We all need a motivational boost from time to time. If you’re feeling burned out and in need of inspiration, I encourage you to look no further than your favorite film. In the article How to Study Effectively Using TV, I discuss how our favorite entertainment can improve grades and boost our learning capacities. You may know all the right tips for how to study (click here for top studying tips), but sometimes that’s not enough. Movies can do even more. Movies can motivate us to change and improve ourselves.
Lack of motivation can bring down the best of us. Quotes from great movies inspire us in real life. They can pick us up pick when we’re down and offer support during times of difficulty.
I’ve personally been inspired by numerous fictional characters. The advice of Gandalf, Rocky, or Master Yoda has echoed through my head in countless real-life situations and encouraged me to keep going when I thought I couldn’t make it another step.
To motivate myself in medical school, I would blast The Lord of the Rings theme song on my iPod, on repeat, before every test. Petrified of the high stakes that were riding on every exam, I took comfort imagining myself as Aragorn preparing to battle the troops of Mordor.
Here are the top 40 movie quotes that motivated me during my career as a student. May they provide you with an extra boost when you need it most, and may the force be with you!
1. “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”
—Yoda, Star Wars
2. “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
—Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings
3. “Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life, but it ain’t how hard you can hit. It’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It’s how much you can take, and keep moving forward.”
—Rocky, Rocky Balboa
4. “Every champion was once a contender who refused to give up.”
—Rocky, Creed 2
5. “The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem.”
—Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean
6. “Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one.”
—Grandmother Willow, Pocahontas
7. “You want to get out of the hole? First you’re going to have to put down the shovel!”
—Rick Dicker, The Incredibles 2
8. “Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.”
—Dory, Finding Nemo
9. “Just because something works doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.”
—Shuri, Black Panther
10. “The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.”
—The Emperor, Mulan
11. “You control your destiny—you don’t need magic to do it. And there are no magical shortcuts to solving your problems.”
—Merida, Brave
12. “Great men (or women) are not born great; they grow great.”
—Don Corleone, The Godfather
13. “When a defining moment comes along, you can do one of two things. Define the moment, or let the moment define you.”
—Roy McAvoy, Tin Cup
14. “Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.”
—Thomas Wayne, Batman Begins
15. “It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.”
—Batman, Batman Begins
16. “It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.”
—Jimmy Dugan, A League of Their Own
17. “What we do in life echoes in eternity.”
—Maximus, Gladiator
18. “Falling down is how we grow. Staying down is how we die.”
—Maximus, Gladiator
—Commander Taggart, Galaxy Quest
20. “Hard work may not always result in success, but it will never result in regret.”
—Billy Beane, Moneyball
21. “If you want something, go get it. Period.”
—Chris Gardner, The Pursuit of Happiness
22. “I don’t regret the things I’ve done but those I did not do.”
—Lucas, Empire Records
23. “I’m just like my country. I’m young, scrappy, and hungry, and I’m not throwing away my shot.”
—Alexander Hamilton, Hamilton
24. “The seaweed is always greener in somebody else’s lake.”
—Sebastian, The Little Mermaid
25. “Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around.”
—David, Vanilla Sky
26. “Don’t doubt yourself. . . . you are extraordinary.”
—Mary, Pan
27. “Sometimes, patience is the key to victory.”
—Captain America, Spiderman: Homecoming
28. “Be the hero of your own life story.”
—Jack, Nim’s Island
29. “Fear is the mind killer.”
—Paul Atreides, Dune
30. “Fear is the enemy of will. Will is what makes you take action. Fear is what stops you and makes you weak. You must ignore your fear.”
—Sinestro, Green Lantern
31. “Fear is not what’s important, it’s how you deal with it. It would be like asking a marathon runner if they feel pain. It’s not a matter of whether you feel it; it’s how you manage it.”
—James Nachtwey, War Photographer
32. “No matter how much it hurts, how dark it gets, or how far you fall, you are never out of the fight.”
—Marcus Luttrell, Lone Survivor
33. “If you want to get to the castle, you’ve got to swim the moat.”
—Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love
34. “The more difficult something is, the more rewarding it is in the end.”
—Ed Bloom, Big Fish
35. “There’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.”
—Morpheus, The Matrix
36. “Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere.”
—Van Wilder, Van Wilder
37. “Spend a little more time trying to make something of yourself and a little less time trying to impress people.”
—Richard Vernon, Breakfast Club
38. “The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it’s possible.”
—Charles Kingsleigh, Alice Through the Looking Glass
39. “D+? Oh my God. . . . I passed!”
—Tommy Callahan, Tommy Boy
40. “When in doubt, go to the library.”
—Ron Weasley, Harry Potter
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