For me, a few come to mind:
- “You’re imagining everybody in this story way more attractive than they actually were.”
It was posted somewhere on one of those spicy subreddits under some affair threesome story. And it sort if clicked with me. Like look around, normal people on the street don’t all look like supermodels. And supermodels don’t lurk around in reddit comment sections. It really put things into perspective for me.
- “Life isn’t short, it’s the longest thing you’ll ever do.”
It is a bit uplifting to realize that no matter if you have bad or good period in your life, it is only a short chapter contained in the longest time period possible for you to experience.
There were a few others that I probably can’t remember of the top of my head right now.
Confident, Cocky, Lazy, Dead.
The serial killer in the Tad Williams books, but it makes sense to me.
be like the tree; let the dead leaves drop.
“May I have the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
it’s a variation of the serenity prayer and it’s helped me immensely for the last 40ish years
No one can change everything but everyone can change something.
the ironic thing about common sense is that it is not that common.
Happiness is for pussies.
Frankie from The Goon comics.
In my twenties life was a continual slog in a cycle of disappointment and desperation. That gave me something I could “steel myself” with.
Another one came to mind.
“Because he’s my man.”
From the series Legion on FX. The main female lead Sydney wanted to safe her boyfriend and others doubted her on her reasoning, since her boyfriend turned out to be a shady guy. When questioned “Why?” She gave that answer. I’ve never heard a female character be this positively possessive over her love interest before. Usually its the guy that saves the girl.
“I’m a leaf in the wind.”
Said by Wash the pilot in the movie Serenity. I tend to whisper that to myself when things aren’t going my way and I need a reminder to just go with the flow.
I hope you haven’t missed the series
I’m surprised that works for you, given what happens to him immediately after
I give myself a “Dammit, Steve” from Life Aquatic maybe twice a week. I’m a woman, and my name isn’t Steve.
I’ve also got a lot of mileage out of, “everyone knows when you make an assumption, you make an ass out of you and umption.”
Similar with “get up, Trinity” from the matrix.
Oh nice, I knew “when you assume you make an ass of u and me”
The only peace you will find at the top of a mountain is the peace you bring there with yourself.
“The only person who won’t fire you is you.”
There’s a guy on Youtube by the name of Chris Boden. Slightly controversial figure but he seems to mean well. A video of his that seemed to be venting/reconciling himself included the phrase
“So you wake up one morning in your impact crater and you start. Again.”
“The purpose of discipline is to live more fully, not less”
“Let everything happen to you
Beauty and terror
Just keep going
No feeling is final.”
– Rainer Maria RilkeThis was used at the end of the movie Jojo Rabbit (one of my favorite movies of all time). I often remember this line when I feel like everything is going wrong, and it helps me hold on to hope.
“Some people deserve to be punished.” - Amos Burton (actor Wes Chatham), The Expanse season 2, in reference to an opportunist who had been enriching himself during a humanitarian crisis; comparing him to pimps that force kids and vulnerable people into prostitution.
Full quote
(after beating up an uncooperative person and threatening him at gunpoint, then getting confronted about it)
I didn’t kill him. Not yet. He’s a bully, and where I come from, bullies take desperate young girls like your daughter and force them into prostitution. And when they finally get knocked up, they peddle them to johns who get off on that. After they have the kid, they push them right back out on the streets even before they have a chance to heal. And those kids, they use them, too. Some people deserve to be punished.
The Expanse has so many memorable quotes.
- “You’re not that guy. I am that GUY.”
- Amos - “What is it you’re think you’re doing?” “WHATEVER I GOD DAMN LIKE.”
- Avaserala answering to the council - “You look like shit.” “You look amazing.”
- Avaserala and Amos on Luna - “I’m just gonna take my pet nuke for a walk.”
- Miller on Ceres Station
And Amos was so great. Both the actor and the character. The books are possibly even better
- “You’re not that guy. I am that GUY.”
