Advice Coach Taylor’s Best Advice from Friday Night Lights
212 votes 95 voters 1.7k views 18 items
List Rules Vote up the most inspiring and meaningful advice Coach Eric Taylor ever gave.
Critics were quick to note that Friday Night Lights was about a whole lot more than just high school football. The painfully realistic hit drama was also about small town politics, marriage, parenthood, race, friendship, and much more. But the thread that held the show together across five seasons was Coach Eric Taylor and his endless fount of genuinely inspiring wisdom. Taylor's advice to his players, wife, daughter, and friends was always the perfect blend of tough love and compassion. Here's a look at the best Eric Taylor quotes from all five seasons of FNL.
1 25 VOTES
Winning Isn't Everything
“Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.”
Coach Taylor's famous mantra was more than just an empty pep talk catchphrase. He led his players onto the field with a battle cry that let them know that if they have a clear conscience and good intentions, they will always be winners in life, even if the scoreboard says otherwise.
21 4
Profound wisdom or paltry hogwash? 2 25 VOTES
Boys Only Think About Food and Sex
"If you're wondering if a boy is thinking about you, he's not. He's thinking about sex or he's hungry. Those are the only two options."
Coach Taylor rarely minced words with his daughter, Julie, especially where boys were concerned. His many years in locker rooms with rowdy teenage boys taught him that, by and large, teenage boys are just barely more than single-minded in their pursuits.
21 4
Profound wisdom or paltry hogwash? 3 17 VOTES
Character = Not Giving Up
"Listen to me, I said you need to strive to be better. I didn’t say you needed to be better than everyone else. But you gotta try. That’s what character is. It’s in the trying."
East Dillon's QB Vince was going through a very tough time when Coach doled out this bit of much-needed wisdom. Vince's dad just got out of prison, and Vince's mom wanted Vince to forgive him and "be better." The trouble? Vince says: "He never taught me how to be better. He’s not around." Coach is simply asking Vince to try.
15 2
Profound wisdom or paltry hogwash? 4 20 VOTES
Don't Play Dirty
The "dumb" here is a rival team with a nasty racist streak. They've been playing dirty and pushing Taylor's team to sink to their level. Coach advises his boys to get the "dumb" out of their minds and to simply focus on the game.
16 4
Profound wisdom or paltry hogwash?