From the time I could talk, I was reciting lines from Disney movies and hoped that someday, I could be like one of the princesses I idolized. As I grew up, while being a Disney princess is still on my bucket list, I realized that plenty of Disney movies hold meaningful lessons about life, love, and happiness. Some of the most beloved characters of all time, however bumbling, rambunctious, or impish they may be, are the greatest teachers and motivators. These are just a few of the things I have learned from some of my favorite Disney movies.

1. “Let your conscience be your guide.” – "Pinnochio"

It is important to listen to the voice in your head that tells you to make the right decision to avoid being sucked into the Pleasure Island that tempts you. No matter how enticing it may be to do whatever you want to do, sometimes, it isn’t always the right thing to do. Others may also try to manipulate you, and speaking from experience, being deceived is never pleasant. Because of this, I have learned to listen to my Jiminy Cricket and do what is right first and foremost, and I am confident in myself to make an educated and upstanding decision.

2. “Beauty is only skin deep.” – "Aladdin"

In today’s society, we worship the rich, the glamorous, and the beautiful, and the standard of beauty in modern America is based on a woman’s dress size or a man’s visible abdominal muscles. "Aladdin" is a prime example of a movie that teaches everyone, but especially men, that a woman will love you for your character, even if you are just a street urchin. While it is an added bonus to have astonishing good looks or rippling pectorals (thanks, Meg!), a girl is more concerned if you truly love her, and a solid moral character gives a man all the wealth in the world.

3. “Never judge a book by its cover.” – "Beauty and the Beast"

In a more literal way with this movie, the lesson is basically the same as the one above. Just like you don’t have to be a prince for a princess to fall in love with you, you don’t have to be beautiful for someone beautiful to fall in love with you. A person who maybe doesn’t look like your “type” might just be the best thing that ever happened to you. They could turn out to be your best friend, your lover, or your soul mate, but you will never know if you don’t look deeper. When loving another person, the musical Love Never Dies by Andrew Lloyd Webber teaches to “look with your heart and not with your eyes.” That is how to find the one you love and who loves you in return.

4. “Hard work pays off.” – "The Princess and the Frog"

Tiana is actually my spirit animal, and it’s not just because she’s from New Orleans. Watching "The Princess and the Frog" for the first time in 2009 was when I finally connected to a Disney princess on a deeper level. Her anthem “Almost There” literally preaches about how she plans to use hard work to reach her goals and won’t stop until she gets there. The power of hard work and dedication is stronger than you think it is, and hearing this song and witnessing her story to see her dreams come true at the end of the movie gave me the power to keep pushing to reach my goals. Whenever I feel down or unmotivated, I like to think I’m Tiana, not only because I wish I could sing like her, and I keep telling myself that I’m almost there.

5. “Always have a smile in your heart.” – "Peter Pan"

Happy thoughts give you wings, or so Peter Pan likes to think, and it turns out he’s right. Thinking positive and having an optimistic heart will help you to fly. It’s easy to feel weighed down by the world and the pressures that come from living in it, but Peter Pan encourages us to find the child within us and embrace him or her with open and ready arms. So, if you’re wondering how to get to Neverland, the second star to the right gives you a clue, but look no further than the power of your heart’s desires and imaginings, and dream straight on ‘till morning.

6. “Someday, your prince will come.” – "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves"

This was the first Disney movie I ever watched, and from the time I was 3 years old, a 'True Love’s Kiss' has been an ultimate fantasy for me. I’ve always wondered what kinds of qualifications are needed for a love to be considered “true love,” and I think that there is no set checklist for true love. A “true” love is real and genuine; it is not a façade or a culmination of scenes from timeless fairy tales or high-grossing rom-coms. Love comes in all shapes and sizes, and love that is deep and pure and sometimes messy and raw is what I consider to be “true love.” Your prince probably won’t frighten you by interrupting your song while you fantasize into a wishing well, but his kiss of true love will awaken you from the slumber of your longing heart and he will whisk you off into a sunset of an unpredictable and adventurous future of love.

