Anime & Manga
If everyone is not special
Maybe you can be what you want to be!
Even if you're burdened by happiness and sadness
Your life is your own, OK?
It's okay to not be special
Everyone will surely find their own answers!
Maybe you can be what you want to be!
Even if you're burdened by happiness and sadness
Your life is your own, OK?
It's okay to not be special
Everyone will surely find their own answers!
Shinji: I'm a coward. I'm cowardly, sneaky, and weak!
Misato: No. Only if you think you are, but if you know yourself, you can take care of yourself.
Misato: No. Only if you think you are, but if you know yourself, you can take care of yourself.
"Listen, Simon. Never forget. Just believe in yourself. Not in the Simon that I believe in; not in the Kamina that you believe in. Have faith in the Simon who believes in you."
— Kamina, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
"No, you're wrong! We all have just one life to live. And this is your life you're living! It's not his!"
—-Kira Yamato to Rey Za Burrel, his rebuttal to the latter's mind-games pretending to be Rau Le Crueset, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, "Rey"
Comic Strips
Wally: The secret of happiness is to love who you are, not who others want you to be.
Dilbert: Doesn't that make you a sociopath?
Wally: Yeah, I love that about me.
Dilbert: Doesn't that make you a sociopath?
Wally: Yeah, I love that about me.
— Dilbert
Film — Animated
Remy: Why do I need to pretend?
Gusteau-apparition: But you don't, Remy. You never did.
Gusteau-apparition: But you don't, Remy. You never did.
"There is no secret ingredient. It's just you."
— Po, Kung Fu Panda
"Let me tell you something, Balto. A dog cannot make this journey alone. But maybe a wolf can."
— Boris, Balto
"Al, all joking aside, you really oughta be yourself."
— Genie, Aladdin, after Aladdin starts to feel trapped in the prince lie
"Look, it's none of my business, but who cares what these creeps think of you? They don't make you what you are, you do. You are who you choose to be."
—Dean McCoppin, The Iron Giant
'""Everyone keeps telling me how my story is supposed to go! Nah, I'ma do my own thing."''
— Miles Morales, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
"People have all kinds of sides to them, Mei. And some sides are...messy. The point isn't to push the bad stuff away, it's to make room for it, live with it."
— Jin Lee, Turning Red
Film — Live-Action
"Well, when I started out, I wanted to help people. But I became desperate and selfish. What I did was wrong. Buddy's who I thought the whole world wanted me to be. He's who I thought I wanted to be. And sometimes when you want something so so bad, you do just about anything to get it. But I learned one thing from Buddy. I learned that life isn't about being happy with how much you weigh, but just being happy with yourself."
— Sherman Klump, The Nutty Professor (1996)
"There is no one like you. There has never been anyone like you. There will never be anyone like you. Therefore, be yourself."
— André de Shields, John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch
Literature
"It's vital to remember who you really are. It's very important. It isn't a good idea to rely on other people or things to do it for you, you see. They always get it wrong."
— Rincewind, Sourcery
"So...whatever it is you are going to do next, do it as you. Good or bad, do it as you. Too many lies and there's no truth to go back to."
— Sergeant Jackrum, Monstrous Regiment
"The only power I have—The only power any of us have—is to be who we are. That's what I'm going to do here. Be who I am."
— Jacen Solo, Traitor
Tiffany: It's not funny, Miss Treason! What shall I do?
Miss Treason: I don't know. If possible, be yourself.
Miss Treason: I don't know. If possible, be yourself.
— Tiffany Aching and her mentor for this book discuss the latest trouble she's gotten herself into, Wintersmith
Bramblestar: I was just trying to do what Firestar would have done. He would have rescued the kittypets and helped ShadowClan not once, but twice.
