Tom Cruise Quotes

Have you ever gotten the feeling that you aren't completely embarrassed yet, but you glimpse tomorrow's embarrassment?

There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance.

I've been ... chased by paparazzi, and they run lights, and they chase you and harass you the whole time. It happens all over the world, and it has certainly gotten worse. You don't know what it's like being chased by them.

Making a movie is like a chess game. It's about constantly changing patterns, adapting to new things. It's not just black and white, as you know.

Talk is over-rated as a means of settling disputes.

They smell good. They look pretty. I love women. I do.

I just eat life ... I engage in life.

If someone doesn't want to be a criminal anymore, I can give them tools that can better their life. You have no idea how many people want to know what Scientology is.

I disagree with people who think you learn more from getting beat up than you do from winning.

The important thing is to be relaxed in your work. Same in life. Don't make everything too intense. Then you can let everything go and not "act".

Seriously, I would go in a second. I'd be the first actor in space and I'd love to do it.

On film Vanilla Sky: You're going to get the full experience of what love is.

I like to work with people that I like hanging out with, that I admire, that are really smart and talented, and we can problem solve together.

I just want to help people. I'm a helper. For instance, I myself have helped hundreds of people get off drugs. In Scientology, we have the only successful drug rehabilitation program in the world. It's called Narconon.

There is Life in every breath ...

Yes, of course. Are you really so arrogant as to believe we are alone in this universe? Millions of stars, and we're supposed to be the only living creatures? No, there are many things out there, we just don't know.

Where do I get my seriousness? You can't help but grow up fast when your parents get divorced. You see your mother go to get food stamps and she's making fifty dollars too much to get them, with four kids to support.

I structure the scripts and work on them on films and work on scenes with writers and but I haven't written a script myself, I really respect what they do and I'm fortunate I get to work with people that I really enjoy working with and we all kind of spitball and work together on these things, but I haven't written a script yet.

With each one, I love working on the story and the characters. The stunts, each time, we keep pushing ourselves harder and harder. And they are stunts, so there's always a danger in doing them, but fortunately, I have not had a problem. I have not missed a day of work, ever, in my career. I'm always there early. And I train very hard, and we prepare very carefully for each one.

The exciting part of acting, I don't know how else to explain it, are those moments when you surprise yourself.

When you become successful in any type of life, there are people who are not contributing to the motion.

The thing about film-making is I give it everything, that's why I work so hard. I always tell young actors to take charge. It's not that hard. Sign your own cheques, be responsible.

I'm passionate about learning. I'm passionate about life.

I remember looking at my dad and wanting to understand him. I didn't want to just write the guy off. He was lost. I can't speak specifically in terms of why and how he got to where he was - that was his journey. All I can tell you is, he was overwhelmed by life ... My mother basically did all the work, and then they got separated and I didn't see him for a long time. He didn't try to help the family financially or spiritually, and I lived with the effects of the chaos.

We live in a world in which we are able to communicate very quickly in many different ways, and yet we find communicating more difficult than ever. When in fact we need communication more urgently than ever, because the enemies that threaten us are universal: drugs, illiteracy and crime. We have to fight against them together.

I don't pretend to be the character I AM the character.

You know what? I'm sure drug dealers on the street, in some way, they are making money. That's what I equate it to. Here is the thing: you have to understand, with psychiatry, there is no science behind it. And to pretend that there is a science behind it is criminal

I'm always around my mother and sisters. I always wanted to be a father, a husband.

I kept looking [at wife Katie Holmes] and thinking, 'This woman's amazing.' I'm happy that I'm with her. She's amazing, and I'd think the same of her even if she wasn't with me
she's just amazing.

I'm someone who doesn't believe in making my problems other people's problems.

You can put the camera in places where you may not necessarily be able to put it there if I don't do the stunt. If it's character and it's storytelling, then we do it. We design the things around me. I don't do it just to do a stunt. It's storytelling for me and how I can best bring the audience into the action, bring the audience into the story. And that's how we always look at at.

Even in my dreams, I'm an idiot who knows he's about to wake up to reality.

When you talk about emotional, chemical imbalances in people, there is no science behind that.

