Audrey Hepburn may be one of the most well-known movie stars of all time, but the general population doesn’t know some of most important lessons from her life. She lived an altruistic, successful, and passionate life with a kind of wisdom we can only hope to achieve in life. Here are her most inspiring life lessons.
“I decided, very early on, just to accept life unconditionally; I never expected it to do anything special for me, yet I seemed to accomplish far more than I had ever hoped. Most of the time it just happened to me without my ever seeking it.”
Audrey lived through the Second World War, with parents who abandoned her and supported Nazi Germany. She was forced into malnutrition and risked her life to spy for the Dutch resistance. Despite all of the bad in her life, she saw life with an optimistic outlook and committed to humanity with unconditional love. Life can be heartbreaking at times, but we have to learn to survive the bad in order to live through the good.
“The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode, but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.”
One of the most beautiful actresses of all time saw the importance of a beautiful soul rather than outer beauty. Audrey preached the importance of having a good personality and the need to help others, and she practiced what she preached by giving up her acting career to care for her family and work with UNICEF.
“I never thought I’d land in pictures with a face like mine.”
Even Audrey had insecurities. It’s a normal part of life. She wanted a smaller nose, blonde hair, to be shorter, et cetera. Audrey recognized that it’s normal to want different appearances than those you’re born with, but she still succeeded and pushed those insecurities aside.
“I believe, every day, you should have at least one exquisite moment.”
One of the best ways to enjoy living is to ensure you live through one beautiful moment per day. Whether it’s something as simple as a beautiful sunset on a tough day or passing a deer on the side of the road, all it takes is one unique moment to appreciate life.
“Giving is living. If you stop wanting to give, there’s nothing more to live for.”
Audrey had a rough life, but instead of seeing the world as a bleak, heartless place, she looked at it with a love and need to fix the issues. She dedicated the latter part of her life to working with UNICEF, helping children who were in similar situations as she was early on in life. Audrey found a way to live a successful career and still change the world for the better.
“For me, the only things of interest are those linked to the heart.”
It’s a waste of life to do things you have no interest in. Follow your passions and dreams no matter how difficult they seem, even if it means doing something you have no interest in to achieve a greater goal. Audrey didn’t set out to become a world-famous actress, it started out as her stepping stone to becoming a prima ballerina. She fell in love with acting and lived out her true passions.
“I saw but one glaring truth: These are not natural disasters but man-made tragedies for which there is only one man-made solution-peace.”
Audrey passed away before the steep rise in political conflict, but if she were alive today she would preach for peace. Peace is the solution for the issues we face in society today, thus, we should live following Audrey’s rules and aim for peace domestically and worldwide.