Go for broke. Always try and do too much. Dispense with safety nets. Take a deep breath before you begin talking. Aim for the stars. Keep grinning. Be bloody-minded. Argue with the world. And never forget that writing is as close as we get to keeping a hold on the thousand and one things – childhood, certainties, cities, doubts, dreams, instants, phrases, parents, loves – that go on slipping, like sand, through our fingers. Salman Rushdie, Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981-1991
Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don’t let anyone limit your dreams. Donovan Bailey
Stand up straight, get your shoulders back and get your hair cut. Brian Clough, advice for John McGovern
Make your mark in this world, son. Always be your mom’s protector. And no matter what you hear about me, you keep moving forward and never look back. Shot Caller 2017 starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau & Omari Hardwick & Lake Beell & Jon Bernthal & Emory Cohen & Jeffrey Donovan & Evan Jones & Benjamin Bratt & Holt McCallany & Juan Pablo Raba et al, director Ric Roman Waugh, father’s letter
A word of advice, girls. If you’re picking the wrong fight, at least pick the right weapon. Blitz 2011 starring Jason Stathan & Paddy Considine & Aidan Gillen & David Morrisey & Zawe Ashton & Luke Evans & Mark Rylance & Nicky Henson & Ned Dennehy et al, director Eliott Lester
I need some advice. I gotta go see Bubbles. Trailer Park Boys s1e5: I’m Not Gay, I Love Lucy
You know it’s never too late to change the path you’re going down in life, boys. Trailer Park Boys s7e1: I Fuckin’ Miss Cory & Trevor; Mrs Anderson, boys’ ex-teacher
Keep your head up. And do some push-ups. Roman J Israel Esq 2017 starring Denzel Washington & Colin Farrell & Carmen Ejogo & Lynda Gravatt & Amanda Warren & Hugo Armstrong & Sam Gilroy & Tony Plana & DeRon Horton & Amari Cheatom et al, director Dan Gilroy, advice to charged dude
123,666. We’re going to have to walk out into the wilderness for a long time. Chris Hedges, lecture Seattle University 2018, ‘Corporate Totalitarianism: The End Game’ *****
In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. Whenever you feel like criticising anyone, he told me, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages you had. The Great Gatsby 1974 starring & Robert Redford & Mia Farrow & Bruce Dern & Sam Waterston & Karen Black & Scott Wilson & Lois Chiles & Edward Herrmann & Howard da Silva & Kathryn Leigh Scott & Regina Baff et al, director Jack Clayton, opening commentary
Face your problems head on. Do what you have to do to take care of it. Develop a good work ethic. George Chuvalo, boxer
Don’t let the bastards grind you down. Out I: It Must Be the Suit, taxi driver to Frank, Thames TV 1978
No man is so foolish but he may sometimes give another good counsel, and no man so wise that he may not easily err if he takes no other counsel than his own. He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master. Hunter S Thompson
Eve, all we can do in life is try to find some joy in the little things. Killing Eve s4e7: I Don’t Want to be Free, BBC 2022
When adversity strikes, that’s when you have to be the most calm. Take a step back, stay strong, stay grounded and press on. L L Cool J
Life goes by fast. Enjoy it. Calm down. It’s all funny. Next. Everyone gets so upset about the wrong things. Joan Rivers
Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Let it play out. You continue to deliver on your end of the bargain and see how they respond. Don’t let them know what you’re thinking. And meanwhile, prepare for all eventualities. The Gentlemen VI: All Eventualities, Geoff to Eddie, Netflix 2024