Sandstorm: That's not what you're supposed to do! StarClan knew you would be a good leader in your own right. That's why they led your paws along this path. Firestar didn't appoint you to be his echo, but to be yourself. He trusted you to protect ThunderClan, to make decisions for them based on your own judgement and instincts. ... Tell me honestly, if there was no ThunderClan, no Firestar, no expectations, would you still have helped the kittypets? Interfered with ShadowClan?
Bramblestar: Yes, I would.
Sandstorm: You are the leader of ThunderClan now, Bramblestar. Not Firestar. Be the leader that you want to be. No cat expects anything else.
Sandstorm: That's not what you're supposed to do! StarClan knew you would be a good leader in your own right. That's why they led your paws along this path. Firestar didn't appoint you to be his echo, but to be yourself. He trusted you to protect ThunderClan, to make decisions for them based on your own judgement and instincts. ... Tell me honestly, if there was no ThunderClan, no Firestar, no expectations, would you still have helped the kittypets? Interfered with ShadowClan?
Bramblestar: Yes, I would.
Sandstorm: You are the leader of ThunderClan now, Bramblestar. Not Firestar. Be the leader that you want to be. No cat expects anything else.
— Warrior Cats: "Bramblestar's Storm"
Live-Action TV
"People always say you should be yourself, like "yourself" is this definite thing, like a toaster or something. Like you can know what it is, even."
— Angela, My So-Called Life
Molly: You should always just be yourself.
Aisling: That's a movie thing to say, not a real life thing to say.
Aisling: That's a movie thing to say, not a real life thing to say.
— Trivia
"You make each day a special day. You know how; by just your being you. There's only one person in this whole world like you. And people can like you exactly as you are."
"Success is related to standing out, not fitting in."
— Don Draper, Mad Men
Ginger: Don't tell me I'm unique, that's absurd!
Johnny: But you're one of a kind, I give you my word. / There's nobody quite like you!
Johnny: But you're one of a kind, I give you my word. / There's nobody quite like you!
— "There's Nobody Quite Like You" song, Johnny and the Sprites
Let me give you some advice, bastard: never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armour. Then it can never be used to hurt you.
— Tyrion Lannister, Game of Thrones
Music
"Your only validation is in living your own life
Vicarious existence is a fucking waste of time"
Vicarious existence is a fucking waste of time"
— Guns N' Roses, "Don't Damn Me"
"There's only one thing that I know how to do well
And I've often been told that you only can do
What you know how to do well
And that's be you
Be what you're like
Be like yourself"
And I've often been told that you only can do
What you know how to do well
And that's be you
Be what you're like
Be like yourself"
— They Might Be Giants, "Whistling In The Dark"
"Make lots of noise,
Kiss lots of boys,
Or kiss lots of girls
If that's somethin' you're into,
When the straight and narrow
Gets a little to straight,
Roll up a joint,
Or don't,
Just follow your arrow wherever it points,
Follow your arrow wherever it points."
Kiss lots of boys,
Or kiss lots of girls
If that's somethin' you're into,
When the straight and narrow
Gets a little to straight,
Roll up a joint,
Or don't,
Just follow your arrow wherever it points,
Follow your arrow wherever it points."
— Kacey Musgraves, Follow Your Arrow
"In your hands is whom you've chosen to be/Life is a freedom, now go out there be be free"
— Reamonn, "Through the Eyes of a Child"
I've become so numb, I can't feel you there
Become so tired, so much more aware
I'm becoming this, all I want to do
Is be more like me, and be less like you
Become so tired, so much more aware
I'm becoming this, all I want to do
Is be more like me, and be less like you
"Notice the ones who all like to criticize
Are the ones trying to hide
Why would I sell my soul to be one of them?
Better to love the me within behind the skin
I choose to be a goddess inside"
Are the ones trying to hide
Why would I sell my soul to be one of them?
Better to love the me within behind the skin
I choose to be a goddess inside"
—Heather Dale, "Medusa"
Theatre
"This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man."
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man."
— Polonius, Hamlet, after a monologue's worth of advice
"Today is going to be a good day, and here's why: because today… today at least you're you. No hiding, no lying. Just you. And that's enough."
