爱德华（伊万·麦克格雷格 Ewan McGregor 饰）生性热爱自由，成年之后，他选择离开家乡，踏上了环游世界的旅程。一路上，爱德华遇见了各种各样稀奇古怪的角色，经历了无数精彩绝伦的的冒险，而他日后最大的兴趣，就是向他人喋喋不休的重复讲述他的这一段奇幻旅程。 
　　威尔（比利·克鲁德普 Billy Crudup 饰）是爱德华的儿子，他并不相信父亲所讲述的那些光怪陆离的故事，甚至对此感到无比厌烦。婚后，他同父亲中断了联系，一晃眼就是数年过去。当再次得到爱德华的消息之时，威尔才知道父亲即将不久于人世，他决定去见爱德华最后一面。然而，这一次，威尔终于发现了隐藏在这些故事背后的奥秘和真相。

1、Sometimes the only way to catch an uncatchable woman is to offer her a wedding ring.
要套住一个无法捉摸的女人，最好的办法就是帮她套上一只婚戒。

2、Kept in a small bowl, the goldfish will remain small. With more space, the fish will grow double, triple or quadruple its size.
金鱼呆在小鱼缸里永远不会变大。若有更多空间，它们将会数倍化成长。

3、Did you ever think that maybe you're not too big but maybe this town is just too small?Well, it's too small for a man of my ambition.
 你没想过也许是这个镇子对你来说太小了吗？对我而言，这个小镇容不下我的雄心壮志。

4、The biggest fish in the river gets that way by never being caught.
 河里最大的鱼永远不会被人捉到。

5、There comes a point when a reasonable man will swallow his pride and admit that he's made a terrible mistake.Truth is , I was never a reasonable man.
懂道理的人，终会有按下自尊、坦承他犯下严重错误的时刻。事实是，我一直都是不讲道理的人。

6、The more difficult something is, the more rewarding it is in the end. 
 事情愈艰难，最后愈能得到丰厚的果实。

7、 This town is more than any man could ask for. And if I were to end up here, I would consider myself lucky.But the truth is, I'm just not ready to end up anywhere.
这个小镇是任何人都梦寐以求的。我若落脚于此，定会倍感荣幸。但事实上，我从未准备好在任何地方落脚。 

8、-- Can I take your picture?
     -- Oh, you don't need a picture.Just look up the word 'handsome' in the dictionary.
——我可以为您拍张照吗？
——哦，不用了，只要到辞典里查“英俊”这个词就可以了。

9、They said when you meet the love of your life,time stops.And that's true.What they don't tell you is that once time starts again, it moves extra fast to catch up.
人们说当你遇上你的挚爱时，时间会暂停。真的是这样。但人们没有告诉你，当时针再度恢复转动，它会无比飞快，让人无法赶上。

10、-- You were hot shit back in Hickville，but here in the real world, you got squat.You don't have a plan or a job.Nothing except the clothes on your back. You were a big fish in a small pond, but this here is the ocean and you're drowning....

-- ...I don't have a job,but I would have a job if you gave me one.And I may not have much, but I have more determination than any man you're likely to meet.

 -- 你是乡下来的大人物，但在真实世界里，你啥都不是。你没什么打算、没有一份工作，除了身上的衣服以外什么都没有。你原本是小池子里的大鱼，但现在这里是大海，你会淹死的...

-- 我是没有工作，但只要你给我一份就可以。我拥有的也许不多，但我比任何人都有决心。

11、Most things you consider evil or wicked are simply lonely and lacking in social niceties.
你认为最邪恶、最坏的东西，大多只是孤独、缺乏融洽的个性。

12、Fate has a cruel way of circling around on you.There's a time when a man needs to fight and a time when he needs to accept that his destiny's lost.Now the ship has sailed,and that only a fool will continue.Truth is , I've always been a fool.
 人生有振作奋斗的时刻，也有必须接受现实的时候。现在木已成舟，只有傻子才会去钻牛角尖。但事实上，我一直都是个傻子。

13、 The thing about icebergs is you only see 10 percent while the other 90 percent is below the water where you can't see it.
“冰山”的意思就是说，事情只有一成真相露出表面，而其余九成都难觅踪迹。

14、-- You don't even know me.
       -- I have the rest of my life to find out.
-- 你甚至还不认识我。
-- 我用毕生来认识你。

15、Jennifer: See, to him there's only two women:Your mother, and everyone else...I was make-believe.And his other life,you.You were real.
Jennifer：对他来说,世界上只有两个女人：一是你母亲，另一个是除她之外的任一女人。在他的故事中，“我”是虚构的，而他的另一半人生在于你，你才是真实的。

16、Dr. Bennett：And that's the real story of how you were born.Not very exciting,is it?And I suppose if I had to choose between the true version and an elaborate one involving a fish and a wedding ring,I might choose the fancy version.But, then that's just me.
这就是你出生的真实故事。不是很有趣，对吧？如果让我选择是要真实版、还是那个加了条大怪鱼和婚戒的夸张版，我可能会选后者。但是，这只是我的一厢情愿。

17、Have you ever heard a joke so many times you've forgotten why it's funny? And then you hear it again and suddenly it's new. You remember why you loved it in the first place.
有些笑话你是否因为听过太多遍而忘了它为什么有趣？后来你又一次听到它，突然间，犹如恍然一新，你就会想起为何一开始就会喜欢它了。

18、A man tells stories so many times that he becomes the stories. They live on after him, and in that way, he becomes immortal.
一个人不停述说着自己的故事，让他自己也成了故事本身。故事在他死后继续流传，那样，他也变得永垂不朽了。