15 Best Merida Quotes You Will Love

Here are the best Merida quotes!
“Merida” by Jennie Park mydisneyadventures licensed under CC BY 2.0

When Disney’s Brave came out in 2012, Merida was a notable departure from the traditional Disney princess. Unlike those before her, Merida’s story didn’t focus on falling in love. 

In fact, there’s no real love interest to speak of in this film. Instead, her story focuses on choosing her own fate, and on the connection she has with her family.   So without further ado, here are the best Merida quotes that really showcase her independence and courage!

The Best Merida Quotes

“Can I shoot an arrow? Please? Can I can I can I?”

These are some of the first words we hear spoken in the opening montage, by Merida as a small child when she sees her father’s bow. This shows us right from the start that Merida has always had an interest in things she, as a girl and a princess, isn’t supposed to. 

Her father indulgently gifts her a bow, sparking off her love of archery, which will become a key plot point later on in the movie. 

“Some say our destiny is tied to the land, as much a part of us as we are of it. Others say fate is woven together like a cloth, so that one’s destiny intertwines with many others. It’s the one thing we search for or fight to change.”

So much of Brave centers around the idea of fate versus free will and personal choice, and the opening voiceover from Merida really sets that tone for us. Here, she tells us about her culture’s beliefs around destiny, and we see already that it isn’t simple or straightforward.

Some believe one thing, others believe something else entirely. Throughout the course of her story, Merida will come to understand her own relationship to her destiny. 

“My whole life is planned out, preparing for the day I become… well, my mother. She’s in charge of every single day of my life.”

During this part of the opening voiceover sequence, we first meet grown-up Merida and discover where she’s at in life since we first saw her as a spirited child. It is also our introduction to what’s become of Merida’s relationship with her mother, the queen. 

In this simple statement, it’s clear that there’s some resentment between them, that Merida doesn’t necessarily want to be just like her mother. She isn’t given a choice, but feels shackled by her mother’s instructions and expectations. Not only is this mother-daughter relationship central to the plot, it’s also similar to how many daughters and their mothers struggle to find common ground.

“But every once in a while, there’s a day when I don’t have to be a princess… A day I can change my fate.”

As Merida tells us about her rare days of freedom, we see what that freedom means for her. She grabs her bow, which has been lovingly carved with intricate designs, and gleefully rides her horse out into the woods. 

There, she rides through an obstacle course full of targets, showing off the skills she’s honed by choice, not by force. Her arrows all strike true, and we see that this is who Merida wants to be—a strong, independent woman and archer, not a princess who is constantly told what to do and how to act. 

Mother: Merida, this is what you’ve been preparing for your whole life.

Merida: No! It’s what you’ve been preparing me for my whole life.

When Merida’s parents tell her they will host the local clans in order to select her future husband, she doesn’t react well. It’s clear she is taken by surprise and that she doesn’t feel ready for this step, but she and her mother have trouble communicating about it. 

In this exchange, Merida’s mother doesn’t seem to understand how her daughter can’t be ready, when she’s been working to prepare her for marriage and becoming the queen. Merida doesn’t understand why her mother can’t seem to see that they don’t have the same vision for her future, and she lashes out. 

“I don’t want my life to be over. I want my freedom!”

After Merida and her mother have their fight, we get a touching montage about what they want to say to one another, if only they could manage it. The Queen talks to her husband, while Merida rants to her horse. For her part, Merida makes it clear that getting married right away feels like it would be the end of life as she knows it, a cage to take away her freedom. 

This is a really touching part of the film, as we see how both Merida and her mother do want to understand one another. They just haven’t been able to find the right words when actually face to face. This is not doubt something that many people will relate to, as it is sometimes hardest to be honest with the people we’re closest to. 

“I am Merida. Firstborn descendant of Clan Dubroch, and I’ll be shooting for my own hand.”

The traditional way for a man to win the princess’ hand is to compete in the highland games and win a particular challenge set by the princess herself. When Merida chooses archery, the viewer gets a bit of a hint that she’s plotting something. Then, after each of her three suitors make their attempts, she storms into the arena and declares that she’ll be shooting for her own hand. 

