How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Sabrina.
Quote #1
BARON ST. FONTANEL: A woman happily in love, she burns the soufflé. A woman unhappily in love, she forgets to turn on the oven.
Ah, those French barons; they are so clever! Women in love are fiery and consumed with passion; women unhappy in love are flat and listless. To make a perfect soufflé, you have to be just lukewarm in love, maybe. (Or, alternately, you could maybe just marry a super-rich prince and then hire someone else to make your soufflés.)
Quote #2
DAVID: Just one thing you overlooked. I haven't proposed and she hasn't accepted.
LINUS: Oh, don't worry. I proposed and Mr. Tyson accepted.
DAVID: Did you kiss him?
David is mad at Linus for controlling his love life in the interest of the family business. The kicker is that Linus wins; David does marry Elizabeth, even though he doesn't love her. The film presents Linus' affair with Mr. Tyson as ridiculous, but it's an affair that appears to win out. For a film so obsessed with love, it's awfully cavalier about poor David's fate.
Quote #3
LINUS: If you love her, take her. This is the 20th Century.
OLIVER: The 20th Century? I could pick a century out of a hat, blindfolded, and get a better one.
Sabrina is youth—but she's also the future. Putting social class before love is seen as hidebound and archaic. The modern thing is to let love conquer all—while traveling to the modern, chic city of Paris.