Norma Louise Bates quotes from Bates Motel

Who's going pay for food? ( evil men shouts at once )

Louise

Aah!

Who's going pay for electricity? ( evil men yells at once )

Norma Bates

[discussing Bradley Martin] What is she like?

Emma Decody

She's only the prettiest girl in school. And the most popular. And she's nice, so you can't even hate her.

Norma Bates

Well, I, um, I see that there's a seat open on the city planning committee, and I wanted you to put me forward for it. Maybe I can influence their decision.

Alex Romero

Why would I do that?

Norma Bates

Because I thought you would.

Alex Romero

Why?

Norma Bates

Because because of what we've been through. Because we know things about each other.

Alex Romero

We don't owe each other anything. We're not friends. You don't know me in any social sense, other than as your sheriff. Don't assume differently just 'cause I was kind enough to save your ass once.

Norma Bates

Excuse me, but weren't you saving your own ass at the time? I mean, the fact is that your deputy was doing all of this right under your nose, and you knew nothing about it. I mean, that's not how you rewrote the story.

Alex Romero

Are you trying to say that you have something on me? Is that it? 'Cause if you did, that really wouldn't be good for you, okay? I mean, I might have to burn you down to the ground, you know? Don't ever try to intimidate me. Don't walk into my office and ask me for political favors based on nothing. You and I have no connection. We're not on the same playing field. Don't ever assume that we are. You don't know what you're doing. Go home, Mrs. Bates.

I tried to tell him that he couldn't leave campus, and he was practically shaking. I took his arm to lead him back in, and he pulled it away pretty violently.

Norma Bates

Are you supposed to be putting your hands on the students?

Alex Romero

I'm gonna have your house patrolled on the half hour. Let me know if anything else happens.

Norma Bates

Oh, like what? Like he digs up a couple more dead people and puts them in my bed?

Alex Romero

Yeah, like that. 'Night, Norma.

Norman Bates

MOTHER!!

Norma Bates

What?!

Norman Bates

I need some black socks.

Norma Bates

Well did you check in your drawer?

Norman Bates

[sarcastically] Oh, it never occurred to me to look in my drawer! Hmm! Well what am I supposed to do!? I can't go to this stupid dance wearing white socks with a suit!!

Norma Bates

Well I don't know where your stupid black socks are! It's not my fault you decided to go last minute to a dance! What am I supposed to do, guard some black socks!?

Norma Bates

I-I know I've said a lot of things, but this is the truth. And I want someone to know the truth about me in this world, and I'd like that to be you, if you're okay with that.

Norman Bates

Yeah, of course I am.

Norma Bates

My brother used to make me have sex with him when I was, like, 13. And it went on until he moved out. Oh, I know I shouldn't have told you. I shouldn't have told you. It's just you're the person that I'm closest to in this world.

Norman Bates

I understand, mother.

Norma Bates

When I realized just how messed up that was, I couldn't tell anyone. We had so much trouble. There was no money. My mom was already checked out of her body. My dad was insane. He was so violent. I knew that if I told my dad, he would kill my brother, so I never told. One day, when my dad was supposed to be at work, my brother was doing things to me, and I heard the front door open and it was my dad, home unexpectedly. And I was so scared that I jumped up so fast. And the hot iron fell off the ironing board, and it hit my leg.

Norman Bates

I'm so sorry, mother.

Norma Bates

Anyway, you know, it-- it doesn't really matter, right? It was a long time ago.

Norma Bates

You're a teenager, it's summer. You should be out, I don't know, playing baseball or going to swimming holes or something normal.

Norman Bates

I don't think mourning the death of someone who had been special to you is particularly abnormal!

Norma Bates

Oh, I am just a little concerned that you seem obsessed with...[looking at Norma's taxidermy animals]...morbidity or something. I mean, you spend your days equally mooning over a dead teacher and taking apart dead animals. It's just weird.

Norma Bates

Look out there. We did that. All those cars, all those people out there in our motel, all of them, every single one, found us driving along the main road. Remember that first night we got to turn on the "No vacancy" sign?

Norman Bates

Uh-huh.

Norma Bates

You remember what that felt like?

Norman Bates

Yeah.

Norma Bates

We started over. We came here to do it, and we did it, and I'm not letting anyone take that away from us, okay? I will figure it out.

Norma Bates

You're a dick!

Excuse me?

Norma Bates

Yes, I just called you a dick, because that's what you are! I'm stuck here now because I can't sell my property because of your stupid bypass! I'm underwater! No one told me that before I bought it. Maybe you should talk about that at a city council meeting. Or maybe you should talk about the fact that your fancy town is run on drug money. Maybe that would be worth talking about as opposed to crazy house moms whining about whether or not their kids have read about ax murderers and whores. Welcome to the world, ladies! There are ax murderers and whores stuffed under every rug, so your kids better read up on it and get educated, because that's what life is! It's a cesspool you claw and scratch and fight to swim out of, but you never get to the top!

Dylan Massett

You'll do anything to get your way!

Norma Bates

I've never gotten my way, and that includes being your mother!

Norma Bates

So why exactly did you need to beat up someone?

Alex Romero

Let's just say I had my reasons.

Norma Bates

Don't you ever get tired of being so stoic? Seriously, you never wanna talk about anything. It's a little boring.

Alex Romero

So's being dead. You learn not to shoot your mouth off in this business.

Norma Bates

Okay tough guy whatever... I get it. Sometimes it just feels good to wail on someone. I whacked the shit out of the real estate agent who sold me this house when I found out that I couldn't unload it. I did it with my purse, it felt great!

Norma Bates

Oh, my God!

Alex Romero

What?

Norma Bates

You smiled. I thought your face was paralyzed.

Alex Romero

Uh-huh. I'm pretty sure I didn't smile.

Norma Bates

God, you're contrary.

Alex Romero

Oh, and you're not?

Alex Romero

Uh, listen. It's a little awkward, but I think you should be made aware of it.

Norma Bates

What?

Alex Romero

Well, sometimes at night, when you have your light on in the bedroom, you can see right through those curtains.

Norma Bates

You can?

Alex Romero

Yeah.

Okay, there's this old John Ford movie called The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and it's about this young, idealistic lawyer who goes to this wild west town to civilize it.

Norma Bates

Yeah, I know that movie. I love it.

So do I. Anyway, I always identified with that guy for some reason, the lawyer. He was brave, and he cared about people and justice, so I went to law school.

Norma Bates

And then?

And then my ex-wife found out how much public defenders make a year, and suddenly, I was at a white-shoe firm doing mergers and acquisitions. Trust me, you can only do that for so long before you start sounding like Scrooge McDuck.

Norma Bates

[about a council member's death] It's so sad.

Nick Ford

It's sad. And convenient.

Norma Bates

Well, I would never say someone dying is convenient.

Nick Ford

Well then you'd be lying. Or ignorant. There are many times, Norma, when death is convenient.