15 Best Tiana Quotes from ‘The Princess and the Frog’

Here Are the Best Tiana Quotes from The Princess and the Frog
This photo of Tiana was taken by Michael for Countdown to Magic

Disney’s motion picture, “The Princess and the Frog”, tells an exciting tale of various transformations and adventures that one of our favorite Disney princesses goes through: Tiana!

Her heroic and hard-working spirit permeates the audience with admiration and exhilaration from start to finish. So without further ado, here are the best Tiana quotes from The Princess and the Frog that display this amazing character’s lovable spirit, tenacity, hope, and perseverance!

15 Best Tiana Quotes from The Princess and the Frog

Let’s begin with one of the best Tiana quotes from the beginning of the movie. As some of us have already worked one or maybe even two jobs at a time, I think you’re really going to find this engaging! 

“Goodnight, Cal’s; Good morning, Duke’s.”

Tiana says this after coming home from her night job working at Cal’s and has to do a turn-around shift and go into Duke’s Cafe where she makes beignets. Tiana comes in exhausted and puts the money away that she is saving up for her restaurant, where she reminds herself of the dream her and her daddy have been working on for years. 

Tiana then collapses on her bed for a quick nap but seconds later, her alarm clock begins to ring for her next shift at Duke’s Cafe. This quote embodies Tiana completely, as it portrays her driven, hard-working personality and the fact that she will not stop until she reaches her goal. 

This quote is also relatable to the audience because everyone has felt that exhaustion after coming home from a long work shift, let alone when working two jobs. The next time you’re in New Orleans, make sure to visit the locations that were inspiration for these spots, including Duke’s Café, to see what a day would have been like in Tiana’s shoes! 

“Just look at it Mama; doesn’t it just make you wanna cry!”

This line occurs when Tiana’s Mama visits her new restaurant building, the old sugar mill,  that needs a lot of work and cleaning up. Tiana bursts through the door and exclaims this quote, as she is exhilarated being in the reach of her and her father’s dream. Since the old sugar mill is broken down and falling apart, however, her Mama is concerned and seems to want to actually cry over the state of the building. 

This quote’s double meaning encompasses the opposing feelings Tiana and her family and friends have regarding how much Tiana is giving to achieve her dream. While Tiana has no limits on what she will do to achieve her aspirations, her family and friends have apprehension on everything she is giving up in order to reach it. 

While I believe Disney created one of the biggest idols for their young audience to look up to and follow, Tiana and her story received much criticism for certain components throughout the movie. Read the New York Times article regarding what critics were saying in order to get a more in-depth perspective of “The Princess and the Frog”.  

“Mama! I don’t have time for dancing. That’s just gonna have to wait awhile.”

Tiana responds to her mother with this sentiment when Mama is talking to her about working too hard and how all she wants is for her to meet her prince charming and start a family. While Tiana’s Mama supports Tiana and her dreams, she sees how much she has given up in regards to her personal life and happiness to obtain this restaurant. 

Even though Tiana is continuing her and her father’s dream of owning a restaurant, she does not realize that her father’s biggest and most prized possession was their beautiful, loving family. Hence, Tiana’s Mama tries to hint at expanding her horizon and putting herself out there more, however, Tiana’s laser-focus sees this as “messing around” and wasting time. 

This sentiment can resonate with the audience, as we can sometimes get caught up in focusing too much on our careers and plans and we lose sight of what is really important in life. 

“I remember Daddy told me: fairytales can come true. But you gotta make them happen, it all depends on you!”

Tiana sings this in “Almost There”, giving her Mama a depiction of her new restaurant and what she has been working so hard to achieve. Tiana iterates this sentiment as an opposition to what society has taught women when they were young, such as wishing on a star.

This is reflected in her personality, as she is rooted in the harsh realities of every day and understands that goals are not completed by just wishing they would, unlike her friend Charlotte. 

This quote resonates with me as it does with Tiana because it feels as if there is a sexist level of reality within our society that perpetuates that women do not work as hard as men, and their goals are strictly becoming tranced by love and creating a family. 

This is not the case and, as demonstrated in Tiana’s and Prince Naveen’s relationship, it is quite the opposite in which Tiana has been working since as long as she could remember and Prince Naveen has had servants doing everything for him into his adulthood. 

