“I am always amazed that so many people are concerned with wanting to be what they are not;What is the point of making yourself look ridiculous?You don't always have to pretend to be strong,there is no need to prove all the time that everything is going well,you shouldn't be concerned about what other people are thinking.Cry if you need to,it's good to cry out all your tears,because only then you will be able to smile again...”

“Because it has lived its life intenselythe parched grass still attracts the gaze of passers-by.The flowers merely flower,and they do this as well as they can.The white lily, blooming unseen in the valley,Does not need to explain itself to anyone;It lives merely for beauty.Man, however, cannot accept that 'merely'.If tomatoes wanted to be melons,they would look completely ridiculous.I am always amazedthat so many people are concernedwith wanting to be what they are not;what's the point of making yourself look ridicuolous?You don't always have to pretend to be strong,there's no need to prove all the time that everything is going well,you shouldn't be concerned about what other people are thinking,cry if you need to,it's good to cry out all your tears(because only then will you be able to smile again).”

“There's a big confusion in this country over what we want versus what we need," Morrie said. "You need food, you want a chocolate sundae. You have to be honest with yourself. You don't need the latest sports car, you don't need the biggest house. The truth is, you don't get satisfaction from those things. You know what really gives you satisfaction?...Offering others what you have to give...I don't mean money, Mitch. I mean your time. Your concern. Your storytelling. It's not so hard.”

“That is not what I meant. Of course you belong here, because you have offered me your friendship, and friends always belong together. But friends look out for each other's welfare, and I am concerned for yours. I wish only to protect you.""It is I who must protect you!" she exclaimed, although she did not understand why she felt this so strongly. "You need protecting. I can look after myself.""None of us can look after ourselves," he said after a moment. "We all have to look after each other.”

“It's strange how we always want other people to feel what we feel. It must be a basic human drive. Misery loves company, right? Or when you see a movie that you love, don't you want to drag all your friends to see it as well? Because it's only good the second time if it's the first time for somebody else—as if their experience somehow resonates inside of you.”

“I will always be there in the wings saying, 'You need to be good to people. You need to take your work seriously. You need to have integrity. You need to work with what you've got.”