Entertainment
20 Amy Poehler Quotes that Will Inspire Your 2014
Amy Poehler is a wise woman. She is not just the current reigning Queen of Comedy (alongside Tina Fey, of course), but she is just, in general, a woman with a lot of really good advice to give about making your way through the world.
This year, 2013, has been a rough one in a lot of ways — we've had a continuing epidemic of mass shootings; multiple, very public cases of towns shunning rape victims; and partisan bickering escalating to the point of a literal shutdown of the United States government. From the political to the personal, we've experienced plenty of ups and downs.
We have no way of knowing what's to come in 2014, but what we do know is this: The show must go on. And if the show must go on (and yes, it must), we figure one way of ushering in the new year is by spending some time reveling in the sage advice/thoughts/what have you of a wise, talented, and funny woman. We're all gonna have to work to change the world (both the big one and our own personal world) in whatever ways we can, so let's turn to those who we're most inspired by.
Like, say, our favorite Queen of Comedy, Amy Poehler. Tell us, the artist also known as Leslie Knope, how should we navigate the world in 2014?
On working with others:
"As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life."
Source: Harvard Commencement Address
On bossy ladies:
"I just love bossy women. I could be around them all day. To me, bossy is not a pejorative term at all. It means somebody's passionate and engaged and ambitious and doesn't mind leading."
Source: Glamour
On opening your heart:
"Don't treat your heart like an action figure wrapped in plastic and never used. And don't try to give me that nerd argument that your heart is a 'Batman' with a limited-edition silver batarang and therefore if it stays in its original packing it increases in value."
Source: Harvard Commencement Address
And your mind:
"Try to keep your mind open to possibilities and your mouth closed on matters that you don't know about. Limit your 'always' and your 'nevers.'"
Source: Harvard Commencement Address
On not letting the hipster get in the way:
"What worries me the most is this trend that caring about something isn't cool. That it's better to comment on something than to commit to it. That it's so much cooler to be unmotivated and indifferent."
Source: Huffington Post
And the power of the face:
"I cannot stress enough that the answer to life's questions is often in people's faces. Try putting your iPhones down once in a while, and look in people's faces. People's faces will tell you amazing things. Like if they are angry, or nauseous or asleep."
Source: Harvard Commencement Address
On acceptance:
"The earlier you learn that you should focus on what you have, and not obsess about what you don't have, the happier you will be."Source: Glamour
And love:
"You deserve love and you'll get it."
Source: Smart Girls At the Party
On young ladies:
"I get worried for young girls sometimes: I want them to feel that they can be sassy and full and geeky and smart and independent. And not so withered and shriveled."
Source: Smart Girls At the Party
And silliness:
"There's power in looking silly and not caring that you do."
Source: Smart Girls At the Party
On competition:
"Rooting for other people's failure does get in the way of your success."
Source: Smart Girls At the Party
And jumping in:
"Great people do things before they’re ready. They do things before they know they can do it... Doing what you're afraid of, getting out of your comfort zone, taking risks like that -- that is what life is. You might be really good. You might find out something about yourself that's really special and if you're not good, who cares? You tried something. Now you know something about yourself."
Source: Smart Girls At the Party
On weeding out the bad:
"Anybody who doesn't make you feel good, kick them to the curb. And the earlier you start in your life, the better."
Source: Harvard Commencement Address
And taking risks:
"Take your risks now, as you grow older you become more fearful and less flexible. And I mean that literally. I hurt my knee this week on the treadmill and it wasn't even on."
On the power of the apology:
"Apologies can be simple. They don't have to be grandiose, and it's never too late to apologize."
Source: Harvard Commencement Address
And the heart:
"Continue to share your heart with people even if it's been broken."
Source: Harvard Commencement Address
On being scared and feeling brave:
"When you feel scared, hold someone's hand and look into their eyes. And when you feel brave, do the same thing."
Source: Harvard Commencement Address
On arguing:
"If you can speak about what you care about to a person you disagree with without denigrating or insulting them, then you may actually be heard, and you might even change their mind."
Source: Harvard Commencement Address
On letting yourself love the quiet moments:
"We're so bombarded with noise and activity and headphones and gossip and jackhammers... it's hard to get quiet and to quiet our minds, so you wanting that is totally natural."
Source: Huffington Post
And the simple, but important:
"When in doubt, make funny faces."
Source: The Daily Beast
