Amy Poehler quotes
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“Continue to share your heart with people even if it's been broken.”
-- Amy PoehlerSource : Harvard University Class Day Commencement Address, delivered 26 May 2011
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“It's interesting that people always want to ask me and a lot of working mothers, how do you do it? And it's like well, just like everybody else. It proves it's a bad question.”
-- Amy PoehlerSource : Source: www.interviewmagazine.com
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“Sometimes painful things can teach us lessons that we didn't think we needed to know.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“It's very hard to watch comedy for me, when I'm doing a comedy show, because I either watch a show and I love it, and I'm jealous, or I watch a show and I see all the problems with it, and I'm angry that I watched it.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“There's power in looking silly and not caring that you do.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“Sometimes you have to kind of keep proving that you're improvising. That's the game, or the goal, of long-form TV improv, is that you have to kind of keep reminding and showing people that you're improvising, because they won't believe you really.”
-- Amy PoehlerSource : "Biography / Personal Quotes". www.imdb.com.
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“Great people do things before they're ready. They do things before they know they can do it. Doing what you're afraid of, getting out of your comfort zone, taking risks like that - that is what life is. You might be really good. You might find out something about yourself that's really special and if you're not good, who cares? You tried something. Now you know something about yourself.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“If you're a good improviser, you improvise well enough that people think that you're doing a sketch.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“You never know what's around the corner unless you peek. Hold someone's hand while you do it. You will feel less scared.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“I think chemistry is about not acting, but reacting, and not talking, but listening.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“Don't treat your heart like an action figure wrapped in plastic and never used.”
-- Amy PoehlerSource : Harvard University Class Day Commencement Address, delivered 26 May 2011
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“I hope and assume that every good comedy writer, no matter the age, has a moment where they discover how great Cheers is.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“I want to be around people that do things. I don't want to be around people anymore that judge or talk about what people do. I want to be around people who dream and support and do things.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“We [with Les Charles] started talking about hotel stories, and we found that a lot of the action was happening in the hotel bar. We actually thought of that while we were in a bar: "Why would anyone ever leave here?"”
-- Amy Poehler -
“The earlier you learn that you should focus on what you have, and not obsess about what you don't have, the happier you will be.”
-- Amy PoehlerSource : "Amy Poehler Gets Real, Shares the Best Body Image Advice You May Hear From a Celeb" by Sarah Jio, www.glamour.com. September 13, 2012.
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“The desire to work with Burrows-Charles was really to change NBC's identity, to say, "We want to be in the sophisticated-adult-comedy business."”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“Always remember your kid's name. Always remember where you put your kid. Don't let your kid drive until their feet can reach the pedals. Use the right size diapers... for yourself. And, when in doubt, make funny faces.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“I get a bit nervous because I just want the show to go well. I think you always have to be a little bit nervous, or else you're a little checked-out, and that's maybe the time when you're not doing your best stuff, because you're kind of just checked-out and falling back on stuff.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“We may all host ourselves to death, and if we're all dead who will host our funerals?”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”
-- Amy PoehlerSource : Harvard University Class Day Commencement Address, delivered 26 May 2011
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“Being snubbed is not always a bad thing at awards shows because you end up getting a lot of people coming up to you and telling you how great you are.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“I love saying 'yes' and I love saying 'please.' Saying 'yes' doesn't mean I don't know how to say no, and saying 'please' doesn't mean I am waiting for permission. 'Yes please' sounds powerful and concise. It's a response and a request. It is not about being a good girl; it is about being a real woman.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“Symmetry is pleasing but not as sexy. Einstein is cool but Picasso knows what I'm talking about.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“In conclusion, I invite the media to all grow a pair. And if you can't, I will lend you mine.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“Great people do things before they’re ready. They do things before they know they can do it. And by doing it, they’re proven right.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“Well people love to go dirty and stuff like that. It's funny, because even really dirty things can kind of inspire, but all things inspire really dirty improv and monologues. So then really dirty things can inspire the exact opposite. It's kind of a crapshoot.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“Anybody who doesn't make you feel good, kick them to the curb. And the earlier you start in your life, the better.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“I'd like to think that I don't have a stock character that I go to. I'm lucky in that when you get to initiate your own scene, you get to play whoever you want. That's really kind of cool, but all my characters are short. I look on the videotape, and I thought they were taller, but they're all 5'2".”
