15 Best Edna Mode Quotes You Will Love

“Edna Mode” by Sarah Lou is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Released in 2004, Disney’s The Incredibles debuted a “super” unique cast of characters who are well-loved for many different reasons. And though she’s not a member of the Parr family, eccentric fashion designer Edna Mode quickly became an iconic character from the movie. Here are some of the best Edna Mode quotes that showcase her humor, brutal honesty, and compassion.

The Best Edna Mode Quotes

1. “It’s impossible. I’m far too busy. So ask me now, before I again become sane.”

Edna makes it very clear that she wants to design a new suit for Bob (Mr. Incredible), but she wants Bob to be the one that asks her. I think it’s funny that she realizes how insane this proposal is, since Bob didn’t come clean and tell her he’s doing hero work behind Helen’s back. 

Also, how busy could Edna really be? She’s clearly not designing for heroes, and she has very strong opinions about the modeling industry. But she loves designing for heroes so much, she’ll basically jump at any opportunity to do it again.

2. “This is a hobo suit darling. You can’t be seen in this, I won’t allow it!”

I think Edna is one of those people who respects her work so much, she can’t quit until she’s outdone herself and gone above and beyond. Bob asked her for a simple patch job on his old super suit, but that wasn’t enough for Edna. I respect that she’s always looking to hone her craft, as well as the fact that she can see how she’s improved over all these years. 

She takes pride in her work, but she’s still willing to admit that the original super suit she designed for Bob isn’t her best work. While she can be highly critical of those around her, she’s also critical of herself, which is worth something in my book. She’s always striving for better.

3. “Yes, words are useless. Gobble, gobble, gobble. Too much of it, darling. Too much! That is why I show you my work.”

You can tell Edna is just chomping at the bit to show Helen the suits she’s made for her family. Though Edna quickly rose to popularity amongst Disney fans, she plays a minor role in the movie, so most of her lines are pretty short. I think that was intentional, according to the movie’s director and screenwriter Brad Bird (who also voiced Edna). 

Director Brad Bird said that he always imagined Edna being half-German and half-Japanese, two small countries that have made a big impact both historically and technologically. Edna is the same way: a compact person with a huge personality and influence!

4. “I never look back darling. It distracts from the now.”

This is probably one of the most iconic and best Edna Mode quotes in the movie. She and Bob are discussing the patch job on Bob’s suit, but Edna simply isn’t willing to allow Bob to return to his old super suit. It’s gotten a bad tear on the outdated “Mega-mesh” fabric. 

Bob tells her the tear must’ve been from the past, but Edna knows better than that. She critiques her work and tells Bob this iconic line. I honestly think it’s a great piece of advice. Focusing too much on our past can indeed cause us to miss what’s right in front of us!

5. “My God, you’ve gotten fat. Come in, come. Come.”

Sometimes the most loyal friends are the most honest ones. Superheroes have been forced into retirement, so Edna has largely been out of work. In Edna’s opening lines we see her shock that someone has come to visit her. She’s quite cynical with her assistant, and quite weary of her visitor. 

That is, until Bob pulls down his sunglasses and she realizes it’s an old friend. Her suspicion quickly turns to frankness as she immediately comments on his weight and invites him inside. 

6. “Well, I assumed you knew, darling. Why would he keep secrets from you?”

Here Edna is maybe a little too invested in the Parr family’s drama. After unveiling the family’s super suits, Edna mistakenly mentions that Bob has been doing hero work, not knowing that Helen didn’t know. 

But because Edna loves the drama, she coolly puts the ball back in Helen’s court. I know if I were Helen I would feel massively uncomfortable in this situation. I hate it when people point out the awkwardness in any situation, especially my own. And while I have a lot of respect for Edna, I think she’s out of line here.

7. “Done properly, parenting is a heroic act… done properly.” (The Incredibles 2, 2018)

I think it’s unfortunate, but Edna plays a more minor role in The Incredibles 2 as Jack Jack’s babysitter. It’s Helen’s turn to be at the forefront of the hero work, and Bob’s been taking care of the kids at home. 

But when Bob has to run, it’s Edna to the rescue. Though it’s not outwardly stated, it’s pretty obvious Edna doesn’t have kids of her own. I appreciate that she values proper parenting and ironically views it as heroic. And as a parent myself, I have to agree!

8. “Supermodels. Nothing super about them. Spoiled, stupid, little stick figures with poofy lips who think only about themselves.”

