Like many of us, Billy Madison still doesn’t have life figured out. When he realizes that his immature antics may keep him from taking over his father’s company, Billy is determined to show that he’s up to the task of running the business and winning his dad’s approval.
When faced with the ultimate challenge of our lives, we respond in various ways, sometimes with grit and determination, sometimes with fear, and sometimes with humor to soothe our nerves. Billy is just like us. Who knew that a 27-year-old manchild could be such a great role model for overcoming challenges and achieving your dreams. Next time you need to prove that you’re prepared for the challenges ahead, think about these lines from Billy Madison.
“I don’t know. I kind of feel like an idiot sometimes. Although I am an idiot, so it kind of works out.“
When Veronica Vaughn asks Billy what it’s like to be back in school, Billy’s honest answer speaks for all of us. He’s been living out his youth in blissful ignorance, but now it’s time to grow up, and life isn’t as easy as it seems.
When it’s time to take on a big challenge, you need to be more self-confident than Billy is in this moment, but being humble can also let people know that you recognize your flaws and you’re ready to push past them.
“You get your ass out there and you find that f*cking dog!”
While reading a children’s book about a missing dog, Billy finally feels that kick in the butt that he needed to jumpstart his life. We’ve all felt sluggish, wading through life at times, but like Billy, when it’s time to make a change, we get off our ass and we “find that f*cking dog!”
If you need to kick start your own pursuit, repeat this mantra until you find yourself back in the game.
“I made the duck blue because I’d never seen a blue duck before and I wanted to see one.”
The real inspirational quote is “You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?’” and it’s from George Bernard Shaw’s play, Back To Methuselah, though you may know it from the sentiments it inspired in John, Robert, and Teddy Kennedy.
Is it weird that we’re mentioning the Kennedy’s and George Bernard Shaw in a Billy Madison quote post? Hang in there. Though that deeper meaning probably isn’t at the heart of this silly moment from the film, the point is, Billy’s blue duck demonstrated that he was a dreamer who didn’t accept the boundaries of this world. He wanted to know what a blue duck looked like and so he made one.
In your quest to conquer your next challenge, you’re going to need that same kind of imagination and willingness to push past the limitations others put in your way. And if a thought about a blue duck or an Irish novelist help remind you of that, then mission accomplished.
“A simple wrong would have done just fine.”
After Billy spends some time searching around in the dark caverns of his mind for an answer that lays out what the industrial revolution was he’s a bit put off by an extreme response to his attempt at an answer. If you’re in a similar situation where someone feels the need to make an example out of you, your instinct may be to cower and accept the embarrassment, but speaking your mind in the way that Billy did will show a kind of resiliency that will only help you as you face your next challenge.
“You ain’t cool unless you pee your pants.”
Painfully aware of what it feels like to be mocked, Billy throws himself on an insult grenade to save his friend Ernie after the kid pees his pants on a field trip. If you need evidence of Billy’s innate goodness, here it is, but it’s also a reminder that you need to always look out for your friends because when you’re in the midst of a challenge, you’re going to need their moral support to get your through.
“Stop looking at me, Swan!”
It’s hard to imagine getting much inspirational value from Billy’s bathtime silliness, but when he tells off a golden swan faucet that is (rightly) judging his bizarre shampoo and conditioner puppet show/fight for hair care supremacy, but it does minorly speak to the need to confront those that are judging you. They say sun shine is the best disinfectant, and that’s true with judgemental tools as well. Call them out and watch them wither. Just so long as they’re real and not imagined, of course.
Billy Madison: “I think Donkey Kong is the best game ever.”
Kid: “Donkey Kong sucks.”
Billy Madison: “You know something? YOU SUCK!”
When you’re trying to triumph over that which seems insurmountable, people are going to fall away from you, they’re going to mock you, and they’re going to tell you you’re wrong — like this little brat who is sleeping on the brilliance of Donkey Kong during a cafeteria debate for the ages on which video game is the greatest of all time. Billy’s response is the perfect reminder that you need to hold onto your beliefs no matter what, though. Because they may be the only thing that sticks around through thick and thin.
