Quotes / The Pollyanna

Anime & Manga

Kafuka Fuura: The world is filled with hope! Like I said, nobody would ever try to die on such a beautiful day.
Nozomu Itoshiki: There's one right here, next to you.
Kafuka: Nobody at all!

— Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei

Film

"Sometimes, the world is black
And tears run from your eyes
Maybe we'll all get really sick
And maybe we'll all die...
Sooooooooooooo, let's build a snowman
We can make him our best friend
We can name him Tom or we can name him George
We can make him tall, or we can make him not so tall
Snowman!"

— Israel Swan, Cannibal! The Musical

Literature

He remembered in Glinda's story that he had always been slow to see the negative, and it was comforting.

— Narration of Zal thinking about himself, Chasing the Dragon

You didn't have to know Pilu for long to see that he floated through life like a coconut on the ocean. He always bobbed up. There was some sort of natural spring of cheerfulness that bubbled to the surface. Sadness was like a cloud across the sun, soon past. Sorrow was tucked away somewhere in his head, locked up in a cage with a blanket over it, like the captain's parrot. He dealt with troubling thoughts by simply not thinking them; it was as if someone had put a dog's brain in a boy's body and, right now, Mau would have given anything to be him.

— Nation

Much as a rubber ball deforms on impact only to spring back into its usual shape, so Bose's crumpled spirits soon rose above such small distractions as having two friends die in relatively rapid succession and in the most horrible ways.

— Johannes Cabal and the Fear Institute

Live-Action TV

Ari: The winters are cold. But I can't complain. My socks have holes. But again, do I complain? I do not. The oldest needs braces. The youngest once sneezed for three days straight. But who could complain? They're gifts.
Gus: Children?
Ari: All of it. The cold, the holes.

— Fargo, "The Six Ungraspables"

Music

Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...

— Monty Python's Life of Brian, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"

Things that bother you never bother me
I feel happy and fine! AHA!
Living in the sunlight,
Loving in the moonlight
Having a wonderful time!
Haven't got a lot,
I don't need a lot
Coffee's only a dime
Living in the sunlight,
Loving in the moonlight,
Having a wonderful time!

— Tiny Tim, "Livin' In The Sunlight, Lovin' In The Moonlight"

Some people might get some pleasure out of hate
Me, I've enough already on my plate

— The Jam, "Going Underground"

Never met a man I didn't like
Never shook a hand I didn't like
Royal Prince of Wales or working Joe
Though I know life's one long rocky hike
Never met a man I didn't like

— Barry Manilow, "Never Met a Man That I Didn't Like"

I like ev'rybody
That's my kind of fun
And tho' I strike ev'rybody
As chump Number one
No robber can rob
This good natural slob
Of his private sky of blue
I like everybody, and extra spec'lly
I like you

— The Most Happy Fella, "I Like Everybody"

You may say I'm a fool
Feelin' the way that I do
You can call me Pollyanna
Say I'm crazy as a loon
I believe in silver linings
And that's why I believe in you

— EarthBound Beginnings, "Pollyanna"

So it goes like it goes
Like the river flows
And time keeps rolling right on, oh
And maybe what's good gets a little bit better
And maybe what's bad gets gone

— Dusty Springfield, "It Goes Like It Goes"

Have you heard the news? Everyone's talkin'!
Life is good 'cause everything's awesome!
Lost my job, it's a new opportunity,
More free time for my awesome community!
[...]
Stepped in mud, got new brown shoes!
It's awesome to win, and it's awesome to lose!

— Tegan & Sara feat. The Lonely Island, "Everything Is Awesome"

I’m the mad mad piper
Tweedle leedle lay
My life’s a mess, and I’m wearing a dress
But I’m happy anyway
I’m the mad mad piper
Tweedle leedle lay
I’m quite insane, I’m everybody’s pain
But I blow it anyway

— Dr. Macdoo, The Mad Piper

Sometimes in our lives
We all have pain
We all have sorrow;
But if we are wise
We know that there's
Always tomorrow...

