Robert Downey Jr. Quotes & Sayings

I think that we all do heroic things, but hero is not a noun, it's a verb. — Robert Downey Jr.

I don't like words coming out of a character's mouth that I adore because not only is he a little bit duplicitous but he's kind of practical in the way he thinks, and he thinks in terms of everyone's humanity and how quickly we can go against what we think we meant when we said it or what we believe or blah, blah, blah. — Robert Downey Jr.

I've noticed that worrying is like praying for what you don't want to happen. — Robert Downey Jr.

I'm not particularly tall, strong, fast, or aggressive. — Robert Downey Jr.

I think you end up doing the stuff you were supposed to do at the time you were supposed to do it. — Robert Downey Jr.

I never know when the seeds are being laid, I'm just like, "Wow, that's a pretty cool scene. Is that? Are we laying seeds here?" — Robert Downey Jr.

The greatest thing my dad taught me came from when I called him from a phone booth and said, 'Hungry. No bus token. Please. Out of options.' He said, 'Pfft, get a job. — Robert Downey Jr.

Sometimes you're not supposed to enjoy it [acting]. You're supposed to cooperate with misery and proceed anyway. But what I do enjoy is a sense of well-being and just participating in life and life's turns. — Robert Downey Jr.

I felt like a fighter who was training for a title bout that had not been booked yet. — Robert Downey Jr.

I remember when people said, "Man, that's a powerful scene in the movie!" and I was like, "We just shot this thing before lunch, I don't know, he tears a log apart, I said some words". — Robert Downey Jr.

Worrying is like praying for something you don't want to happen. — Robert Downey Jr.

All I want, and I think all any parent with a semblance of a moral psychology wants, is for my kid to have his own experience, uninhibited. — Robert Downey Jr.

I think life changes every year. This is just a little more comfortable. — Robert Downey Jr.

It was a democracy in the truest and most frustrating and most rewarding sense of the word. Anybody could come in and say, "You know, I'm just not cool with that." We'd be like, "Who's that?" "Oh, I was just cleaning the trailers." It was nuts. — Robert Downey Jr.

There is unpanned gold in every soul you run into, no matter what walk of life they are from. — Robert Downey Jr.

And last but not the least — Robert Downey Jr.

Discipline for me is about respect. It's not even about self-respect; it's about respect for life and all it offers. — Robert Downey Jr.

I did Air America for two reasons: to be in a movie with Mel Gibson and to make a bunch of money. And then underneath there was the hope that in doing this formulaic thing I would be launched into a whole new realm of opportunity to do A-list movies. By the time we were done, the only positive thing was meeting Mel Gibson. — Robert Downey Jr.

I've always felt like such an outsider in this industry. Because I'm so insane I guess. — Robert Downey Jr.

If someone really takes a risk, it doesn't get dismissed. That's what happened when the Oscar was won posthumously by Heath Ledger, who did one of the definitive villain performances of all time. But it really has to be exceptional in defining everything we previously knew about the actress or the actor. — Robert Downey Jr.

I was kind of like chasing my tail and trying to do the right thing, and was a little bit stupid. Or irresponsible, which is the same thing I guess. It's just been really busy and I had a lot of great opportunities. — Robert Downey Jr.

It's like I have a loaded gun in my mouth and I like the taste of metal — Robert Downey Jr.

But I will agree that I think that things happen with people in relationships, that you might have been able to enjoy Morocco, say, if you weren't getting out of a bad marriage. You know what I mean? — Robert Downey Jr.

I need a lot of support ... Life is really hard, and I don't see some active benevolent force out there. I see it as basically a really cool survival game. You get on the right side of the tracks, and you now are actually working with what some people would call magic. — Robert Downey Jr.

McDonald's being the official restaurant of the Olympics is like smoking being the official medicine of cancer. — Robert Downey Jr.

You can't go from a $2,000-a-night suite at La Mirage to a penitentiary, and really understand it, and come out a liberal. — Robert Downey Jr.

Look, even bad years are pretty good years I think. — Robert Downey Jr.

I'm an actor, a husband, a father of two, and a full-time Avenger. — Robert Downey Jr.

Nothing pleases me more than when somebody who was awe-inspired to be working with me realizes I'm just another schmuck that they're bored of hanging out with on a set. I love that moment. I like it when that persistent illusion is smashed. — Robert Downey Jr.

I don't want to be so confident in myself. — Robert Downey Jr.

I had this bad-boy-from-New York vibe going, dressed like a punk rocker with spiky hair. — Robert Downey Jr.

People rise out of the ashes because, at some point, they are invested with a belief in the possibility of triumph over seemingly impossible odds, — Robert Downey Jr.

