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People share the most 'unexpectedly profound' quote they've ever heard in a movie

"In a mad world, only the mad are sane."

Photo Credit: Canva

A group of friends enjoys a funny movie at the theater.

There are certain movies that simply command your attention. For some, it's all about the sound designer, who may create explosive car chases that are loud and fiery. For others, it might be the work of the cinematographer, framing green, rolling hills below a buttery sunset. For me, and many others, what brings the most magic to film is the words brought to us by the screenwriters. Obviously, a masterful director—and brilliant actors—pull all of these elements together to create a near-perfect cinematic experience.

Some dialogue from screenplays just hits like a ton of bricks. And if it hits at the right time, it might just stay embedded in your mind forever, possibly even transforming your life. One that I've carried with me is from the 1950s film Harvey starring Jimmy Stewart. "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years, I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."

-Jimmy Stewart in the film Harvey. www.youtube.com, Bhana Prasad M, Universal Pictures

Oftentimes, the movie itself doesn’t have to be an A+ for the line to be stellar. A lesser James L. Brooks film, How Do You Know, gave us another profound favorite movie line, delivered by Paul Rudd: "We are all just one small adjustment away from making our lives work." I think about that quote nearly every day.

The art of writing screenplays is a delicate and nuanced endeavor. In fact, just recently, writer Ken Miyamoto listed "15 Movies Screenwriters Should Watch to Study Dialogue," in an article for ScreenRant in which he insists there are no real secrets. It either works or it doesn't, and it mostly depends on how relatable it is. A few of the movies he lists include Annie Hall, The Social Network, Good Will Hunting, and Glengarry Glen Ross. (Three of those screenwriters—Woody Allen, Aaron Sorkin, and David Mamet—are also playwrights, which could offer a clue as to why their work is so reliant on dialogue, alone.)

On a Reddit post, someone asked, "What's the most unexpectedly profound quote you've ever heard in a movie?" The OP adds, "I was watching a movie the other day, and a line of dialogue just hit me harder than I expected. It got me thinking about how certain quotes from films can stick with you for years. What’s a quote from a movie that really resonated with you or made you think differently about something?"

The question got over one thousand replies. They varied in tone from deeply meaningful and thought-provoking to just plain funny. Here are a few that stood out, mixed in with a few favorites of my own.

PROFOUND:

"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you are uncool." – Almost Famous

"It's not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you." – Batman Begins

"In a mad world, only the mad are sane." -- Ran (Kurosawa)

"We just don’t recognize life’s most significant moments while they’re happening. Back then I thought, 'Well, there’ll be other days.' I didn’t realize that that was the only day." – Field of Dreams

"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." – Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban

"Make the money, don't let the money make you." -- The Players Club

"It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything." – Fight Club

"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field and don’t notice it" -- The Color Purple"

"Life is pain, highness. Anyone that tells you otherwise is selling something." – The Princess Bride

"Life is pain" scene from the film The Princess Bride www.youtube.com, JM Lam, 20th Century Fox


HUMOROUS:

"Look up idiot in the dictionary, you know what you'll find?" "A picture of me?" "No, the definition of the word idiot, which you f-ing are." – Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

"Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere." – Van Wilder

"Nervous?" "Yes." "First time?" "No, I've been nervous lots of times." – Airplane

"That is one nutty hospital." – Tootsie

"You're never too old to go to space camp." – Stranger Than Fiction

"It must be nice always thinking you know better, to think you’re the smartest person in the room." "No, it's awful." – Broadcast News

Holly Hunter in Broadcast News. www.youtube.com, 20th Century Fox, Michael Stevenson

SCI-FI:

"All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain" - Blade Runner

"Watch the skies, everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies." -- The Thing from Another World

“I just try to live every day as if I’ve deliberately come back to this one day to enjoy it as if it was the full final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life.” - About Time"

"Do or do not. There is no try." – The Empire Strikes Back

- YouTube www.youtube.com, Empire Fan Productions


CLASSIC:

"It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." – Rocky Balboa (2006)

"Get busy living, or get busy dying." – The Shawshank Redemption

"I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen." – Say Anything

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." __ When Harry Met Sally

"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


Matthew Broderick stars as Ferris Bueller. www.youtube.com, Paramount Pictures, Maximus Operandi



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15 conversation prompts to connect on a deeper level without making it weird

These "reflective" topics are meaningful but not overly personal.

