“Great leaders are not always in front, they also know who to follow.”

I knew this book would be eccentric; I just didn’t realise how much. Matthew McConaughey Oscar winner actor is anything but your regular cup of tea, and this memoir of sorts just gives you a glimpse of that wild life.

Greenlights is not a tell-all book. He hardly discusses any of the movies he worked on and doesn’t talk about anyone he filmed with or dated. It’s a book about his upbringing, his experiences and explorations, and what he’s learnt along the way. So if you’re here looking for some gossip, this is not for you.

Greenlights is part memoir and part life guide. He has a few insightful observations which have shaped the way he lives his life. Just go for what you want and be true to yourself. The universe will give you green lights as you move ahead. Take a break on yellow lights when you need it, and watch out for the red lights.

“The inevitability of a situation is not relative; when we accept the outcome of a given situation as inevitable, then how we choose to deal with it is relative. We either persist and continue in our present pursuit of a desired result, pivot and take a new tack to get it, or concede altogether and tally one up for fate. We push on, call an audible, or wave the white flag and live to fight another day.”

McConaughey talks about his parents early on in the book. Physical violence seems to be their love language because he reiterates that they all love each other fiercely. It might be a trigger for many people to read this part of the book, but as he says, it is what it is.

He takes us on his journey of self-exploration from his birth till the 2020 global lockdown. This is when he isolated himself with his old journals and wrote this book. His connection with himself is enviable. He knows what he wants and goes for it, or takes time to explore what he needs to do then goes for it.

“The sooner we become less impressed with our life, our accomplishments, our career, our relationships, the prospects in front of us—the sooner we become less impressed and more involved with these things—the sooner we get better at them. We must be more than just happy to be here.”

What comes through in the book is how passionate he is about his work, life, and religion and his loyalty to his family. The only romantic relationship he chooses to talk about is with his wife, and it is evident he’s found his soulmate in her. 

“Me, I didn’t marry the woman of my dreams that night, I married the best one on Earth for me, and she’s a mermaid.”

The note he wrote to himself ages ago with a list of things he wanted to achieve (and had forgotten about it) is more or less all checked. Talk about manifesting your life!

I had initially ignored getting this book which I thought would be a regular run-of-the-mill Hollywood memoir. A friend suggested I try it. I wanted to get the Audiobook, but unfortunately, it wasn’t available in English in India. It would’ve been spectacular listening to his voice narrate this.

Verdict: Read

“Fuck y’all for saying something is shit just because it’s popular!”

Note: Some links are part of an affiliate program, which means that if you click on a link and buy something, I might receive a percentage of the sale, at no extra cost to you.