When you have a chance, make sure to check out the 13th installment in Disney’s New York Times best-selling series titled Almost There: A Twisted Tale. This gripping story takes the reader on a journey if Tiana would have made a deal with the Shadow Man, changing the scope of her entire life!

“So what now? I reckon you want a kiss?”

Tiana states this when she is on her friend, Charlotte’s, balcony, looking out at the north star and wishing for her dream of owning a restaurant to come true. While doing so, a green frog appears on the ledge and Tiana turns to it as a joke and states this quote. 

This is quite a funny scene for the audience because like her, we expect the frog to only look at her in bewilderment as the fairytale story of a princess kissing a frog is strictly fiction. In “The Princess and the Frog”, however, Prince Naveen is turned into a frog and, unexpectedly, answers Tiana’s facetious question with earnest approval.

This surprising encounter between the two begins their adventure throughout this movie while capturing the audience’s attention and adoration for the unlikely pair of partners. 

“It serves me right for wishing on stars. The only way to get what you want in this world is through hard work.”

This quote is spoken by Tiana when she and Prince Naveen are dangling on a balloon as frogs, fleeing the ball where they first met. Prince Naveen is telling Tiana about how he made a deal with the Shadow-Man to have all the freedom and “green” he can imagine. This entices Prince Naveen immensely, as his parents recently cut him off from their family’s fortune, leaving Prince Naveen broke and helpless. 

Tiana is stunned when she hears what Prince Naveen has done and is frustrated with herself for making such unrealistic “deals”. In her case, however, her deal was with the north star and it ends up quite the opposite of what she wished for. This reflects her independent persona and ambitious attitude, as her life motto is to always work the hardest for what you want. 

“When I’m a human being, at least I’ll act like one.”

This quote occurs when Tiana, Prince Naveen, and Louis are traveling down the bayou and singing about what they are going to do when Mama Odie returns them to their human form. In this quote, Tiana mocks Prince Naveen’s wishes of what he wants when he turns back into his human form, as he hopes of returning to his bachelor ways with women and not working again. 

Tiana recognizes his childish and inhumane behaviors and makes a point to demonstrate how she will return to her hard-working and humble ways, focusing on her career and being empathetic to those around her. This quote exemplifies just how opposite this couple is, however, also portrays aspects of each other’s personalities that they could learn a bit from. 

Tiana could learn to live a little and find time to do things she enjoys with people she cares about, while Prince Naveen could develop an actual work ethic and learn how to take care of himself. 

“I’m going to do my best to take my place in the sun.”

Tiana sings this line at the end of her, Louis’s, and Prince Naveen’s harmonizing melody of “When We’re Human.” Each of them explain what their hopes and dreams are for when they return to their human form (in this case, Louis’s first time being a human). 

Tiana exclaims this line at the end of the song to relay the overall purpose of what she hopes to accomplish by owning her restaurant. It is an exciting moment for the audience, as it also makes us root for Tiana and her dreams, including her perseverance over all the obstacles and prejudices she has faced throughout her journey. We are able to feel Tiana’s emotion for rising above everything and shining as bright as can possibly be. 

“There is no way I am kissing a frog and eating a bug on the same day.” 

Tiana says this when Prince Naveen’s hunger begins to overtake him and he tries to catch a fly with his tongue. Since Tiana is also extremely hungry, her tongue instinctively begins to reach out for the flies as well, however, she does not wish to follow her frog-instincts. This delightful quote brings out a more comedic side of Tiana while putting a smile on the audience’s face. 

While completely unrelatable to what we face in our everyday lives, it still brings laughs to those watching and puts them in the seat of what it would be like to be a frog. It also brings out a more lovable and endearing side to Tiana. 

Mama Odie: “Well Miss Froggy, do you understand what you need now child?” Tiana: “Yes, I do Mama Odie! I need to dig a little deeper and work even harder to get my restaurant!”

This quote occurs right after Mama Odie and her team perform the song “Dig a Little Deeper”, when Mama Odie is trying to explain the difference between what someone wants and needs. Throughout this melody, Mama Odie was trying to get Tiana to realize that while she really WANTS to own a restaurant, family, friends, and love is what she really needs in her life. 

