It’s very hard to find a comedy that is both funny and optimistic, but Ted Lasso is just that. It’s about an upbeat American with no experience in soccer(football) who ends up managing a struggling London football club. Season one was exceptional and the current second season is good too. What stands out for me is that I end up remembering the words of Ted Lasso and applying it in my life! It started with the following line:
“Guys have underestimated me my entire life and for years I never understood why – it used to really bother me. But then one day I was driving my little boy to school and I saw a quote by Walt Whitman, it was painted on the wall and it said, ‘Be curious, not judgmental.’ I like that.”
Now, I make sure I’m curious, rather than judgmental. For example, when I hear a new idea from anyone, it’s tempting to criticize, but it is so much more liberating to be open and curious. I’d recommend this mindset. Here are some other quotes from the great Ted Lasso:
“You know what the happiest animal on Earth is? It’s a goldfish. You know why? Got a ten-second memory. Be a goldfish, Sam.”
“Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn’t it? If you’re comfortable while you’re doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.”
“As the man once said, the harder you work, the luckier you get.”
“If that’s a joke, I love it. If not, can’t wait to unpack that with you later.”
“Your body is like day-old rice. If it ain’t warmed up properly, something real bad could happen.”
“I promise you there is something worse out there than being sad, and that’s being alone and being sad.”
[Ted to Jamie and Roy Kent]: “Now, listen. You two knuckleheads have split our locker room in half. And when it comes to locker rooms, I like ’em just like my mother’s bathing suits: I only wanna see ’em in one piece, you hear?
“I feel like we fell out of the lucky tree and hit every branch on the way down, ended up in a pool of cash and Sour Patch Kids.”
“If you care about someone, and you got a little love in your heart, there ain’t nothing you can’t get through together.”
“There’s two buttons I never like to hit: that’s panic and snooze.”
“Don’t let the wisdom of age be wasted on you.”
“Sounds to me like someone’s trapped inside life’s most complicated shape. A love triangle. Second place of course is the ‘I just walked in on my mother-in-law changing into her swimsuit dodecahedron.’”
“For me, success is not about the wins and losses. It’s about helping these young fellas be the best versions of themselves on and off the field.”
“I like the idea of someone becoming rich because of what they gave to the world, not just because of who their family is.”
But I don’t agree with Lasso on tea:
[Ted Lasso]: “You know, I always figured that tea was going to taste like hot brown water. And you know what? I was right. Yeah, it’s horrible. No, thank you.”
Hope you find the quotes inspiring. I did.
Bilal