“They're not gonna dial themselves. Okay?”
Why it's great
A plain sentence turns a phone into a tool and puts the duty back on the listener.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
The reports won't write themselves.
00:00 / 03:15
00:00 / 03:15
Jordan Hypes Steve Madden, Explained
The Wolf of Wall Street · 2013
Chapter 14 of 30 · 3'15"
Jordan turns a shoe designer into a prophet and then turns on his own brokers. The message of the pep talk is simple: "They're not gonna dial themselves." The phones are worthless without the salesmen, so the salesmen have to become killers who never take no for an answer.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:16–0:41
Steve Madden Pitches the Mary Lou
25s - 2:11–3:14
❝ Monologue · 22 lines Jordan Fires Up the Phones
63s - 2:30–3:14
❝ Monologue · 12 lines The telephone rally
He turns a plain phone into a target and his brokers into killers and warriors.
44s
Jordan Hypes Steve Madden, explained
What happens
Steve Madden visits the Stratton Oakmont office to show off the Mary Lou, the shoe that made his name. Jordan takes the stage, calls him a creative genius, compares him to Armani and Chanel, and tells the brokers that Madden is their golden ticket. Then he pivots: the phones in front of them are useless unless they pick them up and refuse to lose.
What's really going on
The loudest thing in the room is the flattery, and that is the joke. Jordan compares a mid-range shoe designer to Armani and Chanel and piles on praise so over-the-top that the room laughs — the real product he is selling to his own staff is energy. Once everyone is worked up, he drops the act and points at the phones: 'They're not gonna dial themselves.' That line is the scene's thesis. Without the brokers, the phones are 'just worthless hunks of plastic'; with them, they become weapons for his 'killers, who will not take no for an answer.' Madden is the bait; the pitch is aimed inward.
Key lines & what they mean
- “They're not gonna dial themselves. Okay?”
- Jordan's punchline as he points at the phones: the equipment does nothing on its own, so the brokers are the ones who have to make the calls.
- “My killers, who will not take no for an answer!”
- He calls his sales force 'killers' and tells them a client's refusal is not an ending, just something to push past.
- “This is the Mary Lou, which is really the shoe that put me on the map.”
- Steve Madden credits this single shoe with making his name — the design that turned an unknown into a hot brand.
- “Without you, they're just worthless hunks of plastic.”
- His argument that the phones are nothing without the salesmen: the people, not the equipment, are what actually make the money.
Theme
- Ambition — Jordan converts a visiting designer's success into fuel for his own floor, framing everything as a chance to get filthy rich.
- Money — The whole performance is about orders: Madden means wealth, and the brokers are told to grab it while they can.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level0/8
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“My killers, who will not take no for an answer!”
Why it's great
Calling his brokers killers who never accept a refusal turns sales into war.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
She never takes no for an answer.
“This is the Mary Lou, which is really the shoe that put me on the map.”
Why it's great
One shoe carries his whole career, and he says it with quiet pride.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
That first film put the director on the map.
“Without you, they're just worthless hunks of plastic.”
Why it's great
He strips the phone down to worthless plastic to make his staff feel essential.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
Without you, this whole plan is just worthless paperwork.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ Jordan hypes Steve Madden
I wanna take a moment and tell you why Steve here is so absolutely off the fucking wall. It's because this man is a creative genius. This ability, this gift that Steve has, it goes beyond just spotting the hottest shoe trends. Steve's power is that he creates trends. You understand? Artists like Steve come along once every decade. I'm talking Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace, Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent. Steve, come over here for a second. I don't think you all realize that Steve Madden is the hottest person in the women's shoe industry, with orders going through the roof at every department store in North America right now. We have him here in our office! We should thank our fucking lucky stars this man is here! We should be on our hands and knees right now, getting ready to suck this guy off! Like this! Okay? I wanna suck you off, Steve! Everyone's gonna suck you off! This is our golden ticket to the fucking chocolate factory right here! And I wanna meet Willy fucking Wonka, okay? I wanna be with the fucking Oompa Loompas like this! All right, get off this fucking stage! Get out of here.
The praise slides from worship into crude jokes, and the excess is the comedy.
❝ The telephone rally
All right, I want you all to focus for a second. See those little black boxes? They're called telephones. I'm gonna let you in on a little secret about these telephones. They're not gonna dial themselves. Okay? Without you, they're just worthless hunks of plastic. And in the case of the telephone, it's up to each and every one of you, my highly-trained Strattonites. My killers! My killers, who will not take no for an answer! My fucking warriors, who will not hang up the phone until their client either buys
He turns a plain phone into a target and his brokers into killers and warriors.
Up next · 15no nobility in povertyThe scene: Jordan's No Nobility in Poverty SpeechTakeaways
What you walk away with- A designer's own line can be the honest hook of a pitch.
- 'golden ticket' turns a business deal into a fairy tale.
- Jordan praises madness as proof of genius.
- The phone speech makes a tool sound like a challenge.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhat is the Mary Lou, and why does it matter?
It's the Steve Madden shoe that made his name. He tells the brokers it 'put me on the map,' which also explains why Jordan treats him as such a valuable partner.
Why does Jordan compare Steve Madden to Armani and Chanel?
It's flattery, and everyone knows it's over the top. Jordan is using a visiting designer's fame to fire up his brokers, so he inflates Madden into a fashion legend.
What does Jordan mean by 'killers' and 'warriors'?
He means his salesmen. He wants them to be relentless on the phone — to treat a client's refusal as something to overcome, never as the end of the call.
What is Jordan actually selling in this scene?
Not a shoe. He is selling his own brokers on the phones in front of them, using Steve Madden as proof that the firm is on the verge of something huge.
Why does Jordan call the phones 'worthless hunks of plastic'?
To make the brokers feel essential: without them dialing and pushing, the phones earn nothing. It's motivation dressed up as a compliment to the staff.