Then, when Tiana proclaims this quote following Mama Odie’s lesson, she and her team all lose their passion, as Tiana clearly did not absorb or understand the underlying message they were attempting to relay. This scene is both relatable and comical, as audience members have all had that moment in their lives when they think they have all the answers but cannot see the one “standing right in front of them”. 

This is also endearing because it can relate to the well-known quote “work smarter not harder”. While Mama Odie is trying to have Tiana realize more important aspects to life, Tiana is set on working even harder for a goal she has already sacrificed everything for. 

“Just because you wish for something doesn’t make it true.”

This quote occurs when Tiana runs away to be alone after seeing her friend, Charlotte, and Prince Naveen on the Mardi Gras float, about to be getting married. Tiana runs off to a nearby graveyard to be alone and to place herself back in reality, as she was really starting to believe that Prince Naveen was having feelings for her.

This brings the audience to an empathetic state with Tiana, as we have all been to a point in our lives where although we wished for something with all our might, it just does not work out the way we want it to. 

This quote made by Tiana also brings out another side of her character, as we see an ounce of weakness and defeat compared to her persistent and can-do attitude. At this moment, the audience feels as if we are there, sitting with her in disappointment in the graveyard. 

“My Daddy never did get what he wanted, but he had what he needed.”

Tiana says this line when the Shadow Man is trying to convince Tiana to give back the voodoo necklace before she destroys it in order to save Prince Naveen. The Shadow Man uses his powers to put Tiana in a trance of what she hoped her and her dream restaurant would look like in the hopes of tricking her as he did with Prince Naveen and Lawrence. 

While Tiana is in somewhat awe at first, her love for Prince Naveen and her family comes to the forefront, where she then realizes the message that Mama Odie was trying to relay. Tiana realizes that even if she did make the deal with the Shadow Man and obtained her restaurant, she would still not be happy and be missing the people she loves most in her life. This climactic scene is an audience-cheering moment, as Tiana has a successful personal growth moment while defeating the Shadow Man’s trickery.

“I got news for you, Shadow Man. It’s not slime, it’s mucus!”

This quote occurs when the Shadow Man retrieves the voodoo necklace back from Tiana and is holding her down on the ground. In this moment, both Tiana and the audience believe darkness has triumphed and there is no hope for the pair nor their dreams.

Tiana then remembers her unique traits being a frog, and uses her tongue to retrieve the necklace from the Shadow Man’s hands and immediately smashes it to the ground to destroy it and save Prince Naveen’s life. 

The Shadow Man’s vicious quote about her frog-like “slime” also helps her in this moment of realizing her full potential as being a frog, in which she remembers her sticky mucus can be used as a tool in the long-run. Being one of the best Tiana quotes, this is a triumphant and humorous moment for both the princess and the audience!

“We’re staying frogs, Ray.”

Tiana says this line to Ray when they are all standing around him after being squished by the Shadow Man’s foot. Louis, Tiana, and Prince Naveen rush to Ray’s side in the graveyard in the hopes of trying to save him. Once they see the damage that the Shadow Man has done, however, they realize there is nothing they can do to help other than be there with him and speak comforting words to him. 

Tiana then explains to Ray how they are staying frogs, ultimately demonstrating their true love for each other, as they have given up everything in order to protect each other. This enchanting yet remorseful moment allows the audience a chance to mourn for Ray, however, we see him also follow his true love, Evangeline, within the stars. 

“A Princess…you just kissed yourself a Princess!”

Tiana exclaims this line following her and Prince Naveen’s wedding kiss as frogs. While they are cementing their love, the two begin to return to their original forms as humans. They are both startled by this occurrence, and begin to realize that because Tiana is now married to Prince Naveen, she is a Princess. 

While this is a victorious moment for the couple, it is also a crowning moment for Tiana, as she is every bit as royal as Prince Naveen is. This is also a joyous occasion for the audience, as this heart-throbbing adventure finally reaches a satisfying climax for everyone involved throughout their story. After experiencing the years of hard work Tiana has gone through, we finally get to see Tiana truly happy.

This article was written by Arianna 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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