Robin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014), the much-loved Hollywood star, is a blend of perfect humor of a comedian and an intense philosopher. Entertainism jot downs some of his finest quotes and life sayings.
Robin Williams was once asked by James Lipton: “What he would like God to say to him when he entered Heaven?”
Robin’s answer was, “There is a seat in the front row for you …” referring to a concert of Mozart and Elvis (according to IMDb).
Celebrated American Actor and Comedian, Robin McLaurin Williams, born in Chicago, Illinois, was the great-great grandson of Mississippi senator and governor Anselm J. McLaurin. He studied political science concisely, before getting into Juilliard School to study theater. After achieving fame with his extempore style as a stand-up comedian, Robin started off his own television show Mork & Mindy. Later, he moved into movies. Some of his most applauded roles include films like Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting and Mrs. Doubtfire. He had a unique skill of imitating voices, doing impersonations, and giving one-liners. He was known for improvising on his dialogs.
Be it a private school teacher, the daffy alien from the planet Ork, or a playful genie stuck inside a lamp-the roles played by Robin Williams will always be cherished. While we all mourn the loss of a legendary comedian, let’s have a look at his famous and most inspiring quotes, treasuring his teachings to the world.
Self
Being a functioning alcoholic is kind of like being a paraplegic lap dancer-you can do it, just not as well as the others, really.
― On his Grammy Award win for comedy in 2003
I feel like Adam when he said to Eve, ‘Back up, I don’t know how big this gets.’
Most of all, I want to thank my father, up there, the man who when I said I wanted to be an actor, he said, ‘Wonderful. Just have a back-up profession, like welding.’
Blackouts, I joke, are like sleepwalking with activities. But those are really frightening, where you wake up and you have to have people (tell you what you did). And then you go, ‘This is scary’.
Jonathan taught me that the world is open for play, that everything and everybody is mockable in a wonderful way.
― On his mentor, Jonathan Winters
The moments of comedy are there. But the whole idea of a vacation is the stripping away of stuff and then, by the end of the vacation, (at least) in my life, you do have these moments as a group, as a family having a great time, so mellow again. It takes a while to do that but that’s what this movie is about.
I started doing comedy because that was the only stage that I could find. It was the pure idea of being on stage. That was the only thing that interested me, along with learning the craft and working, and just being in productions with people.
When you have a great audience, you can just keep going and finding new things.
I have my morning coffee for two reasons. One, to kick start my brain, but number two, and more importantly, to jump start my colon.
Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, The Marx Brothers. Comedy is a great art when it works. I’ve never seen anything funnier than Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor, that scene at the dinner table. That alone should get an award if you are just talking about sheer funny but they are always talking about “well, is it meaningful?” Well, sure it’s meaningful if you come out and you had a great laugh.
Life … Destiny … Death
Reality . . . what a concept!
I believe in destiny. There must be a reason that I am as I am. There must be.
Some are born great. Some achieve greatness. Some get it as a graduation gift.
Death is nature’s way of saying, ‘Your table is ready.’
The only weapon we have is comedy.
You’re only given one little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.
You know, you get that tattoo of barbed wire when you’re 18, but by the time you’re 80, it’s a picket fence.
There is still a lot to learn, and there is always great stuff out there. Even mistakes can be wonderful.
What’s right is what’s left if you do everything else wrong.
Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’
Holding a grudge over someone is painful, by holding over yourself is the worst. Learn to forgive yourself, not just other people.
Everyone has these two visions when they hold their child for the first time. The first is your child as an adult saying ‘I want to thank the Nobel Committee for this award.’ The other is ‘You want fries with that?’
Humor and Sarcasm
The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying, “Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses.” She’s got a baseball bat and yelling, “You want a piece of me?”
It felt wonderful doing it. But that’s rather like urinating in brown velvet pants. It can feel wonderful, but no one will watch.
Mickey Mouse to a three-year-old is a six-foot-tall rat!
Do you think God gets stoned? I think so … look at the platypus.
The Second Amendment says we have the right to bear arms, not to bear artillery.
Ah, yes divorce…from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man’s genitals through his wallet.
In the dictionary under redundant it says see redundant.
If women ran the world we wouldn’t have wars, just intense negotiations every 28 days.
People
No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.
You have this idea that you’d better keep working otherwise people will forget. And that was dangerous. And then you realize, no, actually if you take a break people might be more interested in you.
Movies
People think they know you. They expect you to be literally like you are on TV or in the movies, bouncing off the walls. A woman in an airport once said to me, “Be zany!” People always want zany, goofy sh-t from me. It takes a lot of energy to do that. If you do that all the time, you’ll burn out.
― with Pam Dawber in Mork & Mindy
Reality is just a crutch for people who can’t cope with drugs.
― in Mork & Mindy in 1980.
People say satire is dead. It’s not dead; it’s alive and living in the White House.