Edna Mode isn’t completely out of work. She reveals that she just finished a fashion show in Milan, and has some strong opinions about supermodels. I love the play on words here with ‘super.’ Edna is so used to working with people who want to save the world, that the term ‘supermodel’ is somewhat offensive to her since she claims there’s “nothing super about them.” 

Edna has sort of a shallow opinion on supermodels, but retrospectively, her opinion held some truth about the industry in the early 2000s when the film was released. 

Media during this time was flooded with unrealistic images of unhealthily skinny bodies and the normalization of disordered behavior. Think Slimfast diets, “fatphobic” jokes on TV shows, and the idea that drinking water would cure your hunger. I appreciate when Disney relies on current events; it makes me appreciate watching movies like this decades later. 

9. “Marvelous, isn’t it? Much better than those horrible pajamas he used to wear.”

I love that Edna doesn’t change based on who she’s talking to. She’s so brutally honest with both Bob and Helen, even if Helen doesn’t know about the new super suit yet. Helen calls Edna because she saw the patch job on Bob’s old suit, so she knows something is up. 

But Edna gives her just enough information to maintain suspicion and make Helen want to know more. Because Edna is unapologetically here for the drama, the drama inevitably finds her.

10. “This project has completely confiscated my life, darling.”

I absolutely love how engrossed Edna gets in her designing. Per Edna’s request, Helen comes to check out the family’s new suits, unbeknownst to her. I also adore the use of the word “confiscated.” 

When I think about that word, I think about something being stolen. Edna is so passionate, it’s as if this project has stolen and taken over every part of her life. I can appreciate feeling so passionate toward something that it impacts every part of your being.

11. “So, you don’t know where he is? Would you like to find out?”

While Edna isn’t the most comforting person when you’re going through a hard time, she’s definitely the right person to ask when you need some information. I love the foreshadowing before this scene; Edna shows Helen that the family’s new suits include location-tracking technology. 

After affirming Helen’s suspicions that Bob is indeed up to something, Edna entices her to use the location-tracker to figure out what Bob is doing. Edna definitely has spy-like tendencies, and I absolutely love it. 

12. “Men at Robert’s age are often unstable. Prone to weakness.”

Edna doesn’t hold back in her suspicions about Bob. I love when Disney hides more adult issues in its movies; it makes them more dynamic when you watch as an adult. As a child, I didn’t really catch on to how it could look like Bob was cheating on Helen with Mirage (even though he wasn’t). 

I’ll admit, though Edna is a good friend of the Parr family, she definitely doesn’t try to comfort Helen. Edna is many things, but I’m not sure she’s the first person I would pick in my corner for support. 

13. “You are Elastigirl! My God! Pull yourself together. What will you do? Is this a question? You will show him you remember that he is Mr. Incredible. And you will remind him who you are!”

Every once in a while, Edna proves herself to be just the perfect hype girl. She may not have made Helen feel any better about the Bob situation before, but she doesn’t hesitate to make her feel better about herself here. 

Helen exhaustingly asks what she’s going to do, and this is Edna’s response. I would honestly love this kind of encouragement. Sometimes you just need somebody to remind you how awesome you really are. 

14. Edna: “I didn’t know the baby’s powers so I covered the basics … he’ll look fabulous anyway”

Edna doesn’t push this subject any further, but I think she knows deep down that Jack Jack indeed has powers. The whole Parr family has powers, so why would Jack Jack be any different? Even so, I don’t think it bothered Edna to design a costume that might not be put to use. 

However, it’s a good thing she did; we see Jack Jack transform four times at the end of the movie with his babysitter, revealing some sort of insane superpower. Director and screenwriter Brad Bird actually wanted him to transform a fifth time into goo, but the technical directors urged that it would take two months to make that happen. 

15. “No capes!”

When I think about The Incredibles, this is one of the first scenes that comes to mind. I think it’s because I admire a woman who has an opinion and sticks to it like Edna. She is adamant about designing a super suit for Bob with no cape, even if he wants one. 

She’s confident enough in her status as a designer that she knows she can draw that boundary with Bob. I also love a good flashback, or several in this case. Eden goes through several superheroes who had catastrophes because of their capes. I can’t help but admire someone who uses facts to support their opinion. 

This article was written by Lexie and edited by Michael.

Michael has been visiting Disney World since he was a kid. He's also been to Disneyland and sailed on the Disney Dream. Michael is the owner and editor of Countdown to Magic.

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