Celebrate the ‘50 Shades of Grey’ Anniversary on Valentine’s Day With 16 Steamy (& Somewhat Cringey) Quotes
50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James captured the hearts of the presumed sexually unfulfilled yet curious — those looking for a little bit of filth with their drama, and a little bit of BDSM where true character development and narrative cohesion belongs. The book, memorably developed from Twilight fan fiction, explored the relationship between the sexually inexperienced Anastasia Steele (seemingly named after a famous exotic dancer from the 70s) and the powerful and psychologically tormented Christian Gray.
The book came out in 2012, but the movie, starring James Dornan and Dakota Johnson, catapulted the material into international recognition. The movie is filled with steamy and sensual lines — some a little cringe to boot — so to celebrate the ninth anniversary of the film’s release, let’s look back on some of the dirtiest, sleaziest, and sometimes eye-roll-worthy exchanges from the movie and the book. (The film first premiered a day before Valentine’s Day on February 13, 20015, as if it were a cutesy rom-com.)
“I suck harder and harder.… Hmm.… My inner goddess is doing the merengue with some salsa moves.”
“Christian squirts baby oil into his hand and then rubs my behind with careful tenderness—from makeup remover to soothing balm for a spanked ass, who would have thought it was such a versatile liquid.”
“Why don’t you like to be touched?’ I whisper, staring up into soft gray eyes. ‘Because I’m fifty shades of f*cked up, Anastasia.”
“I’d like to bite that lip.”
“His arms are wrapped around me, and he’s pulling me to him, hard, fast, gripping my ponytail to tilt my head up, kissing me like his life depends on it.”
“I gasp, and I’m Eve in the Garden of Eden, and he’s the serpent, and I cannot resist.”
“Firstly, I don’t make love. I f*ck…hard.”
“I want to do rude things to you and my alter ego knows a trick or two.”
“Anticipation is the key to seduction, and right now, I’m really into delayed gratification.”
“You want me, baby, and I sure as hell want you. You know what to do.”
“I’ve only got a taste for you.”
“With my body, I will worship you.”
“I want you to be reminded that I’ve been here. Only me. You’re mine.”
“Christian Grey, Greek god, wants me, and I want him, here… now, in the elevator.”
“He swirls his tongue round and round, again and again, keeping up the torture. I’m losing all sense of self, every atom of my being concentrating hard on that small, potent powerhouse at the apex of my thighs.”
“Desire – acute, liquid and smoldering, combusts deep in my belly. I take pre-emptive action and launch myself at him.”
Every love is extraordinary and deserves to be treated as such, which is why this Valentine’s Day, Thought Catalog is partnering with Papyrus to share stories and products that will make the special people in your life feel just that—special. Celebrate the love in your life this February with a gift from Papyrus.
This is your reminder that love isn’t going to always look the way you think it’s supposed to. Sometimes, it will be the fireworks you were always promised or the fairytales you read as a kid, but other times, you might be surprised to realize how different it feels.
Because sometimes, love is a snowy midnight, when the world has gone quiet. When everything inside you feels so still that you can hear your heartbeat thrumming through every inch of you. It’s the feeling of a heavy coat around your shoulders, protecting you from the sting of frigid air; it’s a sense of peace when everything around you feels too chaotic. Even while you’re shivering, you can’t help but watch the snowflakes fall, mesmerized by the beauty of it all.
Sometimes, love is your favorite stuffed animal—soft, familiar, worn from the years but somehow always just as beautiful as the first day you found it. It is the first thing you reach for when you need comfort, when you had a bad day and know just one hug is enough to make you feel better. You always know, deep down, that you could find a thousand other stuffed animals, but none of them would ever make you feel quite the same.
Sometimes, love is a library book. If you pay close attention, you might be able to find traces of the readers who loved it first—the dog-eared pages, the pencil marks underlining words that were never quite able to be erased—but it’ll only make you appreciate the story more. You may spend hours lost among the pages, wanting nothing more to reread every sentence, always reluctant to have to return to the rest of the world when it’s time to put it down.
Sometimes, love is those first few moments when the airplane takes off—it’s uncertain, and it’s a little uncomfortable, but it’s also full of promise and adventure.