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| - Snopes found no evidence Reeves ever made this remark. Instead, it appears to be a misrepresentation of a real quote Reeves gave to Parade magazine in 2006.
An inspirational quote about managing pain allegedly from actor Keanu Reeves circulated online in December 2024.
Several posts (archived links) on Facebook (archived) and Instagram (archived) attributed the lengthy quote to the "John Wick" actor, with one commenter chiming in to say, "He is a good man I admire his ethics." Another person added, "What I have read about him he is humble. I love his acting. It's hard to find movie stars that don't have their heads up their A#*."
(WoW That's Amaaaaazing Facebook page)
The full quote allegedly reads:
Pain changes shape, but it never disappears. You can't control what hurts or breaks you, but you can control how you choose to move forward. Fight for what you love, because no one else will do it for you. Every moment in your life is an opportunity to change who you are. Don't define yourself by what you lost, but by what you do with what's left.
While its philosophical nature is in line with Reeves' public persona and ruminations, Snopes found no evidence the actor ever made this remark.
Searches for the quote as a whole or in part returned no results other than more social media posts spreading the alleged words attributed to Reeves.
Instead, it appears to be a misrepresentation of a comment Reeves made about grief in a 2006 interview with Parade magazine, which Snopes previously verified.
The authentic quote from the Parade interview, which delved into then-recent tragedies Reeves had suffered in his personal life, reads:
"Grief changes shape, but it never ends," [Reeves] told me. "People have a misconception that you can deal with it and say, 'It's gone, and I'm better.' They're wrong."
"When the people you love are gone, you're alone," he added quietly. "I miss being a part of their life, and them being a part of mine. I wonder what the present would be like if they were here – what we might have done together. I miss all the great things that will never be."
"Damn it! It's not fair! It's absurd," he said angrily. "All you can do is hope that grief will be transformed and, instead of feeling pain and confusion, you will be together again in memory, that there will be solace and pleasure there, not just loss."
I asked if loss had changed him.
"Much of my appreciation of life has come through loss," he said. "Life is precious. It's worthwhile."
Snopes has fact-checked many quotes attributed to celebrities in the past, including Denzel Washington, Julia Roberts, Bruce Lee and Morgan Freeman.
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