La La Land: The 15 Most Emotional Quotes, Ranked

When people think about La La Land, they might be automatically drawn to the incredible music that takes place throughout the musical. However, the reason that this movie was so special is because of the incredible emotion that it drew out from people, with the romance between Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) being full of heart.

The characters are flawed, which makes them relatable and while it has the glitz and the glamor of an old-school Hollywood throwback, this movie is also very modern with its dialogue. The movie has no problem pulling on the heartstrings of its audience with thoughtful lines, many of which help to make this one of the best movie musicals of all time.

Updated on May 12th, 2021 by Kristen Palamara: There are countless great quotes from La La Land about two passionate people, Sebastian and Mia, connecting in Los Angeles and attempting to achieve their dreams of being a jazz musician club owner and an actress respectively. There’s great La La Land dialogue and quotable lyrics from the original music of the movie all conveying emotional moments that the audience can connect to and feel what the characters are feeling. Here are some of the most emotional and memorable La La Land quotes whether they were spoken or sung in the movie musical.

15 “Somewhere, There’s A Place Where I Find Who I’m Gonna Be. Somewhere, That’s Just Waiting To Be Found.”

Although both Mia and Sebastian have clear passions and dreams of turning their love of music and acting into careers so they can love their work it’s still true that they have their own separate doubts as it’s taking longer than they would’ve hoped to break into their industries.

This quote is from one of Mia’s songs, “Someone in the Crowd” as she sings about hoping to find her place in Los Angeles in the acting world.

14 “A Bit Of Madness Is Key To Give Us New Colors To See. Who Knows Where It Will Lead Us?”

This line is a lyric from Mia’s audition song and a moment in the movie where she’s able to completely bear her heart and soul to the audience.

The opening line of the song is an emotional and adventurous sentiment as Mia isn’t afraid to try new things and is excited to see what her future holds and is sure to strike a chord with countless viewers watching the movie.

13 “I Don’t Know What You Came To Do, But I Wanna Do It With You.”

Sebastian reluctantly joins Keith’s (John Legend) band and the movie shows one of their live performances with the real-life musician John Legend performing as the lead singer and guitarist.

This quote is one of the lyrics from the song “Start a Fire” and while it’s meant to be a synthesized mess that Sebastian looks down upon, a lot of fans actually really enjoyed the song overall and this one lyric conveys a lovely and emotional moment between two people who have a connection right when they meet.

12 “People Love What Other People Are Passionate About.”

Sebastian and Mia are clear about their passions as Seb wants to open a jazz club and Mia wants to become an actress.

Mia says this line to Seb when he wonders out loud if people would even be interested in a new jazz club if he ever did find the funding to open one. Mia tells him that people will enjoy the club and it would be successful because people tend to appreciate people sharing their genuine passions.

11 “How Are You Gonna Be A Revolutionary If You’re Such A Traditionalist?”

Keith and Sebastian butt heads throughout the movie as Keith has more of a modern approach to music and isn’t afraid to try new things in his work while Sebastian approaches his music in a more traditional way.

Although the audience is meant to root for Sebastian, Keith makes a good point in asking how Sebastian plans to succeed if he isn’t willing to try anything new and revolutionary.

10 “Maybe I’m Not Good Enough!”

Someone doubting themselves is always quite an emotional moment, and Mia certainly goes through that plenty of times with her acting career. This quote sums it up perfectly, where she questions whether or not she is good enough to make it, which is certainly an emotional thing to see.

Life isn’t perfect for the lead characters in La La Land, and because Mia has a lot of knockbacks, it is easy to see why she would have some self-doubt. However, it is certainly emotional to hear that out loud.

9 “‘Cause I think It Hurts A Little Bit Too Much.”

Speaking of Mia and her battles with confidence over her acting, this is another very emotional line from the movie where she questions herself. It’s a moment where Mia is ready to throw in the towel, and she makes it perfectly clear that it’s because of all the heartache she’s suffered throughout the years.

From failed auditions to shows not working out, it’s clear that Mia has had enough. Thankfully, Sebastian motivates her once again to jump back into the saddle and make a go of things, but that doesn’t stop this initial moment from being an emotional one.

