Grey’s Anatomy: Addison’s 10 Most Emotional Quotes, Ranked

It sounds almost unbelievable but it’s been more than 15 years since Grey’s Anatomy has had its first transmission on tv. Countless characters have joined the show and many more have left in the meantime. While the current cast is only made up of a few major people who have been there since day one, there are those who will always be memorable no matter how short their stay was.

Dr. Addison is one of those cases. Disliked by many, she started in the first season and hanged in there for a couple more. Yet, throughout her time on the show, some of her moving dialogues and inspirational words have pulled at every fans’ heartstrings.

10 “I Just Wanted A Few Minutes Of Peace!”

An emotional but also humorous scene was one where Addison burst into tears while she was being assessed by Bailey after complaining about itchiness in her intimate areas. Unfortunately, Bailey concluded that Addison had poison oak. The two went on about the situation and what led to this happening.

The problem had started when poor Addison went to pee outside of her and Derek’s trailer (where they temporarily lived), to avoid waking up her husband. She started sobbing while telling the rest of her story, one that included the quote above.

9 “You Pretend To Love Me, But Really You’re Just Using Me To Fill This Need You Have To Be A Good Guy.”

Long before Addison really accepted the end of her marriage, she fought hard to save it and make things work with Derek. She would ask him to care about her, give her a reaction that would prove he still cared about her as much as she did him. However, most of the time, he would act kind of neutral and indifferent in most scenes.

So, there was a point where she had enough and started to fight with Derek right in the middle of the hospital. He refused to engage in an argument and, right after saying the words above, an emotional Addison begged him not to walk away.

8 “We Never Had That. He Never Felt That Way About Me.”

In one of Addison’s final episodes, the viewers saw the future neonatal surgeon have an emotional epiphany when she spotted Derek taking care of a hospitalized Meredith. As she did so, she concluded the quote above while standing beside Mark, long after their brief rendezvous.

Viewers were used to seeing this character as a confident, poised woman, but, inevitably, her broken marriage took its toll on her. At this moment the audience not only sympathized with her sorrow for not feeling as loved as Meredith was, but for also having failed on working things out with her husband’s best friend.

7 “Are You Letting Him Get Away? Because I Swear To God, Meredith, If You Let Him Ride Off Into The Sunset With That Doe-Eyed Little Thing…”

There was an episode where Dr. Montgomery made a return to Seattle to perform a risky procedure that would save a patient’s life. While it’s true she didn’t come back for any personal reasons, when she found out that Derek and Meredith were no longer an item, she was upset. So, in a last-minute conversation with Meredith, before she went to catch a plane back to LA, Addison said these sentimental words.

Even though her style had never been particularly emotional, this quote hit every fans’ heart because it really suggested that she didn’t want her grief/pain from her divorce to have been for nothing. Especially when she saw how much Meredith and Derek did care for each other.

6 “Change Is Good. Your Marriage Is Over. You Are Starting Over.”

Over the seasons, Richard and Addison had quite a few scenes together where they really acted like one another’s biggest support systems. He was the one who called her and convinced her to work in Seattle and from then on, their friendship kept evolving.

Addison had always cared for her mentor, but their bond had been particularly noticeable right after Richard separated from Adele. These two characters were in a very relatable place at that moment and this scene turned out to be very touching. In one of her inspirational speeches, she said the words above and that she had dyed her hair blond after her split while still in New York.

5 “Mark And I, It Wasn’t A One-Night Stand. I Was In Love With Him.”

The recently separated couple put on a good show for a while, trying to be civilized and respectful of one another. However, that all changed once Addison made the shocking revelation that her story with Mark was more than a fling. She went on to say that they lived together for two months until she caught him cheating on her, an event that ended their relationship.

Her intention was to come clean and tell Derek the truth looking for his understanding since he also had fallen in love with someone else. Instead, he got bitter and finished the conversation saying: “I never want to see you again.”

4 “The Only People Who Don’t Know Derek Loves Meredith Are Derek And Meredith.”

In a conversation with Richard, Addison emotionally summed up what everyone at Seattle Grace Hospital already knew at that point. This scene was a little heartbreaking for fans as Dr. Montgomery went on to add: “How do I compete with that?” to the quote above.

Although some people initially didn’t care about Addison, mostly because she cheated on Derek, this scene proved just how much she was really torn by her family situation. That she was just as humane as she was. However, Addison had finally understood that she couldn’t compete with his and Meredith’s love.

3 “Don’t Hurt Her Again.”

Addison can be described as a cold, sarcastic, and feisty woman (and she surely had her moments where these traits came to the surface). However, she could also be quite accepting and kind towards others, and her journey through Grey’s Anatomy proved just that.

Even though she had every reason to hate Dr. Grey, over time, she matured in such a way that changed viewers’ perception of her. By the third season, Addison was really embracing her separation from Derek and she started to empathize with Meredith a bit more. So much so that she even gave advice to Derek on how to treat his new partner the right way. That attitude was reflected in the quote above.

2 “I Never Thought I Would End Up Alone…”

Addison was very rarely seen crying and breaking down in front of anyone. But she did have her moments with some of her closest ones, like Callie. Although some would argue that they weren’t really best friends, their relationship was fun but also confidant in a number of scenes.

One of them was at the hospital’s cafeteria, where Callie joined Addison for a break. When Dr. Torres started talking about George kissing her, a seemingly unimportant event in Dr. Montgomery’s eyes.

However, the viewers soon discovered the reason why she was distracted when she revealed that the baby she aborted eight months prior would have been born on that day. Suddenly, the tone of the scene changed completely and a crying Addison shared some of her deepest insecurities, finishing her thought with the sad quote above.

1 “I Need A Reason To Get Up Every Morning.”

She continued by saying: “I need to get up and not care if it’s raining or that I’m 39 and alone.” This emotional speech of Addison’s came during season 3, where she was disappointed by not being appointed the Chief.

Viewers felt for her in this scene because it was clear she was struggling to come to terms with her personal life was and was trying to use her career to camouflage personal issues. Richard saw her getting upset and simply remarked: “That’s why. If you need a job to give you a new life, you need to get the job or a new life.” 

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