There are a lot of TV characters that are endlessly quotable. But Meredith Grey is a whole new beast entirely. She is endlessly quotable not just because she can be funny, not just because she can be dramatic, but because she can be so darn relatable and inspiring. Here are some of her best.
On being a go-getter:
“If you want to be a shark, be a shark. Don’t apologize for it.”
If you want things in life, go after them. Be a beast, be a (metaphorical) killer. Be what you need to be.
On the bad times:
“There’s an end to every storm. Once all the trees have been uprooted, once all the houses have been ripped apart, the wind will hush, the cloud will part, the rain will stop. The sky will clear in an instant and only then, in those quiet moments after the story, do we learn who was strong enough to survive it.”
On moving on:
“Letting go is the easy part. It’s the moving on that’s painful. So sometimes we fight it, trying to keep things the same. Things can’t stay the same though. AT some point you just have to let go, move one. Because no matter how painful it is, it’s the only way we grow.”
On time:
“Time waits for no man. Time heals all wounds. All any of us want, is more time. Time to stand up-time to grow up-time to let go.”
We all wish we had more time.
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On getting through:
“What’s broken can be mended, what’s hurt can be healed. No matter how dark it gets, the sun’s going to rise again.”
Remember, time heals all wounds. So don’t sweat the little stuff and don’t dwell too long on the big.
On change:
“Change; we don’t like it, we fear it, but we can’t stop it from coming. We either adapt to change, or we get left behind. And it hurts to grow, anybody who tells you it doesn’t is lying. But here’s the truth: the more things change, the more they stay the same and sometimes, oh, sometimes change is good. Sometimes change is everything.”
On being grateful:
“Maybe being grateful means recognizing what you have for what it is. Appreciating small victories. Admiring the struggle it takes simply to be human. Maybe we’re thankful for the familiar things we know. And maybe we’re thankful for the things we’ll never know. At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing is reason enough to celebrate.”
On knowing vs wondering:
“Knowing is better than wondering. Walking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beats the hell out of never trying.”
So at least try everything you want.
On being a strong woman:
“In group settings, men are 75% more likely to speak up than women, and when a woman does speak up, it’s statistically probable her male counterparts will either interrupt her, or speak over her. It’s not because they’re rude, it’s science, the female voice is scientifically proven to be more difficult for a male brain to register. What does this mean? It means, in this world, where men are bigger, strong, faster, if you’re not ready to fight, the silence will kill you. “
On being scared
“Sometimes it’s good to be scared. It means you still have something to lose….”
We tend to try to shy away from fear as humans. But fear can be a good thing. Wallowing in fear is the bad thing.
On fighting for things:
“If there’s just one piece of advice I can give you. It’s this; when there’s something you really want, fight for it, don’t give up no matter how hopeless it seems. And when you’ve lost hope, ask yourself, 10 years from now, you’re gonna wish you gave it just one more shot because the best things in life, they don’t come free.”
On taking things one day at a time:
“Nobody wakes up thinking: ‘My world will explode today. My world will change.’ Nobody thinks that. But, sometimes, it happens. Sometimes, we walk up, we face our fears. We taken them by the hand. And we stand there waiting, hoping, ready for anything.”
On letting go:
“Why does it feel so good to get rid of things? To unload? To let go? Maybe because when we see how little we actually need to survive, it makes us realize how powerful we actually are. To strip down to only what we need. To hang on to only what we can’t do without. Not just to survive, but to thrive.”
On making desicions:
“At some point, you have to make a decision. Boundaries don’t keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. That’s how we’re made. So, you can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.”
