Inspirational Walt Disney Quotes to Brighten Your Day
This year has been…a lot.
We could all use a pick-me-up right now. And who’s better at cheering people up than Walt Disney?
The man built first a movie empire and later triggered the entire theme park industry.
In tough times, nobody provides more appropriate words of wisdom than Uncle Walt.
Here are 11 inspirational Walt Disney quotes to brighten your day.
“Laughter is America’s most important export.”
Here’s the quote that speaks to us the most during a tough year.
We can all build and create, doing our jobs to the best of our abilities. That’s a noble goal for every constructive member of society.
However, we shouldn’t forget to have fun. We should all take a lesson from the Seven Dwarfs.
Those dudes mined in darkness all day, yet they did so with a song in their hearts…and their ears. They sang celebratory work anthems.
I warmly encourage you to use this advice. Pick someone you love and spend the day trying to make them laugh more. You’ll both feel better.
“The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.”
Self-love matters more now than ever before, but it’s not something you’ll experience until you’re capable of self-respect.
Since you’re spending more time at home than ever before, you might as well spend some time looking in the mirror.
Walt Disney wants you to decide what you like about yourself. Then, he asks that you build on that knowledge to celebrate your individuality.
In other words, despite what Fight Club tried to say, you are a beautiful and unique snowflake.
“If you can dream it, you can do it.”
Have you thought of an exciting project but haven’t found the motivation to start it?
As a published author and the co-founder of multiple websites, I can relate. Having an idea is thrilling but bringing it to life is terrifying.
You just need a plan and the dedication to persevere. But remember…
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
This philosophy ties together with the last one. Having an idea isn’t enough. You must also possess the conviction to bring your vision into reality.
If you want to start that blog or work on a YouTube channel or write that novel, you cannot just think it. You also must do it.
I sincerely believe that anything is possible if you want it enough. My oldest brother once built a car. I could never do it, and so his feat seems stunning to me.
“All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”
Did you know that Walt Disney almost went broke on multiple occasions?
The entrepreneur wasn’t averse to risk, and he was willing to bet on himself.
So, when he believed in something like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or Disneyland, he went all-in.
Disney even sold one of his dream homes to finance the Happiest Place on Earth.
Long before that, the illustrator invented the character of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, only for someone else to take the intellectual property away.
Some creators would never overcome this loss.
Uncle Walt got kicked in the teeth but then turned around and invented an even better character, Mickey Mouse.
You may not feel this way while horrible stuff is going down, but adversity builds character.
“I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.”
Profound, right? I am also a natural optimist, which has made the current year a rough one.
I want to believe the best of people, but the world isn’t black or white. Some conversations aren’t easy to reduce to the simplest terms.
Walt Disney knew that life requires nuance, and I think that’s a useful perspective as we reach the end of the year and the next stage of the pandemic.
“The important thing is the family. If you can keep the family together — and that’s the backbone of our whole business, catering to families — that’s what we hope to do.”
I just mentioned a member of my family, which exemplifies how I think. As the youngest of four children, much of my circles back to my ‘ohana.
We had several marvelous experiences at Walt Disney World, and we loved Disney movies, too.
This aspect of Walt Disney’s business model never receives the credit it deserves. The man didn’t emphasize a single demographic.
On the contrary, he catered his stories to grandparents, parents, and children.
The multigenerational nature of Disney movies and theme park attractions ensures that they’ll always have a surplus of potential customers.
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
You can tell from several of these quotes that Disney struggled with a fear of the blank page. I don’t think it was just his own battle, either.
During the early days, many of Walt’s cohorts were illustrators and storytellers, the people most likely to be impacted by this frustration.
Having an idea represents the first step in a potentially long and grueling process.
However, you cannot think about how much you’ll struggle. Instead, you must take a piecemeal approach, which will eventually lead to grand results.
“Whenever I go on a ride, I’m always thinking of what’s wrong with the thing and how it can be improved.”
Walt Disney established the ground rules for later generations.
The founder of Disneyland desired perfection, and his obsession with the impossible led to the concept of plussing.
No Disney attraction or themed land will ever qualify as complete. Instead, the founder demanded that his workers unearth new ways to improve areas.
A famous maxim suggests that perfect is the enemy of good. And that’s easy enough for some to say.
For others born with the curse Disney had, good is never good enough.
The wisdom here is that you should never feel satisfied with acceptable. You should always aim higher with your aspirations.
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
Once upon a time, the idea of a full-length animated movie seemed impossible.
Nearly twenty years later, nobody could imagine a theme park that offered cinematic ride experiences.
In fact, many analysts in 1955 predicted that Disneyland wouldn’t last the year! And you thought the internet had #ColdTakes!
Walt Disney built his career on bringing the seemingly impossible into reality. And he thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.
“Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future.”
For Imagineers at Disney theme parks, this quote drives so much innovation.
If Disney theme parks had stopped improving in 1955, Peter Pan’s Flight would qualify as the best of Disneyland.
Also, nobody would refer to the park as the Happiest Place on Earth.
We wouldn’t have later additions like Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, or Splash Mountain.
We certainly wouldn’t live in a world where Pandora and Batuu are real places rather than fictional movie locales.
Always keep trying, my friends. You’re not done until you’re dead.
Even then, your legacy will impact others, just as Walt Disney’s has.