BOOKS: Greenlights

Hello, Readers! Welcome back to the first BOOKS article of 2022. In this article, I will be reviewing my latest read, ‘Greenlights’ by Matthew McConaughey, and sharing three of my favorite quotes from it. I hope you enjoy!

‘Greenlights’ was published in 2020 and goes under the genres; memoir, philosophy, and poetry. I typically don’t read books that aren’t fiction, especially not memoirs, but I really enjoyed this one. It was interesting reading about some of McConaughey’s memories and the lessons he took from them. His perspective is very philosophical, which is what made the book so good. There was always a lesson to be learned and different ways to look at certain situations.

1) “Sometimes we have to leave what we know to find out what we know.” -Matthew McConaughey, ‘Greenlights’

In this memoir, Greenlights are the moments in life when you are feeling and doing your very best. It’s during those times when it feels as though nothing can stop you, nothing can bring you down. But with the greenlights, there are also the yellowlights. I like to think of yellowlights as the times when you feel sluggish or melancholy. The times when everything around you is moving slowly, and not much is happening. Redlights are obviously not a good light— but you can only achieve the greenlights by waiting for the red ones to turn green. Everyone goes through these three lights. Just like a stoplight, lights change all the time. Sometimes a light will last longer than others, but they will always change.

2) “When you CAN, ask yourself if you WANT to before you do.” -Matthew McConaughey, ‘Greenlights’

I like this theory on greenlights. It reminds you that if you aren’t feeling good in this current state, it will pass. The light will change. It may take time, but it will change. And the same thing goes for when you are feeling good. That is why it’s essential to acknowledge and appreciate all lights, the good and the bad. It’s important to live in the moment, even if you don’t think this moment is worth living. Matthew McConaughey goes over everything I just wrote, but deeper. He said there’s a way to ‘catch more greenlights’ in life and ways to prevent yellow and red ones— and he shares a few theories on how to.

3) “Sometimes which choice you make is not as important as making a choice and committing to it.” -Matthew McConaughey, ‘Greenlights’

There are poems, prayers, bumper stickers, real pictures, and great quotes full of truth and wisdom like the three listed throughout this post.

Another reason why I liked reading this book was because of how McConaughey told you his life’s story like a timeline. First, he writes about his family, how he was raised, experiences he had as a little boy, and so on. You get to read him grow into the person he is now. You get to learn about his past, before Hollywood. You get to know the meaning behind his famous line “alright, alright, alright” and how he became an actor. Some of the stuff he went through was very surprising.

This book was the perfect read to start the new year with. If you’re looking for an entertaining, feel-good, positive read— I 100% recommend reading ‘Greenlights’.

Thank you for reading this week’s post! What are you currently reading? Share in the comments below! Remember to hit the like button located at the bottom of this page, and as always, come back for more!

Read On,

Kait The Writer