― As President Dwight D. Eisenhower in The Butler
Everyone has these two visions when they hold their child for the first time. The first is your child as an adult saying “I want to thank the Nobel Committee for this award”. The other is “You want fries with that?”
― in RV: Runaway Vacation
When I’m awake, I don’t want to go to sleep. I don’t want the hassle of turning the light off, putting my head down and then all the thoughts. I don’t want all those thoughts.
― As Jack Powell in Jack
I’m a born entertainer. When I open the fridge door and the light goes on, I burst into song.
― As Professor Philip Brainard in the comedy Flubber
Comedy is acting out optimism.
― August Rush (2007)
We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.
― Dead Poets Society (1989)
Maybe you’re perfect right now. Maybe you don’t wanna ruin that. But I think that’s a super philosophy, Will. That way, you can go through your entire life without ever having to really know anybody.
― Good Will Hunting (1997)
My first day as a woman and I’m getting hot flashes.
― Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Our job is improving the quality of life, not just delaying death.
― Patch Adams (1998)
But only in their dreams can men be truly free. It was always thus and always thus will be.
― Dead Poets Society (1989)
My wife used to fart when she was nervous. She had all sorts of wonderful little idiosyncrasies. She used to fart in her sleep. I thought I’d share that with you. One night it was so loud it woke the dog up. She woke up and went, ‘Ah was that you?’ And I didn’t have the heart to tell her. No one ever takes a photograph of something they want to forget.
― Good Will Hunting (1997)
We Americans, we’re a simple people… but piss us off, and we’ll bomb your cities.
― Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
You will have bad times, but they will always wake you up to the stuff you weren’t paying attention to.
― Good Will Hunting (1997)
You know what music is? God’s little reminder that there’s something else besides us in this universe; harmonic connection between all living beings, every where, even the stars.
― August Rush (2007)
She is not perfect. You are not perfect. The question is whether or not you are perfect for each other.
― Good Will Hunting (1997)
The things we fear the most have already happened to us.
― One Hour Photo (2002)
You don’t know about real loss because it only occurs when you’ve loved something more than you love yourself.
― Good Will Hunting (1997)
Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all.
― Dead Poets Society (1989)
Seize the day. Because, believe it or not, each and every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold, and die.
― Dead Poets Society (1989)
So avoid using the word ‘very’ because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted. Don’t use very sad, use morose. Language was invented for one reason, boys – to woo women – and, in that endeavor, laziness will not do. It also won’t do in your essays.
― Dead Poets Society (1989)
Addiction
Cocaine addiction is God’s way of saying you make too much money.
If alcohol is a crutch, then Jack Daniel’s is the wheelchair.
Some things you may want to stay away from while drinking heavily. Ebay, not a good idea. Ebay and alcoholism, perfect storm of addiction. You’ll find yourself up to your ass in George Foreman grills and Sham Wows.
Religion and Politics
You could talk about same-sex marriage, but people who have been married say ‘It’s the same sex all the time.’
You are a big country. You are the kindest country in the world. You are like a really nice apartment over a meth lab.
― On Canada
The Chinese had accused the Tibetans of being terrorists, which is weird. A Tibetan terrorist is like an Amish hacker. It just doesn’t fit.
Obama, which is an old Kenyan word for Kennedy, God bless us.
It’s the end of the reign of George the Second. The reign of error is over. America is officially out of rehab.
― On the end of the George Bush presidency
And you can’t blame the economy on [George W. Bush]. They say the economy is essentially sound because people are considering buying things. That’s like saying fat people are healthy because they might exercise.
― On the American economy
Having George W. Bush giving a lecture on business ethics is like having a leper give you a facial, it just doesn’t work!
Politicians are a lot like diapers. They should be changed frequently – and for the same reasons.
― as Tim Dobbs in “Man of the Year”
When the media ask George W. Bush a question, he answers, “Can I use a lifeline?”
His Contribution
- A Stand-up Comedian
- A Televised Live Performer
- A Renowned Film Actor
- A Broadway Theater Histrion
His Achievements
- 106 acting credits
- Five Grammys
- Four Golden Globes
- Two Screen Actors Guild Awards
- Two Emmys
- An Oscar (like a cherry on top)!
His Benevolent Side
- American charity for the homeless
- Supported literacy, women’s rights, and veterans
- Backed up Red Cross to protect human life and health
His words have a feather of humor, a higher level of sensibility, with profound philosophical lessons. This has helped in molding the generation today in so many ways. Thank you Sir for the decades of smiles and belly laughs!
We conclude this write-up by words expressed by Robin’s daughter, Zelda Rae Williams, “Dad was, is and always will be one of the kindest, most generous, gentlest souls I’ve ever known, and while there are few things I know for certain right now, one of them is that not just my world, but the entire world is forever a little darker, less colorful and less full of laughter in his absence. We’ll just have to work twice as hard to fill it back up again.”
True that!