Olivia Carolyn Pope quotes from Scandal

Olivia

Wow. A liberal female democrat who thinks defending planned parenthood is a mockery?

Mellie Grant is political quicksand, and I refuse to go down with her.

Mellie

I can't do this. I just I can't. I don't even know why I'm doing this. I'm a republican. I just didn't like Gibson telling me what I can't do.

Olivia

You're the biggest bitch I know. Don't tell me you can't do this.

I hate that you're always right.

Olivia

Me too.

We tried.

Olivia

We did.

Olivia

You were mean.

Mellie

Of course I was. You were my husband's mistress. Was I supposed to be friendly?

Olivia

You were really awful. I'm telling you, you were nasty, and I took it.

Mellie

Why? I wanted to fight and you never fought.

Olivia

I was your husband's mistress. I was in the wrong.

Mellie

Truth is, I was glad you were there. You were a good mistress. Probably a great one. You know what I mean?

Olivia

Well, I am an overachiever. Once I put my mind to something, I commit.

Mellie

It was working.

Olivia

I'm sorry?

Mellie

It was working. That's why I stayed. It was working. Fitz and I and you. It was working. You know what I mean?

Olivia

I'm not sure I do what you ...

Mellie

Hold on a minute. (takes a sip from her jar of booze) I used to wonder if it was all men or just Fitz that sucked the life out of you. Now, I think it's all the powerful men. They've been told their whole lives they deserve everything, that they should have everything, and it makes them so weak. They think that everything belongs to them by default, and if they don't get it, they just fall apart. Fitz didn't have any fight in him. He didn't know how to stand on his own two feet. I mean, I saw the potential. We all saw it. But I had to work at it. I held his hand, I fluffed, I bled, and I got nothing in return. Except for you. You showed up. I wasn't devastated, Olivia, or numb or empty. I was deserving. I deserved you. I was a 37-year-old governor's wife with two kids, and that was all. I was somebody's wife and somebody's mother. Not my own anything. I deserved you. I warranted you. I justified you. I had lost myself, and in return, I got you. You are my retribution. And it was humiliating. I couldn't even hate you. I couldn't even pretend to. I hated myself. But then I turned a corner. It was quick. Effortless, really. You had become the beautiful kept thing he lusted after. Where you went, he went. Which meant that I ... I suddenly had space. I had air of my own that I could breathe, time to think and plan, and I started liking myself again because I was alone and I was relieved. And I was free. Freedom, baby. I stayed because it was working. I stood by and I allowed the affair to continue because it was working for all of us. He was occupied, thanks to you. He was happy. You lit his fire. We made it all the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And one day, it was gonna be my turn. Fitz would make me President of the United States because he owed me at least that much. And so I stayed. Because the three of us, ugh. We worked! So, what do you say, Olivia? That deep enough for you? Is that honest enough?

Olivia

Mellie, you can't actually write that anywhere. If you want to be President, you can never, ever tell anyone any of that.

Mellie

Oh yeah, I know. I know I can't. That's the problem.

Olivia

I was happy you were around, too. When I was with Fitz, I was happy you were around, too. With you around, I didn't have to ... I had an out. You--you were my out, Mellie. You kept him unavailable.

Mellie

Okay.

Olivia

And, so, I left for the same reason you stayed. Because I was scared.

Mellie

Okay.

Olivia

Mellie. That's what you write. You write that you were scared. You write that you never could have imagined standing up in front of the entire Senate for as long as you did, filibustering the hell out of that bill, protecting every woman's constitutional right to make her own decision about her own body because you never thought you would be able to do any of that on your own. You write that you didn't need Fitz. You didn't need some man to give you the power. You had the power the whole time. It just took you a little longer to realize. That is what you write.

Olivia

Get out your laptop. Start writing.

Cyrus Beene

How does it feel to be the most powerful person in the world?

Olivia Pope

Right. It feels right.