In September of 2015, one of our favorite funny ladies, Mindy Kaling released her second book, ‘Why Not Me,’ which is full of anecdotes taken from her real life, and quotes, that are both hilarious and relatable. Of course, there are way too many to choose from, but below I have compiled a list of what I believe are some of the best. In this follow-up to her first book, she talks about her latest discoveries when it comes to life, work, and relationships in her new-found adulthood. So, without further ado, and in no particular order, here are some of my favorite quotes from 'Why Not Me.'
1. “Understand that one day you will have the power to make a difference. Use it well.”
2. “There are not many relationships more powerful than that of two women who fall fast and deep into a friendship.”
A friendship between two ladies, is truly one-of-a-kind.
3. “The best kind of laughter is laughter born of a shared memory.”
4. “I want a guy who wants to curl up on a Friday night and watch Netflix. He can even pick the show. I mean, ideally, it’s serialized and female-driven.”
Don’t we all want that kind of relationship? Sign us up ASAP.
5. “Confidence is just entitlement. Entitlement has gotten a bad rap...but entitlement in and of itself isn't so bad. Entitlement is simply the belief that you deserve something. Which is great. The hard part is, you'd better make sure you deserve it.”
6. “People talk about confidence without ever bringing up hard work...but I don’t understand how you could have self-confidence if you don’t do the work. I have never, ever, ever, met a high confident person and successful person who is not what a movie would call a 'workaholic.' Because confidence is like respect; you have to earn it.”
Confidence is synonymous with respect.
7. “Though I am a generally happy person who feels comfortable in my skin, I do beat myself up because I am influenced by a societal pressure to be thin. All the time. I feel it when I wake up in the morning and try on every single pair of my jeans and everything looks bad and I just want to go back to sleep. But my secret is: even though I wish I could be thin, and that I could have the ease of lifestyle that I associate with being thin, I don’t wish for it with all of my heart. Because my heart is reserved for way more important things.”
8. “But it's not that I think I'm so great. I just don't hate myself. I do idiotic things all the time and I say crazy stuff I regret, but I don't let everything traumatize me. And the scary thing I have noticed is that some people really feel uncomfortable around women who don't hate themselves. So that's why you need to be a little bit brave.”
9. “People get scared when you try to do something, especially when it looks like you're succeeding. People do not get scared when you're failing. It calms them. But when you're winning, it makes them feel like they're losing or, worse yet, that maybe they should've tried to do something too, but now it's too late. And since they didn't, they want to stop you. You can't let them.”
10. “Work hard, know your shit, show your shit, and then feel entitled. Listen to no one except the two smartest and kindest adults you know, and that doesn't always mean your parents. If you do that, you will be fine.”
11. "I will leave you with one last piece of advice, which is: If you've got it, flaunt it. And if you don't got it? Flaunt it. 'Cause what are we even doing here if we're not flaunting it? And that, my friends, shall go on my tombstone."
