Good Will Hunting was a hugely acclaimed genre movie that earned Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Oscars for their screenplay thanks in large part to some great Good Will Hunting quotes. When Affleck and Damon were still up-and-coming actors, the two friends wrote the movie that changed their careers forever and earned them their first Oscar wins for their screenplay and a Best ing Actor trophy for Robin Williams. Above all else, it is the Good Will Hunting quotes that stayed with audiences for a long time.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's first collaboration as writers showed the world their talents outside of acting. The movie tells the story of a troubled young man in Boston named Will Hunting (Damon) whose talent for mathematics is discovered, leading him on a path to either start a new life and improve his position in life or stay exactly where he is. The movie is filled with beautiful observations about life, compelling monologs, and even some laugh-out-loud moments that make up the best Good Will Hunting quotes.

“You Wasted $150,000 On An Education You Coulda Got For $1.50 In Late Fees At The Public Library.”

Will (Matt Damon)

One of the core themes of Good Will Hunting is the argument about the true value of higher education, and whether a degree (even from an institution as prestigious as MIT) is truly any kind of indication of intelligence. As a self-taught math genius being held back from any kind of qualifications due to his status as a former prison inmate, Will Hunting is understandably bitter when it comes to the importance society places on formal education.< These feelings come to the fore in this Good Will Hunting quote. Exasperated by the snobbery shown by a group of graduates while on a night out, Will decides to verbally lay into them. He informs them that, while their qualifications and certificates may open a few professional doors, the actual value of what they learned is (to him, at least) questionable at best. It's a debate that still rages on decades after Good Will Hunting was released in 1997, and this quote is perhaps all the more poignant given just how much more expensive formal degrees are in the 2020s.

23 "Well I Think That's A Wonderful Philosophy, Sean. That Way You Can Go Through The Rest Of Your Life Without Having To Really Know Anyone."

Will (Matt Damon)

Will Hunting is one of the most complex characters ever to appear in a movie, and is a key reason that Good Will Hunting is still so widely discussed. Many of the finer points of his character emerge during his therapy sessions with Dr. Sean Maguire (Robin Williams). While Sean eventually manages to break down the psychological walls Will builds around himself, it's not without having to be counter-analyzed by his patient.

Their conversations are a source of many of the best Good Will Hunting quotes, and one that fully shows just how smart Will actually is comes when he manages to turn a key life decision of Sean's into a scathing criticism. After the death of his wife, Sean decided he would never remarry out of respect for her memory. However, Will turns this seemingly-selfless decision on his head. He points out that, from his perspective, Sean is simply trying to isolate himself from the world and deeper personal relationships, making Sean see that many of the observations he's made about Will are also true for himself.

Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård)

The incredibly deep dialogue in Good Will Hunting often leads to multiple memorable quotes from a single conversation, sometimes even only a few lines of dialogue apart. This is the case with the conversation Will has with Dr. Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård). It was Lambeau who first recognized Will's genius when he found him solving a complex equation Lambeau left on the blackboard. However, after getting to know Will Hunting, he realizes that discovering the genius has drummed up many complex emotions and reasons to self-reflect.

This particular Good Will Hunting quote comes from Lambeau's realization that his years of study to become an expert mathematician will always be trumped by people ilke Will, who are simply gifted with natural intelligence. It's something Lambeau both ires and laments. On the one hand, he finds Will's natural gifts to be almost a source of inspiration.

However, on the other hand, being in Will's presence gives him a significant case of imposter syndrome. It's another quote that feeds into argument of intelligence vs education that underpins Good Will Hunting, and one that captures the complex views many who are both intelligent and highly educated have on the debate.

22 "Someone Who Challenges You In Every Way. Who Takes You Places, Opens Things Up For You. A Soul-Mate."

Sean (Robin Williams)

Dr. Lambeau initially reaches out to Sean to see if he can find out more about Will Hunting's incredible mathematical abilities and the reasons why Will has no interest in harnessing his full potential. However, the meetings between Will and Sean turn to matters of the heart more often than matters of the head. This leads to some of the most poignant quotes in Good Will Hunting, and one of their conversations that stands out above many others is when Sean and Will discuss the nature of soul-mates.

It's clear that Will has no belief or interest in the idea. When Sean asks Will if he has a soul-mate, Will quickly rattles off a list of long-dead philosophers and authors. Sean then completely challenges Will's answer, explaining what a soul-mate is in his view and why they're so important. It's one of several Good Will Hunting quotes that could actually be seen as a valuable life-lesson, as Sean's description of what a soul-mate is and why they're so significant in a person's life is incredibly astute.

21 "Why? Because Of The Pain I Feel Now? I Have Regrets Will, But I Don't Regret A Single Day I Spent With Her."

Sean (Robin Williams)

By the time their conversations reach their conclusion, Sean has come to realize that Will pushes people away because he's scared of getting hurt. This is the real reason why Will is so fascinated by Sean's feelings regarding the death of his wife. He wants to know how Sean can live with and endure such a heavy sense of loss, as the potential for such grief if he allows himself to love is the key reason Will has closed himself off from forming meaningful romantic relationships.

In an incredibly touching Good Will Hunting scene, Sean tells Will the story of how he and his wife met. He caps it off by explaining to Will that yes, the loss that he shoulders is often a lot to bear. However, it's counterbalanced by the memories of happier times and the fulfilling experience that being married to his wife was, and this is something Sean would never trade away, regardless of how much not having her anymore hurts.

20 "Do You Know How Easy This Is For Me?"

