TGON’s Monday Motivation: Throwback TV Edition

Some Monday Motivation ages like fine wine. This is that Monday Motivation.

Scrubs Season 2 is back on ABC and it felt like the right week to pull out the sitcoms and dramas that shaped a generation of Mondays before Monday Motivation even existed. These are the shows that were on in the background while we did homework, the reruns we still quote without thinking about it, the characters who somehow said the exact right thing in between the punchlines.

Five quotes, five shows that never really left, all of them proof that great writing does not expire.

1. “You’re gonna make mistakes. We all do. The trick is to learn from them and keep moving forward.” — Dr. Cox, Scrubs

Dr. Cox spent most of Scrubs perfecting the art of being right without ever sounding like he cared. Underneath every insult and every rant was a man who had made plenty of mistakes himself and knew exactly what to do with them. This line is as close as he gets to saying the quiet part out loud.

Whatever went sideways last week, the trick was never avoiding it in the first place. The trick is what you do next. Learn it. Keep moving. Dr. Cox would never let you sit in it longer than that anyway.

2. “Believe in yourself. Dream. Try. Do good.” — Mr. Feeny, Boy Meets World

Mr. Feeny said this in the very last episode of Boy Meets World, closing out seven seasons of being the voice of reason for an entire generation of kids growing up right alongside Cory, Topanga, Shawn, and Eric. When Topanga asked if he meant “do well,” he corrected her. Do good. Not for yourself. For everyone else too.

Four words, and somehow the whole thing fits. Believe in yourself this week. Dream a little bigger than feels comfortable. Try, even when the outcome is not guaranteed. And do good, in the fullest sense of that phrase, along the way.

3. “If you’re not scared, you’re not taking a chance, and if you’re not taking a chance, then what the hell are you doing?” — Ted Mosby, How I Met Your Mother

Ted Mosby spent nine seasons chasing something he could not always name, and this is the closest the show ever got to explaining why he kept going even when it made no sense to anyone watching. Fear was never the signal to stop. Fear was the signal he was finally doing something that mattered.

If nothing this week scares you a little, ask yourself what exactly you are playing it safe for. Ted’s whole story turned out fine in the end. Yours can too.

4. “I go a little dark and twisty, but then I come back.” — Meredith Grey, Grey’s Anatomy

Meredith Grey has survived more than most fictional characters should reasonably be asked to survive, and this line is her entire philosophy compressed into one sentence. She does not pretend the hard seasons are not hard. She just refuses to let them be permanent.

You are allowed to have a dark and twisty week. Everyone does eventually. The only requirement is the second half of Meredith’s sentence. Come back. That is the whole job.

5. “Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You’re gonna love it.” — Monica Geller, Friends

Monica says this to Rachel in the very first episode of Friends, a full series before either of them knew what the next decade would actually hold. It is one of the most quoted lines in sitcom history because it manages to be honest and hopeful in the same breath, which is a much harder trick than it sounds.

That is the whole spirit of a Monday. It is going to be a lot. It is also going to be worth it. Monica knew that before Rachel did. Now you do too.

Which Throwback Quote Is Your Monday Motivation?

Five shows, one generation of Mondays, and every single line still holds up. Drop your favorite in the comments and tell us which one is getting you through the week.

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