I thought it completely absurd to mention my name in the same breath as the presidency.

I’ve always felt that if I examine myself too much, I’ll find out what I know and don’t know, and I’ll burst the bubble. I’ve gotten so lucky relying on my animal instincts, I’d rather keep a little bit of the animal alive.

I know nothing, except the fact of my ignorance.

Think not that humility is weakness; it shall supply the marrow of strength to thy bones. Stoop and conquer; bow thyself and become invincible.

I set records that will never be equaled. In fact, I hope 90% of them don’t even get printed.

I have the problems of, I must confess, old age.

I can never say ‚why‘ about anything I do. I suppose I can say ‚how‘ and ‚when‘ and ‚what.‘ But ‚why‘ is impenetrable to me.

I’m not a star. I don’t feel I’m so great. So how can I make you feel great just because you’ve got my signature on a piece of paper?

The idea of personal salvation is intensely repugnant to me when it is not absurd. Imagine Roosevelt, the big brute, preserving his personality in a future state and swaggering about as a celestial Rough Rider!

The ego is only an illusion, but a very influential one. Letting the ego-illusion become your identity can prevent you from knowing your true self. Ego, the false idea of believing that you are what you have or what you do, is a backwards way of assessing and living life.

I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.

Have the humility to learn from those around you.

Every man, and for stronger reasons, every artist, wants to be recognized. So do I.

If boyhood and youth are but vanity, must it not be our ambition to become men?

I was sure I’d set the world on fire, and it was hard for a young feller like me to realize the truth – that I hadn’t set the world on fire, and I was totally unprepared to handle the consequences if ‚The Big Trail‘ had been a success and launched me as a star.

I’ve always felt quite singular, even as a child. That I must stay on track to keep my purpose.

Faith never makes a confession.

If you modestly enjoy your fame you are not unworthy to rank with the holy.

Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact.

One thing I hope I’ll never be is drunk with my own power. And anybody who says I am will never work in this town again.

If I seem to boast more than is becoming, my excuse is that I brag for humanity rather than for myself.

I’m not this horrible, evil person.

I believe things cannot make themselves impossible.

Night brings our troubles to the light, rather than banishes them.

Even with all the advantages of retrospect, and a lot of witnesses dead and gone, you can’t make your life look as if you intended it or you were consistent. All you can show is how you dealt with various hands.

The abdomen is the reason why man does not readily take himself to be a god.

I went through every emotion with tryna pursue what I’m doing, you know what I mean? And I think what’s gon‘ separate whoever’s gon go for something, that you ain’t gon‘ quit.

I wouldn’t say that I am one of the greatest dancers, but I am really quite good at what I do.

It is important for you to know who you are and who you may become. It is more important than what you do, even as vital as your work is and will be.

We learned about gratitude and humility – that so many people had a hand in our success, from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school clean… and we were taught to value everyone’s contribution and treat everyone with respect.

I’m not intelligent. I’m not arrogant. I’m just like the people who read my books. I used to have a jazz club, and I made the cocktails and I made the sandwiches. I didn’t want to become a writer – it just happened.

A person places themselves on a level with the ones they praise.

If anything is good for pounding humility into you permanently, it’s the restaurant business.

Testing oneself is best when done alone.

I’m almost like three people. There’s me the, Dolly, the person. There’s me, the star. And then there’s me, the manager.

Feels good to try, but playing a father, I’m getting a little older. I see now that I’m taking it more serious and I do want that lifestyle.

Knowledge of the self is the mother of all knowledge. So it is incumbent on me to know my self, to know it completely, to know its minutiae, its characteristics, its subtleties, and its very atoms.

I like actors very much, but to marry one would be like marrying your brother. You look too much alike in the mirror.

In the world today many people rightfully feel entitled to have success and the good things in life, but they usually understand it will require sacrifice and hard work.

The wit knows that his place is at the tail of a procession.

I can die a happy man never having been president of the United States of America. But it doesn’t mean I won’t run.

I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinions of himself than on the opinions of others.

I’m on record that it didn’t really traumatize me to do away with some people.

I mean, I wouldn’t pay more than a couple of quid to see me, and I’m me.

Some Christians feel guilty when they are doing something that isn’t ‚spiritual.‘ Somehow or another, they feel the need to hurry through the grocery store, dash through the house cleaning, and rush through all the daily aspects of life that seem irrelevant to their faith.

I think my worst problem is actually living in the moment and understanding everything that’s going on. I feel like I’m in my own bubble.

I’m all about evolution. I’m the first person to judge myself.

I never thought I would be such a family-oriented guy; I didn’t think that was part of my makeup. But somebody said that as you get older, you become the person you always should have been, and I feel that’s happening to me.

There was my name up in lights. I said, ‚God, somebody’s made a mistake.‘ But there it was, in lights. And I sat there and said, ‚Remember, you’re not a star.‘ Yet there it was up in lights.

You’re just left with yourself all the time, whatever you do anyway. You’ve got to get down to your own God in your own temple. It’s all down to you, mate.

I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough in me to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.

O‘ What may man within him hide, though angel on the outward side!

If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people.

Sometimes I write stuff that strangely predicts what’s going to happen in my life.

I don’t look at a man who’s expert in one area as a specialist. I look at him as a rookie in ten other areas.

You can always amend a big plan, but you can never expand a little one. I don’t believe in little plans. I believe in plans big enough to meet a situation which we can’t possibly foresee now.

I don’t think I’m such an amazing person who needs to be written about.

He who has great power should use it lightly.

I made bad decisions. I’m not denying that I made bad decisions.

A lot of people are focused on taking over the world or doing the biggest thing and getting the most users. I think part of making a difference and doing something cool is focusing intensely.

There’s not a note of mine that’s worth the noting.