Will (Matt Damon)

There are a lot of movies about an unassuming person with an extraordinary gift being discovered. What is interesting about Will Hunting's journey in this movie is that he doesn't see his mathematical skills as a gift and thus can easily push those away who try to encourage that gift. When in a meeting with his professor, Lambeau, Will is in a particularly bad mood and brushes off Lambeau's attempts to get him a job.

When Lambeau suggests he deserves some appreciation, Will fires back that these formulas and math proofs are so simple to him that there is nothing Lambeau is offering him. It is a fascinating example of more of Will's self-destructive nature. It shows that he is incredibly gifted, he knows how smart he really is, and deep down, he doesn't even care if he uses his brain to get ahead in life. He has to overcome this arrogance if he ever wants to achieve anything in life.

19 "I Didn't Have To Watch You Throw It All Away."

Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard)

Many of Stellan Skarsgard's movie and television roles take advantage of his skills at playing villains. However, while his character in Good Will Hunting may be easy to dislike at times, the movie is smart enough to give him a lot of complexities. Lambeau is a man who values intelligence and certainly has insecurities about how his own intelligence is perceived. He sees something special in Will but knows Will could throw it all away, and he doesn't want to see it.

When he and Will butt heads in a big way, he its he wishes he had never met Will so that he wouldn't know there was someone out there who was so much smarter than him. But he also its that the real pain is seeing how intelligent Will is and how he is just throwing it all away. This is a case of a man who can't reach his full potential meeting someone who can — but doesn't seem to care enough to try, which is frustrating.

18 "My Boy's Wicked Smart."

Morgan (Casey Affleck)

Will's friendship with his neighborhood buddies is very charming. While some think such people hold Will back, he is truly himself around these guys, and they treat him like he's a normal guy. His friends see how brilliant he is, yet they don't let it change their perception. The movie is about a prodigy who has a chance to become someone special and achieve something extraordinary, but it is also a film about friendship and how that is just as important when defining who someone is.

After Will embarrasses an arrogant Harvard student in a bar, his friend Morgan turns to the girls and delivers one of the great Good Will Hunting quotes - "My boy's wicked smart" - showing pride in Will while still seeing him as their same old friend instead of some genius prodigy. While Will needs to step away from his friends somewhat to reach his full potential, he still needs them to keep him grounded, and even lines where they pump him up help him keep his feet planted on solid ground.

17 "Yeah, Maybe, But At Least I Won't Be Unoriginal."

Will (Matt Damon)

Though Will is happy sticking to his more working-class life and hiding his amazing genius from the world, these Good Will Hunting quotes show just how extraordinary he is while sticking up for one of his friends. After calling out the Harvard student for quoting someone else's work, the pompous young man attempts to insult Will by claiming he'll be rich while Will will probably be serving fast food. Will takes that in stride, taking comfort in the fact that his thoughts will be his own.

While Will is a genius, and he likely knows more than the Harvard student that he puts in his place, this quote shows that he is more original than the snobby ivy leaguer. This is also yet another Good Will Hunting quote that shows that he won't just stand up for his friends, but he is smart enough and quick enough to do it without even missing a beat. Will is deadly when it comes to his words if he knows he is standing up for those that he holds dear.

16 "If You Disrespect My Wife Again I Will End You."

Sean (Robin Williams)

The mentor relationship Will finds with Sean Maguire is very much at the heart of Good Will Hunting. While his friends him and his girlfriend loves him, Sean is the only one who truly knows what Will has been through and helps him address his trauma. Though their initial meeting gets tense, it speaks to the connection these two have. Like with the other therapists he speaks with, Will immediately tries to get under Sean’s skin by insulting whatever he can spot.

While Sean brushes most of these off with ease, when Will mentions his late wife, Sean shows his own dark side and how he also has pain not easily healed. This is a huge moment in the movie. Sean is the one person who will be brutally honest with Will about everything, knowing that he can't BS this young man if he wants to reach him. However, this also shows that Sean has the same darkness in him that Will has, and this is likely why the two men can connect so strongly by the movie's end.

15 "You Think I Know The First Thing About How Hard Your Life Has Been, How You Feel, Who You Are, Because I Read Oliver Twist?"

Sean (Robin Williams)

The par scene in Good Will Hunting is iconic and adds to the movie's autumn vibes. Will's first meeting with Sean doesn't go well as Will presumes too much about Sean's wife, which enrages him. However, Sean gives the boy another shot but still decides to put him in his place with these Good Will Hunting quotes. Sean points out how Will has read a lot about life in books, but there's so much he doesn't know about life's actual experiences.

He reasons that, as Will is an orphan, Sean couldn't understand what he went through just because he read Oliver Twist. It is a thought-provoking glimpse at the movie's theme of what true intelligence is. Sean uses a lot of these references when talking to Will, figuring that he needs to use examples to connect with Will and cut through the emotional baggage that is weighing the young man down. Sean knows what he is doing, and while he won't keep pushing, he will prod at Will, hoping to break through.

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14 "You Don't Know About Real Loss"

Sean (Robin Williams)

Sean is a tragic character himself as his life was torn apart when he lost his wife to cancer years ago. Will's insensitive comment triggers those feelings again, but he then realizes that it is simply Will's own ignorance that is the problem. Robin Williams' Sean is able to turn Will's insult around on him with these Good Will Hunting quotes and make him realize that the only reason he could possibly make a comment like that is that he hasn't experienced loss in his life because he hasn't experienced love.

As Sean said in full, "it only occurs when you've loved something more than you love yourself." Sean knows that Will has his own demons, and that comes from being an orphan. However, this means that Will has a sense of never having something others around him have experienced. On the other hand, Sean has found that deep love and lost it. These are two different feelings, and Will not understanding the difference is holding him back from accepting the help that Sean knows he can offer.