James Dean Quotes

“There is no way to be truly great in this world. We are all impaled on the crook of conditioning.”

“An actor should be judged by his performance only.”

“Only the gentle are ever really strong.”

“But you can't show some far off idyllic conception of behavior if you want the kids to come and see the picture. You've got to show what it's really like, and try to reach them on their own grounds.”

“I think the prime reason for existence, for living in this world is discovery.”

“If I had one day when I didn't have to be all confused and didn't have to feel that I was ashamed of everything. If I felt that I belonged someplace. You know?”

“Remember: Life is short, break the rules”

“Studying cows, pigs and chickens can help an actor develop his character. There are a lot of things I learned from animals. One was that they couldn't hiss or boo me.”

“Reality doesn't have any preconceived ideas. You've got to learn how to smoke the cigarette, not act smoking the cigarette. You need to drink the drink, not act drinking the drink. You've got to do things and not show them.”

“You try to be yourself, do only what you've always done and like to do, and right away, you're tagged as an oddball.”

“What do we need all that for?”If a picture is psychologically motivated, if there is truth in the relationship in it, then I think that picture will do good. I firmly believe Rebel Without A Cause is such a picture.”

“My fun days are over.”

“To grasp the full significance of life is the actor's duty; to interpret it his problem; and to express it his dedication. Being an actor is the loneliest thing in the world. You are all alone with your concentration and imagination, and that's all you have. Being a good actor isn't easy. Being a man is even harder. I want to be both before I'm done.”

“I also became close to nature, and am now able to appreciate the beauty with which this world is endowed.”

“I wouldn't like me, if I had to be around me.”

“I don't have to explain anything to anybody.”

“Live fast, die young, leave a good looking corpse.”

“You are who you are meant to be. Dance as if no one's watching. Love as if it's all you know. Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today.”

“How can you measure acting in inches?”