Dorothy: Tell me, how did the class go?
Blanche: Oh, not so bad, really, although it was harder than I'd expected, but I'm sure that in time I'll be able to master the technique and absorb the subtleties.
Rose: She stunk. But the teacher said I was a natural.
Dorothy: Let me get this straight. Blanche couldn't get the hang of dirty-dancing but you could?
Blanche: Dorothy, now do you see why I'm so embarrassed? Can you imagine a dance with movements just like making love, and I can't do it?
Dorothy: Relax, Blanche. Maybe standing up is what's throwing you.

Dorothy: Oh, Ma, that's disgusting. Can't you find a better place to clip your toenails?
Sophia: Don't call me Ma. Call me Sophia like my other friends.
Dorothy: Look, Ma, I am very upset, so please stop teasing me.
Sophia: Dorothy, I've never told this to anyone before. The day I left the hospital with you, I had a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Dorothy: Because you suspected I wasn't your daughter?
Sophia: No, because I was in labor for 38 hours. And the doctor bought his obstetric tools from a restaurant supply store. Now, stop talking crazy and go to bed.

Sophia: [coughs] Dorothy, you got a cough drop?
Dorothy: No.
Sophia: A hard candy?
Dorothy: No.
Sophia: A Tic Tac?
Dorothy: Does it say Kmart on the back of my nightgown?
Sophia: As a matter of fact, it does, you cheapskate.

Dorothy: You know, Ma, I remember when I was a little girl...
Sophia: Oh, God.
Dorothy: I used to have these terrible nightmares - you know, monsters in the closet - and you'd always let me sleep in your room. You remember, Ma? And I remember how you and Pop would get me to stop crying. You'd put your arms around me and kiss me and say: "As long as you're in my arms, everything's gonna be OK." Ma, that's what I need now. A parent to hug me and tell me everything's gonna be OK.
Dominic: Don't worry, baby. Everything is gonna be molto bene.
Dorothy: [screams] What the hell is going on here?
Dominic: I heard your voice in the hallway. I wanted to see why my bambina was up so late.
Dorothy: Don't call me your bambina.
Philomena: Dominic, you wake the bambina!
Dorothy: Stop saying that!
Dominic: Don't raise your voice at your mama. You know, you're not too old for me to take you across my knee.
Dorothy: You lay a finger on me, your teeth will be back in Sicily before you are.

Blanche: Oh, Dorothy, you have nothing to worry about.
Dorothy: Blanche, of course I do. I am confronting the possibility that the woman I have lived with and known and loved for my entire life may not even be my mother.
Blanche: But, honey, that's exactly the point. What's the difference if she did or didn't give birth to you? You two really know each other and you really love each other. A lot more than most mommas and their children ever do. Nothing that has happened or will happen can ever change that.
[Sophia and Gina walk in speaking Italian]
Blanche: Of course, I could be wrong.

Dr. Watkins: Excuse me. Would you like a cup of coffee?
Dorothy: Oh, no, thank you.
Dr. Watkins: The vending machine gave me two by mistake. Hospitals. Nothing ever works the way it's supposed to.
Dorothy: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Just because a hospital vending machine screws up a lousy cup of coffee doesn't mean the hospital did anything wrong. Oh, sure, a mistake like getting two babies mixed up makes the headlines. But the point is, statistics back me up. Hospitals are remarkably efficient institutions. I mean, seriously. How often does a hospital mix up two babies? Have you ever heard of such a thing? Well, have you?
Dr. Watkins: Are you here for the methadone program?
Dorothy: I'm sorry. I'm here for my mother.
Dr. Watkins: Surgery?
Dorothy: No. Blood test. You?
Dr. Watkins: I have someone going into surgery.
Dorothy: I can understand why you'd be a little nervous. You know, no matter how many times you have to go through something like this, I guess you're never really prepared for it. Look at me. My hands are shaking. I'm sweating. My head is spinning. I wish I could be only a little nervous.
P.A.: Dr. Watkins to OR. Dr. Watkins to OR.
Dr. Watkins: Well, that's me. I have to run.

Dorothy: Ma, what took you so long? All they did was draw a little blood.
Sophia: At my age, that's like wildcat-drilling for oil.

Rose: Oh, I hope everything works OK for Gina.
Sophia: Why shouldn't it? She's got a man waiting for her back home who owns a goat. In Sicily that makes you a yuppie.

Blanche: You know, Rose, all that dancing has just done wonders for me. I feel so energized. I feel so alive. I feel like working this body up into a manic frenzy.
Rose: Well, great. We still have time to get to class.
Blanche: Oh, who cares about class? The circus is in town. I say we go look up the Flying Fanelli Brothers.

Dorothy: Ma, when are you gonna get the results of the blood test? I'm a nervous wreck.
Sophia: It'll only take a few minutes. Relax, would ya?
Dorothy: Oh, Ma, how can I relax? Any minute now somebody can walk in here and tell me you're not really my mother.
Sophia: Let me remind you of something that may set your mind at ease.
Dorothy: Are you going to tell a story?
Sophia: No, I'm gonna sing a Negro spiritual. Shut up and listen.