Here's how I've lived my life: I've never been late to a set. I make films I believe in. I feel privileged to be able to do what I love.

I look at the Samurai because they were the artists of their time. What I think struck me when I read Bushido is compassion. 'If there's no one there to help, go out and find someone to help.' That hit me, because I try to lead my life like that.

Nothing ends nicely, that's why it ends.

In this life, it's not what you hope for, it's not what you deserve - it's what you take!

I've had such extremes in my life. From being this kind of wild kid, to one year studying to be a Franciscan priest at the seminary ... I was very frustrated.

But my friends are happy for me. The people who know me are happy. My mom is happy. My family is happy.

Every single time I start to do a picture, without fail, I feel as if I don't know what I'm doing.

I'm a good listener. I think it's the one characteristic that's most important. I've always been that way. Not that I take all the advice, but you've got to listen to it and have the courage to make your own decision. And just go for it.

Of course [I believe in aliens]. Are you so arrogant as to believe we are alone in this universe?

I've never done work for money ever. If your choices are based on grosses and the film doesn't do well, what does that mean? It leaves you with nothing.

I used to go to Maple Leafs games all the time when Nic shot To Die For here in Toronto. This is a great city. I love it here.

When I work, I'm the actor. I'm going to do my job. I'm not going to direct the movie. If I wanted to direct it, I would direct it. I wanted J.J. Abrams to direct Mission: Impossible. I work with people that I respect. I expect them to do their jobs, and I will do mine. And I am there as a producer to help in any way, but no one makes a movie by themselves. It's a collaboration.

When I first started out all the attention could be a bit unnerving, especially when people stared. Now I find the best thing is to just relax. Being recognized is just something you have to get used to.

I feel the need ... the need for speed.

Being a Scientologist, when you drive past an accident ... you know you have to do something about it because you know you're the only one that can really help.

I have respect for what other people believe. What I believe in my own life is that it's a search for how I can do things better, whether it's being a better man or a better father or finding ways for myself to improve.

I go without sleep, I just go hard.

For me, to take a movie and travel the world and go and work with these cultures and an international cast and have this spy thriller that's not just about character but also action and suspense, they're very challenging films as a producer to make, creating stories, creating set pieces that serve this character [Ethan Hunt].

Every time I make a "Mission" movie or other films, people kind of look at me and go, "Well, now what? What's next?" I think there's always going to be another mountain. I think there's something always in store.

I want a world without war, a world without insanity. I want to see people do well. I don't even think it's as much as what I want for myself. It's more what I want for the people around me. That's what I want.

I love what I do. I take great pride in what I do. And I can't do something halfway, three-quarters, nine-tenths. If I'm going to do something, I go all the way.

My name is Joel Goodson. I deal in human fulfillment. I grossed over eight thousand dollars in one night.

I don't care if you print something nasty about me. If it's true, fine. I don't care. But just make sure it's the truth.

Who hasn't danced in their underwear?

If you have kids, it is the most important thing to create good times.

If I don't talk about my religion, if I say I'm not discussing it or different humanitarian things I'm working on, they're like, 'He's avoiding it.' If I do talk about it, it becomes, 'Oh, he's proselytizing.'

Stanley Kubrick was brilliant at getting under the audience's skin. He was very interested in the idea of, 'How can I tell this with just a camera?'

Emotions kick up. You try not to kick things up, but you go through things you can't help.

I've never made a film that I didn't believe in, you know? However the picture turns out, I've always given everything to it. That's kind of how I approach life. I can't help it. There's no part-way with me on anything in any area of my life.

I demand a lot of myself. I want to learn. I can't sit back. I like a challenge, so I create a lot of challenges for myself.

I'm not greedy. I just want my half.

I had to train myself to focus my attention. I became very visual and learned how to create mental images in order to comprehend what I read.

I've spent many birthdays on a movie set, all great days.

I don't care what someone believes. I don't care what nationality they are. But if someone wants to get off drugs, I can help them. If someone wants to learn how to read, I can help them. If someone doesn't want to be a criminal anymore, I can give them tools that can better their life.

Everybody dies, Sally. The thing is to die well.