Context

Paul is writing this letter to the people at the church of Philippi (in modern-day Macedonia) during one of his stints in prison. Basically, he's telling the people that he's just happy to be alive even though his life is currently terrible.

He's also encouraging them to keep their heads up even when life gets them down because God has their back. Even in jail, he has found his zen state because he trusts that God will take care of him.

Of course, Paul wasn't actually telling the people they could get mystical powers to do absolutely anything. He was encouraging them and telling them to keep their chins up when life gets hard.

Where you've heard it

We're betting you've seen this one around. This is a super popular motivational verse found on Christian t-shirts, books, and other church-y things.

It's also used by a lot of athletes. Former New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow, for example, added it to his eye black (source).

And it's one of the most popular verses quoted on Twitter…leading to some controversy about using it as a kind of video game power up and not for encouragement. Hey, sometimes you need a little boost to get to the next level, right?

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 sweet one-liner is all positivity, all the time. Nothing very pretentious, here.