For Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Arnold Schwarzenegger, already an established movie superstar, earned $17 million, which, given his character’s laconicism, translated into roughly $21,000 per word. That is, for just one of his iconic phrases, “Hasta la vista, baby,” the actor earned way more than for the entire first Terminator movie.
However, the significance of wise, beautiful, or simply catchy phrases can sometimes be far more important to people than any amount of money. Simply because such a phrase can often truly change a person’s life. As it happened, for example, with the heroes of this collection of stories.
More info: Reddit
#1
When someone closed passed away, instead of the usual b******t like ‘they are i a better place now’, someone said: ‘they are worth every single tear’.
Image source: AnteaterExisting5918, freepik
#2
When people would ask my science teacher a question, he loved to respond to them with more questions. He would lead you through a series of answers, leading up to the answer to the question that you initially asked. Then he would say, “See how smart you are, you knew the answer the whole time.” I always loved Mr. Leonard for that.
Image source: starsfan26, freepik
#3
When my dad was diagnosed with a terminal illness, everyone just kept saying everything would be okay. I had a customer at the time say with an online sale when we were chatting:
“Tough days ahead”
It was so simple but he was the only person who was honest with me. Everyone else was lying/trying to protect my feelings.
Image source: areweintheclearyet_, freepik
#4
When I was learning how to drive some 35 years ago, an adult friend told me the most important thing was, “Always expect everyone else to do something stupid.”
True to this day. Never forgot it.
Image source: Mopper300, Drazen Zigic
#5
A lack of preparation on your part does not make for an emergency on mine.
Image source: lazeeassedmenace, freepik
#6
“The opposite of love is not hate but to be ignored.” This will sit with me forever.
Image source: Familiar_Accident_73, wavebreakmedia_micro
#7
I had a therapist tell me once “when you start to get healthy, people will start to get angry.” Mind blowing 🤯 truth right there! The minute I started setting healthy boundaries in my life the worst offenders, my family, got madddddd! But my life is better for it so thank you Rhonda!
Image source: DifferentMethod8090, freepik
#8
“ no one thinks about you as much as you do”
Sounds in text very rude but in context it was very loving. Genuinely changed my perspective on myself.
No one analyzes your actions and words and looks like we do to ourselves. No one thinks about the small things you don’t like, the embarrassing moments that keep you awake or the outfit malfunctions. You’re not that important. Thank god.
That means you aren’t that bad.
I’ve gained so much self love from thinking this way.
Image source: —-mgk, ltclassics
#9
“He’s not there.” My husband said this to me gently when I couldn’t leave my father’s casket. I will always remember that he’s not there, he’s in my heart and will be forever.
Image source: KatMagic1977, wirestock
#10
Be kind to yourself like you do for others.
#11
“You’re smarter than everyone here. You shouldn’t be working in a factory. Go to school, keep your head down and learn something.”
Told to me by a factory collegue when I broke down from packing sausages the entire day when I was 16.
Image source: zeekoes, cookie_studio
#12
Not a sentence but a sound. The day I graduated from college. My dad cheered the loudest in the room. Still makes me beam years later.
Image source: Pineapple-dancer, Maurice Chammah
#13
Roughly it was:
“You know those people who just light up your life and make you feel warm and fuzzy? You don’t realise they do it till they’re gone…
I’m so glad you’re back”.
Image source: Appropriate_Dirt_285, wayhomestudio
#14
I can’t remember the exact words, but it was something my Home Ec teacher in high school said about her teaching style: “Some teachers think that you have to be harsh on students to teach properly, but I’ve always found kindness to be just as effective”.
For some reason it always stuck with me and reminded me that kindness isn’t a weakness, and shouldn’t be treated as such.
Image source: dagudzucc, pikisuperstar
#15
My mom has Alzheimer’s and right before she lost the ability to speak she said with complete lucidity one day “you know, I’m not sure what’s going to happen but I’m not afraid.” I think about this every day.
Image source: bittyveg, freepik
#16
The day are long but the years are short.
So true, especially now that my children are grown.
Image source: pianoman81, Pixar
#17
“Just cos the person you’re with is the right person for you doesn’t mean you’re the right person for them” 🤯.
Image source: NHRD1878, freepik
#18
You wouldn’t worry so much about what others thought of you, if you knew how seldom they did.
Image source: TaliaHolderkin, EyeEm
#19
“You’re just too much of everything.” As I was excitedly explaining how I was the first in 4 generations to seek higher education.
