The 22 Best And Most Inspirational Uncle Iroh Quotes

 It must have happened to you! You are watching your favourite cartoon or movie, and suddenly one of the popular characters says a life-changing and inspirational sentence that probably makes you say WOW! Uncle Iroh quotes are precisely like that!

Retired general Iroh, also known as the dragon of the west and a member of Order of the White Lotus, which is called the Uncle Iroh in the Avatar: The Last Airbender and also The Legend of Korra, is a wise, relaxed, humorous, tea lover and spiritual character who can make you fall in love with these series.

Updated on April 23rd, 2021 by Saied Ahmadi: Fans literally love him! His wisdom in every situation, his understanding of the world, his endless patience toward his arrogant nephew, and, of course, his funny personality make him one of the most adorable characters in the series. That's why Mindsetopia is updating these quotes again!

Now ladies and gentlemen, let's read the top 22 Uncle Iroh quotes in honor of tea lovers :)

 

The 22 Best And Most Inspirational Uncle Iroh Quotes

22_/22

“Even in the material world, you will find that if you look for the light, you can often find it. But if you look for the dark, that is all you will ever see.”

What can we learn from this quote? I think this quote is totally life-changing! Why? It emphasizes on optimism and positivity, which I believe is one of the most important aspects of a happy life, especially in 2021. 

This quote reminds me of another quote from Hellen Keller, the Nobel prize winner: "Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement."

This scene is from The Legend Of Korra series. Korra has lost her friend, and Iroh finds her in the spirit world among the woods and invites her to a crazy tea party with several cute monsters.

Because of losing her friend, Korra is sad and angry. Suddenly, she loses her control there and starts crying and yielding, which caused transforming cute monsters into scary and dark beings. That's where Iroh says the quote. 

Watch this beautiful scene from Cartoons N’ Chill youtube channel :

21_/22

“It is important to draw wisdom from different places. If you take it from only one place it becomes rigid and stale.”

The way of life crosses different paths, so in order to get wisdom from it, we have to understand different cultures, thoughts, ideas, and philosophies. That's how we can achieve true wisdom and complete our understanding of the world.

Iroh is a true master in fire bending, he can create lighting from the fire which is the ultimate level among fire benders. Now he wants to teach his nephew Zuko this new and powerful skill. But he also gives Zuko another important lesson that makes him wiser.

He says that understanding the other four nations can be a source of strength and then tells him that: "It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. "

20_/22

“Sick of tea? that's like being sick of breathing! .”

Ok, I know what you are thinking! this quote is not really inspiring, is it? Hold it right there because you are wrong! Actually, it's one of my favorite quotes because tea is not just tea here, it's the symbol of easy-going, relation, and calmness in every situation.

There are a lot of tea drinking scenes in the series and you have to understand that (besides the fact that he loves tea) Uncle Iroh is the symbol of a wise person who wants to teach other people (especially to Zuko) to stay calm in every situation and don't go hard in life.

19_/22

“You have light and peace inside of you. if you let it out, you can change the world around you! .”

This quote is trying to tell us that we can change the world around us, no matter how dark, poor and unpleasant it is, we have the power to change any darkness into pure light because inside each and every one of us there is an infinite source of peace and light.

All we need to do is to find it, understand it, and let it out, just as Iroh said.

We all have a light inside of us that can make us whole and if you doubt it then I suggest you listen to this podcast from Jeffrey Besecker :

This is from the new spiritual age part where Iroh says to Korra that people who have come to the spiritual world have brought anger and darkness to its creature.

Korra is scared of the monster but Iroh explains that this mountain is his home and by her inner light and peace she can transform them into happy creatures. Also, I recommend you to read the best David Goggins Quotes in this part.

18_/22

“Sometimes the best way to solve your own problems is to help someone else .”

This philosophy is pure! it's timeless and even right now in 2021, it can change lives and turn us into better beings. This quote reminded me of a poem from famous Persian poet Saadi Shirazi:

“Human beings are members of a whole
In the creation of one essence and soul ”

When you help someone else you are actually helping yourself because we are all one and connected. Iroh knows this deep philosophy and that's why he says you can overcome your problem by helping someone else.

17_/22

“Perfection and power are overrated. I think you are very wise to choose happiness and love.”

Don't forget that Iroh used to be a powerful general and after experiencing that life now he believes that happiness and love are the wisest choices for a person. His wisdom is practical and that's why people should trust this old man.

Avatar Aang is looking for a way to unleash his full Avatar power but he failed to let go of Katara and now he is concerned about that decision.

Uncle Iroh tries to advise him with this quote and tells him that it would be very wise and insightful to let go of the need for perfectionism and choose passion, love, friendship, and happiness. Aang finds his wise and true and accepts them with all his heart.

16_/22

“Destiny is a funny thing. You never know how things are going to work out. But if you keep an open mind and an open heart, I promise you will find your own destiny someday. ”

There is something very interesting about this quote. Iroh says that most people don't know what is going to happen in their lives but if someone can learn to keep his mind and heart open then he can change the pattern and live his own destiny.

By opening the mind he probably means to be wise enough to find the wisdom in his goals and by opening the heart he means understanding the true feelings inside us and going after our passions.

