Grey’s Anatomy: Teddy Altman’s 10 Best Quotes

In Grey’s Anatomy, Teddy Altman prides herself on being one of the more experienced surgeons, having started her residency prior to the events of 9/11. She’s also the only surgeon to regain main character status after returning to the show. In addition to that, she has some of the best relationship storylines.

Teddy’s skills and traits have made her one of the most likable characters on the show. Something else that tends to stand out about the character is her dialogue. Instead of her facial expressions, Teddy best brings out different kinds of emotions through her words. It’s easy to tell how deeply or lightly she feels about a particular subject by the words she chooses.

“I’m Not G.I. Jane. I’m Attachment Barbie.”

Teddy becomes emotional when her lover Andrew Perkins announces he’s leaving Seattle Grace Mercy West. Arizona notices this and calls her out for it, telling her that as a former military doctor, she ought to be as tough as a G.I. Jane.

Teddy does well to defend her feelings. Despite the fact that their relationship is only a few months old at this particular point, she is aware that her feelings for Andrew have surged higher than she expected. It’s for this reason that she even considers moving with him to Germany when he gets offered a position at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. And even though Teddy is “Attachment Barbie,” she has an excellent ability to detach and reattach elsewhere. This is proven when she leaves Andrew for Henry.

“I Need Another Me… And Cristina Is The Closest Thing.”

Teddy says the words as she is busy operating on a heart patient. She demands that Cristina be brought into the OR to assist her. However, Cristina is sad throughout the surgery because she has gotten the news that Teddy’s husband Henry has just died and no one has told the Cardio head yet.

Since Cristina is her protege, Teddy trusts her more than she does anyone else. Some might argue that Cristina morphs into a better Teddy than Teddy. She demonstrates this by maintaining her cool, staying silent, and cutting through a body while knowing that her mentor has just lost a man she loved.

“End The Relationship Or You Don’t Get The Lungs.”

As Ricky, a cystic fibrosis patient is awaiting a lung transplant, doctors discover that his girlfriend has the same condition too. Since it would be dangerous for them to continue seeing each other, they are advised to part ways but they choose to risk staying together. Except, Teddy isn’t having it.

Teddy takes the act of saving lives very seriously, and that’s why she is quick to point out the opportunity cost. Love is meaningless in this particular situation, because one can always find another partner but not another life. Even more impressive is that she doesn’t try to plead with the patient to see her point of view. It’s either love or the lungs.

“You’re Married. You Don’t Get To Have An Opinion About My Pathetic Forays Into Internet Dating.”

While Callie, Derek, and Bailey have drinks at Joe’s, Teddy joins them, lamenting how her blind date went badly. Derek tells her she shouldn’t be meeting people on the internet and she fires back.

Teddy is right because Derek is giving an opinion about something he isn’t familiar with. He is going by the assumption that online dating is bad, but he hasn’t established that for himself. Apart from prematurely judging Teddy, Derek definitely has a null hypothesis, since there have been plenty of success stories from online dating.

“Oh Good Lord, He Got To You Too.”

When Arizona tells Teddy that she might be having Mark Sloan’s baby, Teddy has the best reaction. It’s an interesting development because it happens right after Mark demands that Callie recognize him as the father of her baby.

Among Mark Sloan’s worst traits is that he is the show’s resident womanizer, hence, shock shouldn’t be an expected reaction when Sloan-y babies, as Callie puts it, start popping up everywhere. What shocks Teddy is the possibility that Mark might have slept with Arizona since she considers her resistant to his charms. Thankfully, she has misunderstood her because it’s Callie’s baby that Arizona is talking about.

“You’ve Been My Other Hand In Surgery, My Soccer Partner, My Confidante.”

Though she is surprised, Teddy more than appreciated it when Owen drags her to Joe’s after surgery so that they can make things official. Megan pronounces them a married couple before Teddy opens up about how she truly feels.

The “interrupted weddings” trope is quite common on the show. Before Teddy and Owen get to say their vows, there is the fear that something might come between them again. Fortunately, all goes well this time, solidifying the fact that the two are not only very much alike but were always meant to be together.

“Say It. When You Inform The Family, You Have To Say It So They Know That It’s Really Happening.”

While trying to break the news of Henry’s death to Teddy, Cristina goes the long route by bringing out every little detail of his surgery. Teddy realizes what’s happening so she orders Cristina to go direct to the point because that’s what they were taught to do.

A part of Teddy had always expected this moment. She had discussed it with Henry before. Nevertheless, knowing it was inevitable doesn’t make it any less painful for her. Henry’s demise could count as one of the saddest character deaths in Grey’s Anatomy by simply watching how Teddy leans over to his body and sheds tears.

“I Hate Awards. They Don’t Make Us Better. They Make Us Competitive And Stupid.”

After humiliating herself in front of Harper Avery, Cristina researches ex vivo transplants so as to impress him again. Her dream is to win the Harper Avery Award but Teddy doesn’t understand why everyone is so focused on the award.

The “stupid” part of Teddy’s remark is debatable, since none of the doctors has a low IQ, but there’s a moment that backs up the adjective. Former Cardio head Dr. Jeff Russel quits after learning that Grey Sloan doctors will no longer be eligible for Harper Avery words, thus making himself one of the few Grey’s Anatomy doctors that resigned.

“You Have To Go Back To The Beginning To Understand The End.”

Meredith is surprised when she once finds Cristina performing an angioplasty (artery surgery). It’s Teddy who has put her to it, and she explains that she wants Cristina to value arteries because she seems like she is not. According to her, the artery is the beginning, hence any cardio surgeon has to understand it in order to know everything else.

Among the people that deserve the most credit for making Cristina a “cardio god” is Teddy. She has always been a great tutor. Even when she is being strict, she does so in a loving manner. And with accomplishments such as stem cell regenerative heart medicine research, Teddy knows more than anyone else what is required to get the job done.

“Earth-Shattering!”

Teddy disagrees when she hears Callie lamenting about the arrival of new interns. She claims she hates them, but Teddy says new interns are the future. This surprises even Arizona who implies that great sex with Henry must be what’s making Teddy see everything so positively. Teddy hilariously agrees, labeling their love-making sessions “earth-shattering.”

Comical moments from Teddy are rare but when they come, they are always memorable. Throughout the show, interns have been frowned upon so Callie and Arizona are as shocked as the viewer about Teddy’s enthusiasm for the up-and-coming ones. Nevertheless, Arizona and Callie are glad to hear that Henry is having earth-shattering sex, since his health wasn’t good a while ago.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1215 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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