Running for seven seasons, Mad Men stands as a crowning glory of modern television and one of the medium's greatest-ever series. Following Don Draper (Jon Hamm), the creative director of an advertising agency, it focuses on his personal life and career changes throughout the rapid societal evolution of the 1960s. The series is still celebrated over a decade after its conclusion for its powerful and layered storytelling, exceptional performances, and mesmerizing dialogue.
As the protagonist, Don Draper gets plenty of Mad Men's best lines. His greatest quotes cover everything from his pessimistic outlook on society to his simple approach to the foundations of advertising and even to expressing his acidic, sarcastic wit. Don is one of the most iconic characters in television history, and these unforgettable lines played a huge role in cementing that distinguished title.
Mad Men
DramaA drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm's most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper.
Release Date July 19, 2007 Cast Jon Hamm , John Slattery , Elisabeth Moss , Vincent Kartheiser , January Jones , Christina Hendricks , Robert Morse , Aaron Staton Seasons 7 Studio AMC10 "There is no big lie. There is no system. The universe is indifferent."
"The Hobo Code" (Season 1, Episode 8)
One of the better episodes of Season 1, "The Hobo Code," sees Don Draper pursue Midge (Rosemarie DeWitt) only to fall in with her hippie friends, with Don soon realizing she is in love with one of them. Unsurprisingly, Don and the Beatniks have clashing philosophies, and the advertising man finds himself verbally sparring about the nature of what it is he does.
The episode's defining moment comes with Draper's poignant quote, which he delivers as he dons his jacket and readies himself to leave Midge's flat. While it works in seeing Don win the squabble, it points to an even darker truth. Mad Men, for all its glamour, never shied away from the fact that the world can be a cruel and hostile place. Don's quote is a bleak revelation that there is no grand scheme behind it all, and everyone is merely in a chaotic rat race. With even the Don Drapers of the world thrust amid the chaos, this hectic race can end at any time, and anyone can win so long as they play the game and never by the rules.
9 "I'm glad this is an environment where you feel free to fail."
"The Suitcase" (Season 4, Episode 7)
In another series, spoken by another character, this line may have been a warm and embracing line about a progressive workplace that acknowledges employees will make mistakes and accepts that. In Mad Men, uttered by Don Draper, the line is a barbed quip aimed, perhaps unfairly, at Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) as she and Don work late to meet a deadline on a Samsonite ad.
The episode is the highlight of Mad Men's spectacular fourth season, and it's loaded with plenty of moments that add depth to the complicated relationship between Draper and Peggy and their different approach to work. While "The Suitcase" may be more famous for the duo's "That's what the money is for!" exchange, this sarcastic quote exemplifies Don at his callous and sarcastic best and is a terrific one-liner to drop in real-world situations as well.
8 "You want some respect? Go out there and get it for yourself."
"The Summer Man" (Season 4, Episode 8)
The Season 4 episode "The Summer Man" is quite possibly the best episode of Mad Men for great Don Draper quotes, and that is a high bar. It follows Don in the wake of Anne Draper's (Melinda Page Hamilton) death, with the advertising man experimenting with journaling as a means of self-reflection and betterment. At the office, Joan (Christina Hendricks) clashes with a misogynistic employee, placing Peggy in a precarious position.
When Peggy is encouraged by Don to fire the sexist employee, he bluntly assures her that firing Joey (Matt Long) will garner her respect in the company. Given the series' focus on the societal changes of the 60s, with attitudes towards women being central within that, the line is oddly empowering as Don nonchalantly hands responsibility to Peggy. It's also a reminder of his all-or-nothing attitude in both business and life, which leads him to become the man he is at the start of the show.
7 "What is happiness? It's a moment before you need more happiness."
"Commissions and Fees" (Season 5, Episode 12)
Much of Don Draper's journey throughout Mad Men revolves around the constant imbalance in his life. Professional success, something he is restless with, and a peaceful and secure personal life, something he is self-destructive over, constantly clash. As such, his pursuit of happiness is unending and only ever momentarily satisfied, always quickly squandered. By nature, Don channels his joy into his advertising, while his workplace achievements almost always come at a cost.
As pessimistic and downtrodden as it is, this quote serves as a reflection on that insatiable trait and the cost Don's ambition and obsession with his career exacts on his happiness. It could even be argued that the quote, along with his destructive tendencies, explains the overall series finale, where Don appears to find inner peace before turning it into a famous marketing campaign for Coca-Cola. Could Don ever be truly happy permanently? By his rationale, can anyone? All that is sure is the line makes for one hell of a great quote.
6 "You are the product. You feeling something. That's what sells."
"For Those Who Think Young" (Season 2, Episode 1)
For all his complexity and enigmatic ambiguity, a huge reason why Don Draper is so thrilling to hear is his decisive clarity on how the advertising industry thrives. In the Season 2 premiere, "For Those Who Think Young," Peggy Olson approaches Don with a pitch for Mohawk Airlines, but he takes issue with her simplified advertising philosophy that sex sells and pushes her to conjure up something more personal. He emphasizes his point with a Valentine's Day card that his daughter Sally (Kiernan Shipka) made for him.