7. “It’s OK not to be OK.” – "Inside Out"

I saw this movie at a pivotal time in my life, and it changed my life forever. Going to college and living without my parents and leaving some friends that I had grown so close to made me scared that I would miss them and become depressed. I wasn’t sure whether I would hate or love college and if I would be calling my mom in the first week crying. College has taught me that I don’t have to be happy and peppy all the time, even when things around me may be less than ideal. I had my fair share of bad days and nights last year, and I’m sure my friends can validate that, but having a bad day is perfectly normal. The movie shows us that we are not stagnant people, and we don’t just display one emotion all the time, and that’s okay. Sadness is human, just like Disgust, Fear, Anger, and Joy, and we cannot put our emotions into circles and expect them to stay there. "Inside Out" is a refreshingly humanistic look at facing challenges in life, and it is one of my absolute favorite movies.

8. “Strength and independence are always becoming.” – "Brave"

I’ve been talking about true love and what that means a lot in this article, and as Merida decides to shoot for her own hand in marriage and manages to shoot better than all of the other men who wanted to marry her, it’s a really big statement of female empowerment and strength. The first Pixar princess shows audiences of young girls how to be strong and faithful to yourself while also being loving and benevolent with your family and those around you. Merida combines strength with vulnerability seamlessly, and Pixar did a great job of building her character on their same ideals. If there was a princess who exemplified the ideal modern woman, it would probably be Merida, and I really admire her as a character.

9. “Dare to dream big.” – "Tangled"

Everyone has a dream, as we know from the uptempo showstopper inside The Snuggly Duckling, and "Tangled" does an excellent job at emphasizing the power of dreams and chasing after them. It’s one thing to sit in a tower and look on from afar at the one thing you’ve wanted your entire life, but Rapunzel musters up the courage to make her dream come true no matter what the consequences are. She goes after what she wants and never loses sight of her dream until she finally gets to live it out, and I find that inspiring and beautiful.

10. “Laughter is the best medicine.” – "Monsters Inc."

Another of my favorite Pixar movies with an important lesson behind it, this movie is one I will always treasure. For those of you who haven’t seen this classic gem, the monsters scare children to get energy, but at the end, they discover that laughter is a way more powerful energy source. We can wish all day for something like this to happen to our world, but we’ll let the monsters have this victory for now. You might not know how to cheer up your friend or yourself after a particularly hard day, but a cure might present itself after having a good laugh. Even on days when the monsters inside the world or myself are viscous to suck the life out of me, I find that laughing with a good friend pulls me from my bad mood and makes my lights flicker on just a little bit brighter.

11. “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – "Winnie the Pooh"

Good old Christopher Robin coming in with a memorable quote and a valuable lesson. On days when I feel insecure, weak, and stupid, I like to remind myself that someone else believes in me and is cheering me on, even if I don’t see it. This quote is on a canvas I painted above my head in my dorm room, and it serves as my personal dream catcher of sorts. Having that quote in my mind and heart gives me a refreshing sense of empowerment and belief in myself that I can go out into the world and do what I want to do without hesitation.

12. “’Ohana’ means ‘family,’ and family means that nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” – "Lilo and Stitch"

Of course, I can’t forget to mention my family; they’re the ones who introduced me to Disney in the first place. Family is the core of who you are, and they help you to become the person you want to be. Through each of the movies I listed, family plays a huge role in each of the characters’ lives, and whether the family wants to choose who the protagonist marries or encourages the protagonist to follow his or her dreams, you can’t escape your family, no matter how much you might try. The Disney franchise constantly reinforces the family motif and strives to shine a positive light on the family unit, like the crime-fighting family of "The Incredibles." Your family will always love you at your best and your worst, and the power of family is something so magical that you’ll never want to let it go.

As you can see, Disney movies from 1937 all the way up until 2015 hold meaningful lessons that we can take and apply to our own lives. Disney has created loveable characters who teach us how to improve ourselves and inspire us to never lose the magic inside of us. So, go back and watch your favorite Disney movie and find something you can put to good use in your own life, no matter if you’re 18 or 82; after all, Disney was created for the young and the young at heart. Find the magic in your favorite movie, and who knows? You might just find some magic inside yourself too.