By Tara Yilmaz
I have never been one to shy away from a good quote. I view them as little windows that open up into a world of tiny life lessons. Each quote that you will read about in this article is hand-picked by me and serves a purpose to enrich one’s perspective. In the words of actor Chris Pine, the second most famous Captain James Tiberius Kirk from the USS Enterprise, “The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don't have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it.”
→ Did you know Steve Biko was the South African anti-apartheid activist and founding member of the South African Student Organization (SASO)? Later on, SASO evolved into the Black Conscious Movement (BCM). Biko may not be a household name, or even embedded into the minds of today’s youth, but he gave the ultimate sacrifice for Africans and African-Americans to be freed from the psychological inferiority that apartheid encouraged. “It is better to die for an idea that will live than to live for an idea that will die.”
→ Did you know the quote "He who does not know the truth is only a fool. But he who knows it and calls it a lie is a criminal," is from the Italian Astronomer Galileo Galilei? In today’s “search for truth” climate, his quote should be plastered as a disclaimer on every online opinion forum. For example, Galileo was put on trial at the Inquisition headquarters in Rome for his scientific evidence-based theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. His skeptics then hold comparisons to skeptics of today both vehemently denying the truth for a more favorable conspiracy like flat-earthers or many other bogus fallacies. Galileo may have existed in the 17th century but this quote is relevant today.
→ Did you know the highly anticipated and most criticized movie of 2023 is Barbie? Writer and Director Greta Gerwig brought to life Barbie on the silver screen. To the delight of many 60s, 70s, and 80s babies, scores of women flocked to the movie theater dressed in pink attire to bask in the glory of a live-action Barbie film. Viewers can agree or disagree that this particular Barbie film is geared toward the mature crowd and context may go over the heads of the younger viewers, but who cares! It’s Barbie! In all its pink-plush phenomenal script, there were words of wisdom that perfectly echoed the sentiment of what it means to be a woman. “Barbie is all these women, and all these women are Barbie.”
From the Barbie creator Ruth Handler, played by Rhea Perlman, “We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back to see how far they have come.” And my absolute favorite quote by Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, is “Every night is girls’ night.” If only…
→ Did you know “The Godfather,” a novel by Mario Puzo published in 1969, became one of the most successful fiction books selling over 21 million copies worldwide? In 1972, the fictional story of a Sicilian organized crime family, The Corleones, achieved theatrical masterpiece status. For decades line after line have been uttered by film critics, fans, and wannabe gangsters.
The portrayal of a mafia family with a strict code of honor captivated audiences like no other mafia movie before. Not even “Little Caesar” (1930), “Scarface” (1932), and many others. The film portrayed complex characters with unforgettable lines. “Revenge is a dish best served cold,” Don Vito Corleone. “Keep your friends close but your enemies closer” Michael Corleone. Arguably the film’s most iconic character is Santino “Sonny” Corleone. “We’re going to the mattresses.”
His presence was short-lived on the screen, but his badda-beep, badda-bap-badda-boop is on par with “Leave the gun, take the cannoli,” ad-libbed by actor Richard Castellano.