Robin Williams: 10 Important Life Lessons He Tried to Teach Us in His Top 10 Movies

Robin Williams. From the moment the announcement of his apparent suicide was confirmed, the world came to a screeching halt.

Every other news story seemed to take a backseat in order to focus on covering the death of Robin Williams. Every viral video seemed to stop dead in its tracks, because all of the views flowed towards old footage of Robin’s stand-up comedy, classic episodes of Mork and Mindy and climactic scenes from Robin Williams’ most memorable movie roles.

Throughout his personal life, Robin Williams taught us important lessons about the dangers of substances abuse, the difficulties of divorce and the severity of depression. However, that is not the only way Robin Williams taught us.

Within each of his movie roles, Robin Williams focused on one goal and primary objective. Many people might think that Robin Williams’ goal was to make people laugh, which is exactly how he was a pure genius. Other people might think that his goal was to pull at your heart strings and make you cry, which he was also good at doing. There were even some roles where he made you absolutely scared and terrified. However, the goal that he achieved in every movie was making you think about life.

According to Ranker, below is a list of Robin Williams’ top 10 movies. With each movie title, we will also reveal the life lesson that Robin was trying to teach us while we were busy laughing, crying, being scared – or an awkward combination of all three.

1. DEAD POETS SOCIETY: Inspiration can come from anyone or anywhere. Even if it seems unorthodox and abnormal, do whatever you can to make an impact on someone else’s life because you never know how your doing so will empower them to do the same. “O Captain, My Captain!”

2. MRS. DOUBTFIRE: Just because a marriage might “run its course” does not mean that the relationship between the parents and their children should have to suffer. Moving on to another love is fine, but you should be willing to always find creative ways to spend quality time with your kids. “It was a run-by fruiting!”

3. GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM: Just because one person hates whatever it is that you do well doesn’t mean that everyone will hate it. Being considered a success by even one person means that you are not a failure. Keep your head up and never let someone else’s rain of negativity ruin your positive parade. In the end, they will get what’s coming to them anyway. “Goooooooooooodbye, Vietnam!”

4. GOOD WILL HUNTING: Being classified or categorized as a genius on paper is good. However, your IQ means diddly-squat if you are not living life and enjoying every single aspect of it. Don’t become too attached to reading about life to the point where you are not taking a moment to actually enjoy living. In addition, never think your intelligence and success gives you the right to make anyone else feel like an inferior failure. “Your move, Chief!”

5. HOOK: Just because you have to grow up doesn’t mean you should completely leave behind your childhood dreams, goals and ambitions. An imaginary meal of pipe dreams can be a lot more satisfying than an overcooked plate filled with grim reality. The life of an adult is very different from that of a child – especially when raising a family. However, if you dig down deep enough, you should will find that inner inner child ready to come out and play. “Thank you for believing!“

6. JUMANJI: Never be afraid of your own imagination. Doing so allows you to escape from the anxieties and burdens of daily life – even if it is just for a minute. When you are willing to tap into and explore your own imagination, you never know who you might inspire or even rescue along the way. “You would not last five minutes without me!”

7. ALADDIN: Some people will only come to you when they need something – almost as if they exclusively want you to be their friend when they want you to give them something. Make no mistake – those people are not your true friends. Focus on the people that will truly cherish you the way that a real friend should, because those are the relationships you will never want to set free. “You ain’t never had a friend like me!”

8. AWAKENINGS: There is no such thing as a small victory – especially when you are trying to help someone else better themselves. You might not be able to generate the massive results that you expected. But, even if a small step forward towards something better that ends before it begins is worth all of the effort you put into it. “You told him I was a kind man. How kind is it to give life, only to take it away?”

9. THE BIRDCAGE: Pretending to be someone that you are not will always end badly – regardless of the circumstances. Be yourself and do not let anything or anyone convince you to do otherwise – even if they are part of your family or close circle of friends. Never forget that the people who belong in your close circle are going to love you no matter what! “Actually, it’s perfect. I just never realized John Wayne walked like that.”

10. PATCH ADAMS: You don’t need to be a licensed physician or even a registered nurse to publicly show how much you care for other people. No matter what how your job title might read, you should always view caring for other people and not being afraid to prove it as being more important than any job. Long after your paychecks are cashed and spent, the impact you leave on the minds and hearts of the people you touch will stay in place! “You treat a disease, you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you, you’ll win, no matter what the outcome.”

What do you think? What life lesson were you able to take away from your favorite Robin Williams movie?