Chicago Admiration Quotes
How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Chicago.
Quote #1
VELMA AND ROXIE: In case you shake apart and want a brand new start to do… that… jazz!
These aren't just catchy song lyrics; they have a point. And the point is, in order to become famous, you have to "shake apart and want a brand new start." It's almost like fame is an addiction. You have to hit rock bottom before you can climb your way to the top.
Quote #2
ROXIE: I was there that night you got arrested.
VELMA: Yeah, you and half of Chicago.
Roxie is telling the truth here, but Velma's response reveals that everyone wants to say they were at the Onyx when Velma Kelly shot her sister and husband. Fame by proxy is better for some than no fame at all.
Quote #3
MAMA: The folks atop the ladder are the ones the world adores, so boost me up my ladder, kid, and I'll boost you up yours!
Quote #4
ROXIE: I sure would appreciate some advice. I mean, especially from someone I admire as much as you.
Roxie really does admire Velma… before she gets to know her! Once Velma reveals her true personality, Roxie isn't that much of a fan anymore.
Quote #5
BILLY: They'll buy everything she's ever touched. Everything. Your shoes, your dresses, your perfume, your underwear.
If eBay were around in the 1920s, it would blow up with Roxie Hart merchandise.
Quote #6
NEWSMAN: Move over, Al Capone. The windy city has taken a new criminal to its heart. The name on everybody's lips is Roxie Hart. The sweetest little lady ever to be accused of murder in Chicago. Women want to look like her. Fellas want to go out with her. Some little girls even want to take her home. Don't get any ideas, little lady.
Roxie Hart is a sensation to the national public—men, women, and children alike, and each group admires her for a different reason.
Quote #7
ROXIE: I'm gonna be a celebrity. That means somebody everyone knows. They're gonna recognize my eyes, my hair, my teeth, my boobs, my nose.
This is so simple, it's profound. You might not be able to identify all the U.S. Presidents, but many people can ID the top movie stars, YouTubers, and musicians by face alone.
Quote #8
ROXIE: I'm a star, and the audience loves me, and I love them, they love me for loving them, and I love them for loving me. And we love each other. And that's 'cause none of us got enough love in our childhoods. And that's showbiz, kid.
Is Roxie right here? Is searching for fame and admiration a way to find love? And if so, is that why it sometimes feels hollow to achieve it? Because it's conditional?
Quote #9
ROXIE: Believe us! We could have never done it without you!
This is the most incriminating line of the movie. If anyone wants to demean Roxie for seeking attention and for reaching stardom after a tragedy, then they really need to blame other people. She wouldn't be famous if society didn't make her famous.