“They don’t make you. You make you.”
—Eggs (Isaac Hempstead Wright), The Boxtrolls (2014)
“Let your heart guide you. It whispers so listen closely.”
—Littlefoot’s Mother (Helen Shaver),
The Land Before Time (1988)
“You left just as you were becoming interesting.”
—Prof. Henry Jones, Sr. (Sean Connery),
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
“You just can’t stay seventeen forever.”
—Steve Bollander (Ron Howard), American Graffiti (1973)*
“Well, all I’m saying is that I want to look back and say that I did it the best I could while I was stuck in this place. Had as much fun as I could while I was stuck in this place. Played as hard as I could while I was stuck in this place.”
—Don Dawson (Sasha Jenson), Dazed and Confused (1993)
“We are who we choose to be. Now…choose!”
—Norman Osbourne/Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe),
Spider-Man (2002)
“Sometimes the world seems against you
The journey may leave a scar
But scars can heal and reveal just
Where you are
The people you love will change you
The things you have learned will guide you
And nothing on earth can silence
The quiet voice still inside you.”
—Gramma Tala (Rachel House), Moana (2016)
“You have to do what you can’t not do.”
—Luisa Rey (Halle Berry),
Cloud Atlas (2012)
“You’re not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet.”
—Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), Fight Club (1999)
“Hey, you want some good parental advice? Don’t listen to me.”
—Dr. Ian Malcom (Jeff Goldblum),
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
“A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men.”
—Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder), Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
“Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.”
—Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds), Van Wilder (2002)
“Don’t you want to take a leap of faith? Or become an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone!”
—Saito (Ken Watanabe), Inception (2010)
“I never look back, darling! It distracts from the now.”
—Edna Mode (Brad Bird),
The Incredibles (2004)*
“You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul.”
—Chef Gusteau (Brad Garret), Ratatouille (2008)
“I’m sorry I didn’t do none of it right, but I’m damn proud you’re my boy.”
—Yondu (Michael Rooker), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
“Calling somebody else fat won’t make you any skinnier. Calling someone stupid doesn’t make you any smarter. And ruining [somebody]’s life definitely [doesn’t] make [you] any happier. All you can do in life is try to solve the problem in front of you.”
—Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), Mean Girls (2004)
“The very things that held you down are going to lift you up and up and up!”
—Timothy Q. Mouse (Edward Brophy), Dumbo (1941)
“I was never more certain of how far away I was from my goal than when I was standing right beside it.”
—Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke), Gattaca (1997)
“You do what you love, and fuck the rest.”
—Dwayne Hoover (Paul Dano), Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
“At some point, you gotta decide for yourself who you’re going to be. Can’t let nobody make that decision for you.”
—Juan (Mahershala Ali), Moonlight (2016)
“The main thing is, pay attention. Pay close attention to everything, everything you see. Notice what no one else notices, and you’ll know what no one else knows. What you get is what you get. What you do with what you get, that’s more the point.”
—Loris Harrow (Time Robbins), City of Ember (2008)
“Don’t let anyone ever make you feel like you don’t deserve what you want.”
—Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger),
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
“What do we leave behind when we cross each frontier? Each moment seems split in two; melancholy for what was left behind and the excitement of entering a new land.”
—Ernesto "Che" Guevara (Gael Garcia Bernal), The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
“Now, here’s the meaning of life: Well, it’s nothing very special. Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”
—Lady Presenter (Michael Palin), Monty Python’s
The Meaning of Life (1983)
Graduation Film Recommendations:
Say Anything (1989) Written and directed by Cameron Crowe. Starring: John Cusack, Ione Sky, and John Mahoney. The high school valedictorian and an outcast fall in love on the last day of school. They spend the summer trying to navigate their uncertain futures as the outside world comes crashing down around them. That boombox scene will make you swoon.
Dazed and Confused (1993) Written and directed by Richard Linklater. Starring: Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, and Matthew McConaughey. A group of juniors celebrate their ascension to seniority on the last day of school in 1976. Hazing, parties, and Ben Affleck ensue. Known for its amazing soundtrack and for McConaughey’s hilarious turn as a town vagabond with nothing to do.
Boyhood (2014) Written and directed by Richard Linklater. Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, and Ethan Hawke. Shot over twelve