Mary Schmich Quotes

A collection of quotes by Mary Schmich.

Mary Schmich is a prominent American journalist and columnist. She has been associated with the Chicago Tribune since 1985, where she gained widespread recognition for her renowned column, "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young," which provided insightful guidance and commentary on various life topics. Schmich achieved global fame when her column was mistakenly attributed to Kurt Vonnegut in a viral email, eventually leading to its adaptation into the hit song "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" by Baz Luhrmann. She continues to write thought-provoking columns that resonate with readers across the world.

Here's a thing about the death of your mother, or anyone els

Here's a thing about the death of your mother, or anyone else you love: You can't anticipate how you'll feel afterward. People will tell you a few may be close to right, none exactly right.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.... rust me, in 20

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.... rust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Beauty Power

Don't waste time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, someti

Don't waste time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind.

Jealousy

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you'll have a

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you'll have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either of them might run out.

Trust

I couldn't have foreseen all the good things that have follo

I couldn't have foreseen all the good things that have followed my mother's death. The renewed energy, the surprising sweetness of grief. The tenderness I feel for strangers on walkers. The deeper love I have for my siblings and friends. The desire to play the mandolin. The gift of a visitation.

Death

A line from one of my 1997 columns - 'Do one thing every day

A line from one of my 1997 columns - 'Do one thing every day that scares you' - is now widely attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, though I have yet to see any evidence that she ever said it and I don't believe she did. She said some things about fear, but not that thing.

Fear

The movies we love and admire are to some extent a function

The movies we love and admire are to some extent a function of who we are when we see them.

Movies

You can figure out who you were by which movies you loved wh

You can figure out who you were by which movies you loved when.

Movies

Like many women my age, I am 28 years old.

Like many women my age, I am 28 years old.

Age

You can map your life through your favorite movies, and no t

You can map your life through your favorite movies, and no two people's maps will be the same.

Movies

For some Chicago expats, food is the medicine that blunts th

For some Chicago expats, food is the medicine that blunts the pain of separation.

Food