If anyone would have told me back in 1993 that one day, I would be writing an epic piece on Matthew McConaughey, I would have told them they were nuts.

Matthew McConaughey became a household name back in 1993 with his breakthrough role as David Wooderson in “Dazed and Confused.”

Wooderson is a stoner who hasn’t moved on with his life after high school. His iconic line from the movie “all right, all right, all right,” was catchy and everyone loved it.

Again, if someone said you’re going to quote words from the man who made the phrase “all right, all right, all right” famous, I would have bet against that.

Over the years, McConaughey continued to take Hollywood by storm.

But I wasn’t too impressed by him throughout the years. My mind couldn’t separate his character from “Dazed and Confused” to a real person. I assumed he was a real-life stoner. And his arrest in Austin, Texas for playing the bongo drums naked only verified that he was no one to be taken seriously.

It wasn’t until recently that I noticed McConaughey all over social media representing his beloved Texas. I was intrigued. I actually started to listen to what he had to say. And I discovered that not only was he someone to be taken seriously but he had plenty to say.

Here are some of my favorite Matthew McConaughey’s simple but powerful quotes that will inspire you to reach for the stars.

“My life is a road, man. I need to keep moving.”

“Now first off I want to thank God, because that’s who I look up to. He has graced my life with opportunities that I know are not of my hand or of any human hand. He has shown me that it is a scientific fact that gratitude reciprocates.”

“Life’s barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you get good at.”

“We dissect failure a lot more than we dissect success.”

“Instead of denying these fears, declare them, say them out loud, admit them, give them the credit they deserve…find the courage to overcome them.”

“You want to be a writer? Start writing. You want to be a  filmmaker? Start shooting stuff on your phone right now.”

“Life is not a popularity contest. Take the hill, but first answer the question: what is my hill?”

“Keep your head up. We’ll get out of this on the other side because that’s just what we’re gonna do.”

“It was like this is not the kind of woman you call over across the room, McConaughey. Get your ass out of the chair and go get her. Which I did.”

“Life is a series of commas, not periods.”

“I don’t want to just revolve. I want to evolve. As a man, as a human, as a father, as a lover.”

“There’s two sorts of fear: one you embrace and one you should listen to and turn the other way.”

“There’s a difference in thinking you are a champion and knowing that you are.”

“If I’m doing something, I do like to take it to the limit. I’ve got a high ceiling. A wide threshold for seeing what those boundaries are for myself. I’m very resilient inside. I find things that I like and do and boy, I do like to stick to them.”

“I’m a fan of the word selfish. Self. Ish. When I say I have gotten a lot more self-ish, I mean I am less concerned with what people think of me. I’m not worried about how I’m perceived. Selfish has always gotten a bad rap. You should do for you.”

“I believe in living in the present and making each day count. I don’t pay much attention to the past or the future.”

“The best education I’ve had in my life is to travel.”

“Life is not fair, it never was, it isn’t now, and it won’t ever be. Do not fall into the trap. The entitlement trap, of feeling like you’re a victim. You are not.”

“Give thanks. Appreciate what you do have. The more we give thanks, the more we receive to be thankful for. Gratitude is the gift that always gives back.”

“Every hero doesn’t do this great big hero thing. They do the simple thing over and over…and they stick to it.”

“There are three things, to my account, that I need each day. One of them is something to look up to, another is something to look forward to, and another is someone to chase.”

Don’t ever count someone out based on your first impression of them. They just might surprise you and actually inspire you one day.

Thank you McConaughey for your audacious approach to life.