One Tree Hill: 10 Most Inspirational Quotes from the Series

One Tree Hill is an iconic high school drama that ran on The CW for many seasons. While the show is known for its dramatic take on high school life and a constant barrage of twists and turns that kept viewers riveted, even as they grew in absurdity, One Tree Hill also had a knack for offering poignant quotes. In fact, it might be said no show used the voice-over quite like this one.

Here are just some of the most inspiring quotes One Tree Hill’s characters served up to their viewers, pushing them to embrace, love, life, and most of all, themselves.

10 There’s no shame in being afraid

Coach Durham famously tells Lucas the following words, after he messes up his first game as part of the Tree Hill Ravens: “There’s no shame in being afraid. Hell, we’re all afraid. What you gotta do is figure out what you’re afraid of because when you put a face on it, you can beat it. Better yet, you can use it.”

Whether it’s losing a basketball game, fearing an identity inside of ourselves, or just feeling like we’ll never belong, there’s no shame in fear. Fear is a natural reaction that every single human being experiences, but it’s important not to let fear win. Knowing what is being feared and using that knowledge to become stronger is great advice. A truly inspirational line.

9 Most people are stronger than they know. They just forget to believe in it sometimes.

Keith Scott is one character on One Tree Hill that always saw the best in the people he loved and believed them capable of greatness. He supported Lucas, Karen, and many other characters along the way.

In this case, his quote is incredibly inspirational, reminding the audience that inner strength is contained in everyone, if only they believe in themselves. Oftentimes on One Tree Hill and in life, people forgot to give themselves the benefit of the doubt, instead harshly blaming and berating themselves. Keith reminds Lucas, and all of us, that its important to embrace our own strength and know we can overcome.

8 It’s the greatest moment of your life and you get to experience it with one person. Who’s standing next to you?

Much of One Tree Hill revolves around the characters’ journeys to find the people who make their lives complete. This journey, on TV and out of it, can be incredibly complicated and full of hard choices and unclear decisions.

Peyton’s quote here is a great reminder of how to know what’s truly right. When every dream comes true, who is the person there to complete it the picture? This inspirational quote paints a picture of true love that is incredibly aspirational.

7 Someone once said; ‘It’s the good girls who keep diaries. The bad girls never have the time.’ Me… I just wanna live a life I’m gonna remember.

Brooke Davis undergoes many transformations throughout her time on One Tree Hill and faces down many labels that others seek to adhere to her. Good girl, bad girl, airhead, and many other unkindnesses, Brooke bears the brunt of them all, but she never lets them stop her.

This quote encapsulates Brooke’s spirit. She bucks the labels that fly around her, intent on living the life she wants to live. Her attitude is one worth embracing.

6 Things aren’t always going to be fair in the real world. That’s just the way it is. But for the most part, you get what you give.

Haley James is one of the more pragmatic characters in the world of One Tree Hill — her sweetness and her steadfast stability and constant love give her a different outlook than many of the other characters.

Here, she reminds the audience that although there are measures of uncontrollable things in the world, what one puts out influences what they get back. No one is ever truly powerless to their fate. If they work for what they want, they’ll likely get it back.

5 If you’re lucky, if you’re the luckiest person on this entire planet, the person you love decides to love you back.

This quote just brims with hope and a joy that’s contagious. Nathan Scott also transforms incredibly from the very beginning of his time on One Tree Hill. Although he begins as an arrogant child, self-involved, and even cruel, he becomes open and warm, transformed by the love around him, especially the love he and Haley share.

This quote inspires the audience to believe that somewhere out there, there’s a relationship that will move them to feel like the luckiest person in the world.

4 Six billion people in the world. Six billion souls. And sometimes — all you need is one.

One Tree Hill sure knows how to work a voice-over and this quote which runs through all different kinds of people is an incredibly poignant one. It asks the viewer to consider who they are in this universe, what is their place? What are they looking for? What would truly make them happy?

There are six billion people in the world, who are you?

3 Happiness comes in many forms…It’s okay to let yourself be happy because you never know how fleeting that happiness might be.

Although this quote is a touch foreboding, though in the world of One Tree Hill it seems only wise to be prepared for something to go wrong, it is also inspirational. Lucas’s words ring true–it is impossible to know what the future brings or how long joy will last, but it is crucial to embrace it when it comes.

The point of living is to embrace the moment and find the joy one can at every possible opportunity.

2 And once you lose yourself, you have two choices: find the person you used to be or lose that person completely.

Brooke’s quote is also tinged with a little sadness, but it reminds the viewer that it’s not necessarily always a bad thing to lose one’s self. Sometimes, to grow, an old self must be left behind. There can be no beginnings without endings after all.

Brooke lost one version of the person she thought she was, but embraced another and became all the more strong for it.

1 What you do matters, and how you do it matters.

This quote is short but powerful. It’s easy to get caught up in feeling powerless or stuck in the past, but just as Mouth uses these words to offer hope for a better future, soo they remind the viewers that they have agency in this world.

Because what you do matter. And how you do it matters.

About The Author

Rotem Rusak
(78 Articles Published)

Fangirl extraordinaire. Lover of all things pop culture, including Marvel, Hannibal, Harry Potter, and more.

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