Digesting the best Rocky Balboa Quote

For this blog post, I am digesting the best Rocky Balboa quote and further delving into its possible meaning.

Rocky Balboa remains one of Hollywood’s most endearing underdog stories. The idea of a simple man rising against all odds and going the distance is a concept that resonates well with audiences. People love to cheer for the underdog.

The Rocky films, in particular, can be considered life coaches, to a degree. The film series successfully weaves many of life’s circumstances into its storyline while placing a positive spin on them. This is often done in the form of a lesson.

The Best Rocky Balboa Quote

“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that! I’m always gonna love you no matter what. No matter what happens. You’re my son and you’re my blood. You’re the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, ya ain’t gonna have a life.”Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa (2006)

Famously said by Rocky Balboa to his adult son in the film Rocky Balboa (2006), the following quote can resonate with us on many levels. Chances are that you’ve heard this quote even if you haven’t seen this film. One can sit here and reflect, interpret, or even discuss all the powerful meanings behind the entirety of this quote. Still, on this post, however, I will only be focusing on the last paragraph itself.

Let’s digest

Film’s meaning

Before we discuss my thoughts, I want to consider what Rocky Balboa may have meant by this quote when he said it to his son.

When examining the scene’s context, Rocky’s son blames his father for living in his shadow. He is using Rocky’s fame as the catalyst for why he is failing at everything. Rocky’s upcoming fight with a boxer half his age makes him think Rocky will lose due to his age factor. He is afraid of not just his dad’s reputation(and health) but also his reputation.

Rather selfish, to be honest. Cowardly too. Yet, Rocky’s response(the full quote) was just iconic. It was screenwriting at its best. The truth was Rocky Jr. did not want to take ownership of his actions, coupled with his inability to take a stance and control his life. To find his identity in this world and believe in himself.

Real Life application

Forget about everything else for a second, and let’s look at the phrase ” believing in yourself. ” What does believing in yourself mean? Depending on who you ask, there may be just one answer or multiple because believing in yourself is very personal; like coffee, everyone drinks it differently.

That is a fair statement, I would say.

Sadly, most people tend not to believe in themselves and are quick to blame others for their inability to do so.

But can we all agree that when a person hears the phrase believe in yourself, it usually means that you trust your ability to accomplish something? It could be a simple action or a complex one. Nonetheless, if you do not believe in yourself, you cannot move towards that something. Does that sound right to you?

This Rocky Balboa quote goes a long way to drive that thought home.

Believing in yourself

The first step in being able to believe in yourself is to be more positive. Being positive helps you see the world differently. Being favorable breaks chains and removes barriers.

But what if you’re not usually a positive person? Does being negative affect your ability to believe in yourself? Absolutely.

Being a positive person is a tremendous first step towards believing in yourself. But it isn’t the only thing you need. It takes a bit more than that. Rocky knew that. A person can be positive about many things yet still hesitate in their ability to do something specific.

The act of being positive regardless of circumstance is a recurring theme in Rocky’s films.

Confidence

Rocky Jr. lost control of his life when he stopped believing in himself. As a kid, he grew up like any other kid, full of goals and ambitions. But as an adult, he failed. And he tried to justify it by blaming his dad. Easy solution. But the problem was never his father; it was his, by not believing in himself. He lacked faith, and he lacked confidence.

Often, in life, we look for the easy way out. Blaming someone, something, or anyone for our misfortunes is easier. But 99% of the time, it is we ourselves who should be blamed. Why 99%? We have to account for the things that happen beyond our control. (e.g., it’s not your fault the deli ran out of meat, the bus route changed its schedule, etc.)

Have faith and take action.

This one is perhaps the toughest yet. The world is full of doubters; believing in something we don’t see is challenging. Very hard. Many of the world’s problems are related to the concept of faith. Faith isn’t just for religious things; faith is also about yourself and how you perceive your world. It’s about believing in something that you can’t quite grasp. Not yet, but you know deep in your heart is attainable.

It is the latter I am focusing on. Incredulous people, skeptics, cynics, and the like find it hard to have faith. Faith can be simple for some but harder for others; simply put, you need to believe that you can believe. Perhaps, easier said than done. I guess that’s why they call it leaping faith. Nonetheless, you must try.

The air is invisible, but we know it’s there because we are alive; we breathe it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year until our very last one. Back in the Stone Age, there was no science to back it up. Although they could not see it, they believed that something allowed them to breathe. People back then believed in everything, all due to the simple fact that they existed.

I would think that with all the advances we have in life and the incredible feats humanity has accomplished over centuries, it should be easier to have faith in one’s ability to perform. Humanity landed on the moon, broke the speed record, and created airplanes, to name a few.

All of them are achievements worth celebrating with one thing in common. Those involved believed that one day, they would do this. They had faith in themselves.

In the original movie, Rocky Balboa believed in himself when he went the distance with Apollo Creed in the first film, while his son did not. One can see the difference in point of view. Rocky had faith in his ability and took action. It wasn’t about winning, either. It was about proving he could go the distance. Jr. doubted his ability to do the same in whatever situation he found himself in at the moment.

Rocky’s world wasn’t perfect; he was an underdog, while Jr. had privileges growing up that his father didn’t, yet Rocky Sr.’s drive was there.

You ain’t gonna have a life.

When people stop believing in themselves, that is the moment they stop living. When you give up on yourself, you stop living. It is a sad but inconvenient truth; many people go by, day by day, living the status quo with no sense of ambition. They work jobs they hate and have no free time, goals, sense of direction, or even hobby- they are aimlessly just getting by.

A lot of these people don’t believe in themselves or have the ability to see that they can achieve higher goals. They lack the faith, confidence, and positivity in themselves they need for them to take control of their life.

Others are halfway there already; they have these positive traits deep down inside them and believe they could do more, but instead, they hold themselves back, blaming life’s circumstances and responsibilities that get in their way. You are so tied up in this world you created you don’t know how to get out. I did this for some time, and quite frankly, it sucked. But I got out of it and took control. And so can you!

So let me tell you something: if you want it, you must go and get it. As Rocky told his son, until you start believing in yourself, you ain’t gonna have a life.

What a great quote. It’s Phenomenal and on point. Sly Stallone, thank you for creating such inspirational stories.

If you enjoyed this post, have any comments or questions, or want to share some of your quotes, please comment below. Be sure to check out my similar posts.