Of all the great minds that have ever lived, there is perhaps none greater than the amazing Tommy Wiseau, a God among men whose greatest claim to fame is writing, directing and starring in “The Room,” which is widely considered to be the best bad movie ever made. Wiseau’s keen understanding of humanity helped elevate “The Room” into a cult hit and a riveting masterpiece, largely because of the unique sense of dialogue imposed in the film. Just about every quote that Wiseau says in “The Room” contains deeply profound knowledge about the human condition, but here are five quotes of his in particular that greatly expanded my understanding of the meaning of life.
1. “If a lot of people love each other, the world would be a better place to live.”
This brilliant Wiseau quote reflects the deeply profound notion that love is the key to uniting us all. Oh, how poetic. Without love, there is just no point to anything whatsoever. Tommy Wiseau understood this, now why can’t the rest of us?
2. “You are tearing me apart, Lisa!”
This classic line remains one of the most widely quoted lines from the film, and for good reason. Tommy’s declaration that Lisa is tearing him apart suggests that there is a force in all of our lives desperately seeking to tear us apart. We all have a ‘Lisa’ in our lives, so to speak, and we must all figure out a way to not let her tear us apart.
3. “I did not hit her. It’s not true. It’s bullshit. I did not hit her. I did not. Oh hi Mark.”
This is probably the most well-known line of the entire film, and it is not hard to see why. This quote alludes to the fact that just when you least expect it, circumstances in life may change, taking you by surprise and immediately causing you to have your very own “hi Mark” moment. Always be on the lookout for new opportunities, because you just never know when your own version of Mark might appear, and when he does, you better be ready to say hi to him.
4. “Everybody betrayed me. I fed up with this world.”
Sometimes no matter how hard you try, the world insists on tearing you down, as articulated beautifully with this quote by Wiseau. Sometimes, we all just feel fed up, and like everyone has betrayed us, in a similar way to how Wiseau’s character, Johnny, must have felt in this moment. Life is not all sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes it is full of betrayal and treachery, so we must come to terms with the dark side of human nature as well.
5. “They betray me, they didn’t keep their promise, they trick me, and I don’t care anymore.”
Somewhat similarly to the last quote, this one really puts into perspective Wiseau’s deeply intelligent understanding of the dark side of humanity. But here, he tells us exactly what we should do when life gets us down. When we feel betrayed, tricked, or like promises made to us have been broken, all we have to do is stop caring. We should just not care, and everything will be alright again as we find our way back into the light. We must not let these trivial things bother us, and instead we should continue to strive toward our goals, whatever they may be.
Filmmaker, philosopher, man of brilliance. These are all terms that describe the utterly incredible Tommy Wiseau. Every single quote from his one single notable film is a complex and intelligent spiritual investigation into humanity and the meaning of life itself. Next time that life gets you down, look to the wisdom of Wiseau, and you will undoubtedly make it through to the light at the end of the tunnel, eager to take on the new day completely equipped with Wiseau’s wisdom.
