Top 10 Deep and Wise Anime and Manga Quotes about Life

I like deep and meaningful anime, especially those that force the reader to think a lot and contemplate the hidden meanings there. I even made an article about these shows. Here I'd love to share quotes that I heard in anime and found very interesting and memorable.

10. All problems stem from the human mind. Our consciousness is just the tip of the iceberg. The subconscious beneath the surface is greater beyond comparison.

This quote comes from Shinsekai Yori and was spoken by Shun Aonuma. This reflects the conclusions of modern psychology that see the subconscious mind to have a great impact on our feelings and actions. This idea was also popularized by Sigmund Freud.

9. A place where someone still thinks about you is a place you can call home.

There were many interesting quotes in Naruto but this one, told by Jiraiya, is so simple and true. Home is not a place, it's the people who make the home for others. Let's not forget that and appreciate every moment we can spend with these people and let's become the people who create home for others.

8. As I had encountered kindness, I wanted to be kind myself.

Natsume Yuujinchou is a heartwarming anime which is really a pleasure to watch. Kindness is probably one of the most important things in life, being kind to others and oneself. Natsume was abandoned by people around him since his childhood. Finally, he was able to meet people who acted with kindness towards him which ignited the spark of hope and joy in him.

7. All existence is impermanent...all who flourish must fall.

Heike Monogatari is based on real historical events recorded in several versions and old scriptures. The Buddhist theme of impermanence is the main topic of this story, where the most powerful people become outlaws and prey of others.

6. We came from the same place. We only see things differently.

Clannad is quite an emotional anime and this quote is quite true. People argue, fight, disagree with each other, but we are more or less the same. We all love some that are close to us, we all want to be happy, we just all were conditioned by our environments and we all have some ideas about what is right and wrong. But are these things really so important that we need to hurt each other?

5. One who recognizes their own sin has no sin.

This quote comes from Haibane Reimei. People often torture themselves because of what they did in the past, but feeling guilty or bad is already a good sign that the person is actually good. Rather than blaming oneself, it is better to live the life to the fullest and do good.

4. The world is not beautiful, therefore it is.

Kino no Tabi is all about accepting the world with all its flaws and nice sides. Sometimes we try so hard to create a perfect world, but isn't sometimes better to simply accept reality, make peace with it and do the best we can in the current situation?

3. Dreams are meaningful when you work toward them in the real world. If you merely live within the dreams of other people it's no different from being dead.

Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex, where this quote appeared, is a series following the GITS movies. GITS is quite deep and deals a lot about one's individuality and the question of who we actually are, the body, the brain, the spirit? Living our own dreams and following our own path despite the dangers and hardships always brings success and helps us to keep the inner motivation. Nothing motivates us better than our own decision to do things we like.

2. Believe in yourself! Not you in whom I believe, not me in which you believe. Have faith in you who believes in yourself!

This iconic quote from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is a bit confusing but is extremely motivational! We often believe in things people think about us. We get many labels from people around that often we cannot get rid of. But it is important to believe in our true intentions and discover our real inner world which might be totally different from how we appear to the society.

1. Anywhere can be paradise as long as you have the will to live.

Evangelion is to me one of the deepest anime ever. We often fall into despair and want to give up because of the situation we are in or because of the people around who are not supportive, etc. This quote reminds me of the joke by a Buddhist monk Ajahn Brahm. A man dies and gets to heaven and asks the angels if there is Buddha, Marcus Aurelius, Sokrates, Gandhi and other famous wise people in heaven. The angels say that they were not Christian, so they went to hell. The guy then goes to hell and the demons welcome him with cookies and a cup of tea, there are colorful balloons everywhere, everyone happy. The guy is confused, this is supposed to be hell, a lot of suffering, etc. And the demons say: Well, the hell is like this since we got Buddha, Gandhi, and all these nice people here. So whenever we are, we can always do our best to bring some good to the place or situation.

Let us know in the comments if you have some other deep anime quotes that you like.

Keywords: wisdom, profound, quotes, Buddhism
#anime #animequotes #deepanime