Richard Simmons quotes: energetic sentences from the flamboyant fitness figure.
“My parents always told me to be myself. I was always funny and silly as a kid. And I would always make them laugh. And they always told me to dream big and follow those dreams.”
“You have to make your own decisions.”
“All it takes is desire and will.”
“Don’t walk among your ruins. Meaning, don’t ruminate over past failures. Experience them, acknowledge them, learn from them, and then move on. Don’t stay there. Take the lesson and mosey. Don’t stay trapped in the past.”
“Positive thinking… try to think positive. If you live in the past and think about all of the things that happened to you in the past, you’ll have no enthusiasm because your mind will be burdened with negativity. We’re here to get better.”
“That’s what the majority of people in the world do, they walk among the ruins of their life. Things that didn’t work out, relationships that went sour, jobs that disappeared. All they can think about is their ruins, and when you focus on that you can’t build a new you.”
“Try to forgive yourself and get back on that ride.”
“That’s what we need going into the millennium. We need some positive, happy stuff.”
“Energy is that amazing feeling that comes to life inside of you when you’re happy and believe in yourself.”
“Everyone’s under pressure and you just have to learn how to deal with it. And I deal with it through prayer and staying busy.”
“How do you get motivated? By knowing your worth.”
“I was always into staying busy, into my goals, into making notes and planning. I’m not one who truly lives in the past. I have baggage, just like everyone has their baggage. But I really—how do I say it?—I really attack the present. I plan for the future, but the only day I really worry about is the day I’m living right now. That’s where I put all my focus on. And when I go to bed, I ask God to give me one more day tomorrow. When I get it, I’m excited and grateful.”
“Take a moment every day to find peace.”
“The real pride, the real present, is your health and your longevity.”
“I just love what I do, and I’m a teacher more than anything.”
“I really created my career out of my own compulsion. Because I knew if I owned an exercise studio and I had to teach my classes there, I wasn’t going to gain my weight back.”
“I’ve been offered big money to promote machines. And high-protein diets, when that was really popular. There was always some new powder or diet plan that somebody wanted to put my name on. Anything that had to do with quick weight loss. I just don’t believe in that stuff. There is no magic milkshake or workout machine. I think the real machine is your body.”
“If you want to get the body you’ve always dreamed of, you have to earn it. You can’t buy it, you can’t rent it. You have to earn it. Number one, love yourself. Have a lot of self worth. Number two, lower your calories and watch your portions. You have to eat healthy. And number three, move those buns! That’s my formula.”
“What I do more than anything is try and give them the courage and hope to start again. I just want people to get off the back burner of their life and start to take better care of themselves and their children.”
“Truthfully, everyone knows how to eat right. They know the difference between oatmeal and a jelly cream doughnut. They know how to walk. Everyone has this in their brain. When I started, we didn’t have all this knowledge.”
“People are still grasping for the miracle, and unfortunately, there are no miracles—if you do not exercise for a year, and let your body remain dormant, then you will gain weight.”
“I do not want any child in America to have my childhood because it was taken away from me because I just wasn’t good enough; well I am good enough now.”
“A kid who moves is a kid who learns.”
“No one is perfect. Love yourself for all of you, and everyone else will too. No one is perfect… absolutely no one. Like precious stones, we have a few flaws, but why focus on that? Focus on what you like about yourself, and that will bring you happiness and peace.”
“Count your blessings. You are one of a kind. There’s no one in the world like you. You are amazing.”
“Being kind and non-judgmental to yourself and others—if we did that, it’d be a better world.”
“Everything I did with my life I did so that I could give my parents everything they didn’t have because of me. You know how important it is for them to know that you’re happy and that you’re peaceful and that you’re making a good living?”
“But above anything, you need to repay them for everything they sacrificed for you. Don’t you think? When I talk to these college kids, I like to remind them, ‘You know, if your parents didn’t have you, they’d be living in a nicer home, driving a Mercedes-Benz, with money in the bank and a boat. But noooooo. They had to have you! You’ve got to give back!’ Don’t you think part of your success is wanting to make your parents happy?”
“I don’t have a lot to offer one person. I have a lot to offer to a lot of people.”
“My total inspiration is the people. That gives me worth.”
“I don’t think I’m in love with a person as much as I’m in love with what I do. No one should feel sorry for Richard Simmons. Because I think I’m one of the most loved people in the whole world.”
“I just strive to do better. Every time I meet somebody, I ask myself, ‘How can I help this person?'”
“My life is just a never-ending work in progress.”
“You know, I do what I want to do as I’ve always done, so people should sort of just believe what I have to say because, like, I’m Richard Simmons!”
“You haven’t seen the last of me. I’ll come back, and I’ll come back strong.”
“Work hard, take care of yourself, and you’ll be just fine.”
