Philosophy of Forrest Gump

There is not much not to like about the simple man from Alabama.  I think what a lot of people enjoy about Forest Gump is the goodness and honesty reflected in most everything he says and does.  And of course while the character of Forest Gump is based on a movie starring Tom Hanks and several other notable actors,  some of you who have watched the flick may have been touched in some way by the deep wisdom Forest Gump shared with the world.   He is an angel of a man, mending the broken spirit.

Indeed, for all of the simplicity and seemingly lack of depth of the Forest Gump character, one cannot help but realize that Forest touched on one of mankind’s greatest philosophical questions.  Namely is our life meant to follow down one path (i.e. destiny).  A life in which everything has been decided for us before we are even born.  Or is there a randomness about it all in such a way that we are just floating around on a breeze.  For those who have never seen the movie, well you really should go explore it because not only is this most fascinating of philosophical topics explored throughout in both thought provoking and light hearted ways, the movie is also full of many other Forest Gump wisdoms and quotes which we are most happy to share with you.

Famous Forest Gump Wisdoms & Quotes

1. “Dear God, make me a bird so I can fly far away from here” (Forest Gump’s girlfriend, Jenny)

2. “My Momma said, life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you are gonna get”

3.  “You have to do the best with what God gave you” (Forest’s  beloved mother)

4.  “I don’t know if we each have a destiny, or if we’re all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it’s both. Maybe both is happening at the same time.  Momma always said dying was part of life.” (Here is where Forest explores the riddle of destiny and free will.  His solution is interesting to say the least).

5.  “Anyway, like I was sayin’, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that’s about it”. (This little pearl of wisdom was offered up by Forest Gump’s best friend, Bubba.  Later after the movie was released, the Bubba Gump restaurant and seafood chain was opened and remains open to this day).

6. “Stupid is as stupid does” (Hard to argue with that!)

7.  “When I got tired, I slept. When I got hungry, I ate. When I had to go, you know, I went.” (Clearly we have a young man who lived his live in the present, enjoying the simplicity of everyday life and doing everything possible to downsize anxiety and worry)

8. “My Mama always said you’ve got to put the past behind you before you can move on.”

9. “Mama said not to be taking rides from strangers”

10.  “Jenny, it looked like there were two skies one on top of the other. And then in the desert, when the sun comes up, I couldn’t tell where heaven stopped and the earth began. It’s so beautiful.”

11. T”here was Dallas, from Phoenix; Cleveland – he was from Detroit; and Tex… well, I don’t remember where Tex come from”

12. “Mama always said, God is mysterious”