-- Amy Poehler -
“No one looks stupid when they're having fun.”
-- Amy PoehlerSource : "Amy Poehler: The Entertainer". Interview with Sloane Crosley, www.glamour.com. November 2, 2009.
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“Ladies like improv stilts, and I think men like improv giant cocks. But one of the great things about improv is that you get to play some roles you'd never get to play otherwise, you know, like the old Italian pizza-maker who's passing on the business down to his son. You get to play it all when you improvise.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“The truth is, writing is this: hard and boring and occasionally great but usually not.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“There's nothing like watching a live performance of, frankly, anything. You have to make sure that people believe everything is improvised. I could not stress enough how little we [actors] prepare and what small amount of time we put in before these shows.”
-- Amy PoehlerSource : Source: www.hollywoodreporter.com
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“I just love bossy women. I could be around them all day. To me, bossy is not a pejorative term at all. It means somebody's passionate and engaged and ambitious and doesn't mind leading.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“The computer is the new fireplace, everyone in the family gathers around the digital hearth for warmth.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“Be easy on yourself. Have fun. Only hang around people that are positive and make you feel good. Anybody who doesn't make you feel good, kick them to the curb. And the earlier you start in your life the better. The minute anybody makes you feel weird and non-included or not supported, you know, either beat it or tell them to beat it.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“I grew up watching skating all the time in the Olympic stuff.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“A person's tragedy does not make up their entire life. A story carves deep grooves into our brains each time we tell it. But we aren't one story. We can change our stories. We can write our own.”
-- Amy PoehlerSource : Amy Poehler (2014). “Yes Please”, p.244, Pan Macmillan
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“When you host a show you have to hopefully be funny at the top and set the tone for a really fun evening.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“The creation of the UCB Theatre is by far my proudest professional accomplishment.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“People who read are people who dream, and we connect through the stories we live and tell and read.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“Don't treat your heart like an action figure wrapped in plastic and never used. And don't try to give me that nerd argument that your heart is a 'Batman' with a limited-edition silver bat-erang and therefore if it stays in its original packing it increases in value.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“If you can surf your life rather than plant your feet, you will be happier.”
-- Amy PoehlerSource : Amy Poehler (2014). “Yes Please”, p.216, Pan Macmillan
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“Open-faced sandwiches take risks and live big and smile with all their teeth. These are the people I want to be around.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“I also think if you're an actor and you can improvise, when you go on an audition and you can improvise you're just a genius. If you can, you know, take a Tide commercial and you can just say one funny line that's not in the commercial they think you're a genius.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“The minute anyone makes you feel weird and non-included or not supported, you know, either beat it or tell them to beat it.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“You have to be where you are to get where you need to go.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“I cannot stress enough that the answer to life's questions is often in people's faces. Try putting your iPhones down once in a while, and look in people's faces. People's faces will tell you amazing things. Like if they are angry, or nauseous or asleep.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“We don't want to be afraid to make a choice because we're afraid to make a mistake because most decisions aren't final. Feelings change all the time. You can always change your mind and taking risks and making choices is what makes life so exciting because we never know what's going to happen. Every day something new comes our way.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“Rooting for other people's failure does get in the way of your success.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“I think we should stop asking people in their twenties what they 'want to do' and start asking them what they don't want to do.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“It’s never overreacting to ask for what you want and need.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“Nobody looks stupid when they are having fun.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“To some people, not caring is supposed to be cool, commenting is more interesting than doing, and everything is judged and then disposed of in, like, five minutes. I'm not interested in those kinds of people. I like the person who commits and goes all in and takes big swings and then maybe fails or looks stupid; who jumps and falls down, rather than the person who points at the person who fell, and laughs. But I do sometimes laugh when people fall down.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“There's only, like, five perfectly symmetrical people in the world, and they're all movie stars, and they should be, because their faces are very pleasing to look at, but the rest of us are just a jangle of stuff, and the earlier you learn that you should focus on what you have and not obsess about what you don't have, the happier you will be.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“Try to keep your mind open to possibilities and your mouth closed on matters that you don't know about. Limit your 'always' and your 'nevers.'”
