Anthony Hopkins is one of my all-time favorite actors. I’ve always admired his ability to bring complex characters to life on the big screen. But it’s his knowledge and the encouraging quotes he’s offered over his career that I like the most.
From his thoughts on overthinking to the necessity of forgiveness, Hopkins’ thoughts have struck a deep chord with me and helped me manage life’s ups and downs.
In this article, we’ll look at some of Anthony Hopkins most memorable quotes and the lessons they may teach us about leading a happy and more fulfilling life.
Who is Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins is a well-known Welsh actor who has acted in a number of films and television series throughout the course of his career. He was born on December 31, 1937, and has been an actor for almost five decades. Hopkins has appeared in many notable films, including “The Elephant Man” (1980), “Legends of the Fall” (1994), “Thor” (2011), and “The Father” (2020).
Here are some interesting facts about Hopkins:
- Hopkins began his acting career in the 1960s, and his breakout performance was as Richard the Lionheart in “The Lion in Winter” in 1968.
- Throughout his career, Hopkins has received three BAFTA Awards, two Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.
- In addition to performing, Hopkins is a composer, painter, and novelist.
- Hopkins has also played real-life characters such as Pablo Picasso in “Surviving Picasso” (1996), John Quincy Adams in “Amistad” (1997), and Alfred Hitchcock in “Hitchcock” (2012).
- Hopkins is still acting in films and television series, and he is widely regarded as one of the most respected and celebrated performers of his time.
Anthony Hopkins Quotes on Love, Life, and Happiness
The greatest gift you can give yourself is the courage to forgive yourself and others.
I love life because what more is there?
We all dream. We dream vividly, depending on our nature. Our existence is beyond our explanation, whether we believe in God or we have a religion or we’re atheists.
The art of acting is not to act. Once you show them more, what you show them, in fact, is bad acting.
The magical, supernatural force that is with us every second is time. We can’t even comprehend it. It’s such an illusion, it’s such a strange thing.
I don’t know what my view of happiness is, but I can tell you that when you’re unhappy, you don’t feel good about anything.
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.
Acting is just a process of relaxation, actually. Knowing the text so well and trusting that the instinct and the subconscious mind, whatever you want to call it, is going to take over.
I have a punishing workout regimen. Every day I do 3 minutes on a treadmill, then I lie down, drink a glass of vodka and smoke a cigarette.
I’ve got no need to prove to myself that I can do Shakespeare. I’ve done it.
I became an actor by mistake, but I became a musician by choice.
Every time I try to retire or even think of retiring from acting, my agent comes up with a script.
The way I see it, life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don’t always spoil the good things and make them unimportant.
We all need somebody to talk to. It would be good if we talked… not just pitter-patter, but real talk. We shouldn’t be so afraid, because most people really like this contact; that you show you are vulnerable makes them free to be vulnerable.
We all have different desires and needs, but if we don’t discover what we want from ourselves and what we stand for, we will live passively and unfulfilled.
I don’t think you ever stop giving. I really don’t. I think it’s an ongoing process. And it’s not just about being able to write a check. It’s being able to touch somebody’s life.
What makes life so difficult? It’s the silence, the ambiguity, all those unanswered questions.
We are all explorers trying to find ourselves.
Everything starts with a sunrise, but it’s what we do before it sets that matters.
And I love scary movies. It makes your toes curl and it’s not you going through it.
People don’t always tell you what they are thinking. They just see to it that you don’t advance in life.
I am able to play monsters well. I understand monsters. I understand madmen.
I know that the arts are important. I’m not denying that, but I can’t associate myself with all the claptrap that goes on around it.
When I look back on my life, if I could give my younger self one piece of advice it would be, “It doesn’t matter.”
I’ve had no contact with my daughter for years. That’s her choice. Anyway, you move on. If people don’t want to bother me, fine. You know, God bless them, and move on.