It's a very smart and heartfelt movie and that's why, I think, we're all drawn to it. We really showed up for this with this collective idea that it was really ambitious, but we felt we all really had something to gain from it. — Robert Downey Jr.

I have a really interesting political point of view, and its not always something I say too loud at dinner tables here, but you cant go from a $2,000-a-night suite at La Mirage to a penitentiary and really understand it and come out a liberal. You cant. I wouldnt wish that experience on anyone else, but it was very, very, very educational for me and has informed my proclivities and politics every since. — Robert Downey Jr.

I don't drink these days. I am allergic to alcohol and narcotics. I break out in handcuffs. — Robert Downey Jr.

I guess the main thing is, you unconsciously take things for granted, and you think the audience is with you, because you're with yourself. — Robert Downey Jr.

It's interesting when you're old enough to take a new, objective approach looking at your parents, frame them in a way where you are actually taking yourself out of the equation and just look at the things that are true about their life. — Robert Downey Jr.

If I was a lawyer, I'd be my own best client. — Robert Downey Jr.

I, personally, would be shocked if we went to the end of the tape now and I didn't have at least one ... Look, even if I don't get one directly, eventually they're just going to have to give me one when I get old. So no matter how you slice it, I'm getting one. — Robert Downey Jr.

In movies, people seem to be more emotional than they would ever be if that situation was actually happening to them. — Robert Downey Jr.

I don't need an Iron Man suit. I'm already a weapon of mass seduction. — Robert Downey Jr.

To me, friendship means loving tolerance. — Robert Downey Jr.

Nothing will serve you better than a strong work ethic. Nothing. And it's something that you can't teach. You have to be thrown into it, where you're going to sink or swim. It's amazing how self-correcting and how clarifying a good, hard, shitty job can be. Because at the end of the day, any profession I've seen anybody in, when you peer behind the curtains of Oh, wouldn't that be a great job? Wow, what an amazing thing, a philanthropic endeavor! it really just comes down to It's a f**king grind. — Robert Downey Jr.

I read the script for Wonder Boys, and I said that was almost perfect, it was so classy, cool and funny. It's a really specific thing. We stuck to it, it turned out good and a lot of people liked it. — Robert Downey Jr.

I am in the continual process of transcending fear-based rituals — Robert Downey Jr.

I just think it's good to be confident. If I'm not on my team why should anybody else be? — Robert Downey Jr.

Do I want to be a hero to my son? No. I would like to be a very real human being. That's hard enough. — Robert Downey Jr.

People never change because they are under threat or under duress. Never. They change because they see something that makes their life seem valuable enough to start moving toward a life worth living. — Robert Downey Jr.

Listen, smile, agree, and then do whatever the fuck you were gonna do anyway. — Robert Downey Jr.

Sometimes you just gotta be drop-kicked out of the nest. — Robert Downey Jr.

I think I've been lucky, being my frequent appearances on Court TV have brought to me another level than just the actor guy. — Robert Downey Jr.

I'm in a happy relationship, me and my ex are on really good terms, my kid and I are in a good spot. — Robert Downey Jr.

I know if you talk faster and use more ten-dollar words than everyone around you, you convince half of them that they should shut up because you know what you're talking about. — Robert Downey Jr.

There are some parents who have really done it right and told their kid, 'You know, we have this dough, none of this is for you. You have to get your own.' — Robert Downey Jr.

The old saying is true, behind every good man theres an incredible woman. — Robert Downey Jr.

When you have a good script you're almost in more trouble than when you have a terrible script. — Robert Downey Jr.

I wouldn't want to see anything irreparable happen, but I also like it when seemingly irreparable thing occur and men and women find a way to move past it. — Robert Downey Jr.

Job one is get out of that cave. A lot of people do get out but don't change, — Robert Downey Jr.

Remember that just because you hit bottom doesn't mean you have to stay there. — Robert Downey Jr.

I don't want to go all Michael Jackson on you, but I never really had a childhood. — Robert Downey Jr.

Whenever I watch someone doing something, even if it doesn't turn out so great, I at least admire their intentions and stuff. — Robert Downey Jr.

Everyone has a story, and the story changes, and the more I can root into the truth of things - it's so hard - I don't think anyone ever really puts it all together. But somewhere along the way it all became fused. — Robert Downey Jr.

It's weird when one movie that's connected to another doesn't reference that movie at all. — Robert Downey Jr.

I'm very good at deconstructing. I'm a very good troubleshooter for why something is unlikely to work. And most everything is unlikely to work. — Robert Downey Jr.

