Sylvester Stallone quotes: enjoy Sly’s smoothest quotes on business, success, fear, failure, love, and life.
“Don’t discuss your dreams; pursue them.”
“I am not the richest, smartest, or most talented person in the world, but I succeed because I keep going and going and going.”
“There’s a natural law of karma that vindictive people, who go out of their way to hurt others, will end up broke and alone.”
“We’re all expendable. We think the world’s going to stop when a pope dies, or a king. And then… life goes on.”
“People think retiring is fun. Well, maybe, but if you have a certain kind of fire inside, there is no end in sight.”
“I stopped thinking the way other people think a long time ago. You gotta think like you think.”
“The phenomenal thing that happened to me is that I was able to create two memorable men: one is the ultimate optimist, Rocky, and then you have Rambo, the ultimate pessimist. You’re going to always be remembered for them, no matter what you do.”
“I have tons of regrets, but I think that’s one of the reasons that push people to create things. Out of their angst, their regret, comes the best from artists, painters, and writers.”
“You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”
“I’m always looking for a new challenge. There are a lot of mountains to climb out there. When I run out of mountains, I’ll build a new one.”
“The trouble with remakes is that people fall in love with the original. It’s like peanut butter. If you try to change the taste of peanut butter, you’re in trouble.”
“Life is more than sunglasses and hit movies. Reality – that’s the main event.”
“Everybody has anger or regret in them one way or another. They all try different things to get it out. Some people go to psychiatrists. Some paint pictures. Some people talk it out.”
“I think everyone has a certain kind of formula in their life. When you deviate from that formula, you’re going to fail big or you’re gonna win big.”
“If you’re willing to take the humiliation of sticking your head above the crowd, maybe it’s, you know, the pleasure will be worth the pain.”
“In the movies, I kill guys with an axe. In real life, I can’t control a nine year old girl.”
“Usually whenever you’re scared of something, do it. If you’re not afraid of it, don’t do it.”
“I’m more focused and have a greater sense of challenge, because I constantly feel the weight of time.”
“Success is usually the culmination of controlling failure.”
“I have great expectations for the future, because the past was highly overrated.”
“Going in one more round when you don’t think you can – that’s what makes all the difference in your life.”
“I’m not handsome in the classical sense. The eyes droop, the mouth is crooked, the teeth aren’t straight, the voice sounds like a mafioso pallbearer, but somehow it all works.”
“For every guy, there is an opportunity to be a lot better than he thought he could be. We can’t all be the star of the team, but we can be a star in our life. That’s where you set your goal.”
“You’ve got to show your soul, otherwise you’re just a piece of equipment.”
“It took me a long time to be convinced that marriage was right for me because I’ve come from a long line of broken marriages. My parents divorced, and I had two broken marriages myself.”
“I realized, the older I get, the more difficult life becomes. It’s not easier, it’s more difficult.”
“Clothing is the first step to building a character.”
“When I saw Hercules, my mind just exploded because I was extremely thin; I was insecure. I literally ran out of the theater and started lifting things, anything I could think of – milk crates. I’m still lifting things. It changed my life.”
“I believe any success in life is made by going into an area with a blind, furious optimism.”
“At the end of the day, Rocky is a love story, and he could never have reached the final bell without Adrian.”
“When I was in junior high school, the teachers voted me the student most likely to end up in the electric chair.”
“That’s what Rocky is all about: pride, reputation, and not being another bum in the neighborhood.”
“When you’re scared, when you’re hanging on, when life is hurting you, then you’re going to see what you’re really made of.”
“I believe there’s an inner power that makes winners or losers. And the winners are the ones who really listen to the truth of their hearts.”
“I think kids growing up, if they were picked on and felt inferior at 12, they’re going to feel that way at 72. You just deal with it better. I’m serious.”
“I have a fear of heights that borders on mania.”
“I was on cruise control from ’85 to ’95, and it was my fault. There were a lot of self-inflicted wounds, when I was not doing any original material. I wasn’t directing. I wasn’t writing. That’s not who I am.”
“Nothing’s harder than writing. There’s no comparison. With directing, you can bounce a lot of ideas around. There’s tremendous support – you’ve got editors and sound mixers. With writing, it’s all you, and it’s just crippling when people tear up your pages.”
“Artists die twice. First, creatively. Then physically. The second one is the easiest.”
“I am a sensitive writer, actor, and director. Talking business disgusts me. If you want to talk business, call my disgusting personal manager.”
“You have to be really loyal to the people that supported you when you were coming up.”
“Don’t be gullible, use life before it uses you. Understand there are no free lunches, and for every action you take, there’s a reaction.”
“Dreams cost nothing. They are free. The hard part is just keeping them going.”
“When I was a kid, my mother used to feed me mashed potato sandwiches, brussels sprout sandwiches; my brain cells were starving from lack of food. I’ll eat anything. I’ll eat dirt.”
“Every time I’ve failed, people had me out for the count, but I always come back.”
“Love is absolute loyalty. People fade, looks fade, but the loyalty never fades.”
“I have two lovely sons and some good memories, but I’ve had a rather tumultuous personal life. It hasn’t been dull; I’ve been the Hiroshima of love.”
“When you find the right components in your life, the right people – that gel with you – then you feel as though you’re invincible. It may be a fallacy, but you at least feel as though you can take on all that life has to dish out.”
“All good actors are unpredictable, and a little crazy in a good way, because they feel more secure playing other people than themselves.”
“Every morning, I crawl out of bed. I sit there and think, ‘Do I really need this?’ And I drag myself to the gym in my garage. It’s not fun. I hate it. I work out alone. Weights.”
“I’m not a genetically superior person. I built my body.”
“Through failure, I found different ways to reverse my problems and get into the mainstream of Hollywood.”
“It would be great to be able to pass on to someone all of the successes, the failures, and the knowledge that one has had. To help someone avoid all the fire, pain, and anxiety would be wonderful.”
“I’d rather do something I love badly than to feel bad about not doing something I love.”
If you liked Stallone’s sayings, read The Rock’s best quotes next.