While technically within the rules, since she is a noble firstborn, this is nevertheless seen as a break from tradition and infuriates her mother, as well as the leaders of the clans. Merida goes down the line, shooting perfectly into each target and thereby claiming victory. It’s a powerful moment of defiance for her, and a horrifying moment for her mother all at once. 

“It’s not my fault. I didn’t ask her to turn you into a bear. I just wanted her to change… you!”

After yet another fight with her mother, Merida wound up finding a witch’s cottage I the woods. She buys a spell to change her mother, but both of them are in for quite the shock. After her mom eats the bewitched cake, she transforms into a bear. Like any child, Merida immediately insists it’s not her fault, even though it mostly is. 

She is also admitting that she wanted her mother to change, which isn’t an easy thing for any mother to hear and is the beginning of the two women becoming more honest with one another. 

“Would you just listen to me?”

Some version of “just listen” is a bit of a refrain from Merida throughout the movie. It’s clear she doesn’t feel heard by her mother, and this frustration mounts when her mom continues to stick to her convictions even as a bear.

In frustration, she demands that her mother needs to just listen to her if they’re going to figure out a way to reverse the spell. But, there’s still a bit of a ways to go before the two will actually be able to communicate effectively. 

This quote will likely resonate with many teenagers (and former teenagers), as it often feels like your parents just don’t understand you and don’t seem to be listening. 

“Mum, I know you’re scared, you’re tired, you don’t understand. But we’ve got to keep our heads.”

As Merida and her mother try to find a way to break the spell and turn her back into a human, her mother begins getting frantic. She doesn’t want to be a bear, and she’s desperately trying to chase the will o’ the wisp. 

Merida tries to calm her down, and in so doing there’s a bit of a role reversal where the daughter takes on a more parental role. We see that some of her mother’s ways and lessons have sunk in after all, and that she may yet become a good queen. 

“I know now that I need to amend my mistake and mend our bond. I’ve decided to do what’s right and… and… break tradition.”

Merida’s rash decision to shoot for her own hand has threatened the peace between the clans, and her mother isn’t able to stop the fighting due to being stuck as a bear. After frantically saying that someone has to stop them, Merida realizes that someone must be her. 

She stands before the men, giving a speech to try and smooth over the conflict. Initially, it’s clear she plans to accept that she must marry. However, her mother frantically gestures from the back of the room, coaxing her to take the speech in a different direction. She gives her permission to break tradition after all, which is what Merida wanted the entire time. This is a great moment of connection between mother and daughter, and also helps prevent war between the clans. 

“I’ll not let you kill my mother!” 

Given that Merida’s father really hates bears, it’s not surprising that he wants to kill the one he finds in his castle. He won’t listen to Merida’s pleas that he can’t hurt this bear because it’s his wife.

She chases the hunting party and stands between her father and the bear that is her mother. In a pretty impressive show, she sword fights her own father and declares that she won’t let him hurt her mother. 

We’ve seen Merida take her father’s side and prefer his company throughout the movie, so this moment is particularly powerful as we see her allied with her mother for the first time. 

“Oh, mum, I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I did this to you. To us. You’ve always been there for me”

As the sun rises, it seems for a moment that the spell will become permanent. Full of tears, Merida gives a heartfelt speech in which she apologizes to her mother and takes responsibility for her actions. This is the first time we really see her accepting her part in what happened, and it’s also the first time she admits that her mom really has been there for her even if they never saw eye to eye. 

Of course, it is likely this speech that breaks the spell, as it serves to heal the relationship between Merida and her mother. 

Merida: “You’ve changed!”

Mom: “Oh, darling, we both have.”

When she realizes her mother is human again, Merida cries out “you’ve changed” meaning that she’s changed back into a human. But her mother understands the greater significance of what they’ve been through, and that they have changed as people and in their relationship. 

“Our fate lives within us. You only have to be brave enough to see it.” 

At the end of the film, Merida once again muses about fate. Now, she takes on more certainty that she understands the role of destiny. She has changed her own fate and is confident that destiny isn’t written in stone, but is something that you can take charge of, as she has done. It is a powerful way to end the movie, rounding out the exploration of fate that started our journey. 

As you can see, Merida isn’t afraid to speak up and say what she thinks throughout the movie. These best Merida quotes remind us of her important role as a strong, independent Disney princess who doesn’t need a prince to claim her happy ever after. 

This article was written by Amanda 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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