In this post, I am going to share my favorite inspirational Robin Williams quotes. He has been in so many great movies and has left such a positive footprint in this world… at least for me. Sometimes when I have a bad day I just watch some YouTube compilations with quotes from Robin Williams. This article is an attempt to capture that feeling that I get and to share it with you. Enjoy 🙂

Inspirational Robin Williams Quotes from the Dead Poet's Society

I have to admit I never watched Dead Poet’s Society and it has been on my list for a while now… So, I know what I gotta do this weekend. But I saw a lot of clips of it of great scenes. I just love the message of this movie in general.

UPDATE: I have watched the movie now, and I can really recommend it. It’s nowadays an “old” movie, but still great. WARNING & SPOILER: It’s a sad ending, this movie made me feel many emotions. So, watch it when you have the energy, it’s worth it!

Words and ideas can change the world!

No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.

[…]

Okay so, I have two perspectives on this sentence. First, words and ideas can change the world! Yes! How many people have influenced you or inspired you just by talking to you? How many speakers are out there that change the world? Heck, even YouTubers are changing the world by putting themselves out there.

What makes an inspiring person inspiring?

But what is the difference between an inspiring person that can change your mind just with words and ideas and a “regular” person that talks to you? The point that I want to make is, that you believe certain people. You believe every word they say? Why? Because they are consistent with their beliefs because they have an experience that backs their words up. There is a big difference between talking and doing. And doing enables you to talk about it.

So, yes words and ideas can change the world… but back them up with action!

[…]

We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.

[…]

My career until now has been mostly in engineering and I totally agree. Like making things is to sustain life. It’s not the purpose of life. Having the coolest phone or the coolest car or the coolest house is worthless without… without what?

Find your meaning

Without meaning! You will still feel empty even if you have a lot of materialistic value! And like this quote says: poetry, beauty, romance, love… From my point of view, you could say creativity and passion, and compassion. That is life! Realizing that we are all in the same boat and helping each other and not making everything about money.

Money is a tool and won’t bring any hapiness.

To quote from Whitman, ‘O me! O life!… of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless… of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?’ Answer. That you are here — that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?

Make a choice

It’s your own choice what you will make out of this life. Yeah sure there are a lot of stones in the way, but is that going to stop you? You have a choice… having a miserable life and suffer… or make the suffering worth it! You decide

Scene from Dead Poet's Society: Words and ideas can change the world

I would have walked differently.
Well, ask yourselves why you were clapping.

Now we all have a great need for acceptance but you must trust that your beliefs are unique your own even though others may think them odd or unpopular even though the herd may go: that’s baaaaaad

Robert Frost said: two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference

Don't be sheep

The first quote is probably the most beautiful one from this movie BUT this one is the most important one. This is something that is very important to me and it has become easy for me to not just follow the herd. But I know that it’s not easy when you start questioning things. I can tell you though, that is the only right way to live. Especially in today’s world where we have a flood of information and we have become so lazy… Of course, it takes effort to do research and form your own opinion. The worst things happen to humanity when we don’t do that though.

So next time you talk about a certain topic, ask yourself: is this what I believe or what I have been told?

Scene from Dead Poet's Society: Conformity

Inspirational Robin Williams Quotes from Good Will Hunting

I knew Robin Williams of course, but more as a comedian and from Aladdin. Good Will Hunting was the first movie where I saw another side of him. And I can tell you that every comedian has this darker and human side to them… that’s where the humor comes from 😉 (no, I am not speaking from my own experience sarcasm?)

Good Will Hunting Quote from therapy session

People call these imperfections… but they’re not oh, that’s the good stuff and then we get to chose who we let into our weird little worlds.

This is also something that for some people is hard to accept. Nobody is perfect and that is okay! We would be boring without our imperfections. Imperfections make things beautiful. And we get to chose who we show these imperfections, who we trust.

Nobody is perfect

You are not perfect sport. Let me save you the suspense, this girl you met, she isn’t perfect either. But the question is whether you are perfect for each other. That’s the whole deal. That’s what intimacy is all about.

This is for any kind of relationship. For me, it’s okay for people to know my imperfections, that makes me human (at least I try to think and act on that). I don’t need to be accepted by everyone. But if somebody accepts you with the imperfections that you have, there is no more beautiful thing than that.

Take action or keep wondering

Now you can know everything in the world sport but the only way you’re finding out that one is by giving it a shot.

