Motivational quotes in popular culture: Kung Fu Panda

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Following on from some choice life advice in the graphic novel Superman: Earth One, today we're turning from the printed page to the silver screen.

What would a mentor and pupil martial arts movie be without inspiring, mystical sayings? DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda certainly doesn't stray from expectation. Although Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), the kung fu master directly responsible for the training of chubby panda Po (Jack Black), is disgruntled and impatient, Shifu's mentor, the (apparently) doddery tortoise Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) is the model of zen thinking and shared wisdom... as the following lines of dialogue reveal.


One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it. - Oogway
Quit, don't quit? Noodles, don't noodles? You are too concerned about what was and what will be. There is a saying: yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the "present." - Oogway

At the same time, let's not forget another character's much-quoted contribution:


There is no charge for awesomeness... or attractiveness. - Po

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