Adult Chris: [v.o.] The only way I was gonna get my mother to spend money on me was if not doing it would embarrass her.
Chris: Mom, I'm the only Black kid in the whole school. They already think I'm a crack baby. Wearing this sweater, they'll probably think I'm on welfare.
Rochelle: Who said we were on welfare? Be home from school on time tomorrow. We're gonna go shopping.
Julius: I thought you said we didn't have the money.
Rochelle: Oh, I'll get it. Or they'll think that we on welfare.
Adult Chris: [v.o.] If people thought we were homeless, I could've got some leather socks.

Adult Chris: [v.o.] When my mother couldn't get any business to hire her, she would start her own business from home.
Mrs. Dumas: The secret to success in selling Yvonne cosmetics is in attitude. Now, when I started selling Yvonne, I was like a lot of you. I was raising my kids, doing housework and wondering where I went wrong. But since, I've divorced my husband, my kids moved in with my mother, and just last month I won an award, the Yvonne yellow Buick Riviera.
Rochelle: Wait. So, how can we make money again?
Mrs. Dumas: Well, you do like me. You sell your products to women like yourself, then they sell them to women like them.
Rochelle: Now, isn't that the pyramid scheme?
Mrs. Dumas: Oh, no. Of course not. We use the triangulated vertical integration model, or TVI for short. TVIs work from the bottom up. This is your business, ladies. There is no one below you.
Rochelle: So, that means we're at the top.
Mrs. Dumas: No, you're at the bottom. But that's as high as you can go.
Rochelle: Count me in.

Rochelle: Shut up! Now I brought you here to sell some Yvonne, and by damn it, I'm going to sell some Yvonne.
Mrs. Dumas: Rochelle, that is not the way we sell Yvonne.
Rochelle: Be quiet. Now let me ask y'all a question. Why are you here? To buy and sell Yvonne? No. You're here because you can't get a man.
Mrs. Dumas: We're here because we don't need a man.
Rochelle: Didn't I tell you to be quiet? Now, I know y'all say y'all don't want a man, and I know you say you don't need a man, but the truth is, you can't get a man.
Adult Chris: [v.o.] What you talking about, Willis?
Rochelle: Look at her. You don't think she don't want a man? Why do you think she wears all this makeup? Believe or not, the heifer's 62 years old. [all exclaiming] But she looks good. And if you want to look like this when you're 62, I suggest that you purchase some... Yvonne. Come on, baby. Please come. Girl, come here 'cause I saw the dry scalp from across the room. And you know what? You gotta get this skin lighter here. You know, it's always ashy. No, let me tell you. You gotta put it on your hands.

Chris: Well, can I please wear something else?
Julius: As long as I don't have to pay for it.
Rochelle: Just find something to wear and I'll take a look at it, okay?
Chris: I don't have anything special.
Julius: When I was a kid, we didn't need special clothes. Just having clothes was special.

Rochelle: Oh, Chris, you look sharp.
Chris: I look stupid. How come I have to wear Drew's old stuff?
Rochelle: Oh, baby, I had to buy Drew a new pair of pants and Tonya a new pair of shoes for their school pictures.
Julius: Mm, you look fine.
Adult Chris: [v.o.] My father thought any clothes were good clothes... Well, that's 'cause he didn't have matching socks till he was 29.

Adult Chris: [v.o.] While my mother was keeping it together, Tonya was tearing things apart.
Drew: You broke my car?
Tonya: It fell.
Drew: It didn't just fall. What were you doing in here anyway?
Tonya: I was trying to see if my doll could ride in it.
Drew: It's a model car. Nobody's supposed to fit in it.
Tonya: It's just a stupid car, Drew.
Drew: Say you're sorry.
Tonya: I ain't saying nothing.
Adult Chris: [v.o.] Drew was a pretty nice guy, but if you crossed him, it was a whole different game.
Drew: It's all right.
Adult Chris: [v.o.] Translation: You done messed up.

Julius: What's all this?
Rochelle: Yvonne cosmetics. I'm gonna be a sales rep.
Julius: You're not working from home again, are you?
Adult Chris: [v.o.] My father hated when my mother went into business for herself.
[flashback:]
Rochelle: [on the phone] I know it's January, sir, but candy corn is not just for Halloween anymore.
Adult Chris: [v.o.] She ran up the phone bill. She put my father to work.
[flashback to Rochelle on the phone and Julius holding an unassembled shoe:]
Julius: What you mean you got to put it together yourself?
Rochelle: [on the phone] What size shoe you wear?
Adult Chris: [v.o.] And she was always eating.
[flashback:]
Rochelle: [on the phone] Well, Supperware is just like Tupperware, except it's for us.

Chris: Hey. What happened to your hair?
Greg: I wanted to try something new for Picture Day.
Chris: Man, you should try again.
Greg: Come on, man, it's like Billy Idol. It's just hair gel.
Chris: Yeah, but on Picture Day, aren't you supposed to look like I don't know... You?
Greg: It was either this or Boy George.
Chris: Boy George? Man, the girls would have been all over you.

Joey Caruso: Hey, ugly bear. Nice shirt. When you get done, you can make some hushpuppies out of it.
Greg: He's just jealous.

Adult Chris: [v.o.] My mother was good at buying stuff, but she was never any good at selling.
Rochelle: Okay, ladies, can I have your attention, please?
Adult Chris: [v.o.] These women are worse than pigeons in Central Park.
Rochelle: Ladies, can I have your attention, please? Um, ladies, how about we all have a seat? Here, in here, please. Take a seat. Thank you. Please, be seated. Okay, I would like to tell you about the benefits of buying and selling Yvonne cosmetics.
Woman #1: Ooh, what is that?
Rochelle: Oh, this is a light skin-blemish cream. It removes...
Woman #1: No, no, no, I'm talking about the sauce on these wings.
Rochelle: Oh, those are honey barbecue. Yes. So, um...
Woman #1: Ooh, these are good. I mean, good.
Rochelle: Thank you very much, I appreciate that.