Looking for the best and inspirational Anthony Hopkins quotes?
Anthony Hopkins is an acclaimed British actor and a screenwriter. He is one of those actors who have made a lasting impact in the industry. His career spans more than 50 years, from his early roles to his later work.
In the 1980’s he appeared in one of the highest-grossing films of all time – The Empire Strikes Back, where he played Jedi Master Yoda. He then went on to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1988 film The Silence of the Lambs.
He was born on New Year’s Eve 1937 to Welsh parents who worked as coal miners in Wigan. Hopkins’ father died at the age of 22, and his mother subsequently raised him on her own. He had a difficult upbringing, but he found solace through poetry at a young age, admiring Dylan Thomas’s work and drawing inspiration from it. His first school was apprenticed to his uncle, who was a tailor in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
Anthony Hopkins has been referred to as one of the world’s most accomplished actors of all time. His quotes on living a worry-free life will inspire you and help you feel more at ease.
Top 55 Anthony Hopkins Quotes
“Life is tough, but you just have to just get out of bed, get out and do it”
“We all dream. We dream vividly, depending on our nature. Our existence is beyond our explanation, whether we believe in God or we have religion or we’re atheist.”
“I’m fascinated by the dream world we live in, in our dreaming sleep dreaming and that moment of pre sleep when the subconscious mind whirls up.”
“And I love a scary movie. It makes your toes curl and it’s not you going through it.”
“It was a challenge, to work with Oliver Stone.”
“Every time I try to retire, or even think of retiring from acting, my agent comes up with a script.”
“People don’t always tell you what they are thinking. They just see to it that you don’t advance in life.”
“Today is the tomorrow I was worried about yesterday.”
“My life turned out to be beyond my greatest dreams.”
“There is no shortcut to happiness, you have to live your life.”
“The trick is not to get too fanatical about getting the accent too accurate because then that becomes a mask. What I try to do is just painting and sketching some of the sounds without obliterating my own voice.”
“We are dying from overthinking. We are slowly killing ourselves by thinking about everything. Think. Think. Think. You can never trust the human mind anyway. It’s a death trap.”
“I don’t care: if they don’t like it they don’t like it, but I do it for the fun of it.”
“I learn poetry, learn text, and that really keeps you alive.”
“I know that some actors and directors like to have intensity on set. I don’t, particularly. Certainly, if they want that, that’s fine, but I can’t work like that.”
“Beware the tyranny of the weak. They just suck you dry.”
“I have no interest in Shakespeare and all that British nonsense. I just wanted to get famous and all the rest is hogwash.”
“I’m interested in the dream and subconscious mind, the peculiar dream-like quality of our lives, sometime nightmare quality of our lives.”
“Keep low expectations and life gets pretty good.”
“Relish everything that’s inside of you, the imperfections, the darkness, the richness and light, and everything. And that makes for a full life.”
“I’ve got no need to prove to myself that I can do Shakespeare. I’ve done it.”
“If I spent all my time criticising myself, I wouldn’t be able to function. There are actors who theorise till the cows come home. I haven’t the patience for them. It’s maybe shallow, but that’s why I’ll never be part of the acting set.”
“I don’t believe in nepotism. I don’t much like the idea of parents who interfere.”
“Life’s so short and such glorious – images in the world and such horror as well, but I want to see it all. So I moved out of my comfort zone.”
“I’m interested in the dream and subconscious mind, the peculiar dream-like quality of our lives, sometime nightmare quality of our lives.”
“People ask me how did you choose the part and how did you prepare for this work? I just learned the lines and showed up; I don’t know what else to say because that’s all I know how to do.”
“People don’t always tell you what they are thinking. They just see to it that you don’t advance in life.”
“I’m fascinated by the fact that we can’t grasp anything about time.”
“I don’t like freeloaders; I don’t like people who are negative.”
“A conductor can’t be too arrogant with an orchestra and try to impose himself too much.”
“Once you accept the fact that there’s nothing to fear, you drill into the primal oil well. I believe when we do things without fear, we can do anything. As long as you don’t worry about the consequences…”
“Life’s too short to deal with other people’s insecurities.”
“We get questions in our head and little voices that put us down when we were kids, so get over that. That’s all I’ve had to do.”
“I was bullied as a boy – lots of kids are, but hopefully most of us get on with our lives and grow up.”
“I have no illusions about my position in this world as an actor or anything like that. I’m very realistic. Reality is a very liberating thing.”
“You mellow out and you just don’t take things too seriously.”
“My philosophy is: It’s none of my business what people say of me and think of me. I am what I am and I do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. And it makes life so much easier.”
“There is nothing to be scared of in movies. It’s a bit scarier going on stage.”
“If I spent all my time criticizing myself, I wouldn’t be able to function. There are actors who theorize till the cows come home. I haven’t the patience for them. It’s maybe shallow, but that’s why I’ll never be part of the acting set.”
“We all sell ourselves to some degree, I think.”
“I am a bit of a solitude person – a solitary personality. I like being on my own. I don’t have any major friendships or relationships with people.”
“I’m not a health freak. I just work out every day.”
“Once you begin to fall off the track and believe you breathe different air to everyone else, you’re doomed; you’re finished.”
“I’m glad I’m not young anymore. I don’t want to start all over again.”
“I was bullied as a boy – lots of kids are, but hopefully most of us get on with our lives and grow up.”
“I’m one of the slowest drivers on the road. I mosey along. If you’re doing anything too fast, including living life too fast, that creates sudden death. If I have to be somewhere on time, I make sure I leave early enough.”
“I love life because what more is there?”
“I don’t have people following me around, like bodyguards. I don’t know how people live like that. Maybe the young movie stars have to live like that, I don’t know. But it seems a little crazy to me. I don’t think you need all that stuff.”
“Life’s too short to deal with other people’s insecurities.”
“If people don’t want to bother with me, fine. You know, God bless them, and move on.”
“I couldn’t say I ever dreamt of becoming a composer, a pianist, or anything else for that matter. I have the kind of brain where nothing is set in stone.”
“Guilt is the thief of life.”
“In certain moments of our lives we get little signals, little flashes that say ‘it’s yours if you want it.”
“If you do things, whether it’s acting or music or painting, do it without fear – that’s my philosophy. Because nobody can arrest you and put you in jail if you paint badly, so there’s nothing to lose.”
“Everything is random and there are no guarantees.”
