Quotes

In my own mind, I'm not sure that acting is something for a grown man to be doing.

[interview in "TV Guide"] When a horse learns to buy martinis, I'll learn to like horses.

I don't believe in that phony hero stuff.

If I hadn't made it as an actor, I might have wound up a hood.

When I believe in something, I fight like hell for it.

Sometimes kids ask me what a pro is. I just point to the Duke [John Wayne]

I live for myself and I answer to nobody.

Stardom equals freedom. It's the only equation that matters.

I just want the pine trees and my kids and the green grass. I want to get rich and fat and watch my children grow.

An actor is a puppet, manipulated by a dozen other people. Auto racing has dignity. But you need the same absolute concentration. You have to reach inside yourself and bring forth a lot of broken glass.

Stardom equals financial success, and financial success equals security. I've spent too much of my life feeling insecure.

I really don't like to act. At the beginning, back in '52, I had to force myself to stick with it. I was real uncomfortable, real uncomfortable.

When a kid didn't have any love when he was small, he begins to wonder if he's good enough. You know if my mother didn't love me, and I didn't have a father, I mean, well, I guess I'm not very good.

You only say what's important and you own the scene.

I worked hard, and if you work hard you get the goodies.

I'm not sure whether I'm an actor who races or a racer who acts.

[on An Enemy of the People (1978)] The main thing I was shooting for was not to make bucks but to have something I could believe in.

The Marines gave me discipline I could live with. By the time I got out I could deal with things on a more realistic level. All in all, despite my problems, I liked my time in the Marines.

I believe in me. I'm a little screwed up but I'm beautiful.

They call me a chauvinist pig. I am . . . and I don't give a damn!

I have to be careful because I'm a limited actor. I mean, my range isn't very great. There's a whole lot of stuff I can't do, so I have to find characters and situations that feel right. Even then, when I've got something that fits, it's a hell of a lot of work. I'm not a serious actor. There's something about my shaggy-dog eyes that makes people think I'm good. I'm not all that good.

I'm out of the Midwest. It was a good place to come from. It gives you a sense of right or wrong and fairness, which is lacking in our society.

Listen, in Taiwan most people don't know who Lyndon B. Johnson is, but they sure as hell know who John Wayne is.

[on Dustin Hoffman] If a guy like him can become a star, what'll happen to guys like [Paul Newman] and me?

Every time I look in the rear-view mirror, I see Robert Redford.

[His last words] I did it.

The only time that I really honestly relax it seems is when I'm motor racing. I do relax a lot at speed. One really has to. You must stay relaxed because if any trouble comes up, you don't want to be tense, you want to stay very relaxed so that you can cope with it.

[on Le Mans (1971)] If we're going to do this, we are going to do it right. No typical Hollywood bullshit--no clever twists, no perfect ending. It has to be pure. And if we're going to do it about one race, it has to be Le Mans

I believe that I want to lead the type of life that I want to lead. In other words, my private life is my own, and I'll fight to have that.

I've hurried all my life. It's a way of life for me.

You only go around once in life and I'm going to grab a handful of it.

To me, a woman's ass is important. Jane Fonda always works out and keeps her ass in A-1 condition.

When I did 'The Great Escape,' I kept thinking, if they were making a movie of my life, that's what they'd call it - the great escape.

Hopefully, the cheap scandal sheets and curiosity seekers will not try to seek me out, so I can continue my treatment. I wanted to retain my sense of dignity as, for sure, I thought I was going to die.

I'm not a great actor - let's face it. I don't have a great deal of scope. There are certain things I can do, but when I'm bad, I stink. There's something about my shaggy dog eyes that makes people think I'm good. I'm not all that good.