This week we lost an internationally shared source of inspiration, joy, and entertainment: Nora Ephron (screenwriter/filmmaker).
Nora Ephron. Photo courtesy of Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.
She was famous for her romantic comedies, most notably WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, and YOU’VE GOT MAIL, three for which she was nominated for an Oscar (see her complete list of credits here). Many also knew her, though, as a woman of great strength, humor, efficacy, and generosity. She is one of the most quoted screenwriters in Hollywood, in fact.
In our personal mourning process we’ve been going through some of her clips and quotes and realized how apropos many of her messages are to how we’d like to live our lives both personally and professionally.
Below we’ve compiled some of our personal favorite quotes of hers. As budding small business owners and freelancers, we find these suggestions of embracing and capitalizing on life’s tribulations and taking charge of one’s own agency are encouragements of profound value.
“Everybody dies. There’s nothing you can do about it. Whether you eat six almonds a day. Whether or not you believe in God.”
From “I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections”
“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.”
From Wellesley Commencement address.
“My mother wanted us to understand that the tragedies of your life one day have the potential to be comic stories the next.”
“When your children are teenagers, it’s important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you.”
From “I Feel Bad About My Neck”
“I’m already nervous about using the word ‘anger,’ because I’m not a particularly angry person, but I do think that underneath pieces like ‘I Feel Bad About My Neck’ is some kind of actual anger about the aging process. Which then turns into a bunch of jokes. But I don’t think all humor comes out of unhappiness or pain. There are simply too many funny people who had a completely, you know, normal childhood. Not necessarily happy, but who had a really happy childhood. Almost nobody worth knowing has a happy childhood.”
From Salon, Nov. 7, 2011
And, who can forget the Katz’ Deli scene from WHEN HARRY MET SALLY?
Rest in peace, Nora. We will miss you.
<3
The Task Runners