Learn to find wisdom by thinking accurately (opening the mind) and follow your passion (opening the heart) and then you can be the master of your own destiny.

Zuko believes that his one and true destiny and honor is to capture and seize Avatar but his wise uncle, Iroh knows better than anyone else that destiny doesn't work that simple.

No need to mention that Iroh is right again! Zuko’s true destiny was never to seize the Avatar Aang but to help him to unleash his true power and resite balance to water, fire, air, and earth. Iroh tried to open his mind and heart to see his true destiny and finally, he did that.

We all have to understand that none of our destines have written on stone and we can all bend it our will.

15_/22

“Understanding others, the other elements, the other nations, will help you become whole.”

Once again Iroh shows his high-level philosophy, understanding of life, and wisdom. He knows that in order to become perfect (whole) we need to understand other people. That when you can call yourself a true human being.

Iroh is teaching Zuko about other nations and elements and Zucko asks why you are telling me this? and that where we can hear his wise answer.

If you want to watch this scene you can watch this video from the Namaru1987 youtube channel:

14_/22

“Follow your passion and life will reward you. ”

This one is one of my favorite quotes! I really love it! First of all, it reminds me of a quote from Sabrina Bryan: " You can do anything as long as you have the passion, the drive, the focus, and the support. "

We all have something that makes us feel alive, happy, and driven! For some people, it's helping children and for others is making more money! Find and follow it and that will make you happy and fulfilled which is the greatest reward in life.

If you don't know how to find your passion then this video from the Improvement Pill youtube channel can help you a lot:

13_/22

“Is it your own destiny? Or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you? ”

Sometimes in order to get approval from someone, we accept what they say as our own destiny! this is the greatest betrayal that we can do to ourselves. We all have to understand that our destiny is unique and incomparable to others.

Enlightenment can help us find our unique and original destiny.

12_/22

“Pride Is Not The Opposite Of Shame, But It's Source...True Humility Is The Only Antidote To Shame. ”

Once again uncle Iroh teaches some useful insights about pride and shame. He is trying to teach us that the most special actions come in the absence of pride.

There is an episode called "Bitter Work", where Iroh wants to teach Zucko a very unique and super special Firebending that can turn fire into lighting.

But unfortunately, Zucko can not performs this ability and he failed over and over again which made him become angry.

Iroh says to Zuko that in order to learn this super skill you have to get rid of shame and then you can let go of anger. But Zucko replies back that he has pride rather than shame on the inside and that where we can hear the wise quote from the old Iroh: "Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame. "

He indicates that Zukos's inability to perform and his anger toward almost everything comes from shame and the true reason and source behind this shame is nothing but his arrogance.

So, in order to unlock this ability, you have to let go of the rage and also pride, then adopt humility.

Please font forget that this lighting ability is the symbol of achieving inner light and happiness in life. So we all have to listen to this tea lover old man and let of our arrogance and then we can find a super-secret ability called inner peace and light. I recommend reading this blog, success without integrity is a failure too.

11_/22

“Sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life’s true delights .”

There is a unique philosophy in his words. Iroh teaches us that in order to be happy and grateful you don't need to own a Lamborghini or a Ferrari, sometimes even drinking a cup of tea can be a pure delight.

You may say that maybe he has always been a happy person with no problems in his life. But you have to know that his son was killed at the battle, his brother took the throne from him, and even sometimes his nephew turned his back on him.

Despite this, he has the courage and sensitivity to sit down and talk to Toph, a girl he'd never met before, and even give some advice.

We know that he has not lived an easy life but his ability to find happiness and joy in every situation is truly admirable. We all need to learn this lesson from him.

10_/22

“There’s nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity. I suggest you think about what it is that you want from your life, and why.”

Ok, who said that? a general who spent his entire life fighting a furious war against other nations. After these hard years finally, he understands the true value of peace. That's why we all have to accept his advice.

Actually, he is giving this advice to Zuko and indicating the fact that he doesn't have to be at war his entire life if he didn't want to. After all, what can be a life of peace and prosperity??

9_/22

“It is usually best to admit mistakes when they occur, and to seek to restore honor. ”

According to Carol Dweck and psychology, there is a term called the growth mindset. A person who has a growth mindset will accept when they make a mistake and ask how to correct it. That's what Iroh is trying to teach us. He is a professional pscycologist!

Throughout the show, he was always trying to enlighten Zuko, and this time, when he saw a bad mistake from him, he says this wise quote to him.

This time he explains that it's ok to accept failure when they occur and try to fix them and restore the honor after doing that. It's always good to learn from failure and get back to the honor path.

8_/22

“Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel, you can’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving, you will come to a better place. ”

This quote reminds another famous quote from Martin Luther King Jr:

“If you can’t fly then run if you can’t run then walk if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

Sometimes all we see in our lives is nothing but failure, poverty, and darkness. Everything is bad and there is no change even after months or years of trying.

Iroh is trying to enlighten us by the fact that sometimes everything is hard but if we keep moving forward then finally we will find a new and better place.

