Daniel LaRusso had Mr. Miyagi. Luke Skywalker had Yoda. The X-Men had Charles Xavier. And Cory Matthews had Mr. Feeney. Actually, the entire cast of characters had the wise and witty teacher to guide them through life and help them meet the world.
William Daniels played George Feeney on Boy Meets World for the show's nine seasons and later reprised the beloved role on the show's Disney Channel reboot Girl Meets World. While plenty of the characters had their moments of wisdom throughout the series, no one's wise words were as looked up to by both the characters and the viewers as Mr. Feeney's.
The Gift Of Friendship
Boy Meets World was largely centered around friendship - best friends Cory and Shawn, Eric's future friendship with Shawn's brother Jack, even Shawn and Topanga's sometimes-rocky friendship. Mr. Feeney got to be witness to every friendship made throughout the show, however short or long-lasting.
It was in the show's first season that Cory and Shawn get into one of their many fights and when Cory talks to his teacher who doubles as his next-door neighbor from over the fence, Mr. Feeney assures Cory of what a true gift friendship is. "it's given with no expectations, and no gratitude is needed... not between real friends."
The Importance Of Love
Cory and Topanga's love story is one of the most memorable storylines in television history - from Cory professing his love for Topanga in the middle of Epcot to Topanga proposing to Cory at their high school graduation - it's all right up there with couples like Ross and Rachel from Friends and Marshall and Lily from How I Met Your Mother.
Mr. Feeney was an innocent bystander in their love story, and always supported the two as a couple. It was a moment when the couple was a bit older that Mr. Feeney told them what he called the most important thing he could teach them, saying, "I believe that when you find love, you hold onto it, and you cherish it, because there is nothing finer and it may never come again."
What Makes A Family
Like friendship, family was a core part of Boy Meets World. While the show mostly centered around The Matthews, it often touched upon The Hunters, who were much more broken and dysfunctional compared to Cory's loving and stable family.
Because Shawn's mother abandoned the family, his father was hardly around, and he was estranged from his older brother, Shawn often found himself living with others, including several stays with The Matthews and a long-term arrangement with Mr. Turner. One of the best pieces of advice Mr. Feeney ever offered to the wayward teen was, "You don't have to be blood to be family."
Being A Hero
A Season 3 episode found Cory undeservedly being dubbed a hero when he and Shawn accidentally start a fire at school, and rather than facing up to what they did, Cory decided to pull the fire alarm and run, ultimately saving the school from being burnt down due to his own mistake.
Of course, it was Mr. Feeny who Cory turned to when the guilt began weighing on him, to which his teacher gave him sound advice. “To me, a real hero is someone who does the right thing when the right thing is not the easy thing to do," Mr. Feeney told him.
How To Change The World
When Mr. Feeney hilariously followed his class to their college years, he was there at Pennbrook University with a whole new batch of advice for the young adults, including newcomers like Angela Moore, Rachel McGuire and Jack Hunter.
When Jack rips into Eric for being too childish at their Student Union jobs, and it turns Eric into a bleaker version of himself, Mr. Feeny reminds Jack of the purpose of life. "It's not enough to leave school and just desire to succeed in this cold, cruel world because then you simply become a part of it," he says. "You must also have the desire to change it. And to change it, you'll need your fine mind, and his good heart."
How To Grow
Growing up was the driving force behind Boy Meets World. It was essentially the entire meaning of the show, a young boy who grows up and meets the world around him. But sometimes that young boy wasn't too sure about growing up and meeting the world, and that was where Mr. Feeney came in.
When Cory was unsure about moving to New York with Topanga and moving on to the next chapter in his life, Mr. Feeney decided to compare Cory to a flower in his garden. When he explained the little flower was resistant to being uprooted, Cory wondered if it was because the flower needed to go out and see the world, to which Mr. Feeney responded, "No, because I thought that if I left it there, it would stop growing."
Dream, Try, Do Good
Mr. Feeny's most simple yet profound advice came in the series finale when Cory, Topanga, Shawn and Eric all meet Mr. Feeny in his classroom for one final lesson before they all branch out on their own after being his students since elementary school.
Topanga asks their teacher if there's anything else he has left to teach them before they go, and Mr. Fenny replies with a quote that is remembered by fans to this day: "Believe in yourselves. Dream. Try. Do Good."