- Karen Wright: [referring to Mary and Mrs. Amelia Tilford] The wicked very young... and the wicked very old.
- Dr. Joseph 'Joe' Cardin: When three people come to you with their lives spread out on a table for you to cut to pieces, then the only honest thing for you to do is to give them a chance to come out whole.
- Dr. Joseph 'Joe' Cardin: Gee, it's quiet around here. Is it late?
- Martha Dobie: No; but, the girls are in bed and Aunt Lily's all worn out from doing nothing.
- Dr. Joseph 'Joe' Cardin: Karen tells me your Aunt was showing the girls how to play King Lear the other day. It'll come in handy later in their lives.
- Martha Dobie: Oh, that's nothing. Wait until she does Portia standing on a chair. Sir Henry told her to do it that way. He said it was the test of a great actress.
- Karen Wright: One gets lost trying to fight a liar. Very lost.
- Mrs. Amelia Tilford: I did what I had to do. Whatever went on in your school may possibly be your own business. It becomes a great deal more than that when children are involved.
- Martha Dobie: But, it's not true! Not a word of it's true. Can't you understand that? We're standing here defending ourselves against what? Against nothing! Against a great awful lie!
- Martha Dobie: Yours, your very own. To live with the rest of your life. There won't be a move she makes or a thing she says that won't frighten you.
- Mrs. Amelia Tilford: Yes. And that will be my punishment.
- Martha Dobie: I was so alone and so sorry I couldn't have what other kids had that - well, I think that's really the reason why I decided to teach. Being young is awfully hard and I wanted to make it easier for other kids when I grew up.
- Martha Dobie: What's happening to us? What are they doing to us? We're being kicked around by crazy people!
- Martha Dobie: Listen! Listen, you're not playing with paper dolls. We're human beings, see! It's our lives you're fooling with. Our lives! That's serious business to us.