Context

This line is spoken by Mufasa, voiced by James Earl Jones, in The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff (1994).

In The Lion King, James Earl Jones plays the opposite of a previous role of his, and is a good, wise father, who doesn't choke his subordinates or try to seduce his children to the Dark Side.

After Simba and his friend, Nala, go on a little misadventure to the elephant graveyard, Mufasa rescues them from the dastardly hyenas and decides to set his son straight. Oh no, it's discipline time.

But Mufasa is no tyrant. He uses Simba's disobedience as a learning opportunity and teaches him that kings aren't the animal equivalent of swashbuckling adventurers. Things are about to get crazy for Simba and Mufasa, but for now, Mufasa is doling out kingly advice and wrestling with his headstrong, little lion cub, and all is right in the Pridelands.

Where you've heard it

This is a line you might hear from a teacher or a mentor when you've been engaging in risky behavior for the sake of the risk. Hopefully this doesn't involve wrestling with hyenas.

This article digs deeper into Mufasa's paternal wisdom in honor of Father's Day.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

This is a solid, little aphorism from a great Disney movie and so it falls pretty low on the pretentious scale.