— Bill Withers, "Lean on Me"

Sometimes the little things start closin' in on me
When I'm feelin' down, I wanna lose that frown
I stick my head out the window and I look around
Those clouds don't scare me; they can't disguise
this magic that's happened right before my eyes
Soon Mr. Moon will be shinin' bright
so the best day ever can last all night
Yeah, the best day ever's gonna last all night, now!

— SpongeBob SquarePants, "The Best Day Ever"

Video Games

"Sometimes life puts you in difficult circumstances you didn't choose, but being happy or unhappy is a choice you make, and I've choosen to make the best of things that I can."

— Shahvee, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

"What an impressive ability to overwrite his memory of losing his power and being forced to take the least wanted job in the Netherworld. This is another one of his formidable powers. He can convert any suffering he's been through into something positive."

— Fenrich, Disgaea 4

"I hope the sun is shining tomorrow... That would be reason enough to smile."

— Valerie, while being defeated in battle, Pokémon X and Y

"Shani is always worried, it is her job. She is our leader, she is responsible. Me? I'm young, I still believe in victory. I may look like I'm not serious... My sister was eaten by a beast from the mountains. My mother was taken by cultists when I was eleven. My father died trying to save her. I am very serious... but if we can no longer have fun, if we cannot take joy in life, they have won. Come, boss! DANCE!"

— Nassir the Boom-Boom Man, The Secret World

"If you can laugh even when you're feeling down... you'll be invincible."

— Trick, Wandering Wolf Trick

Web Original

"No, this◊ isn’t a recent picture of Richard Simmons, but I like to imagine this is how he answered the door for the police officers who came by to check up on him to prove he was A-OK. 'Dispatch, this is Officer Brown. I have received visual confirmation that Richard Simmons is still a vivacious elf. Over.'"

— DListed, "Good News, Everyone: Richard Simmons Is Fine!"

"My favorite one on the cover is Diane Keaton who looks like she wasn’t invited and masterfully photobombed them all. They’re all giving fashion FACE while Diane Keaton tries to kill their vibe by actually smiling. Diane Keaton, who looks like a cross between Charlie Chaplin’s mom and Mary Poppins at a wake, probably got the memo that she was supposed to look like a hungry goth but she didn’t care. Diane Keaton is you on 1st grade class picture day."

— Michael K., "Oh, It’s Just A Bunch Of A-List Actresses Looking Bored And Constipated in Vanity Fair"

Fending off the most odious of bad Sundance vibes, Keanu Reeves spoke graciously about being pitched non-non-nonstop at the totally magnificent shindig...Mr. Reeves receives one pitch every five minutes at Sundance, half of which are for heinous Wes Craven pictures. Reeves himself, forever a stellar dude, spoke resplendently to Page Six about the non-non-unsolicited pitches:

"It's one of the great things about a film festival."

Once again Reeves calls to mind that most harmonious phrase: Be excellent to each other.

— Kelly Conaboy

Orym: You know what's interesting about you?
Laudna: I hope a great deal of many things!
Orym: Well there's the obvious - but you are the happiest person in this bunch.
Laudna: Of course. The worst thing that's ever happened to me has already happened.

— Critical Role

Western Animation

When I'm down
Feelin' blue
When I'm surrounded by a nightmarish mileu
I can change the world
I can make it better if I try
All I ever wanna do is
Enhappify!

— The Ghost and Molly McGee, "Enhappify"

Real Life

"In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart."

— Anne Frank

"Gotta have a little sadness once in a while so you know when the good times come... I'm waiting on the good times now."

— Bob Ross shortly after his wife passed away

"That's true. I did live in a tree house dressed like an elf. You have to understand: Stanford in the early seventies was a very freewheeling place...You get dressed like an elf and you know you're going to have a good day."

— Sigourney Weaver, Esquire

Willem Dafoe: But also, I like doing laundry, it's the simplest thing in the world, y'know. It's very satisfying.
Conan O'Brien: I have not found it to be "the simplest thing in the world." I can't go with you there. I can screw up anything that involves—and I'm always having, I'm doing something with the laundry and I try, but I always end up putting something dark blue with something bright white.
Dafoe: Yeah, I do, too. But that's not really a problem: you get some interesting mixes that way.
Conan: You're the most optimistic man I've spoken to in quite a while.

— 2019 interview

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