Usually, we hear that Iroh is giving advice to Zuko but in the finale of season two, Avatar Aang and the dragon of the west had a chance to speak and Aang was inspired by this wise and old tea lover.

The young Avatar was eager to listen to the wisdom of Iroh and he did that lovingly. He said that protection and power are overrated and taking love and happiness is wise.

After that, he said this epic sentence to Aang: “Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel. You can’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving you will come to a better place”.

We tend to judge fastly without knowing that there is a long journey ahead and we all need to keep our hope.

Let's read this quote again in the honor of this wise man! well done Uncle!

7_/22

“Failure is the only opportunity to begin again. Only this time more wisly.”

Before saying anything about this quote I really recommend you watch this video from the HESMotivation youtube channel:

Our attitude is everything! If we see failure as a failure then we will never accomplish success! we all have to understand that failure is a part of the success process.

This time Uncle Iroh is trying to teach us that in order to achieve what we want in life we have to see failure as an opportunity to begin again and of course this time with more experience.

I love this quote from Thomas A. Edison:

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”

Listing to Iroh and do what he says and surely you will find both success and happiness in life.

6_/22

“You should know this is not a natural sickness. But that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying tea. ”

I know that life is hard and your current situation is awful but it shouldn't stop you from enjoying watching the sky and listing to birds singing. Learn to enjoy life even in the most unpleasant moments.

Zuko did something which was in conflict with the image of himself and after coming back to the home he became sick and fell down. Although he was pretty sick but Iroh told him that he has to enjoy life even though it's not as good as it should be.

5_/22

“Good times become good memories, but bad times make good lessons. ”

Life is all about learning and growing, but the fact is that a good situation doesn't teach you a lot, so in order to learn good lessons from life you have to experience unpleasant moments.

As Friedrich Nietzsche says: "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. " 

Iroh has experienced many good and bad things in his life. He has been a traveler his whole life and has learned many things from them.

Uncle Iroh knew that failure allowed someone to start again, even with more experience this time. His tragedic events, such as losing his son and failing in war have taught him valuable lessons and now he wants the same thing for his nephew, which explains why he is giving much of his wisdom to Zuko.

4_/22

“It’s time for you to look inward and start asking yourself the big question: who are you and what do you want. ”

Be careful! This question can change your life forever. It can start a journey to your inner self and make you to stand against your greatest fear or even it can force you to throw away your current values and transform them into something else. But in the end, you will find something fascinating.

We all know that Zuko was looking for Avatar to capture him and return him to his father, the Firelord so that he may restore his honor.

But Uncle Iroh is trying to open his eyes and remind him that true honor comes from the inside. he told Zuko to live the life according to his own term and not based on what other expect of him. that's why he advised him: “It’s time for you to look inward and start asking yourself the big question: who are you and what do you want?”

3_/22

“Life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not. "

I have seen many people who are not living! can you even believe that?? they are not enjoying life and they are not living life as it can be! all they do is think about the future or the past.

Uncle Iroh is trying to teach Zuko that life is going on! Wherever you are living is there, whether you want it or not!

So it would be so wise to live it and enjoy every moment of it.

Prince Zuko is in Ba Sin Se, and he is not really interested in Earth kingdom's attractions. Behind those huge walls, he feels like a prisoner, stating that this place is not a place where he wants to live.

Uncle is there to give him some advice and enlighten him with the fact that life happens around us all the time, actually life is where we are. He tells the young prince that sometimes you can't change the facts of your life but it would be wise to live as it is and don't lose it at all.

 

2_/22

“There are reasons each of us are born. We have to find those reasons. "

Do you really think that the only reason we were born was to get a party, drink, eat, and sleep? According to Buda and many other great philosophers, we all have a genuine reason for our birth, and there is nothing more important than finding those reasons.

Iroh used to believe that his reason for being born was to be the Fire Lord and conquer all other nations but after his son's death, he understood that it must something else. The same happened to Zuko, from capturing the Avatar to helping him restore the balance. 

1_/22

“In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength.”

This one is my favorite too! I love it! It reminds me of a quote from Emily Dickinson, the American poet: " Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all. "

Why hope is very important in our lives? when we have hope we can definitely find a positive thing in any negative situation! when we have hope we can survive in any harsh and hard places, when we have hope we can endure almost anything unbearable. It's a magical weapon against pessimism!

I believe that Iroh was a great source of enlightenment, wisdom, and courage for Zucko. He tried to advise him in difficulties and give him a clear and correct path of honor.

This quote is from the moment when Zuko was giving up hope and once again Iroh explains the importance of hope for him:

" You must never give into despair. Allow yourself to slip down that road, and you surrender to your lowest instincts. In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength. "

Unclue Iroh knows that optimism will bring us a positive outcome in any horrible situation and pessimism will bring negativity even in a positive situation. We all have to listen to this wise old man.

 

Ok, there you are! what do you think? Was Uncle Iroh quotes inspiring for you? Do you think his philosophy is motivational and wise?? Let me know in the comments.

By the way, if you want to understand Iroh philosophy better then this video from the Hello Future Me youtube channel can help be very interesting for you:

Original Article: https://mindsetopia.com/best-uncle-iroh-quotes/