Read time 3 minutes. Played by John Cusack, Lloyd Dobler is a walking contradiction: still, emotional, unpredictable—and somehow timeless.
Lloyd Dobler doesn’t want to buy anything, sell anything, or process anything.
He just wants to be here. Now. With her.
Meanwhile, the rest of Say Anything is full of people tangled in their own identity loops and trying to process:
Corey Flood belts out, “That will never be me!”—a karmic exorcism aimed at her ex and his new girl.
Diane Court can’t tell if Lloyd is love or a detour.
And the guys—sitting outside the Gas ’n’ Sip, alone, on like, a Saturday night—insist:
“It’s by choice. I’m choosing to be here.”
But are they?
Because then there’s Lloyd—our Zen master in a trench coat—who knows better.
He sees through it. Not because he’s clever—because he’s ever aware.
He’s the only one not trying to be someone else.
Authentic. Unfiltered. Unstrategic. Unprocessed.
Some see Lloyd as a slacker.
But he trains. He mentors.
He teaches his nephew kickboxing moves in the living room.
He’s not drifting—he’s engaged. Fully.
Lloyd discovers what he wants because he knows what he doesn’t want:
“I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed…
or buy anything sold or processed…
or process anything sold, bought, or processed…
or repair anything sold, bought, or processed.”
Lloyd leaves room—for the unknown.
For the void.
For something right, something real, to enter.
Lloyd has poise.
““You must chill! I have hidden your keys! CHILL!” (That’s almost always good advice.) He doesn’t push. He just abides.
The iconic say anything boombox scene does the talking…
Lloyd is a living, breathing mix tape.
And when words fail, he doesn’t argue. Doesn’t plead.
He just stands in the rain and says nothing.
Still. Present.
That boombox didn’t win her back.
Peter Gabriel didn’t either.
Not a tactic. Not a performance.
Just stillness with a soundtrack.
The Takeaway:
Don’t plan your life so hard you forget to live it.
Calculate, but not so long you forget to feel it.
And don’t live life out of fear that you might fail.
Fear has a voice.
Never give it the steering wheel.
“You must chill! I have hidden your keys! CHILL!”
Don’t panic and drive.
If you give her your heart, and she gives you a pen…
Accept the exchange.
But love is not a transaction.
Life might hit hard.
Take the punch. (Kickboxing: sport of the future.)
Regroup.
Recenter.
And let go.
Show up—in this moment, by choice.
Choose to be here.
No, this isn’t Zen.
But also, it’s Not-Not Zen.
Say nothing. Say everything.
(I guess it is Zen after all.)
Pop culture meets mind training
The teachings are hiding all around us in plain sight. This new category celebrates the spiritual wisdom baked into everyday culture—from 90s films to Beastie Boys tracks to Saturday morning cartoons. Say Anything isn’t just a teen romance—it’s a modern Zen parable. We hope you will enjoy this lighthearted exploration with us going forward.
Choose your own adventure:
- 📖 Get Motivated: Wake ’n Break: Zen Drop 012 →
- ⚓️ Go Deeper: The Undercurrent Signup →
- 🛍️ Shop Around: Visit the GZM Store →
- 🦋 Do Nothing, See What Happens: Mini Practice→
- 🌀 Linger: Go to Homepage →
- 🔁 Follow Along:
Leave a Reply