Therapists and Ted Lasso may have more in common than you’d think. Both have a knack for dropping surprisingly insightful one-liners about emotions, relationships, vulnerability, self-doubt, and what it means to be human.
But can you actually tell them apart?
Below are quotes from Ted Lasso mixed with quotes from therapists and psychologists. Some come from famous names in psychology. A few come from a considerably less famous therapist: me.
Some will be obvious. Others might make you wonder whether Ted missed his true calling.
Ready? Let’s see how well you know your therapy wisdom—and your Ted Lasso.
Results
#1. “You don’t have to find silver linings. It’s okay to not be okay.”
#2. “Be curious, not judgmental.”
#3. “Sometimes you have to do the right thing, even if you lose.”
#4. “Human beings are complicated, contradictory, and constantly changing.”
#5. “You can’t think yourself into new ways of acting; you can only act yourself into new ways of thinking.”
#6. “To believe in yourself… To believe in one another… That’s fundamental to being alive.”
#7. “Lose your mind and come to your senses.”
#8. “And in the end what’s more important, being right or being kind?”
#9. “We must not allow other people’s limited perceptions to define us.”
#10. “Divorce is hard. It doesn’t matter if you’re the one leaving or if…you’re the one who got left. It makes folks do crazy things.”
#11. “Doing the right thing is never the wrong thing.”
#12. “What a man can be, he must be.”
#13. “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”
#14. “I think things come into our lives to help us get from one place to a better one.”
#15. “I think it’s the lack of hope that comes and gets you. … See, I believe in hope. I believe in belief.”
#16. “Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.”
#17. “This is nothing you can’t handle.”
#18. “I didn’t cause all my problems… and I need to solve them.”
#19. “Stop shoulding on yourself.”
#20. “It may not work out how you think it will or how you hope it does. But believe me, it will all work out.”
0–4: You Need to Believe — You may not know your therapists from your football coaches yet, but as Ted would say, be curious, not judgmental.
5–8: Emotionally Confused, but Trying — You caught a few. Apparently inspirational therapists and fictional soccer coaches have more in common than anyone realized.
9–12: Surprisingly Solid — Not bad at all. You can usually tell professional therapeutic wisdom from a man with a mustache and an alarming amount of optimism.
13–16: Basically an Honorary Diamond Dog — You know your Ted Lasso. Or your therapists. Or you’ve consumed enough inspirational quotes online that you’ve developed a sixth sense for this.
17–20: BELIEVE — Okay, this is suspiciously impressive. Either you’re a Ted Lasso superfan, a therapist, or you have spent far too much time analyzing inspirational quotes. Possibly all three.
So, how did you do? If you couldn’t tell the therapists from Ted Lasso, I’m not sure what that says about therapists. Or Ted Lasso. Either way, hopefully you learned something, laughed at least once, and now have a few good quotes to pull out the next time someone needs unsolicited life advice. Share your score, and send the quiz to someone who thinks they can do better. Bonus points if they’re a therapist.