In this case it’s related to taking a shot at the relationship, at opening up. But this message is for life in general. You can think about doing things and end up not doing them your entire life and still wonder how it would have been. That’s your choice… do you keep wondering or do you take a shot at it?

Good Will Hunting quote from the bench scene

If I asked you about art, you’d probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life’s work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? But I’ll bet you can’t tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You’ve never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling.

If I asked you about women, you’d probably give me a syllabus of your personal favorites. You may even have been laid a few times. But you can’t tell me what it feels like to wake up next to a woman and feel truly happy.

You’re a tough kid. If I asked you about war, you’d probably throw Shakespeare at me, right? “Once more unto the breach dear friends”. But you’ve never been near one. You’ve never held your best friend’s head in your lap, watch him gasp his last breath looking to you for help.

I’d ask you about love and you’d probably quote me a sonnet. But you’ve never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable, known someone that could level you with her eyes. Feeling like God put an angel on earth just for you, who could rescue you from the depths of hell. And you wouldn’t know what it’s like to be her angel, to have that love for her, be there forever, through anything, through cancer. And you wouldn’t know about sleeping sitting up in the hospital room for two months, holding her hand, because the doctors could see in your eyes that the terms ‘visiting hours’ don’t apply to you. You don’t know about real loss, ’cause it only occurs when you’ve loved something more than you love yourself. And I doubt you’ve ever dared to love anybody that much.

When I look at you I don’t see an intelligent, confident man. I see a cocky, scared s***less kid. But you’re a genius, Will. No one denies that. No one could possibly understand the depths of you. But you presumed to know everything about me because you saw a painting of mine, and you ripped my f***ing life apart.

You’re an orphan, right? You think I know the first thing about how hard your life has been, how you feel, who you are because I read Oliver Twist? Does that encapsulate you? Personally, I don’t give a s*** about all that, because you know what, I can’t learn anything from you I can’t read in some f***king book.

Unless you want to talk about you, who you are. Then I’m fascinated. I’m in. But you don’t wanna do that, do you, sport? You’re terrified of what you might say. Your move, chief.

This is one of the most famous scenes from this movie (and the “it’s not your fault” one). Yes, it’s a long speech basically. If I would have to summarize it though: this is life. About experiencing life.

There is not much more I can say about this… Well, maybe one thing. When I watched this movie for the first time I don’t remember how old I was but I related to “Will” a lot and yes, the scene made me cry. There you go, letting you into my weird little world 😛

Inspirational Robin Williams Quotes from Patch Adams

Patch Adams, another movie that is still on the list… 😀

What’s wrong with death sir? What are we so mortally afraid of? Why can’t we treat death with a certain amount of humanity and dignity and decency and, god forbid, maybe even humor?

True. Death is still one of those topics that aren’t discussed enough. I already brought it up on this blog. Death is unavoidable… Maybe I will write an article about what if death wouldn’t exist. But now the point is, that death exists, the question is what we do with the time before that. I have seen my own grandmother suffer extremely for nearly a year before she died (because of cancer). In a weird way, there was something positive to her death, that she didn’t have to suffer anymore. Certain things we can’t avoid, so why not take the time before that as pleasant as possible?

Indifference is the enemy

Death is not the enemy gentlemen. If we’re going to fight a disease, let’s fight one of the most terrible diseases of all, indifference.

Oh, indifference. Yes, that kills a lot of things. Looking away from the bad, not standing up, not acting, not thinking for yourself. Indifference causes a lot of bad in this world. How can the world become a better place if everybody just looks away when something bad happens? A choice you don’t make is also a choice 😉

We are all doctors

A doctor’s mission should be not just to prevent death but also to improve the quality of life. That’s why you treat a disease, you win you lose, you treat a person, I guarantee you win no matter what the outcome.

This is also a beautiful quote 🙂 And by a doctor, everyone is meant. We are all doctors for each other. When we are there to listen when we give a helping hand. Of course, being a doctor and being able to do surgery or having specific know-how about certain treatments is important. But also, do you even know how much your mind impacts your body?? So, take care of both! This is something that I only learned in the past year. Take care of your body and mind!

More of my favorite inspirational Robin Williams quotes

Well, I could be going on and on with great quotes. There are just too many. I think you can also really see Robin Williams shine through these roles. And the message is very consistent.

I hope you can take something away from this and when you have a bad day, here are my secret videos I watch (which makes me cry but helps)

Inspirational Robin Williams Quotes as a compilation