Don effectively expresses that, in advertising, garnering an emotional response from customers is what truly makes campaigns successful. It holds a similar weight as another of Draper's famous quotes related to how advertising is based on selling happiness. Don uses his outlook to manipulate potential buyers; of that much, there is no doubt. Still, his understanding of what people truly want always made him compelling and surprisingly honest in that pursuit.
5 "I don't think about you at all."
"Dark Shadows" (Season 5, Episode 9)
Quite possibly the most brutal and debilitating insult ever uttered on the small screen, Don Draper's quick-witted quip directed at Michael Ginsberg (Ben Feldman) has become an iconic moment in itself. "Dark Shadows" sees a rivalry brew between the creative director and the copywriter as they try to come up with a pitch for Sno Ball. When Don goes with his own pitch and refuses to even mention Ginsberg's, the copywriter storms out of the meeting.
Later, the two have an altercation in an elevator where Ginsberg expresses his disgust with what Draper did while Don shrugs it off. At first sight, it's as stunning a takedown as was ever uttered in Mad Men, and Hamm's stoic, icy delivery truly sells it. However, there's another truth lurking beneath the shady words: for the first time, Don feels somewhat unsure of his place as the agency's top dog, especially after a period of creative doubt. Alas, ever the consummate actor, Don hides behind his confidence, and Ginsberg is not clever enough to see the truth behind those words.
4 "What you call love was invented by guys like me… to sell nylons."
"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (Season 1, Episode 1)
The series premiere of Mad Men did an excellent job at establishing its characters from the jump, with Don Draper's pessimistic view of a world where everything exists to be leveraged or sold made strikingly apparent. With Sterling Cooper trying to win the favor of Rachel Menken (Maggie Siff), Don meets up with her for drinks after her initial meeting with the advertising agency goes bad.
Their conversation, without ever losing its slick wit, pivots towards Rachel's personal life and her views on love when Don asks her why she isn't married. His quote about modern notions of love all being a lie to sell false hope and commercialized products is a pointed quip that follows up with a grand philosophical view about living life as if there is no tomorrow. The line becomes an even greater signal of Don's character when, minutes later, audiences see him return home to his wife and children, who hadn't previously been mentioned in the episode.
3 "If you don't like what's being said, change the conversation."
"Love Among the Ruins" (Season 3, Episode 2)
Among Don Draper's most famous quotes, "If you don't like what is being said, change the conversation," appears in the Season 3 episode "Love Among the Ruins" when Don is at dinner with a client. Construction is already underway concerning the demolition of Penn Station to make way for Madison Square Garden, a project that has sparked protests on account of Penn Station's architectural brilliance and historic presence in New York.
As Don's clients express some level of sympathy for the protesters and begin to feel guilty, Draper reminds them that the issue is all a matter of perspective, and the solution is to change the discussion surrounding the project. Thus, the challenge is realigning the demolition of Penn Station not as a deconstruction of New York history but as an embracing of the city's appetite for the future. It's a brilliant bit of advertising 101 and further proof that Mad Men was not only a riveting drama but a valuable lesson in perception.
2 "Change is neither good nor bad. It simply is."
"Love Among the Ruins" (Season 3, Episode 2)
Don's views on the world range from pessimistic angst to pragmatic urgency. However, this quote on the inevitability of change and everyone's ability to make it mean whatever they want is about as hopeful as he gets in Mad Men. Featured in the same scene as his famous "Change the conversation" quote, this line on change's indifference is used to help Edgar Raffit (Kevin Cooney) come at ease with the destruction of Penn Station.
In the context of the magnificent Season 3 episode, Don Draper's line is about getting an erring client on board with a plan that is already underway by looking at their anxieties and doubts in a different light. Granted, Don is a master at saying seemingly smart and even pleasant things to manipulate others into doing what he wants. Still, this is one example where the quote still has some universal truth to it, showing there's wisdom in Don's words, even the most calculated.
1 "Nostalgia. It's delicate… but potent."
"The Wheel" (Season 1, Episode 13)
Many of the most rewarding and satisfying moments in Mad Men came from Don's meetings with clients. For example, his meeting with the Kodak executives in "The Wheel" is one of television's greatest scenes. Don opens his advertising pitch of the product, a cyclic image projector, with the simple meditation that, in advertising and life, nostalgia can hold a unique and powerful allure.
The scene is an immaculate example of Mad Men at its very best. Draper's true yearnings to make amends with his family and reunite with them for Thanksgiving underline the sentimental pull of his pitch. With the series' sublime, evergreen dialogue operating at its usual precision and power and Hamm's performance selling every single feeling Draper experiences during his speech, the line has become an iconic television quote.
All 7 Seasons of Mad Men are available on streaming.
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