open to possibilities in a real way and did not judge anything by popular opinion.
Fans often applauded her never-say-never spirit, which was so crucial in shaping the show’s credibility. Samantha was a lot more experimental and thrill-seeking than the professional sex-pert Carrie, who could actually be quite judgmental of Samantha’s lifestyle.
Heartbreaking: "I Don’t Do Sick Person."
When Samantha was diagnosed with cancer, she learned that she may have to shave off her head. In an emotional sequence between her and Carrie, Samantha reveals that she’s insecure about what it would do to her self-esteem. “I have to look like a sick person, and I don’t do sick person,” she told Carrie.
The line is heartbreaking because, later on, Samantha did struggle to cope with how she looked with a shaved head. This is something many viewers could relate to, especially since it depicted how an empowered, self-sufficient woman copes with an unfixable crisis.
Funniest: "If I Worried What Every B***h In New York Was Saying About Me, I'd Never Leave The House."
This quote is so hilarious because it’s absolutely true. Samantha really did not respond to shaming, and fans noted that every time her friends or society, in general, tried to control her behavior, she’d go the extra mile to assert her independence.
This is something that spoke to women everywhere because most women, at some point, face misogyny in one way or another. So, when Samantha said she doesn’t care about what anyone says, she meant it in a very realistic way, in that she really did not let criticism dictate her life.
Heartbreaking: "You Feel Happy Every Day?"
Samantha often struggled to be in a long-term relationship, and although she loved Smith, she was having a hard time not being single. During Charlotte’s baby shower, Samantha tells the girls that she is suffering from an eating disorder and has gained weight as she is going through an emotional crisis over her relationship. She asks Charlotte when was the last time she felt happy with Harry. When Charlotte says every day, Samantha is befuddled.
This moment when Samantha asks her if she’s really happy every day is tragic because that’s when she realized she didn’t have this in her life.
Funniest: "I Think I Have Monogamy. I Caught It From You People."
If there’s one thing fans know about Samantha it’s that monogamy and Samantha do not go hand-in-hand, mainly because she hates holding hands, but also because she truly enjoys the freedom that singledom allows a woman. She has always been very vocal about how she appreciates being single, far more than she likes being in a relationship.
In season 4, episode 5, both Carrie and Samantha are struggling with monogamy as a concept. As Carrie breaks up with Aidan, Samantha realizes how complicated long-term relationships really are.
Heartbreaking: "Let Me Talk About What I’m Afraid Of."
This was a significant moment in Samantha’s trajectory since she’s never too big on talking about her anxieties or vulnerabilities. So when she discusses her cancer with Carrie and the latter pacifies her, Samantha urges Carrie to let her talk about what she’s afraid of.
This was a really well-scripted moment because Carrie and Samantha do share a special bond, and she was also the first one Samantha told about her cancer. It would make sense, then, that she only opens up about her fears to Carrie, whom she has known the longest.
Funniest: "Get To Know Me, Then Hate Me."
In season 3, episode 5, Samantha dates Chivon, the African American music mogul whose sister hates Samantha. It’s not until halfway through the episode that Samantha realizes that Chivon’s sister only dislikes her because she doesn’t want her brother dating a white woman. And Samantha, who never really cares about what people think of her, is bothered by this development.
“Get to know me, then hate me,” is something only Samantha would say. But her pleas fall on deaf ears, and soon a fight erupts between the two women!
Heartbreaking: "We Are All Alone."
Although Samantha said this in a feverish delirium, it brings to light her deep-seated insecurities about being on her own. This was a crucial moment in the show because it was the first time Samantha regretted being single.
When Samantha is stuck in her apartment with a bout of flu, she is in desperate need of care and affection. But, it wasn’t until Carrie drops in the next night that Samantha finally has someone to take care of her. It was then that Samantha cries and tells Carrie that she thinks women are alone unless they have someone in their lives.
Funniest: "I Don’t Believe In Marriage, Now Botox, On The Other Hand, That Works Every Time."
Samantha has always been very vocal about her views on marriage. She never understood the concept of marriage, especially since she didn’t see it as being essential to commitment.
When Carrie tells Samantha in Sex And The City the movie that she’s engaged to Big, Samantha is visibly disappointed. She tells Carrie that she’d put herself and Carrie in the single girls club because she assumed Carrie is a non-conformist and would never get married. Her comparison between marriage and botox is so hilarious because the latter is something Samantha can believe in - she understands it and relates to its significance, unlike marriage.
Heartbreaking: "I Love You, But I Love Me More."
This is something Samantha has said a couple of times on the show, and it’s actually something that comes up whenever she is in a serious relationship with someone, be it with Richard or Smith.
Samantha struggled with monogamy and clearly enjoyed being single. When she breaks up with Smith, she tells him that she needed the freedom to be happy, despite the fact that she shared a beautiful relationship with him. Most fans applauded her decision, as they understood why she needs to break up to be happy.