Life is like a box of chocolates

This famous catchphrase is drawn from the movie Forrest Gump (1994). The lead character, a half-wit who turns up at critical moments in 20th century history, played by actor Tom Hanks, actually says, “My momma always said, 'Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.'" There is, however, an earlier citation that is very similar, 'Life is a box of cookies' which appears in the novel Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, first published in Japan in 1987. and then in English in 1989.