Tony Hawk Quotes & Sayings

Being different is awesome! All of those who are different are more interesting than those who are clamoring for acceptance because they follow the path. — Tony Hawk

I believe that people should take pride in what they do, even if it is scorned or misunderstood by the public at large. — Tony Hawk

I was skating with friends in my neighborhood, and then eventually I was invited to go to the skate park with one of them. When I saw people flying all around - literally flying in and out of bowls - that is when I knew I wanted to do it. I wanted to figure out how I could get there and how I could fly. — Tony Hawk

Big decisions in my life have always come easy and are made without hesitation. It is easier for me to make a life-changing decision than to decide what to get for dessert. — Tony Hawk

My youngest son's pre-school class was recently asked what their dads do for work. The responses were things like, my dad sells money, and my dad figures stuff out. My son said, 'I've never seen my dad do work.' It's true. Skateboarding doesn't seem like real work, but I'm proud of what I do. — Tony Hawk

My definition of success is doing what you love. I feel many people do things because they feel they have to, and are hesitant to risk following their passion. And obviously, yeah, it's hard right now. But maybe there's a chance that if you get laid off, maybe that's your saving grace, your chance to restart. — Tony Hawk

Skating was popular, but it wasn't mainstream. It had this underground following, and you could go on tours, win decent prize money, and make royalties from signature products - that's how I came to buy a house when I was a senior in high school. — Tony Hawk

The pro skaters I know are responsible members of society. Many of them are fathers, homeowners, world travelers and successful entrepreneurs. Their hairdos and tattoos are simply part of our culture, even when they raise eyebrows during PTA meetings. — Tony Hawk

Don't be afraid of girls. That is my big regret. Knowing what I know about girls, I should have just gone for it. Guys are such wimps. — Tony Hawk

If I can stand up when I'm 80, I'll be happy to cruise around on a skateboard. If I feel like my skills are fading, I just won't do it publicly. — Tony Hawk

When you break your pelvis, you can't do a whole lot. It took me about six weeks to be able to get out of bed. Anything you do that shakes your body is painful all over, so you can't cough, you can't sneeze, and going to the bathroom is impossible. — Tony Hawk

You just have to adapt, and you have to realize where people are going to actually play their games. It used to just be Nintendo and PlayStation, and now it's all kind of devices. So you've got to learn to adapt what you know from the technology into those areas ... I've been wanting to do a mobile game for a long time. — Tony Hawk

I changed high schools three times because my parents moved. I had one friend my freshman year named Miki Vukovich. Miki and I were the only skaters in our high school. He runs my foundation now. — Tony Hawk

I jumped between two seven-story buildings in Los Angeles, launching from one rooftop to the other with ramps. — Tony Hawk

I won't quit skating until I am physically unable. — Tony Hawk

There's a stigma to skating. People think of it as a kid's sport. People kept telling me I couldn't possibly make a living out of it. Then they said I couldn't keep it up in my 30s. And here I am in my 40s, and I'm still improving my skills. — Tony Hawk

I've definitely had my share of calls where I just laugh. Someone came to me once and wanted to do a signature Hawk cologne. I was like, 'Of what? Sweaty pads? Am I wringing out my pads into a little perfume bottle?' — Tony Hawk

The biggest lesson I learned from my dad is to support children even if they're doing something that is unorthodox. — Tony Hawk

The irony about selling out is that they only call you a sell-out when your stuff finally sells - I've had products bearing my name since I was 14, but nobody was buying them then. — Tony Hawk

When your daughter asks you to be a fairy for her 5th birthday party ... you better be a damned fairy. — Tony Hawk

I love snowboarding, but I would never want to do it competitively or at a professional level. Snowboarding is a spawn of skating, and skating is my passion. — Tony Hawk

When I landed the first 900 at the XGames, it was just - it was a personal achievement. It was something that I have strived for for years and years and years, and in a lot of ways had given up on it. But I just didn't think of the resonance that would have. — Tony Hawk

If you look at the success of snowboarding in the Winter Games and how that's brought a more youthful edge to the Olympics in general, they don't have that with the Summer Games. They don't have anything that's drawing in a younger viewership. — Tony Hawk

You might not make it to the top, but if you are doing what you love, there is much more happiness there than being rich or famous. — Tony Hawk

Technology has allowed me to reach my fans directly. Social media: it has been a complete revolution of how to interact, promote and share things. — Tony Hawk

Honestly, the best skater that I've seen who raps is Tyler, The Creator. He really can skate ... He's legit. — Tony Hawk

There are endorsements I regret taking when I was younger and didn't know any better. But I didn't have options then. People weren't knocking on my door. — Tony Hawk

I wanted to promote skateboarding as much as possible through different media. — Tony Hawk

Most snarky critics had their minds set before ever seeing/playing the game. I'm proud of what we created; it's innovative, responsive & fun. — Tony Hawk

Any time skating was featured in a video game, I ate it up. So around 1997-98, I was shopping this video game idea. I was weighing my options when I went to Activision, but when I saw what they were working on, I said, 'This is exactly what I'd love to be involved with,' and following that gut reaction was hugely successful. — Tony Hawk

When you've got videos up on Web sites that are literally shot the same day, the whole skate community knows right away when new tricks are invented or new techniques are available. — Tony Hawk

I love the fact that there is now a skate park in almost every city, but it will always have a rebellious/underground edge to it because it is based on individuality. — Tony Hawk

I was a lot more cultured than the other kids in my high school. Because I traveled, I understood different cultures and had a more worldly view. Most of the people I went to high school with had never been outside of California. — Tony Hawk

Skateistan's not just about skating. It's giving people life skills and hope for the future. — Tony Hawk

I think that the board is a lot more intuitive than people assume. You get on it and all you have to do is put one foot on the tail and one foot on the nose and rock it up and down and that will get you into the tricks or wheelies or manuals. It's not about the balance so much as it is about the timing. — Tony Hawk

I was nerdy and really into computers. I was a good student until my senior year, when I started traveling and had a lot of absences. — Tony Hawk

For those that say I endanger my child: it's more likely that you will fall while walking on the sidewalk than I will while skating with my daughter. — Tony Hawk

In ramp skating, there's this guy Alex Perelson who's really coming into his own and doing some amazing new stuff we haven't seen before. Just different types of spin. — Tony Hawk

I consider skateboarding an art form, a lifestyle and a sport. 'Action sport' would be the least offensive categorization. — Tony Hawk

If you have a game with your name on it, you have to learn how to play. — Tony Hawk

When I started skating, it was such a small community. You didn't aspire to be rich or famous or make a career out of it because that wasn't something anyone had done yet. — Tony Hawk

When I was around eleven or twelve, my board got hung up on the top of a bowl, and I got a concussion, and I knocked my teeth out. That was the first time that I got seriously injured, and I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, and my parents briefly doubted. — Tony Hawk

I feel like skateboarding is as much of a sport as a lifestyle, and an art form, so there's so much that that transcends in terms of music, fashion, and entertainment. — Tony Hawk

Most of my friends are skaters or were skaters at one time, so they obviously relate. — Tony Hawk

I started skating when I was about 10 years old. It was in an alleyway. I picked up my brother's skateboard and stood on it. I started to roll down the alley, and I yelled at my brother asking him how I turn the thing. At the end of the alley, I just jumped off, picked up the board and physically turned it around. — Tony Hawk