Life Is Like a Box of Chocolates

Origin

The line was written by screenwriter Eric Roth for the 1994 film Forrest Gump, adapted from Winston Groom’s 1986 novel.

Delivered in Tom Hanks’s Alabama accent, it quickly entered everyday speech as a modern proverb about uncertainty.

Though entirely Hollywood-born, its rhythm and tone echo real Southern moral sayings, which helped it stick in popular culture.

Verdict: Southernish. Movie-made wisdom with a Southern accent.