Green Lights By Matthew Mcconaughey Chapter Summaries

Green Lights by Matthew McConaughey

I. Meta-thesis and Support

Matthew McConaughey´s memoir, Green Lights, refers to the moments in life when things fall into place and everything seems to align–otherwise known as greenlights–and stresses that every moment in life has a purpose and shapes you into who you are today.

II. Text Excerpts

McConaughey's interpretation of ¨green lights¨ is that they are metaphorical signals that indicate the right time to take a risk or move forward with a project.

¨Green lights aren't always obvious. Sometimes they're small, like a sign pointing you in the dark, or a tiny voice in your head that says ´you can do this.´ Green lights can appear as unexpected opportunities, or even as challenges that you are

¨You have to be true to yourself. You have to be yourself. It's the most important thing.¨(249)

By being yourself constantly, you can exude more confidence, and more confidence leads to more green lights. To explain this in his book, McConaughey reminisced on his acting days; early in his acting career, Matthew was recognized for his work in romantic comedies. However, he aspired to act in more challenging roles. Although his paycheck would take a considerable cut, McConaughey informed his agency that he would no longer work in romantic comedies–he took a leap of faith and was true to himself; this step in his career led to his Oscar-winning performance in Dallas Buyers Club–this was a huge green light.

As Matthew grows older–by older, I mean into his thirties–he starts to worry that he'll never find a wife. But, he remembered that you attract what you are.

¨The arrow doesn´t seek the target, the target draws the arrow…sometimes we don't need to make things happen.¨

When an author tries to make a claim relating to their life experiences–in the case of Green Lights–there is no way to tell if they're telling the truth; the credibility is solely based on the author's trust. Matthew wrote this book to share how his life experiences have helped him grow as a person and to help others overcome their obstacles in life. So, readers hope that the stories he's telling in this memoir are