25 Rafiki Quotes From The Lion King’s Greatest Sage & Shaman

Let these Rafiki quotes open your eyes to the reality of change, the lessons of the past, and the importance of following your path in life!

The Lion King is one of the greatest animated movies of all time; it covers lots of aspects of life, including family, romantic love, leadership, envy, and more. It’s been so well-received that it earned multiple sequels, an animated series, and even a live-action adaptation!

In all these forms of media, Rafiki, The Lion King’s wise sage and shaman, is a constant. He’s present to guide Mufasa, Simba, and more through their experiences and struggles.

Because his words are so meaningful and the lessons he imparts are so relatable, we can’t help but love him and his quotes! We’ve compiled some of our favorite Rafiki quotes so you can also check them out whenever you need inspiring advice.

And make sure to read these The Lion King quotes and Shrek quotes.

Best Rafiki Quotes

1. “The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.”

2. “Life without worry. You seek Hakuna Matata.”

3. “Look harder. You see, he lives in you.”

4. “Everybody is somebody, even a nobody.”

5. “I’m not the one who is confused, you’re the one who doesn’t even know who you are.”

6. “Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”

7. “The question is: who are you?”

8. “Ah. Change is good.”

9. “Any story worth telling is worth telling twice.”

10. “Correction, I know your father. He’s alive, and I’ll show him to you. Follow old Rafiki; he knows the way, c’mon.”

Rafiki Quotes From This Wise Sage

11. “Oh, the better question is, where are you going?”

12. “Can’t cut it out; it will grow right back.”

13. “You’re a baboon, and I’m not.”

14. “It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past.” 

15. “Asante Sana squash banana!”

16. “My work here is done.”

17. Rafiki: “‘Hakuna Matata.’ It means, ‘No worries.’”

Timon: “Perfect! Mind taking that stick of yours and drawing me a map, bub?”

Rafiki: “To find it, you must look beyond what you see.”

18. “Ha. You see? So what are you going to do?”

19. “The Roar is a very powerful gift. It can be used for great good. But it can also lead to terrible evil.”

Rafiki Quotes That The Lion King Fans Will Adore

20. “Don’t dawdle. Hurry up!”

21. “The king has returned.”

22. “No, no, no, no, not the stick! Hey, where you going?” 

23. “Good! Go on! Get out of here!” 

24. “I don’t think this is going to work, but I trust you. I just hope you know what you are doing!”

25. “Simba? He’s—he’s alive? He—he—he’s alive!”

What’s Something You’ve Learned From Rafiki?

Many don’t know this, but the philosophy of Hakuna Matata was actually from Rafiki. He was the one who taught Timon this motto in The Lion King 1½.

Hakuna Matata is actually the core message we can get from Rafiki, as we can apply this philosophy in most, if not all, aspects of our lives. We shouldn’t waste our time worrying about life; we must instead accept everything that happens to us as part of our path!

By doing so, we can continue our journey on Earth with a more carefree and positive attitude. Only then will better things come our way because, as they say, you attract what you think and how you act.

Every second of our lives, we encounter some sort of change—may it be toward something good or something bad. So, don’t get stuck overthinking things; sometimes, you just need to go with the flow and trust the process!

Let Rafiki and his philosophy inspire you to lead a carefree, enjoyable, and purposeful life. Follow your path, and always live by Hakuna Matata!

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Karen Danao

Hi, I’m Karen, a content curator and writer for Quote Ambition; I’m also a marketing and advertising professional. Beyond the keyboard and the screen, I’m someone who’s out to enjoy every bit that life has to offer!

Poetry, philosophy, history, and movies are all topics I love writing about! However, my true passion is in traveling, photography, and finding common ground to which everyone from different cultures can relate.

With the many places I’ve been to, I found that love, inspiration, and happiness are some things that bring people together. No matter how different we are on the outside, I’m a true believer that our emotions don’t lie; if you dig deep into our psyche, we’re all the same inside.

This belief was further amplified when I joined Quote Ambition. Through the quotes I’ve read, collected, organized, and written about, I found that humans are resilient, creative, and compassionate.

We take from each others’ hearts and courage, and it’s through our individual experiences that we learn how to rise above our challenges and pain. In so many ways, Quote Ambition is a platform that allows people from all over the world to gain the inspiration they need anytime, anywhere!

You can find me on MuckRack and LinkedIn.