— Evan Hansen, Dear Evan Hansen
Video Games
"Do not let others tell you how to act in life, especially if they are trying to change you. Unless you act like a prick, then listen to your friends."
—Joule, Agents of Mayhem
Susie: HAHAHA!! How's it taste, idiot?! Man, I'm gonna relish this FOREVER! How's it feel to be like the rest of us, idiot? All those times you acted so high and mighty? You're not! Face it! You're just as big a dumbass as the rest of us!
Berdly: ...fine. I...I'm not that smart. I never was. THERE, are you happy?! I...I...I just...I used to be a forgettable little bluebird. Nobody even remembered my name. Then...one day came the spelling bee Noelle and I studied for. When it came down to the two of us...She got nervous and couldn't speak. She lost. And I won. That was when I tasted it. The praise. The glory. The...superiority! The addictive power of being...SMART! Since then, year after year, I've been number one in the class. ...but it's only because Noelle helps me study. She's...the real smart kid. But everyone's expectations for ME are so high now...What am I going to do once I go somewhere without her? That's...why I wanted to make a new world. For us. A world where we'll ALWAYS be number one and number two! But..I was so wrapped up in that, I got tricked by Queen. Maybe I did just like being superior. Maybe I am...just...an idiot.
Lancer: Don't cry, chicken nugget man! All of us are idiots, too.
Susie: ...I mean, I dunno about everybody else, but...Whether you're the smart kid or not. We couldn't care less. Screw up as much as you want, honestly.
Berdly: Susie? You...you'd...accept me? Even if I'm...dumb?
Susie: Uh...y..yeah? It's like when your sister gets cursed in Dragon Blazers 2. Even if her stats suck, she's still your party member.
"Don't try to be someone you are not. Try to be even more of who you are."
— Snow Villers, Final Fantasy XIII
Web Animation
The Blacksmith: Your time is running out. You must choose. Choose for yourself one who can leave your burdens behind... or choose one who will be enough to bear them.
(Later...)
Ruby: What happens... if I choose me?
The Blacksmith: Then maybe... that girl is enough.
Web Original
Panpipe
: I... I'm sorry. I just wanted people to think—
Nautilus: You can't make the world like you, Panpipe. All you can do is be true to your heart. And then, some people still won't like you! Ever! But if you like yourself, it's really not so bad.
: I... I'm sorry. I just wanted people to think— Nautilus: You can't make the world like you, Panpipe. All you can do is be true to your heart. And then, some people still won't like you! Ever! But if you like yourself, it's really not so bad.
Western Animation
Marge: You'll make plenty of friends, as long as you be yourself.
[Marge leaves]
Lisa: Be yourself? I've been myself for 8 years and it's never helped me! Lousy advice...
[Marge leaves]
Lisa: Be yourself? I've been myself for 8 years and it's never helped me! Lousy advice...
Firefly: Being yourself is mighty fine. That's the way you really shine!
Lily Lightly: Well, I guess it's true, let's light the world up, me and you! We will
Firefly and Lily: shine! Shine on! Shine our light with all our might!
Lily Lightly: Well, I guess it's true, let's light the world up, me and you! We will
Firefly and Lily: shine! Shine on! Shine our light with all our might!
— My Little Pony (G3), "Come Back, Lily Lightly"
"There's no such thing as 'perfect'. You're beautiful as you are, Courage. With all your imperfections, you can do anything."
— The fish in the bathtub, Courage the Cowardly Dog
Tenzin: Dad, I've failed you. I am no spiritual leader, and I've let the world down. I'll never be the man you were.
Aang: You are right. You are trying to hold on to a false perception of yourself. You are not me, and you should not be me. You are Tenzin.
Tenzin: I am not a reflection of my father. I am Tenzin. (With rising confidence) I am Tenzin!
