Descartes ..or Disney?
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HERE’S something to make you think… your favourite children’s film could feature “inspirational” words of wisdom ranking up there with quotes from great philosophers.
A poll has revealed that when it comes to snappy advice on important life lessons, some of our most popular sayings come from children’s films, such as Toy Story, The Wizard of Oz and Harry Potter.
The poll of 2,000 people is part of the Must See Movies Before You Grow Up campaign by the youth film charity Into Film, ahead of the re-release of 50 children’s classics later this summer.
And many of the top quotes voted by film fans are just as wise as the famous musings of our celebrated thinkers, self-help experts and philosophers.
From the little life lessons in The Jungle Book to the unexpected wisdom of Olaf from Frozen, you could be forgiven for thinking their wise words were from Plato, rather than simple cartoon characters.
In our quiz, one of the quotes is from a great thinker… and one from a great kids’ movie. Can you tell which is which? 1 a)
“Courage is knowing what not to fear.” b) “Have courage and be kind.” 2 a)
“Don’t be afraid of enemies who attack you. Be afraid of the friends who flatter you.” b)
“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends.” 3 a)
“Conscience is a man’s compass.” b)
“Always let conscience be your guide.” 4 a)
“It’s up to you how far you’ll go. If you don’t try, you’ll never know.” b)
“It is not enough to have a good mind, the main thing is to use it well.” 5 a)
“Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one.” b)
“Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never.” 6 a)
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
b) “The past can hurt. But you can either run from it or learn from it.” 7 a)
“Some day you will find out that there is far more happiness in another’s happiness than in your own.”
b) “Love is putting someone else’s need before yours.” 8 a)
“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” b)
“For a true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart.” 9 a)
“Nobody but me is gonna change my story.” b)
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” 10 a)
“A man who never made mistakes never made anything.” b)
“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.” 11 a)
“You don’t need anybody to tell you who you are or what you are. You are what you are.” b)
“You must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from.” 12 a)
“I can’t go back to yesterday – because I was a different person then.” b)
“If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.” 13 a)
“There are many people who can do big things, but there are very few people who will do the small things.” b)
“Together, even the smallest can achieve the greatest goal.” 14 a)
“To live. To live would be an awfully big adventure.” b)
“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” 15 a)
“There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time.” b)
“The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of them all.” 16 a)
“Greater love hath no one than he who lays down his life for his friend.” b)
“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” 17 a)
“Never look back, darling. It distracts from the now.” b)
“Never look backwards or you’ll fall down the stairs.” 18 a)
“It’s not until you lose everything that you truly appreciate everything.”
b) “We don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone.” 19 a)
“Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind. Or forgotten.”
b) “You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” 20 a)
“It ain’t what they call you, it’s what you answer to.”
b) “You are who you choose to be.”