William Shatner > Quotes

“I don't want people to know me. I want them to believe my version.”
― William Shatner

“My boy, that was a TV show. I used a stunt double. I always use a stunt double. Except in love scenes. I insist on doing those myself.”
― William Shatner

“Given the freedom to create, everybody is creative. All of us have an innate, instinctive desire to change our environment, to put our original stamp on this world, to tell a story never told before. I’m absolutely thrilled at the moment of creativity – when suddenly I’ve synthesized my experiences, reality, and my imagination into something entirely new. But most people are too busy working on survival to find the opportunity to create. Fortunately, I’ve been freed by reputation, by the economics of success, and by emotional contentment to turn my ideas into reality. I’ve discovered that the more freedom I have to be creative, the more creative I become.”
― William Shatner, Up Till Now

“Being an icon is overrated, remember an icon can be moved by a mouse”
― William Shatner

“What does God need with a starship?”
― William Shatner

“If you make a fool of yourself, you can do it with dignity, without taking your pants down. And if you do take your pants down, you can still do it with dignity.”
― William Shatner

“Everyone knows everything about all of us. That's too much knowledge!”
― William Shatner

“Don't be afraid to make an ass of yourself. I do it all the time, and look what I got." (Spoken at a graduation ceremony while holding aloft an honorary doctoral degree from McGill University)”
― William Shatner with Chris Regan

“know that the people who live the longest and the richest lives are looking ahead and not behind.”
― William Shatner, Up Till Now

“Why say "yes"? "Yes" means opportunity. "Yes" makes the dots in your life appear. And if you're willing and open, you can connect these dots. You don't know where these dots are going to lead, and if you don't invest yourself fully, the dots won't connect. The lives you make with those dots always lead to interesting places. "No" closes doors. "Yes" kicks them wide open.....As long as you're able to say "yes", the opportunities keep coming, and with them, the adventures. Say "no" to fear and complacency. Keep saying "yes" and the journey will continue.”
― William Shatner, Shatner Rules: Your Guide to Understanding the Shatnerverse and the World at Large

“Mysteries simply are a feast for an active mind.”
― William Shatner, Up Till Now

“There exists nowhere on Earth a "soulful place" -- everywhere you are, is the soulful place. The entire world is filled with mystical qualities, including your little slice of the world. Paradise and enlightenment are always within your reach. It's joy. And you should work on filling all your years with as much joy as possible.”
― William Shatner, Shatner Rules: Your Guide to Understanding the Shatnerverse and the World at Large

“We’d thought we were making a TV show; instead, we had flown boldly into legend.”
― William Shatner, Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship With A Remarkable Man

“Any success I have had began by my showing up on time, being prepared, and doing the best possible job.”
― William Shatner, Live Long And . . .: What I Learned Along the Way

“But most people are too busy working on survival to find the opportunity to create.”
― William Shatner, Up Till Now

“If you are minimal, then even a small gesture becomes a big deal.”
― William Shatner, Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man

“I don’t understand the concept of retirement. It’s not a bad thing to savor your memories, it can be wonderful and warming, but not at the cost of losing your excitement about the future.”
― William Shatner, Up Till Now

“Don’t be afraid of taking chances, of striking out along paths that are untrod. Don’t be afraid of failing. Don’t be afraid of making an ass of yourself. I do it all the time—and look what I got.”
― William Shatner, Shatner Rules: Your Guide to Understanding the Shatnerverse and the World at Large

“It renews my spirit and reinforces my feeling that we really are all connected to each other in some indescribable way. Human beings, animals, the earth on which we tread, the air we breathe: we were all made for each other, if we could only grasp and remember that notion.”
― William Shatner, Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder

“Instead, what he was discovering, as I did, was that there was no such thing as post–Star Trek. In almost every story or review about whatever it was he was doing, almost inevitably there would be a reference or a comparison to Spock. “Tevye is not recognizable as Spock” or his character in the remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers “is the evil side of Spock.” I’ve wondered if reporters or critics ever realized when they wrote that he had successfully made the audience forget Spock for a few hours that they actually were pointing out that no one had really forgotten about Spock. Forgotten?”
― William Shatner, Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man

“The journey must be taken in individual moments. Enjoy the ride for the ride.”
― William Shatner, Shatner Rules: Your Guide to Understanding the Shatnerverse and the World at Large

“The thread that has run through my life is loneliness. Even as a child I was never part of a group. I don't know why. It was not by choice. Maybe because I was Jewish in a predominantly non-Jewish school. But I was fighting all the time. I had very few friends.”
― William Shatner, Live Long and . . . : What I Learned Along the Way

“It’s joy. And you should work on filling all your years with as much joy as possible. Even”
― William Shatner, Shatner Rules: Your Guide to Understanding the Shatnerverse and the World at Large

“When they reached the Hilton, something else memorable happened: Kennedy tried to stiff him for the $1.25 fare. “He stepped out of the cab and started to walk away without paying. By this time, he’d been distracted.” One thing about Leonard, when he did the work, he expected to be paid. And as I would learn, he was willing to fight for what he believed he was owed. So Leonard got out of his cab and followed Kennedy into the hotel. “I want my $1.25,” he said. Kennedy found someone he knew and borrowed $3, which he handed to Leonard. That”
― William Shatner, Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man

“(By the way, isn’t it time that I became a GPS voice? You can download Gary Busey, KITT from Knight Rider, and Flavor Flav. There has to be a market for William Shatner giving you directions! Let’s talk, GPS manufacturers. And unlike the sexy lady voice on most units, I can actually pronounce “Sepulveda Boulevard” properly.)”
― William Shatner, Shatner Rules: Your Guide to Understanding the Shatnerverse and the World at Large

“Death ends a life, but it does not end a relationship. —”
― William Shatner, Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man

“Name the different types of laughter that are available to us and that’s what life is all about.”
― William Shatner, Up Till Now

“We are born into mystery and we leave life in mystery.”
― William Shatner, Up Till Now

“And, while in my lifetime I've seen science make extraordinary inroads into solving the most complex questions of life, after all this time I admit that I am thrilled that there are some things that forever will remain a mystery. For example, do I wear a toupee?”
― William Shatner, Up Till Now

“That was one of the most important lessons I ever learned, and often I found myself doing exactly what he did. If somebody asks me a question, I may have an answer, but often I’ll say, ‘But what do you think?’ I learn a lot more that way than simply by answering the question myself.” That really became an important part of his personality. Anyone who spent time with Leonard would pick up on that immediately. John de Lancie accurately described him as “a formidable listener. He listened actively, which most people don’t do.” His”
― William Shatner, Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man