Henry Winkler > Quotes

“Assumptions are the termites of relationships.”
― Henry Winkler

“Your mind knows only somethings. Your inner voice, your instinct, knows everything. If you listen to what youknow instinctively, it will always lead you down the right path”
― Henry Winkler

“When you finish a negative sentence, it grows immediately into a paragraph, and then into a thesis, into so many words that grab your ankles and hold you in place. When a negative thought comes into your mind, you have to literally say out loud, “I have no time now.” People will look at you strangely, but you have to just keep saying it until it lodges in your mind. Release the negative thought before you put a period on the end of it. If you put a period on the end of it, you’re in the morass. On the other hand, if you don’t finish the negative thought, you can get it out of your brain by replacing it with a positive. What kind of positive? What I always say in my talks is that it is a moist chocolate Bundt cake with soft chocolate chips. No frosting.”
― Henry Winkler, Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

“Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look at what they can do when they stick together.”
― Henry Winkler

“It has always struck me that our emphasis on the top 10 percent of a class says they are more valuable than the bottom 3 percent. If this country is going to remain strong, we need every child to be great at what it is they can do.”
― Henry Winkler, Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

“It’s so funny about time - you get into these nice little grooves with people you love, and you think it’ll go on forever. But time goes so fast, and nothing goes on forever.”
― Henry Winkler, Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

“If you don't nail your feet to the ground, you can just believe - and you want to believe. It's so enticing. It felt so good. You could just become a gigantic balloon in the Thanksgiving Day parade and float over everybody.”
― Henry Winkler, Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

“....because you really don't know what you can accomplish until you try. All you have to do is try, and you will amaze yourself.”
― Henry Winkler, Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

“I didn’t take pictures. I didn’t. I didn’t. I didn’t. And then I tried. You try, and then you figure out how you do it. And it does not ever have to be perfect. You can cast a fly rod and not be perfect—then lo and behold, there’s a big speckled trout on the end of your line.”
― Henry Winkler, Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

“Again: trust your tummy, not your head. Your head only knows some things; your tummy knows everything, if you listen.”
― Henry Winkler, Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

“I’m pretty sure I never let any of it go to my head. The only time I got crazed with a fan was when someone didn’t see me as a person or disrespected me. This still knocks my socks off: once I was in a men’s room and somebody opened the stall and said, “Hey, could I get your autograph?” “Do you know where we are?” I asked.”
― Henry Winkler, Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

“trust your tummy, not your head. Your head only knows some things; your tummy knows everything, if you just listen.”
― Henry Winkler, Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

“Hank, you need to be positive about things. Why don’t you try looking at your cup as half full?” “Dad, I’m looking in my cup, and at this moment, I can’t see any liquid whatsoever.”
― Henry Winkler, Summer School! What Genius Thought That Up?

“I'm enjoying being on this earth. I'm grateful, and my gratitude makes me joyful. And that is the truth. I get up that way.”
― Henry Winkler

“It has always struck me that our emphasis on the top 10 percent of a class says they are more valuable than the bottom 3 percent. If this country is going to remain strong,”
― Henry Winkler, Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

“looked”
― Henry Winkler, Stop That Frog!

“Now, suppose you tell me exactly what is going on,” Papa Pete began. “I don’t know where to start,” I said. “Try the beginning,” said Papa Pete.”
― Henry Winkler, I Got a D in Salami

“shaved”
― Henry Winkler, Mind If I Read Your Mind?

“Go out the door you go in" - meaning the book resolves where it began.”
― Henry Winkler, Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

“side. “I’m going to be the best bookmark that ever held a place in a book. Look out, world, here comes Hank.” Oh, and by the way, about the tuna casserole: If you ever see even a glop of it on your plate, change plates. I didn’t, and my tongue is still not talking to me.”
― Henry Winkler, Bookmarks Are People Too!

“Mental note to self. Don’t use a cardboard box that our dog Cheerio pooped in.”
― Henry Winkler, My Dog's a Scaredy-Cat: A Halloween Tail

“Zip, buddy, I wish there was a magic word I could say to make this better,” he said. “There is a magic word,” said Papa Pete, “and it works every time. It’s called the truth.”
― Henry Winkler, I Got a D in Salami

“Do you know that one out of every five kids has learning challenges? I’m sure I had them, too, but when I was growing up, no one even knew there was such a thing.”
― Henry Winkler, I Got a D in Salami

“It’s not mine. 2. I don’t have her permission. 3. She’s told us we can’t. 4. No living fourth-grader has ever dared to look in there before. 5. I might see one of her cooties walking across the page. 6. The cootie could attack me and bite me, and I’d turn into a grumpy, gray-faced fourth-grade teacher with lint on my skirt. 7. What if Ms. Adolf set a finger trap in there that would snap onto my fingers and never come off? 8. I need all my fingers, in case one day I decide to play keyboards in a rock band. 9. Come on, Hank. Who are you kidding???? You know you’re going to do it! P.S. I know, I know. You don’t have to remind me that there are only nine reasons on the list. I couldn’t come up with the tenth. As soon as I do, I’ll let you know. But don’t hold your breath.”
― Henry Winkler, Help! Somebody Get Me Out of Fourth Grade

“When I'm sent directions to drive to a location, I always say "you know, I look like an adult. But I'm a four year old who can drive." So the directions had better be very precise.”
― Henry Winkler, Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

“Cheer up, Zip,” Frankie said to me, as we sat down at our table in the lunchroom. “So, you’re not a speller. Big deal.” “I’m also not an adder or a subtracter or a reader or a writer,” I said. “Let’s face it, Frankie. I’m a school flop.”
― Henry Winkler, I Got a D in Salami

“It has always struck me that our emphasis on the top 10 percent of a class says they are more valuable than the bottom 3 percent. If this country is going to remain strong, we need every child to be great at what it is they can do.”
― Henry Winkler, Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

“Tom,”
― Henry Winkler, Day of the Iguana

“I DID MY HOMEWORK in record time. I’m not going to say much more about it, because we all know that doing homework was invented by King Boring of Boringville, which is found just on the outskirts of I-Can’t-Find-the-Answers-in-My-Brainville. I’ll bet you’ve visited there yourself.”
― Henry Winkler, My Dog's a Scaredy-Cat: A Halloween Tail

“I want you to listen to me, grandkids,” he said. “People are just people. They make mistakes. A guy orders a tuna on rye, and you bring him a roast beef on wheat. It happens.”
― Henry Winkler, I Got a D in Salami