Never lost my twinkle so quickly. I was just excited to share some great news.
Edit: Thank you to everyone for their support. I am in a much better place and have been for a while now. I’ve graduated, and I’m extremely thankful for the journey that I’ve endured. Without it, I wouldn’t be me. 🫶.
#20
I was tied up and taken in the middle of the night to this Christian boys home/boot camp thing. Absolutely the most miserable time of my life. While I was there we had a flood and we were helping these coast guards fill these bags up with sand. I wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone in the boys home but I was allowed to talk to the coast guard I was helping. I ended up confiding in him about how I ended up there and how much I hated it. He told me he also hated where he was at and that he was stuck there too. It was nice to have something relatable with someone for once, but at one point he told me “Nothing lasts forever.” and that always stuck with me.
I feel like everyone thinks of good things ending when they hear “nothing lasts forever.” But to hear it in that context was actually reassuring. Knowing that no matter how much I hated where I was and how miserable I was, it wouldn’t last forever. I carried that quote with me the rest of the time I was at that place.
In case anyone is curious, the place I went to was called Anchor Academy. There’s actually a small documentary about it online called “The Anchor Home For Boys – Tough Love or A***e?”.
Image source: Admirable_Seat_1466, Maurice Chammah
#21
My girlfriend once said to me;
“I know things are tough, i know you are stressed and you can talk to me, but you can’t bring it home”
She was right. I owe her a lot.
Image source: SpankThuMonkey, drobotdean
#22
“Assume ignorance, not malice.”.
Image source: feminismandtravel
#23
I’m a mom of three young children. Going out by myself, I hear “you’ve got your hands full!” So so often. One time a guy told me, “you’re doing a really great job, being a mom is hard.” And dang, I needed that 😭.
Image source: Murky-Contact7112, photoroyalty
#24
“A tree that has borne fruit cannot look like a sapling.”
Said, supportively, about unrealistic expectations for mothers’ bodies.
Image source: Sitka_8675309
#25
‘No you don’t understand’. I was a pre-med college student and volunteering at a hospital. A chronically ill patient was telling me about their pain and reflexively I said ‘I understand’. He said ‘no you really don’t’. That struck me and I’ve never said it again in all 10 years I’ve been in medicine. Now I say ‘I really can’t understand, but I want to help as best I can’.
Image source: wherewemakeourstand, Drazen Zigic
#26
“And for God’s sake, don’t pay for it.”
– My father, concluding the “s*x talk.”.
Image source: Agile-Ad1665, ruslan_shramko
#27
It wasn’t long ago, but it was one of the most impactful sentences of my life
she said, “there’s nothing wrong with you, you’re just different”
i’m bipolar and all my life i felt like there was something wrong with me, i just didn’t know what. that’s literally what i said to her. we haven’t been dating long, but i felt the need to tell her about my disorder and all i was met with was understanding and acceptance
it’s made me realise that i should try to love myself and accept this part of me, that im worthy of love and happiness.
Image source: acidwarlock_, Wavebreak Media
#28
“Dont worry about it. If this is the worst problem I have today, I am truly blessed. ”
– when I said Sorry to the guy behind me in line at Lowes because my order had an issue, and they were having trouble ringing me up.
Image source: whatdodoisthis
#29
“ive seen plastic bags go further in life than you”.
Image source: Aggressive-Pilot8145, tatyana2206
#30
“you have a wonderful smile, i wish i saw more of it”, i was a depressed teenager and its the only “smile more” actually made me smile more 🤣.
Image source: ValentinaVampyr
#31
My Mother said, when I was 11yrs old, that she was supposed to love me, but just didn’t like me enough. We are no contact.
Image source: Plannersaerus, ufabizphoto
#32
“When you have a problem that can’t be fixed with money, that’s the moment you realize you have a real problem”. – Grandma.
Image source: nursejackie42, Ambreen
#33
“I’ve never understood you and I don’t think I want to either”
Said by my best friend of over a decade. We no longer speak.
Image source: Search_destroy
#34
“I wish you didn’t have to work so much” – my mom’s last coherent words to me as I was having to rush downstairs to work in the ER.
Image source: TheUnknown285, freepik
#35
“The last guy who was perfect ended up getting crucified”.
Image source: Ob1wonshinobi
#36
My boyfriend said “When you drink, I am ashamed of you”. I am now almost 5 years sober and he is my husband :).
Image source: cococharbz, freepik
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