Photo credit: Canva

It's not always easy to have good conversations in groups.

When family and friends gather together, conversations can go a few ways. If you’re genuinely close and used to sharing openly, conversation may flow naturally with no need for assistance. If you’re getting together with people you rarely see, don’t know very well, or struggle to connect with, however, conversations can feel mundane, stilted or awkward. Even with family, a 50-year-old trying to talk to a 15-year-old extended relative can be difficult without knowing what questions to ask.

Whether we’re getting together with people we know or people we are meeting for the first time, it’s nice to be able to go a little deeper than talking about the weather or pop culture. Politics is a minefield, now more than ever, and not everyone wants to share the nitty gritty details of their personal lives, so it can be hard to figure out how to have meaningful conversations without making it weird.

Ordinary & Happy offers a list of “reflective topics” that can help improve conversations with anyone of any age. Here are some examples of questions based on their suggestions and some reasons they're so effective.

Looking back

What’s something you learned this past year?

Who was an influential person in your life last year?

What’s something you accomplished this year that surprised you?

The good thing about looking back over the past year is that the experiences are fairly fresh. A year is a good amount of time to think about because it’s short enough to not be overwhelming but long enough to have had some interesting experiences and learnings.

Looking again

What’s something you rediscovered a love for?

What’s something or someone you’ve reconnected after a long time?

What’s a place you’ve visited that you really enjoyed?

A twist on reflection, adding a “re” element by asking someone about something they might have forgotten about or disconnected from but found again can be a fun way to think about the previous year a little bit differently. And of course, places we’ve enjoyed visiting is always a solid topic.

Looking ahead

What’s something you want to improve on next year?

What’s a goal you have for next year?

What’s something you’re looking forward to next year?

It can be a little tricky to ask people about the future, especially young people who often feel a lot of pressure to have their futures figured out. But on a personal level, we all have things we’re looking forward to as well as intentions for our future, even if we don’t know how it’s all going to play out.

Looking inside

How has your perception of time changed?

Have your values shifted or changed and what prompted it?

What’s something you learned about yourself this year?

These questions offer a way to get to know someone without asking about too-personal topics. Values might be considered personal, but there are a lot of ways to ask people about how the way they see the world or themselves has changed.

man and woman talking over coffeeThese prompts can work in a group or one-on-one conversations.Photo credit: Canva

Looking at being human

What do you believe is a key to good communication?

What do you believe is one of the best ways to build trust?

What do you believe the last year taught you about life?

Broadening the questions to more general human experiences rather than focusing them on an individual is a good way to pivot if people seem to feel uncomfortable talking about themselves. The adage “People love to talk about themselves” isn’t always true, but most people will weigh in on a light philosophical question like “What do you think makes someone a good friend?” or “What do you think the world needs more of?”

Anyone can come up with these kinds of reflective questions. A few tips to keep in mind, though:

- Try to avoid words like “favorite” or “best” unless you preface it with “one of.” You don’t want to force people to sort through their thoughts and put them in a particular order. Some people may have one favorite place or memory, but more often than not there are many things that could compete for that title and trying to narrow down one makes people freeze up.

- Stick to universal human experiences. We’ve all discovering things about ourselves and the world all the time, but we’re not all into the same things. “What’s a place that makes you feel peaceful?” works better than “What’s your favorite place to vacation?” Keep questions broad and focused on human characteristics instead of niche experiences people may or may not have had.

- Put questions into your own words. You might not say, "What's one thing you learned this year?" For you, it might be, "Hey, tell me about an interesting learning experience you had this year. What stands out to you?" The more natural the question in your own voice, the better. It's the topic that matters, not the wording.

Happy conversating!

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