-- Amy PoehlerSource : Harvard University Class Day Commencement Address, delivered 26 May 2011
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“The great thing about taking big chances when you're younger is you have less to lose, and you don't know as much. So you take big swings.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“I had no idea how to get guys to notice me. I still don't. Who cares?”
-- Amy Poehler -
“I've always dreamed of growing up to be Amy Poehler.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“Any actor or actress that tells you that they don't watch their stuff is lying.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“I don’t really believe in cars, but I drive one every day and I love that it gets me places and makes life so much easier and faster and I don’t know what I would do without it.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“When young girls are encouraged to explore what they find interesting, they grow up to be interesting women.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“Masters of Sex is the degree I got from Boston College.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“Opening your heart and being courageous and telling people that you care about them or like them or that you think they're special only makes you a better, bigger, kinder, softer, more loving person, and only attracts more love into your life.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“Just breathe. Sometimes you're only a few breaths away from feeling better.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“Try putting your iPhones down every once in a while and look at people's faces.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“I think we should stop asking people in their 20s what they 'want to do' and start asking them what they don't want to do. Instead of asking students to 'declare their major' we should ask students to 'list what they will do anything to avoid.' It just makes a lot more sense.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“Sleep can completely change your entire outlook on life. One good night's sleep can help you realize that you shouldn't break up with someone, or you are being too hard on your friend, or you actually will win the race or the game or get the job. Sleep helps you win at life.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“The answer to a lot of your life's questions is often in someone else's face. People's faces will tell you amazing things. Like if they are angry, or nauseous, or asleepTry to keep your mind open to possibilities and your mouth closed on matters that you don't know about. Limit your 'always' and your 'nevers.' Continue to share your heart with people even if it has been broken.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“The only way we will survive is by being kind. The only way we can get by in this world is through the help we receive from others. No one can do it alone, no matter how great the machines are.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“Treat your career like a bad boyfriend... Your career wont take care of you. It won't call you back or introduce you to its parents. Your career will openly flirt with other people while you are around... You have to care about your work, but not about the result. You have to care about how good you are and how good you feel, but not about how good people think you are or how good people think you look.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“Watching great people do what you love is a good way to start learning how to do it yourself.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“You aren't allowed to feel special, but no one knows the specific ways you are in pain.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“My idea of the perfect exercise class is this: The teacher gives us all a hug and goes, 'You did it! You showed up! Let’s lie down.' We all lie down and she’s like, 'How is everybody feeling?' We’re like, 'Great!' And the teacher’s like, 'Great!' Then we all get to leave 20 minutes early.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“Creativity is connected to your passion, that light inside you that drives you. That joy that comes when you do something you love. That small voice that tells you, 'I like this. Do this again. You are good at it. Keep going.' That is the juicy stuff that lubricates our lives and helps us feel less alone in the world.”
-- Amy PoehlerSource : Source: www.justluxe.com
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“You become more attractive when you love yourself. You attract the right things when you have a sense of who you are.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“It takes years as a woman to unlearn what you have been taught to be sorry for.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“I want to be around people who dream and support and do things.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“Any time you talk to anyone about something that they love, they're, like, their most beautiful. It's a cool gift to get to talk to people about what they love.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“I have realized that mystery is what keeps people away, and I've grown tired of smoke and mirrors. I yearn for the clean, well-lighted place. So let's peek behind the curtain and hail the others like us. The open-faced sandwiches who take risks and live big and smile with all of their teeth. These are the people I want to be around. This is the honest way I want to live and love and write.”
-- Amy Poehler -
“I think if you can dance and be free and not embarrassed, you can rule the world.”
-- Amy Poehler -
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“However, if you do start crying in an argument and someone asks why, you can always say, 'I'm just crying because of how wrong you are.'”
-- Amy Poehler -
“Ignore what other people think. Most people aren’t even paying attention to you.”
-- Amy PoehlerSource : Amy Poehler (2014). “Yes Please”, p.84, Pan Macmillan
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“Taking risks and making choices is what makes life so exciting.”
-- Amy Poehler
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