Im such a work in progress at the moment, its crazy, and life wants me on edge, I swear to you. But as long as I dont forget the past, Im cool. One must always be mindful, just like you might forget that old girlfriend who tried to slit your throat, but shes really still hot. If you remember the stitches more than you remember the pussy, youre going to be just fine. — Robert Downey Jr.

I'm not a method guy. I can't be bothered to have a method. I just want to be a part of a good movie and I can't stand to be surrounded by morons. — Robert Downey Jr.

I think that the power is the principle. The principle of moving forward, as though you have the confidence to move forward, eventually gives you confidence when you look back and see what you've done. — Robert Downey Jr.

I've always felt that if you're not on your side, why should anyone else be. So I always encourage people to be confident, and sometime even a little falsely so, just so you can give yourself an opportunity. — Robert Downey Jr.

At the end of the day, anything I think I'm sacrificing I'm just giving up because it makes me feel better. — Robert Downey Jr.

Tofu is the root of all evil, and there's only one thing that can change a man's mind, and that's a modified Uzi with an extra-long clip. — Robert Downey Jr.

If you're anything like me there are days when you're convinced you know more than everyone around you. Which is often confirmed by your interactions with people. — Robert Downey Jr.

Violent ground-acquisition games such as football are in fact a crypto-fascist metaphor for nuclear war. — Robert Downey Jr.

A lot of my peer group think I'm an eccentric bisexual, like I may even have an ammonia-filled tentacle somewhere on my body. That's okay. — Robert Downey Jr.

With a terrible script you hustle and try to make it better. But with a good script it can be trouble because you rest on your laurels, so to speak, you think it's going to translate easily. — Robert Downey Jr.

I always think part of success is being able to replicate results, taking what is interesting or viable about yourself as a professional person and seeing if you bring it into different situations with similar results. — Robert Downey Jr.

I think the goal is to make a well written scene seem like it's improvised and/or to come up with things that you find in the room that you couldn't have known until you get into the real situation, just try to improve things as you go along. — Robert Downey Jr.

The audience can feel the subtleties of the characters. — Robert Downey Jr.

I didn't have an identity. It was manufactured. My identity now? It was written on the wall by ancient forces. — Robert Downey Jr.

It's hard to get out of the barrel. It's slippery around the edges and people are happy to see you fall back in. — Robert Downey Jr.

There's somewhere you're supposed to go, and if you get quiet enough, you'll make it. — Robert Downey Jr.

The higher the stakes, the happier I am, the better I will be. — Robert Downey Jr.

The lesson is that you can still make mistakes and be forgiven. — Robert Downey Jr.

You know, when you're part of a comedic duo, you can take breaks. It's kind of like having a partner that is good with a kid. — Robert Downey Jr.

I don't think I'm in any position to give anybody advice about anything. — Robert Downey Jr.

I like mainstream movies that are completely off the wall. — Robert Downey Jr.

I'm not used to feeling like I belong where I am. — Robert Downey Jr.

I used to be so convinced that happiness was the goal, yet all those years I was chasing after it I was unhappy in the pursuit. Maybe the goal really should be a life that values honor, duty, good work, friends and family. — Robert Downey Jr.

If you're raised with a poverty mentality, nothing is going to change it. I do know some really stingy billionaires. I come from such a generation of hand-to-mouthers. — Robert Downey Jr.

Every time I feel that I really hit critical mass and I'm in the right place is when I feel like the director and I become a third thing, and that's the character. — Robert Downey Jr.

I think a hero is someone who, if abroad or traveling, they go to the GOOP website to see what shops to go to, what restaurants to eat at, what clothes to buy, and they do that not fearlessly but in spite of their fear. — Robert Downey Jr.

I'm not used to studios being ecstatic about we did and saying, "Please go do that again." — Robert Downey Jr.

Pick a dysfunction and it's a family problem. — Robert Downey Jr.

Listen, smile, agree, then do whatever you were going to do anyway. — Robert Downey Jr.

I've always been a fella who put most of my eggs in one basket and then take a dump in the basket but I really don't know. — Robert Downey Jr.

Acting is the most wildly overpaid position imaginable. — Robert Downey Jr.

I think paranoia goes from generation to generation. It's convenient to imagine that there's a few people controlling everything, that way it's manageable and small. But that's not life, life is messy. — Robert Downey Jr.

Give me a scotch, I'm starving. — Robert Downey Jr.

Life is just so painful and messy and hard and worth it and all that stuff. — Robert Downey Jr.

I'm not 40 yet. I wouldn't even bother comparing myself to Chaplin. — Robert Downey Jr.

If you're doing a drama that has some comedic elements you can't forget that it's primarily a very serious film that has some light relief. — Robert Downey Jr.