Enola Holmes: 15 Best Quotes

The highly anticipated Netflix film, Enola Holmes, premiered on the streaming platform on the 23rd of September. Reviews were generally positive, though Netflix did receive a lawsuit for Henry Cavill’s emotional portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. Otherwise, the film tells an empowering feminist story of a young girl named Enola on a quest to find her mother.

Enola is Sherlock’s younger sister, and she picked up some of his detective skills, but most of her unorthodox knowledge comes from her mother (Helena Bonham Carter). On her journey, Enola meets the young Viscount Tewksbury, who’s also on a quest of his own. Despite its early 2oth-century setting, the film delivers many empowering messages that speak to issues of class, race, gender, and identity.

Updated on March 27th, 2021 by Svetlana Sterlin: Enola Holmes is one of Netflix’s most popular 2020 releases. The film has brought much joy to fans who had fun solving mysteries with the quirky Enola. As a character, she’s engaging, lively, and honest, and that’s thanks largely to how often she breaks the fourth wall. This, along with Enola’s age, makes the film accessible to a younger audience, even though it dives into serious topics like the suffragette movement and social equality. Enola is vocal about what she wants and what she hopes to achieve in her life, as are the wise adults around her. Here are five more quotes from the movie.

15 “Now, Where To Begin?”

Enola’s narration is the trademark of this film. She speaks directly to the audience, without filtering her thoughts too much, often asking fans for their opinion of the situation. It helps viewers feel closer to this unique character, as do Enola’s sidelong glances at the camera.

When viewers first meet Enola, she’s in the middle of a rather serious conundrum. Her mother has just gone missing, and now Enola must catch viewers up on where she stands with the rest of her family. “Now, where to begin?” she asks, which has become something of a catchphrase for the movie and appears in many promotional clips and trailers.

14 “Perhaps One Shouldn’t Read Too Much Into The ‘Alone’ Idea.”

Enola is swift to explain the meaning behind her name; it’s “alone” spelled backward, but it sounds just like a real name. She goes on to reveal that Eudoria is quite the fan of word games, but when it comes time to introduce her brothers, it doesn’t work.

“I’m presently on my way to collect my brothers, Mycroft and Sherlock, names which backward spell out, respectively, Tforcym and Kcolrehs.” Enola frowns at the audience and considers the impracticality of the word game.

13 “I Have No Gloves.”

“No gloves?” Mycroft repeats incredulously. It may seem silly to viewers, but in Enola’s time, a woman without gloves was rather a scandalous sight. When Mycroft and Sherlock get their first look at Enola at the train station, she appears somewhat disheveled.

Mycroft enquires after her hat and gloves; Enola replies, “Well, I have a hat,” as if the idea is ridiculous. She pauses, and with some wariness says, “I have no gloves.” For Mycroft, this is the final straw. His mind is made up about Enola, and from this moment on, he finds a million details to disapprove of.

12 “The Choice Is Always Yours. Whatever Society May Claim, It Can’t Control You.”

Sherlock is rather distant with Enola for much of the first half of the film, though he finds pieces of himself within her. Eventually, he asserts his position and supports her, giving her plenty of wise advice.

Enola’s mother often talked to her about the choices she has in her own life, and that only she can control her own destiny. Though he’s a man in a man’s world, Sherlock admires Enola’s independence and autonomy, and he thinks she should do whatever she desires, even if others – like Mycroft – may not approve.

11 “There Will Come A Time When You Must Make A Hard Choice …”

Most of what Enola knows has been taught to her by her mother. Now that her mother is missing, Enola recalls these many lessons to help guide her forward.

Every lesson is defined by some inspirational quote or other, which seemed vague when Enola first heard them, but which now seem to have been planted on purpose: “There will come a time when you must make a hard choice. And in that moment, you will discover what mettle you truly have and what you’re prepared to risk for what matters.”

10 “You Don’t Know What It Is To Be Without Power.”

Sherlock visits Edith after suspecting Enola has visited her, too. They get to talking about Sherlock and his relationship with Enola and Eudoria, and then to his general apathy in regards to politics.

Edith comments that politics doesn’t interest him because he has no interest in changing “a world that already suits [him].” For this reason, Sherlock neither supports nor attempts to stop Enola’s mother. Edith has a point, and she even gets Sherlock thinking. Throughout the film, viewers see him become more concerned about Enola.

9 “Look For What’s There, Not What You Want To Be There.”

Early in the film, before Enola runs away on her mission to find her mother, Sherlock tells her that she’s being emotional. He calls this “understandable, but unnecessary.” Though he comes to change his mind about this later, the message he gives Enola still holds value.