My dad was grounded in a philosophy that taught me to face whatever was in front of me with dignity, courage, and humility.
Once you begin to fall off the track and believe you breathe different air from everyone else, you’re doomed; you’re finished.
I’m always cast in these strange men… that’s not me, really.
We move along in search of our destination, and we forget to appreciate the journey.
Today is the tomorrow I was worried about yesterday.
Oh yes. I’m an actor, so I just learn my lines, and show up and do it. I gave it a little bit of thought.
The worst thing in life is to end up with people that make you feel alone.
I have dual citizenship; it just so happens I live in America. I would like to go back to Wales. I’m obsessed with my childhood, and at least three times a week dream I am back there.
None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an afterthought.
Eat delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you’re carrying in your heart like a hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There’s no time for anything else.
I don’t have a vast longing for the stage.
I have a very meticulous work ethic, and I think that has helped me in both my music and my acting.
Famous Anthony Hopkins Quotes
You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy a good bottle of wine and that’s kind of the same thing.
The knighthood was a tremendous honor, I don’t dismiss it. But I feel embarrassed by the flowery, theatrical stuff that goes with being an actor.
Beware the tyranny of the weak. They just suck you dry.
I don’t believe in nepotism. I don’t much like the idea of parents who interfere.
Life’s too short to deal with other people’s insecurities.
People forget that Mozart wrote for commissions. There’s a thing in psychology where they think if it’s popular, it can’t be serious.
I’m a pretty tough guy, you know. I’m a pretty hard man. I’ve got a lot of compassion, but I don’t waste time with people.
If you look closely enough, you’ll find that everything has a weak spot where it can break, sooner or later.
I was called ‘Dumbo,’ like the elephant, as a child because I couldn’t understand things at school.
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 don’t have many friends; I’m very much a loner. As a child, I was very isolated, and I’ve never been really close to anyone.
I love roller coasters. I don’t get a chance often, but I’ve gone to Magic Mountain and gone on the rides. I love roller coasters.
We are all puppets, Laurie. I’m just a puppet who can see the strings.
I’m not a health freak. I just work out every day.
Why love if losing hurts so much? I have no answers anymore; only the life I have lived. The pain now is part of the happiness then.
I’m fascinated by the fact that we can’t grasp anything about time.
What I do is just go over and over and over my lines and learn the script so well that I can just be easy and relaxed. That’s the way I always work.
I am not afraid to fail, I am not afraid to fall over, and make a mistake, because oftentimes when you recover, that’s when you’re strongest.
My life turned out to be beyond my greatest dreams.
In the theatre, people talk. Talk, talk until the cows come home about journeys of discovery and about what Hazlitt thought of a line of Shakespeare. I can’t stand it.
I like the good things in life, but I don’t live in luxury. It’s important to be comfortable and look good, but there’s a line you don’t need to cross.
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’m interested in the dream and subconscious mind, the peculiar dream-like quality of our lives, and sometimes the nightmare quality of our lives.
I was bullied as a boy – lots of kids are, but hopefully, most of us get on with our lives and grow up.
People ask, ‘Should I call you Sir Hopkins?’ But I say, ‘No. Call me Tony,’ because it’s too much of a lift-up.
It will be the kiss by which all others in your life will be judged… and found wanting.
I’ve felt like an outsider all my life. It comes from my mother, who always felt like an outsider in my father’s family. She was a powerful woman, and she motivated my father.
I don’t like freeloaders; I don’t like people who are negative.
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.
A conductor can’t be too arrogant with an orchestra and try to impose himself too much.
I am not very good with relationships. With anyone. I can’t be locked up with anyone for too long.
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.
Wrapping up:
Hopkins has shared his own personal experiences with the world, inspiring us to find strength in our own struggles. By embracing his philosophy, we can learn to appreciate the beauty of life and the journey we are all on. So here are all quotes by Anthony Hopkins I’ve collected, if you like it – don’t forget to share it with your network.
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