Meredith Grey quotes from Grey's Anatomy

Meredith

[voice over] Tension exists throughout the entire body. How it affects you depends on how you manage it. Some people can self-regulate by breathing, meditation, exercise. They develop tools that help them fight the stress and reduce the pain it causes. But not all people are wired that way. Some people feel completely overwhelmed by it. And the tension freezes their bodies until they can't move at all.

Meredith

[voice over] One of the more harrowing parts of complex heart surgeries is the moment we wean the patient off the cardiopulmonary bypass machine. We start slowly warming the patient. As the patient's temperature rises, we check to make sure all of the air has been removed from the heart. Once the aortic cross-clamp is removed, all eyes are on the heart for that moment of truth. Will it start to beat?

Meredith

[voice over] Acceptance letters, medical scans, the next morning's news. We all have moments in which we want to hide from the results. But instead of closing your eyes and delaying the inevitable find someone to hold your hand and face it with you.

Meredith

[voice over] On average, a healthy person can hold their breath for up to a minute. After that, carbon dioxide in your blood starts to dramatically rise. Eventually, a reflex is triggered. And if you resist the urge to let it all out, you pass out and you don't know all the damage you could have caused.

Meredith

[voice over] If you do the work, you can train yourself to hold anything inside without negative consequences. But most people don't have that discipline or time. They just bury it inside and hope it stays there. Run through the fire Let it out. Be loud. Make everyone hear you. Because if you don't it will eat you up inside.

Meredith

[voice over] The brain stores a single memory in millions of neurons. There's a neuron that holds the smell of your prom date's cologne. Another neuron contains the sound of your dress being zipped up. And one for your favorite song you danced to that night. To remember the whole evening, you need all of these neurons to communicate with each other to make a complete picture. But when the brain experiences trauma, these neurons can be starved of oxygen and die. Instead of complete memories, you're left with glimpses. A smell, a taste, a feeling. And once you start losing bits of memory there's no way to get them back.

Meredith

[voice over] There are some memories we probably wouldn't mind losing. The deaths, the breakups, the hard times. But memories, like neurons, work together to make you who you are. If all we remembered were the good times our friendships wouldn't be as strong and our loves wouldn't be as sweet. So cling to the bad along with the good. One day you'll be glad you did.

Bailey

I have five rules. Memorize them. Rule number one: Don't bother sucking up. I already hate you. That's not gonna change. Trauma protocol, phone list, pagers. Nurses will page you, you answer every page at a run. A run! That's rule number two! Your first shift starts now and lasts 48 hours. You're interns, grunts, nobodies, bottom of the surgical food chain. You run labs, write orders, work every second night until you drop, and don't complain! On-call rooms. Attendings hog them. Sleep when you can where you can, which brings me to rule number three. If I'm sleeping, don't wake me unless your patient is actually dying. Rule number four: The dying patient better not be dead when I get there. Not only will you have killed someone, you would have woke me for no good reason. We clear?

Bailey

Yes?

Meredith

You said five rules. That was only four.

Bailey

[glares and continues walking] Rule number five: when I move, you move.

Meredith

Dr. Shepherd.

Derek

Dr. Shepherd? This morning it was Derek, now it's Dr. Shepherd.

Meredith

Dr. Shepherd, we should pretend it never happened.

Derek

What never happened? You sleeping with me last night? Or you throwing me out this morning? Because both are very fond memories I'd like to hold on to.

Meredith

No, there will be no memories. I'm not the girl in the bar anymore and you're not the guy. This can't exist. You get that, right?

Derek

You took advantage of me and now you want to forget about it?

Meredith

I did not take—

Derek

I was drunk, vulnerable and good looking and you took advantage.

Meredith

Okay, I was the one who was drunk and you are NOT that good looking.

Derek

Maybe not today, but last night I was very good looking. I had on my red shirt, my good looking shirt and you took advantage.

Meredith

I did not!

Derek

Would you like to take advantage again, say Friday night?

Meredith

No! You're an attending and I'm your intern! Stop looking at me like that.

Derek

Like what?

Meredith

Like you've seen me naked.

Meredith

I wish I wanted to be a chef, or a ski instructor, or a kindergarten teacher.

George

You know, I would have been a really good postal worker. I'm dependable.

George

You know, my parents tell everyone they meet that their son's a surgeon. As if it's a big accomplishment. Superhero or something... If they could see me now.

Meredith

When I told my mother I wanted to go to medical school, she tried to talk me out of it. Said I didn't have what it takes to be a surgeon, that I'd never make it. So the way I see it, superhero sounds pretty damn good.

Meredith

I kissed Derek.

Cristina

You kissed Derek?

Meredith

In the elevator.

Cristina

Why'd you kiss him in the elevator?

Meredith

I was having a bad day. I am having a bad day.

Cristina

This is what you do on your bad days, make out with Dr. McDreamy.

Meredith

Well, you know, that and carrying around a penis just makes everything seem so shiny and happy.

Meredith

They're everywhere. All the time. Izzie's all perky and George does this thing where he's helpful and considerate. They share food, and they say things, and they move things, and they breathe. Ugh, they're like, happy.

Cristina

Kick them out.

Meredith

I can't kick them out, they just moved in. I asked them to move in.

Cristina

So what, you're just going to repress everything in some deep, dark, twisted place until one day you snap and kill them?

Meredith

Yep.

Cristina

This is why we are friends.

Cristina

Oh, that kills you, doesn't it?

Alex

What?

Cristina

That two women got the harvest.

Alex

No, it kills me that anybody got the harvest, but me. Boobs do not factor into this equation. Unless you want to show me yours.

Meredith

I'm going to become a lesbian.

Cristina

Me too.

George

You don't understand! Me gonads, you ovaries.

Izzie

Oh, that reminds me, we are out of tampons.

George

No, you're parading through the bathroom in your underwear, when I'm naked in the shower!

Izzie

You add it to your list, please?

George

What?

Izzie

Tampons!

Meredith

To the list, it's your turn.

George

I am a man! I don't buy girl products! I don't want you walking in while I'm in the shower. I don't want to see you in your underwear!

Meredith

It's just that I hardly know anything about you.

Derek

You know I'm from New York. You know I like ferry boats.

Meredith

Enough with the ferry boats. What about your friends?

Derek

I'm a surgeon. I don't have friends.

Meredith

Everybody has friends. I mean, who do you hang out with? What do you do on your days off? These are important questions.

Derek

Ah, important for who?

Meredith

We're having sex every night. I think I deserve details.

Derek

You have more details than most.