Jack Nicholson quotes

There's only two people in your life you should lie to... the police and your girlfriend.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Relationship #Girlfriend #Lying

I would never say, "I'm retired." I believe if I decided to just not work, in six months everybody would just forget whether you were working or not.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Believe #Months #Six

I'm Irish. I think about death all the time.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Thinking

Having kids is the most innately positive thing that anyone can do.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Kids #Having Kids

I learned a long time ago in Hollywood that the only person I should vote for is myself.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Long #Hollywood #Vote

Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's this, it's that. Ask any saloon owner what's happened to social life in America and they'll tell you it's a different world and these people are strongly misinformed by the media, peer pressure.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Media #America #People

Beer, it's the best damn drink in the world.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Beer #World #Drink

There has long been a bemoaning of the lack of opportunity to make films that are anything but explosions or the ladling on the pea soup or whatever you want to call it. You can hardly make a movie where somebody isn't a murderer or a rapist or, if it's a "Fried Green Tomatoes" that isn't some wistful thing on this, that or the other thing.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Opportunity #Long #Tomatoes

I'm very contra my constituency in terms of abortion because I'm positively against it. I don't have the right to any other view. My only emotion is gratitude, literally, for my life.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Inspirational #Gratitude #Views

It [TV] is the cancer of film. It's why people can't be educated to film. In the late '60s, we expected to see a movie or two every week and be stimulated, excited and inspired. And we did. Every week after week. Antonioni, Goddard, Truffaut - this endless list of people. And then comes television and home video. I know how to work exactly for the big screen, but it doesn't matter what I think about the art of movie-making versus TV.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Art #Cancer #Home

You know, I think I understand what you're like now. You're very beautiful and you think men are only interested in you because you're beautiful. But you want them to be interested in you because you're you. The problem is, aside from all that beauty, you're not very interesting. You're rude, you're hostile, you're sullen, you're withdrawn... oh, I know- you want someone to look past all that at the real person underneath. But the only reason anyone would bother to look past all that is because you're beautful. Ironic, isn't it? In an odd way you're your own problem.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Beautiful #Real #Past

I'm fairly well off. I can't poor-mouth that away from people's sensibilities about me, which is something I worry about as an actor. But it would be real stupid of me to do something for the money.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Real #Stupid #People

People who speak in metaphors should shampoo my crotch.
-- Jack Nicholson

#People #Speak #Metaphor

Million bucks won't see you through a major health crisis.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Bucks #Crisis

The minute that you're not learning I believe you're dead.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Inspirational #Believe #I Believe

It's difficult for people sometimes to recognise when they're happy. People sometimes seem to me to be afraid to be happy.
-- Jack Nicholson

#People #Sometimes #Difficult

I've never been able to say I've been influenced by a list of artists I like because I like thousands and thousands and I've been influenced in some way by all of them.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Artist #Able #Way

With comedy, you have to do it right. In a drama, there's a lot of different ways to succeed in a moment. But comedy comes from reality. You can't try to be funny.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Drama #Reality #Trying

If you think you’re attractive, you’re always attractive.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Thinking #Attractive

You're anachronistic when you know that your feelings aren't going to have any effect on anything.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Feelings

With my sunglasses on, I'm Jack Nicholson. Without them, I'm fat and 60.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Sunglasses #Fats #Nicholson

It's the post-literate generation that is most disturbing to a movie-maker. The explosions and the knifings. People like to go to what's hot and you can't get past a certain gross unless you involve children who go more than once.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Children #Past #People

Time keeps no measure when true friends are parted, No record day by day; the sands move not for those who, loyal-hearted, friendship's firm laws obey.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Friendship #Loyalty #Time

I used to think that one of the great signs of security was the ability to just walk away.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Thinking #Used #Ability

A star on a movie set is like a time bomb. That bomb has got to be defused so people can approach it without fear.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Stars #People #Bombs

The only way to break a bad habit was to replace it with a better habit.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Way #Habit #Break

There are short parts that I as an actor am very right for. Or I just like the part. Or you need someone like me for the movie. By that I don't mean at the box office, I mean in the execution of the material.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Mean #Office #Needs

Once you've been really 'bad' in a movie, there's a certain kind of fearlessness you develop.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Kind #Certain #Fearlessness

We live, we die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Wheels #Bus

I have never lied to you, I have always told you some version of the truth.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Lied #Never Lie

I don’t want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Want #Environment

When we make mistakes they call it evil. When God makes mistakes they call it Nature!
-- Jack Nicholson

#Mistake #Evil #Making Mistakes

No issue is more compelling than the air we breathe, be it hot or cold, be it hawk or human.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Issues #Air #Hot

If you get an impulse in a scene, no matter how wrong it seems, follow the impulse. It might be something and if it ain't - take two!
-- Jack Nicholson

#Two #Might #Matter

In this industry, there are only two ways up the ladder. Rung by rung or claw your way to the top. It's sure been tough on my nails.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Two #Nails #Ladders

I think that's what distinguishes Schmidt, really. In the movies now, so much of what is appealing to an audience is the dramatic or has to do with science fiction, and Schmidt is simply human. There's no melodrama; there's no device, It's just about a human being.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Thinking #Fiction #Dramatic

The blues and jazz will live forever... So will the Delta and the Big Easy.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Music #Forever #Jazz

My motto is: more good times.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Good Times #Motto #My Motto

In my last year of school, I was voted Class Optimist and Class Pessimist. Looking back, I realize I was only half right.
-- Jack Nicholson

#School #Class #Years

My point of view, while extremely cogent, is unpopular. . . . That the repressive nature of the legalities vis-a-vis drugs are destroying the legal system and corrupting the police system.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Views #Drug #Police

I only take Viagra when I'm with more than one woman.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Viagra

I don't even own a cell phone.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Phones #Cells #Cell Phone

We are going as fast as we can as soon as we can. We're in a race against time, until we run out of money.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Running #Race

Frankly, I got into the movies because I like the movies a lot.
-- Jack Nicholson

You can follow the action, which gets you good pictures. You can follow your instincts, which will probably get you in trouble. Or, you can follow the money, which nine times out of ten will get you closer to the truth.
-- Jack Nicholson

#Nine #Action #Trouble