She’s convinced that Eudoria will return home, even though every piece of evidence left behind suggests otherwise. Enola wants to believe that her mother still loves her and that things will go back to the way they were, but Sherlock knows better. Perhaps it’s not what Enola wants to hear, but it’s what she needs to hear.

8 “She Has No Gloves?”

When Enola arrives at the train station, she explains to her viewers that she hasn’t seen her brothers in a very long time. Thus, when she expectantly waits for them to approach her, they brush right past her.

She calls out to them, and they don’t even recognize her at first. Mycroft exclaims, “My God!” at her ruffled appearance. They ask where her hat and gloves are, but she says that she prefers not to wear a hat because it makes her head itch and that she has no gloves. Mycroft’s reaction suggests that having no gloves is the most atrocious crime a young girl could commit.

7 “Our Future Is Up To Us.”

Enola’s biggest inspiration is, of course, her mother. Portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter, Eudoria Holmes is a rather mysterious woman who has very firm opinions about everything.

She teaches Enola everything she needs to know – combat, sports, literature – at home. They’re also good friends, so when Eudoria goes missing, Enola is confused. However, she leaves behind some clues, including a picture of flowers with the words above.

6 “You’re A Nincompoop.”

When Enola first meets Tewkesbury, she’s not too impressed with his status as a fugitive. He thinks he’s pretty slick, but Enola only asks him to leave the carriage.

She also calls him a nincompoop and it’s not the last time she bestows this moniker on him. If this pair has a love language, this is it. Luckily, Enola returns to help him when Linthorn starts attacking the viscount.

5 “Paint Your Own Picture, Enola. Don’t Be Thrown Off By Other People.”

Once again, Eudoria offers her wisdom to Enola. The movie often flashes back to moments from Enola’s childhood at Ferndell with Eudoria, where they practice their fighting skills or play tennis in the living room.

They also like to paint together. One of the clues Enola finds is hidden inside one of her mother’s paintings. As a child, Enola was taught to paint her own picture, which is a piece of advice she recalls in the present, as she learns to assess the situation presented before her.

4 “Oh, You’ve Plenty Of Time For The World. Let It Do Its Damage Later.”

As a suffragette and feminist living in England in the early 1900s, Eudoria has a rather wry outlook on life. When Mycroft and Sherlock realize that Enola has never been to the outside world, they enlist Miss Harrison’s help. However, it’s clear that she and Enola aren’t going to be buddies.

She tries to pick out some more “suitable” clothes for Enola, then explains that the finishing school will help her attract a husband, but Enola is horrified by the prospect of trying to assimilate into society. A flashback from her childhood shows Eudoria advising her daughter that she isn’t missing out on much in the outside world.

3 “Mother Said We Were Free To Do Anything At Ferndell … And Be Anyone.”

The reason Enola is so free-spirited and “unbroken,” as Mycroft and Miss Harrison say, is that she has only ever lived at Ferndell. There, she is loved and supported by her mother and the house staff.

Unobserved and unjudged by the outside world, Enola and her mother are free to do whatever they please. As a result, Enola grows up a little differently to most people her age. Nevertheless, she’s able to find a few friends on her adventures.

2 “There Are Two Paths You Can Take, Enola: Yours, Or The Path Others Choose For You.”

One of the most valuable lessons Enola learns is to choose her own path. Again, this is something her mother has taught her. When the time comes for her to make a choice, Enola recalls something Eudoria once said to her.

This quote comes back to Enola at a time when she’s caught between staying at Ferndell and allowing Miss Harrison to take her away to the finishing school, or following her mother’s breadcrumb trail of clues to find her.

1 “It’s A World That Needs Changing.”

In spite of the film’s lighthearted tone and Enola’s goofiness, it delivers many important messages for its young viewers. However, some of these messages are relevant to viewers of any age or background.

While wondering where Eudoria has disappeared to, Enola and Sherlock find some clues to suggest that some sort of revolt is in the making. Sherlock remarks, “Perhaps she wants to change the world,” clearly not understanding why. But Enola responds, “Perhaps it’s a world that needs changing.”

About The Author

Svetlana Sterlin
(256 Articles Published)

After years of relocation, Svetlana Sterlin (she/her) was raised by her Russian parents in Brisbane, Australia, where she completed a BFA and contributes to ScreenRant and Our Culture Magazine. An avid cinephile and bookworm, Svetlana also writes creatively across multiple forms and genres. Her fiction and poetry appear in several printed and digital publications. Find more from Svetlana here: https://linktr.ee/svetlanasterlin.

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