You don’t need someone else to feel complete, because you are the only person that can truly make yourself feel whole. While cheesy, it’s the most important love lesson Cheryl Strayed teaches.

2. Never give up.

Because when you get to the finish line, it’s the best feeling in the world.

3. The right size boots are everything.

Seriously though, before you hike make sure you have the right size boots, because toenails are super important.

4. Trust your instincts.

Especially when it comes to people, it’s okay to trust people, but also keep your guard up a little bit because your gut is normally right.

5. Be rich in love.

Cheryl grew up in poverty, but her mother used to say that they were “rich in love” which is all you need. That and a large pizza.

6. You never know when you’ll need condoms.

Okay, so you don’t need a whole roll when you’re hiking the PCT, but keeping one is a good omen.

7. Always be in the driver’s seat of your life.

Cheryl Strayed’s mom Bobbi learned that lesson the hard way. She was someones wife, someones mom, but she regretted never being in control of her own life.

8. Find your best self.

Whether you have to hike 1,200 miles or write a novel or whatever it is you need, find it. Stop regretting things in the past because it got you to where you are now.

9. Sometimes the one you love isn’t the one.

Cheryl and her ex remain close throughout the movie. Even though they were in love when they split, they recognized they shouldn’t be together.

10. Life is an adventure.

Be spontaneous and wild and keep going no matter how shitty things get. Wallowing will get you no where, and if necessary leave that shitty life behind and find something better.

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Stephen Hawking’s love story is just another reason we love him.

2015 Best Picture nominee The Theory of Everything is based off of the book Stephen Hawking’s first wife wrote, Travelling to Infinity: My Life With Stephen.

While many people just think of Stephen Hawking as a brilliant cosmologist, the movie shows the adorable love story between Jane Wilde and Stephen. The couple met very shortly before he was diagnosed with ALS. Although the movie version may be somewhat different to real life, in the movie they meet at a party and almost immediately fall in love. Then, as we all know, when he was 21 years old he was diagnosed and given a two-year life expectancy.

He battled with depression after his diagnosis and gave up, but according to the biography, Stephen Hawking: His Life and Work, Jane “gave him something to live for.” The two got engaged and battled his disease together. They had three kids, and even though they are no longer together, the movie says that to this day the couple remains close friends, which makes us love them even more.

Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones are amazing in this story, and both, along with the movie, were nominated for 2015 Academy Awards. Even Stephen Hawking can’t deny how much chemistry these two actors had together. Also, it’s nice to see more of Stephen than just the science stuff.

Basically, you need to put this movie on your watch list immediately. Here are 7 love lessons we took away from The Theory of Everything:

1. Love is more powerful than disease.

Although she was advised against it, Jane decided that she was all in. She wouldn’t let the disease stop her from marrying the love of her life. They were together for 30 years and ALS didn’t stop them from being together.

2. Marriage requires hard work.

Especially in this case, but Jane Hawking knew exactly what she was getting into and did what she had to do. Stephen Hawking was expected to live to be 23 and now he’s 72. Jane caring for him probably helped keep him alive.

3. ALS doesn’t effect your sex drive.

In the movie, Stephen Hawking’s friend asks him if he can still have sex and Stephen responds that he can: Because it’s a different system, “it’s automatic,” he says … which then leads us to start thinking about what Stephen Hawking was like in bed. Excuse us for a moment.

4. Go for it!

Stephen Hawking is extremely awkward and shy, which fits the bill for most scientists, but regardless, he walks right up to Jane and asks her out. The worst someone can say is no, and he went for it. Like a boss.

5. Laughter is key.

Despite the obvious depression that comes with being unable to do anything for yourself, Stephen’s bright sense of humor stayed in tact and kept everything less stressful. There is a scene where they have to put a bed downstairs in the kitchen and his response is, “At least getting breakfast will be easy.” Laughter is one of the keys to marriage.

6. You don’t choose who you fall in love with.

He explained black holes, the universe, he had a scientific explanation for everything, but there is no equation for love. All realities fly out the window when you fall in love with someone, and you do everything you can to keep it.

7. Sometimes going separate ways is best.

Jane and Stephen Hawking split in 1995, and while they were still in love, they both just reached a limit and went their separate ways before it destroyed their relationship. They remain close friends to this day.

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Hot off his Golden Globe win (and super touching speech about his foxy son!), Michael Keaton is a front-runner to win the Best Actor Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards for Birdman.

In this movie, Keaton plays Riggan, a faded Hollywood actor famous for his portrayal of a superhero. With a desire to be talked about and adored once again, Riggan hopes to reinvent himself as he writes, directs and stars in a Broadway adaptation of a story written by Raymond Carver.

The film, which garnered nine (!) Academy Award nominations including Best Director for Alejandro G. Iñaárritu, is a stunning visual masterpiece. As if it’s one continuous long-take, Birdman is a beautifully dark comeback story. Here’s what we learned from it.

1. You are truly your own worst critic.

Riggan is haunted by a voice—the voice of Birdman in his own head. It tells the truth, but it can also be misleading. And though he finds comfort in this voice, he gives it too much power. This inner critic is ultimately what makes and breaks Riggan.

2. Go with the flow.

Life is constantly moving forward, which means you will never stay in the same place for too long. Sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down. For Riggan, he was at the top of his game when he was playing Birdman. After he moved on from the role, he lost his popularity—and his ego took a major hit. But rather than find happiness and comfort in a quieter, more fulfilling life, he wanted to get those glory days of success back.

3. People live for applause.

And we’ll do anything to get adulation. It’s almost like a drug. We’ll sell-out. We’ll compromise our morals or ethics to get it. We’ll do almost anything to hear the words “You nailed it!” In fact, Riggan literally blows off his nose to get rave reviews in the play!

4. You’re not invisible.

When they get into a fight, Sam (Riggan’s daughter played by Emma Stone—also nominated!) tells her dad that he doesn’t matter. She’s hurt that they don’t have much of a relationship. Through her own personal heartache, she wants to inflict pain on her father by telling him what she knows will bruise his ego.

5. Things aren’t always as they appear.

A note taped to Riggan’s dressing room mirror says, “A thing is a thing, not what is said of that thing.” You are who you are. You are not what people say about you. As much as we want to not care about our own reviews, it’s still human nature to care. It’s just a matter of not give it too much power.

6. Love and admiration are not the same.

You can love without admiring, and you can admire without loving. Riggan’s ex-wife explains this difference to him, as he’s so focused on his career and the admiration of his fans that he’s ignoring the love of his daughter, the only critic that really matters.

7. Everyone loves a comeback story.

It’s empowering. It’s heroic. It’s the story of ultimate success. And we’re so happy to see Michael Keaton’s comeback. Why did we even let him fade away? He’s the best.

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