One Tree Hill is a nine season long show that shares the stories of a group of friends from a small town called Tree Hill, North Carolina, which is Wilmington, NC in real life. The characters in the show are inspiring, empowering, and real, making it the best show on Netflix. They encounter similar struggles to those of typical young adults, providing connection with and guidance for the audience. The following quotes don’t even begin to scratch the surface of how relevant and amazing the show is, and how applicable the show is to our lives.

1. “Don’t say I never gave you anything.” –Nathan Scott

This quote is said by Nathan Scott, husband of Haley James Scott. Their complicated and endless love story began with a simple tutoring session where this quote was said, and the rest was history. While it may not have any obvious meaning upfront, as the show progresses and the quote is analyzed, you realize that it is the beginning of a love story that everyone wants in their lives. Following the story of Nathan and Haley is setting grounds for a lifetime of love and happiness.

2. “People are gonna label you. It’s how you overcome those labels, that’s what matters.” –Brooke Davis

In my opinion, Brooke Davis is the most empowering and confident character in the show. She struggles with typical teenager labels and situations, and overcomes them all by transforming into an independent woman who is nothing but good to everyone in her life. Over the course of the show she finds herself, loses herself, and finds herself again. She shows signs of weakness, but her strength is riveting.

3. “People just go through things, challenges that make them stronger.” –Nathan Scott

This quote can be applied to anyone going through a hardship in their life. The things we go through, no matter how big or small, build us into the people that we are following those events. They transform us into different people, and help us learn how to move past the things that life throws our way.

4. “Love means giving chances when there’s no more chances left to give.” –Haley James Scott

There is nothing more true than this. Relationships are difficult, and people make mistakes. Tempers rise, the lines get blurry, and things are said that you can’t take back. But if you truly love someone, you can overcome anything together, as long as you remain true to yourself and each other in the process. Too many chances are only a problem when the two people are on different pages and do not have the same end goal in mind. You can never give too many chances to the people you want in your life for the long run.

5. “One day you’re seventeen and planning for someday, and then quietly, without you ever really noticing, someday is today, and that someday is yesterday and this is your life.” –Nathan Scott

Life has a tendency to get away from us. It is important to make every day count and to surround yourself with people that help you, not hurt you. The people you allow in your life impact you in ways you don’t even know. Time goes faster than any of us have time to process. Cherish the things you have, and don’t take anyone or anything for granted. Acknowledge that opportunities sneak past you and if you are not aware, you could miss out on something that changes your life forever.

6. “I stopped letting boys define me and I started believing in myself.” –Brooke Davis

Every girl with low self-esteem and low confidence levels needs to hear this. Girls need to realize that boys do not define them. As women, we need to stop putting our worth on how men view us, and do things that are good for us. We need to take care of ourselves and keep trudging through the obstacles, believing that we have the worth and the power to do anything we set our minds to.

7. “There are moments in our lives when we find ourselves at a crossroad, afraid, confused, without a road-map. The choices we make in those moments can define the rest of our days. Of course when faced with the unknown, most of us prefer to turn around and go back.” –Lucas Scott

The choices we make during times of conflict really do define who we are as people. The grace and integrity in which we handle conflict shows our strength as people, and any attitude we have taints our character, whether we like it or not. We all have times of stress and anger, but the manner we carry ourselves in takes precedence over everything

Every single one of us lives our lives the way we want to. While I understand that TV shows in no way entirely reflect reality, I believe that the messages they provide serve as guidance for how we should live our lives. The characters in One Tree Hill are so real that any of them could be the people sitting next to you in class or on the bus. The struggles they encounter are so realistic that it makes the show personal, and therefore the best binge-worthy show on Netflix.