Matthew McConaughey has collected over 800 sayings, and he loves to share them. Collecting and creating bits of wisdom seems to be one of his hobbies. More than that, however, they seem to be fuel for his career.

“Just Keep Living”

  That would be McConaughey’s truth of choice. The saying might have been useful during his childhood. His Texas oil-man father and schoolteacher mom divorced and remarried each other twice. But the phrase came to him when shooting his first movie.

  “I was filming Dazed and Confused. My father had just died, and I suddenly realized I was no longer a boy.” McConaughey decided that the best way to honor his father was to just keep living. Following his own advice, he kept acting. He remained mostly unknown until 1996’s A Time to Kill gave him instant fame. The change was so dramatic that he took a sudden hiking trip to Peru. “I just needed to let time catch up with me,” he explained.