8 “It’s Conflict And It’s Compromise, And It’s Just… It’s New Every Time. It’s Brand New Every Night.”

This is an emotional quote, but it’s one that is full of passion and excitement, with Sebastian’s love for jazz just bursting out of him. It was a clear moment of joy and energy and the fact that Mia doesn’t initially enjoy jazz music is something that genuinely upsets him.

The moment between them is an incredibly enjoyable one which is something that instantly allows audiences to understand exactly what makes Seb tick and why he loves it so much.

7 “I’m Letting Life Hit Me Until It Gets Tired.”

Sebastian may eventually end up living out his dream of owning his own jazz bar, but at the start he is certainly struggling from gig to gig, trying his best to earn as much money as possible. This moment is him trying to convince himself that everything is fine when talking with his sister.

Sebastian is actually struggling at this point, although he manages to take a positive outlook on things. However, this quote perfectly sums up the emotional point in his life and is something that will relate to a lot of people.

6 “Yeah, I See The Decorations. Good Luck In The New Year.”

Things don’t always run smoothly for Sebastian’s character, despite the fact he’s an incredibly talented pianist. This was clear at the start of the movie when he’s working in a restaurant during the holiday period, where he actually gets fired by J.K. Simmons’ character Bill.

Sebastian tries to play music that is too flashy for what Bill wants, rather than just playing the simple Christmas songs. Bill doesn’t mince his words when it comes to firing him either, despite the fact that Sebastian tries to protest that it’s Christmas, which certainly creates an emotional and very harsh moment.

5 “That Will Kill Me.”

After Sebastian finds out that someone was interested in Mia’s one-woman play, he tries his best to convince Mia to take her up on the offer and head to another audition. However, Mia is very against it after struggling with her confidence at this stage.

She makes it clear that another knockback wouldn’t just hurt her, but it would figuratively kill her, which is when it becomes clear just how much she is hurting, which really brings in the emotional aspect.

4 “No, It’s Not Anymore.”

After Mia’s show doesn’t quite go to plan, with Sebastian himself missing it, she finally snaps and has had enough. When she says she is going home, Seb things that she means to where they live, but that’s not the case, she actually means back to her parent’s house.

When he claims that where they live is home and Mia delivers this line, it’s a real sucker punch to those who are emotionally invested in this relationship. It’s a real rocky patch for them, which is something that creates an obviously emotional moment.

3 “And Here’s To The Fools Who Dream. “

Full Quote: “And here’s to the fools who dream / Crazy as they may seem. / Here’s to the hearts that break. / Here’s to the mess we make.”

The music is obviously a massive part of the movie, and it provides some very emotional moments throughout. This is one of those moments, with Emma Stone providing a perfect performance to along with it. This part in the song looks at the highs and the lows of being a dreamer, and how chasing goals doesn’t always lead to success.

2 “You Said Yourself No One Wants To Go That Club. No One Wants To Go To A Club Called ‘Chicken On A Stick.'”

For the most part, Sebastian and Mia are each other’s best friends and most eager supporters, but at this point in the movie the two of them end up getting into a slight argument which leads to Seb doubting himself. It’s an emotional moment as they debate over him joining the band, simply because it’s not the type of music he traditionally enjoys.

Sebastian takes the role simply to get money, to provide stability, but Mia doesn’t want that and would rather that he pushed to chase his own dreams. It’s an emotional moment as tempers rise and Sebastian brings up old points that Mia makes.

1 “I’m Always Gonna Love You.”

Initially, the movie makes people think that this will be the classic romantic tale where, in the end, the two lead characters live happily ever after. However, what makes La La Land special is the fact that this hackneyed ending doesn’t happen. The two of them end up parting ways because they realize they don’t want the same things from life.

It’s not down to a lack of love or someone being a cheat, as is normally the case with movie splits. Mia and Sebastian very much still love one another, but they decide to go their separate ways, and this quote from Mia is one that will have audiences fighting back the tears as they’re forced to accept this relationship isn’t going to pan out.

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