I'm going to buy some green bananas because by the time I get

“I’m going to buy some green bananas because by the time I get home they’ll be ripe.” Thus spoke Ryan Stiles, the comedian whose humor often hides quiet wisdom. To the unseeing ear, this sounds like a jest — light, playful, an offhand remark about patience or ripening fruit. But beneath the laughter lies a truth older than the pyramids: that to live well is to live with hope. The speaker, in choosing green bananas, speaks of tomorrow — of faith that time remains, that life continues its gentle unfolding. For even the smallest act of planning for the future becomes, in its own way, an act of courage against the shadow of mortality.

The origin of this quote rests in Stiles’ unique gift for transforming the ordinary into the profound. Known for his quick wit, he often found humor not in mockery, but in perspective — in seeing the light within the mundane. The phrase “buying green bananas” became, over time, a subtle expression of optimism, often used by those facing the twilight of life. It suggests a heart that refuses to give in to despair, that still finds purpose in the days to come. To buy green bananas is to say, “I expect to be here when they ripen.” It is, therefore, a quiet declaration of endurance.

In truth, this quote carries the spirit of ancient wisdom. The Stoics, such as Marcus Aurelius, urged men to live each day as if it were their last, yet also to act as if they had eternity ahead. There is power in that balance — to accept mortality while still investing in life. The man who buys green bananas is not blind to death; he simply chooses not to let it dictate his joy. He does not fear the inevitable, but honors the present by believing in tomorrow. This is the essence of hopeful realism — a virtue often forgotten in an age that rushes toward both anxiety and denial.

Consider the story of Nelson Mandela, who, imprisoned for 27 years, planted a small garden in his cell. He tilled the soil with his hands, tended to each seed, and waited for the plants to grow — though he did not know if he would live to see them bloom. Like the man who buys green bananas, Mandela’s act was simple yet defiant. It was a way of saying, “I still believe in the future.” When he was freed, he carried with him not just the wisdom of endurance, but the fruit of that inner garden — proof that hope, when tended with patience, always ripens in time.

In another sense, Stiles’ words remind us of the sacred balance between humor and mortality. The ancients often said that the gods gave mankind laughter so that we might bear the weight of knowing we must die. The green banana, in its simplicity, becomes a symbol of that laughter — the gentle reminder that life, though fleeting, is still sweet. To jest in the face of time is not denial; it is triumph. For the one who laughs while preparing for tomorrow has already conquered fear.

And yet, there is also humility in this wisdom. The green banana is not a grand ambition — it is a small, everyday act. It teaches that hope need not roar; it can whisper. To believe in the ripening of fruit is to believe in the constancy of life’s cycles. The seasons turn, the world endures, and within that rhythm, even the frailest among us can find peace. It is a reminder that meaning is found not in great gestures, but in small faiths — the ones that say, “I will plant, I will wait, I will trust.”

So, my listener, let this be your teaching: buy the green bananas. Do not live as if your days are done; live as if every breath is a promise still unfolding. When fear of the future creeps upon you, remember this quiet wisdom — that to plan for tomorrow, even in jest, is to declare victory over despair. Live with laughter, walk with patience, and trust in the slow ripening of your hopes. For as Ryan Stiles reminds us, to believe that your bananas will ripen is to believe that you will, too — that somewhere ahead, in the gentle turning of time, life still waits to offer its sweetness to those who dare to wait with faith.