They Speak to Us
From Matt Damon to Reese Witherspoon, they’ve all had a line or two in a film that resonated on another level. As viewers we didn’t care that they were playing make believe or re-enacting a part of history, instead we focused on the lines that they said. And those words meant something. Once they said them and they came to life, the words were no longer words from a script – they literally grew legs and became meaningful.
Do you have a favorite self-affirmation quote from a film? Heck, you might not even really like the movie – there may have been a particular line that stuck out to you and inspired you to be more. Maybe it was a from a book that was eventually adapted into a movie? Would you like to know mine? I’ve never even read the book or seen the film, but there is a quote that resonates with me unlike any I’ve ever read or heard. The quote is from Jodi Picoult’s book Change of Heart – “There’s always going to be bad stuff out there. But here’s the amazing thing – lift trumps darkness, every time. You stick a candle into the dark, but you can’t stick the dark into the light.” I cannot even begin to count how many times that quote has helped me regain my presence. Let’s see if your favorite self-affirmation quote from Hollywood made the list.
Yoda from Star Wars
Only you really know if you truly tried hard enough and with that in mind, only you can set your own standards. If you go into something with the mindset that you’re going to try something out, you’ve already lost the battle. In order to achieve true greatness within oneself you must fulfill Yoda’s self-affirmation quote and go into thinking I can do this – otherwise you’ve already failed. You don’t have to be a Star Wars fan for this to resonate. If you’re a role model, it’s important to exude all possibilities before you’ve thrown in the towel to quit.
Rafiki from The Lion King
Yes, one of the best self-affirmation quotes comes from a Disney favorite. Believe it or not, Disney’s characters have a lot of great mindful words of wisdom to share. In this scene, Rafiki is telling Simba that he can’t allow the past to overshadow his existence because the past is exactly that – the past. In order to become a stronger person, both physically and mentally, you must be willing to learn from your mistakes. Take everything as a lesson to be learned and don’t allow mistakes to overshadow your greatness. Remember that you haven’t truly tried if you don’t have mistakes to learn from.
Ferris from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Live your life to the fullest and never leave room for regrets. Sometimes you’ll only get one chance therefore it’s imperative that you seize the opportunity to grow as an individual. You never know when a specific instance will be your defining moment. Take in everything that comes your way and don’t miss out on what could’ve been. Remember that every experience in life helps to cultivate your being. There will be moments of heart ache and when it’s happening it’s hard to see the bigger picture. However, everything that happens in life has a defining purpose for your journey ahead.
Noah from The Notebook
Life is about living therefore, you should never not live because it will hurt someone else. Noah is explaining this to Ali when they reunite after years apart. She’s not happy in her current relationship and is afraid of hurting her fiancé, but Noah advises Ali to make herself happy above all. In the end no one else will feel the pain you will experience by not fulfilling your life’s possibilities. This self-affirmation quote is provided to another character through selfless advice. Noah didn’t know who Ali would pick. And he was willing to remain incomplete and heartbroken if it meant that Ali would attain true defining happiness.
Green Goblin from Spider-Man
Okay, so maybe he shouldn’t have chosen to be the Green Goblin. But either way you look at it his words are empowering. Teachers are teachers because that’s what their studies inspired them to be. Doctors save lives because they’ve chosen that selfless career path. Writers chose to write because they feel it in their soul. We all have choices and those choices define us. While this self-affirmation quote gets lost within the circumstances of choice, it doesn’t make the words any less true. It’s important that as we live our lives that we don’t blame others for the misfortunes that occur or the bad decisions that we make along the way.
Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You
No matter what happens in your life, always know that you’re work it. From time-to-time you will encounter people who are mad at their own lives and decisions therefore, they miscast their own insecurities and inhibitions on others. It’s important to recognize these situations when they come into play because you should never allow someone else to stand in front of your dream. There will always be naysayers and people that stomp on your dreams however, you must be wise enough to weed through their talkings. While some dreams may seem unattainable, it’s important to see the bigger picture and grant yourself the presence you deserve and are entitled to.
Dumbledore from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Our choice of yes or no or perhaps left of right are key factors that articulate who we are as individuals. We are all human beings, but our decisions humanize us and personalize our existence. It’s important to make the right choices and if we make mistakes to learn from them. Ultimately the choices we make will decide our future and pave the way for our existence. You’ll never learn anything if you don’t take chances, make decisions for yourself and ultimately make mistakes. Sometimes the best lessons learned are from ourselves and the mistakes that we make along the way. There’s no better way to learn than allowing the action to unfold right in front of your eyes.
Jenny from Forrest Gump
Great Minds Think Alike
There are so many more. Chris Gardner from The Pursuit of Happyness says, “If you want something, go get it.” Shrek says, “After a while, you learn to ignore the names people call you and just trust who you are.” And even Mario Puzo from the Godfather utters a self-affirmation quote when he says, “Great men are not born great, they grow great.”
Ultimately, we could go on and on. Those are just a few of the greatest self-affirmation quotes from Hollywood. I often wonder if the script writers go into with the mindset that their lines will embody a life of its own or if it’s all in how the actor portrays the line. Either way, there’s no doubt that Hollywood will continue to produce these great lines that inspire others.
