James Caan Quotes

No matter what heights you achieve, even if you're Brad Pitt, the slide is coming, sure as death and taxes.

I lost my passion for work. No, that's a negative statement. I just had a bigger passion for something else, for my son, and growing up with him.

Some guys say beauty is only skin deep. But when you walk into a party, you don't see somebody's brain. The initial contact has to be the sniffing.

Showing up every day isn't enough. There are a lot of guys who show up every day who shouldn't have showed up at all.

I always thought of myself as some sort of athlete until I started playing golf a couple years ago.

I have nothing against these big CGI movies, but there are not enough of the other ones - the ones with stories about character that have a beginning, a middle and an end. I said that to a couple of studio heads and they said, 'That's novel.'

I never saw my dad cry. My son saw me cry. My dad never told me he loved me, and consequently I told Scott I loved him every other minute. The point is, I'll make less mistakes than my dad, my sons hopefully will make less mistakes than me, and their sons will make less mistakes than their dads.

I've been lucky. The critics never went out of their way to single me out for doing bad work.

My acting technique is to look up at God just before the camera rolls and say, 'Give me a break.'

Success is the result of clear goal, unshakable confidence, proper planning, enthusiastic ACTION and consistent persistence.

My least favorite phrase in the English language is 'I don't care.'

I play a guy who believes he's a king. He's the most common man in the world; in fact his family, like his suits, are just make-up. It's about dysfunctional people and dysfunctional relationships.

There's nothing more boring than actors talking about acting.

I was very fortunate in the '70s to work with the best actors, the best directors, the best cinematographers.

I never did anything else. In college I switched majors every two weeks, and acting was the only thing that held my interest.

I never rode a bull - I'm not that stupid.

What's the difference between sex and love? I have four wives and five kids. I apparently don't know the difference.

I've never been difficult to anybody or with anybody on a picture. Especially when you're in that nice status of hierarchy of actors and actresses who get to approve directors. Because once you make that choice, it's my belief that the director's boss.

Someone's always saying, "It's not whether you win or lose," but if you feel that way, you're as good as dead.

It is that, but really, it's about how we don't recognise the little things in life, or appreciate the little things in life like belonging. A sense of belonging is a big thing today.

Obstacles are only opportunities to succeed or fail; how we handle them determines what will happen.

What I do quite honestly and seriously and not in any way being humble is not as important as what the garbage collector does. People make actors important.

To get over my divorce, I got a prescription to live at the Playboy Mansion for a while.

There are a lot of guys in Hollywood who clap you on the back just a little too hard.

I'm here instead of having shoulder surgery. But I'm not sure which is more painful.

There's a big difference between wanting to work and having to work. And I had to learn that the hard way. Now money is very important to me, because I ain't got it.

I really believe that you grow up a certain way in New York. There's a New York morality, a sense of loyalty. You know how to win and lose. There's a thousand kids outside, you know who to push and who not to push. There's a sixth sense you develop just because it's New York.

Anyone of my generation who tells you he hasn't 'done Brando' is lying.

Unless I love something or hate it, I don't want to deal with it.

Sure, I want to be the best actor in the world. But my life is my family, my son, my friends. I don't know how anyone can find fault with that.

You have to be very careful when you let someone win.

I won't mention names, but in my career, the most talented people invariably are the easiest and nicest to get along with.

One night I went over to get some dope from some Hollywood tough guy. After I left, my son Scott, who was only fifteen, went over with a baseball bat to kill him. I was laughing out of one eye and crying out of the other. I thought, Who am I kidding?

Saving a letter from an old friend doesn't exist anymore. Everything is texted or emailed.

I loved 'Funny Lady' for whatever reason. People say they didn't know I could sing and dance. Well, nobody ever asks me - it's always, 'Punch this guy.'