Aang: You are right. You are trying to hold on to a false perception of yourself. You are not me, and you should not be me. You are Tenzin.
Tenzin: I am not a reflection of my father. I am Tenzin. (With rising confidence) I am Tenzin!
— The Legend of Korra: "Darkness Falls"
Connie: Will you two can it?!
Lapis: That's not a very Steven thing to say.
Connie: I don't care! So I'm not Steven. Maybe he's really great at helping people work out these arguments, maybe he's really patient and caring, even though it must be hard for him having to be the adult for a bunch of super-powered children!
Lapis: We're both thousands of years older than you.
Connie: Then act like it! Be the Gems you've been for thousands of years instead of playing this silly game. It's impossible trying to solve problems if we're just trying to copy other people. What's the point of this? We'll never be the Crystal Gems. We're just... the Crystal Temps. But we have our own way of doing things. So, let's go back to that, to fix this mess we made.
Lapis: That's not a very Steven thing to say.
Connie: I don't care! So I'm not Steven. Maybe he's really great at helping people work out these arguments, maybe he's really patient and caring, even though it must be hard for him having to be the adult for a bunch of super-powered children!
Lapis: We're both thousands of years older than you.
Connie: Then act like it! Be the Gems you've been for thousands of years instead of playing this silly game. It's impossible trying to solve problems if we're just trying to copy other people. What's the point of this? We'll never be the Crystal Gems. We're just... the Crystal Temps. But we have our own way of doing things. So, let's go back to that, to fix this mess we made.
— Steven Universe, "The New Crystal Gems"
Don't you raise your shield at me! I only want you to be yourself! If you can't do that... I'll do it FOR YOU!!
— White Diamond, to Pink Steven, Steven Universe, "Change Your Mind"
♫ Oh, yeah
Tried being someone else
But it didn't go well
I'd much rather be myself
Oh, yeah
'Cause I'm cool, I'm legit
Like peanut butter jelly
I'm the perfect fit
Oh, yeah
Tried changing what I had
But it only made me sad
Turns out I am really rad
Oh, yeah
'Cause I'm cool, I'm legit
No one can do it better
I'm the perfect fit ♫
Tried being someone else
But it didn't go well
I'd much rather be myself
Oh, yeah
'Cause I'm cool, I'm legit
Like peanut butter jelly
I'm the perfect fit
Oh, yeah
Tried changing what I had
But it only made me sad
Turns out I am really rad
Oh, yeah
'Cause I'm cool, I'm legit
No one can do it better
I'm the perfect fit ♫
—The Tillermans, "Perfect Fit", Central Park, Season 3 "The Puffs Go Poof"
♫ If you could only see
What it's like to be.
Be yourself, as you are.♫
What it's like to be.
Be yourself, as you are.♫
— Blythe Baxter, Littlest Petshop 2012
Real Life
"If you go to the grocery store and you stand in front of the lunch meat section for too long, you start to get really pissed off at turkeys. You see, like, turkey ham, turkey pastrami, turkey bologna. Someone needs to tell the turkeys, 'Man, just be yourself!'"
"All of this gruesome grotesquerie is incredibly wrapped up into a story that grunts and groans and laboriously offers up a Moral at the film's end, which is, and I quote: "It's not about what you are, it's about who you are." I could have told you that."
"Always be yourself, unless you suck."
"Be yourself. Everybody else is already taken."
— Often misattributed to Oscar Wilde
"Be who you are and say what you think, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."
"Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else."
"Not everyone will understand your journey. That’s okay. You’re here to live your life, not to make everyone understand."
— Banksy
"So it's not just an open relationship from a sexual standpoint, it's an open relationship in terms of dialog that you're having with your spouse, your mate, you mate, your daughters, your mothers, your fathers, because we always hear "be someone important" or "be yourself" but that's only when it's politically correct-when you've fallen into the boundaries of what people expect of you as opposed to you being yourself when it's against the proverbial norm but what we find is against the norm is really the norm."
