Cinematic Lessons

Being the Cinephile that I am, I spend copious amounts of time watching movies. If I took all the time I've spent watching movies and used it for something more productive, I'm pretty sure I would've cured cancer by now.

However, this is not to say I haven't learned something from all the movies I have seen. Movies have this ability to show us what really matters. Picasso once said, "Art is the lie that makes us realize the truth." Movies, as an art-form, are able to teach us lessons in truth that stick with us. Sometimes these are just one line from the movie. But it does stick with us. So, without further ado, here is a list of lessons movies have taught me. 

1. It's not personal. It's business. -The Godfather
2. Don't ever take sides against the family. -The Godfather
3. It's time to nut up or shut up. -Zombieland
4. Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken. -Fight Club
5. There are 24 usable hours in every day, thank you. -Empire Records
6. In this life, there are nothing but possibilities. -Empire Records
7. I do not regret the things I have done but those I did not do. -Empire Records
8. Don't fuck with the people who handle your food. -Waiting
9. Even the Mona Lisa is falling apart. -Fight Club
10. Evey: Who are you? V: What I am is a man in a mask. Evey: Well, I can see that. V: Of course you can. I'm not questioning your powers of observation. I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is. -V for Vendetta
11. Evey: Is everything a joke to you, Gordon? Gordon: Only the things that matter. -V for Vendetta
12. Delia: Is it too late to apologize? V: Never. Delia: I'm so sorry. -V for Vendetta
13. Valerie: It seems strange that my life should end in such a terrible place, but for three years I had roses and apologized to no one. -V for Vendetta
14. This is your life and it's ending one minute at a time. -Fight Club
15. On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero. -Fight Club
16. The things you own end up owning you. -Fight Club
17. Now, we must all fear evil men. But there's another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men. -Boondock Saints
18. You're right, actually. I am pretty, --I am pretty troubled and I'm, I'm pretty confused. But I...and I'm afraid. Really, really afraid. Really afraid. But I...I think you're the fucking antichrist. -Donnie Darko
19. What is learning? It's paying attention. It's opening you up to the big ball of shit we call life. And what's the worst thing that could happen is you get bit in the ass. Well, let me tell you, my ass looks like hamburger meat but I can still sit down. -Accepted
20. We all end up dead. It's just a question of how and why. -Braveheart
21. Mister, you got a lot to learn about people. -Silverado 
22. I've got a touch of hangover, bureaucrat. Don't push me. -McLintock
23. Hans: This time John Wayne does not walk into the sunset with Grace Kelly. John: That was Gary Cooper, asshole. -Die Hard
24. If you get all of us together, we ain't got a gang. We've got an army. -Gangs of New York
25. When you kill a king, you don't stab him in the dark. You kill him where the entire court can watch him die. -Gangs of New York
26. Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while you shouldn't have fucked with? That's me. -Gran Torino
27. Thao: What was it like to kill someone? Walt: You don't want to know. -Gran Torino
28. The thing that haunts a guy is the stuff he wasn't ordered to do. -Gran Torino
29. You know the best part? It isn't knowing that your friends have your back. It's knowing that you have your friends' back. -Greenstreet Hooligans 
30. Good friends are one of life's blessings. Don't give them up without a fight. -Harriet the Spy
31. It's the wood that should fear your hand, not the other way around. No wonder you can't do it, you acquiesce defeat before you even begin. -Kill Bill, Vol. II
32. Plank: Ah! They fucking shot me! Dog: Well, fucking shoot 'em back! -Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
33. You shook Sinatra's hand. You should know better. -Ocean's Thirteen
34. Well, be careful, man. Be careful. Wear shoes in the house. Safety. Safety first, then teamwork. -Pineapple Express
35. Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something. -The Princess Bride
36. Half of writing history is hiding the truth. -Serenity
37. I don't care what you believe in, just believe in it. -Serenity
38. You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity. -Snatch
39. Desperation is a stinky cologne. -Super Troopers
40. I'm not too worried about it, really. I wouldn't worry about it. Don't worry about it. I'm not worried at all. 
41. Because it's a book about a man who doesn't know he's about to die. And then he dies. But if a man does know he's about to die and dies anyway, dies,--dies willingly, knowing that he could stop it, then-- I mean, isn't that the type of man who you want to keep alive? -Stranger than Fiction 
42. As Harold took a bite of Bavarian sugar cookie, he finally felt as if everything was going to be ok. Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives. I know the idea seems strange, but I also know that it just so happens to be true. And, so it was, a wristwatch saved Harold Crick. -Stranger than Fiction
43. Dr. Hilbert: Hell, Harold. You could just eat nothing but pancakes if you wanted. Harold: What is wrong with you? Hey, I don't want to eat nothing but pancakes, I want to live! I mean, who in their right mind in a choice between pancakes and living chooses pancakes? Dr. Hilbert: Harold, if you pause to think, you'd realize that the answer is inextricably contingent upon the type of life being led...and, of course, the quality of the pancakes. -Stranger than Fiction. 
44. We're having too good a time today. We ain't thinking about tomorrow. -Public Enemies
45. I know your head aches; I know you're tired; I know your nerves are as raw as meat in a butcher's window. But think what you're trying to accomplish. Think what you're dealing with. The majesty and grandeur of the English language, it's the greatest possession we have. The noblest thoughts that ever flowed through the hearts of men are contained in its extraordinary, imaginative, and musical mixtures of sounds. And that's what you've set yourself out to conquer Eliza. And conquer it you will. -My Fair Lady
46. There's a time when a man needs to fight, and a time when he needs to accept that his destiny is lost...the ship has sailed and only a fool would continue. Truth is...I've always been a fool. -Big Fish
47. See, to him, there's only two women: your mother and everyone else. -Big Fish
48. You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. -The Dark Knight
49. If you're good at something, never do it for free. -The Dark Knight
50. If you can't do something smart, do something right. -Serenity
51. Life is a banquet, and most poor sons-of-bitches are starving to death. -Mame
52. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. -Ferris Bueller's Day Off
53. Judy: Love means never having to say you're sorry. Howard: That's the dumbest thing I ever heard. -What's Up, Doc?
54. Terry Benedict: The last time we talked, you hung up on me. Rusty Ryan: You used nasty words. -Ocean's Twelve
55. It's amazing how fast the world can go from bad to total shit storm. -Zombieland

Love you.

Mean it.