15+ I Love Lucy Quotes That Cover Every Moment In Life

No matter what we go through in life or how hard things hit us, there’s one show that can soothe all pains. I Love Lucy is that show for many of us. Even after the worst of break-ups or most devastating of losses, I Love Lucy quotes can make us laugh. And re-watching our favorite episodes offers an abundance of those quotes. One of the best episodes? When the Ricardos and Mertzes move upstate to the country and Lucy (the inimitable Lucille Ball) decides to raise chickens! Hilarity ensues as dozens of baby chicks spring from their hiding place and scatter throughout the country house. Lucy pecking and walking around her living room — saying, “Cheep cheep cheep,” like a chicken — will never not be funny. And how can you not laugh at the absurdity of her getting the Loving Cup stuck on her head?

I Love Lucy episodes were always a barrel of laughs, but they offered so much more, too. From their take on marriage and immigration to the way they portrayed the new American housewife, Lucy was groundbreaking. We love every serious, cheesy, sentimental, fun, and hilarious moment of all nine seasons, from bustling New York to the great state of California and back. These I Love Lucy quotes, however, represent just a small sampling of our favorite moments.

Best I Love Lucy Quotes

1. Lucy on Motivation

“I was going to. But, then I asked myself, ‘Why?’” — Lucy

Lucy was way ahead of her times in nearly every way possible. She was a trailblazing feminist, whether she realized it or not. No quote is more relatable to moms (or really anyone) than this simple one. Sometimes it’s easy to find motivation. Sometimes, when you ask yourself why, you find no answer… so, you binge-watch I Love Lucy and eat an entire bag of SunChips instead.

2. Ethel on Eating

“I can’t help it. Eating is my hobby.” — Ethel

Honestly, Fred was rather hard on Ethel throughout the length of the show. While Lucille Ball and Lucy Ricardo were both clearly feminist, it’s hard to call the show feminist when you see the Mertzes’ relationship. More than a few eating and weight jokes were cracked at Ethel’s expensive. We love this line directly from her, though. Eating is our hobby, too. Just like queso is bae.

3. Lucy on Marriage

“Ever since we said, ‘I do,’ there have been so many things we don’t.” — Lucy

It’s been said that in the later years of the show especially, the mood was terrible. Lucy and Desi weren’t happy together, and they brought their misery to work with them. This resulted in, to be honest, some sad quotes. Marriage is hard, though… even in the early years. We loved this line reflecting on how things change between dating and marriage.

4. Lucy on Communication (and Indignance)

“I don’t know. But, how dare you?” — Lucy

This is from a truly classic scene. Lucy infuriates Ricky, who spouts off at her in Spanish. When she looks offended, he asks her what he said. She doesn’t know, but that doesn’t stop her from knowing that he’s mad and probably not being very nice. And if that isn’t a perfect illustration of married life, we don’t know what is.

5. Ethel on Money

“Why is it that everything that’s wonderful costs money?” — Ethel

Thanks to Fred’s tightwad ways and Lucy’s extravagant shopping habits, money came up quite a bit on I Love Lucy. As a matter of fact, it’s what prompted Lucy and Ethel to nab the job at the chocolate factory. Ethel hit the nail on the head with this rhetorical question.

6. Ethel on Women’s Rights

“You mean to tell us that we have equal rights, but you certainly don’t give us a chance to act like it.” — Ethel

This might be our favorite Ethel Mae Mertz moment. After continually taking a backseat and letting the boys make all the plans and all the rules, she finally stepped up. This quote not only catches a rare look at life at the time, but also perfectly encapsulates what women still feel today.

7. Ethel on the Necessity of Friends

“Oh, Lucy, I know you’re not going to move, but if you ever do move, don’t move.” — Ethel

After a vicious fight with the Mertzes that came to a head when Ricky and Lucy threatened to move, Ethel realized just how badly she needed her bestie to stay close. In the middle of an emotional moment, things don’t always come out perfectly clear. But we totally understand Ethel’s sentiment, right?

8. Ricky on Lucy

“I don’t like that tone. You’re thinking, again.” — Ricky

Lucy had a way of thinking herself (and her close friends and family) into serious trouble over and over again. Somewhere along the way, Ricky started learning the signs. Just like Ricky Ricardo, we know by the tone of our partner’s voice or tilt of their smirk when something big is about to go down.

9. Lucy on Motherhood

Lucy Ricardo: “No, just the same as any other day: after breakfast, I put on his snowsuit. I pull on his galoshes. I slip on his mittens. I walk him to the park. He chases the pigeons. I chase after him. He runs after the squirrels. I run after him. He gets on the swing. I push the swing. We go on the teeter-totter. He teeters, I totter. Then we leave the park and we walk home. I pull off his galoshes. I pull off his mittens. I pull off his snowsuit. I tell him to go into his room and play with his teddy bear. And that is why you find me sitting here with my coat and my boots on.”

Ricky Ricardo: “Whew! I’m worn out from just listening.”

Guys. Being a mom is exhausting. It might be the ultimate daily workout! And some of our favorite I Love Lucy quotes are little shout-outs to this. Ever the feminist, Lucy took her time on television to remind viewers what a woman’s day at home is like. Ricky understood, at least.

10. Lucy on Revenge

“Think harder. We can be nastier than that.” — Lucy

This quote harkens back to that same episode where Lucy and Ricky decide to move from the building. In “Breaking the Lease,” they decide to be awful friends and neighbors in hopes that the Mertzes will grow sick of them and kick them out. We love all of Lucy’s plotting, but nothing makes us happier than when she and Ricky are in on it together.

11. Lucy on Her Assorted Hollywood Interests

“Yeah. Well, I’m fickle.” — Lucy

What do you do when you get yourself into a jam with your favorite star? Decide you don’t like them, of course. That’s what Lucy pretended to do when Ricky set up an introduction with William Holden, whom Lucy had already met earlier. It was one of the many things Lucy did in Hollywood that earned her a reputation among Ricky’s Hollywood friends and co-workers.

12. Lucy on Mindfulness

“Ethel and I have decided that you have married us and not a television set.” — Lucy

In this episode, Ethel and Lucy complain that Ricky and Fred are spending too much time watching the new television. Unlike the guys, Lucy and Ethel are not impressed by the new gadget and are more concerned about their distracted husbands. This is a perfect representation of the two women’s bond, which is strengthened by their shared sense of humor, cluelessness, and troublesome spouses.

More I Love Lucy Quotes

Now that you’re familiar with the best quotes from I Love Lucy, check out these other funny pieces of conversation that are sure to make you laugh.

1. “Well, whatever happened to that game we used to play before television was invented? It was called ‘conversation.'” — Lucy
2. “You know, the four of us used to just sit around all evening and talk. Nothing so unusual about it. In millions of homes, all over the country, people were having the same kinds of conversations we were having.” — Lucy
3. Fred Mertz: “You don’t think she’s a kleptomaniac, do you?”

Ricky Ricardo: “No, I think she just steals.”

1. “Don’t ask questions. Just get a knife and a fork and a bottle of ketchup and follow me to the biggest barbecue in the whole world.” — Lucy
2. Ricky Ricardo: “Hey, Lucy, a funny thing happened to me on the way to the theater.”

Lucy: “What?” Ricky Ricardo: “Some tramp comes up to me on the street and says he hadn’t had a bite in three days.” Lucy: “What did you do, bite him?”

1. Ricky Ricardo: “Lucy’s been acting strange lately!”

Fred Mertz: “Strange? How can you tell?”