Top 30 Richard Dreyfuss Quotes

I have withdrawn from partisan politics. I am a constitutionalist who believes that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights must be central and the parties must be peripheral.

Politics has become beyond acceptable when it comes to humanity. People are just frozen in falsehood.

I decided at age 9, but I was reinforced at age 13 when a teacher told me I had talent. I can’t say she really motivated me because I already knew. I knew I had talent. I went to the Jewish community theater and got in plays there. Then I went for the movies.’

I never had a role that I set out for. I always wanted to have a body of work that I’m proud of. Save for two projects, which will never pass my lips, I’m happy with what I’ve done.

Civics is not only how to run the country before it’s your turn to run the country; it is, in fact, the study of power, practical political power. And you must start that process at an age level when kids’ brains are still open and malleable.

‘Jaws,’ first time I saw it, I forgot I was in it. True. Totally forgot, and got as scared as everybody else, and it’s a great movie.

I have more fun and more grand and glorious moments of my life than anyone I’ve never known. I know that some people call that manic-depress, and that other people call that being touched by God. I just call myself lucky.

In my experience, it’s usually up to the actor how a character is portrayed.

I love the ideals of my country. But I hate that we’ve been so denied any real knowledge of the world and don’t have the education to think clearly, so we vote against our economic interest and believe in our most shallow first thoughts of fear and hatred.

Trump is an intemperate, mean-spirited, lying bully. If a man like that asked you for permission to marry your daughter, what would your answer be? If it’s no, I think it’s obvious we shouldn’t give him the most powerful office on the face of the Earth.

I’m nothing if not honest.

It is an obvious and blatant stupidity beyond my ability to articulate how dumb it is for us not to teach our children how to run the government.

I think I’m turning into a libertarian. I’m not part of the gaggle of Hollywood liberals. I gaggle for no one, and I’m not a liberal. I’m libo-conservo-rado-middle-of-the-roado.

Let’s give some substance to patriotism. It may take a generation.

It must be remembered that the Bush White House has a separate talent for character assassination that must not be confused with a talent for governance.

We, all of us, are awakening to the reality that how men have behaved toward women for eons is not OK. The rules are changing invisibly underneath our feet. I am playing catch up. Maybe we all are.

There is one solution to all of our problems: Teaching our kids clarity of thought and political representation in democracy. That’s it.

In a way, J.F.K. was the high point of the American dream. In order to go to the moon and back, all we did was say we could – and we did.

We need to get back to reasoning and thinking things through. The future generation is being brought up in greed and without a true understanding of civics. There is no more emphasis on knowledge and time. As a society we need to process ideas and understand what certain principles are based upon.

Kerry is an adult – he thinks things through. He learns from the present as well as the past. To George Bush, thinking things through is for sissies.

The rules are all wrong today. The mandate of the media really does pre-date the founding of the United States.

Happiness has a bad rap. People say it shouldn’t be your goal in life. Oh, yes it should.

We didn’t get along, me and Bill Murray. But I’ve got to give it to him: I don’t like him, but he makes me laugh even now. I’m also jealous that he’s a better golfer than I am.

I took the part in ‘Mr. Holland’s Opus’ because no one had ever asked me to play ‘a life’ before. I get to age through 30 years. The idea really challenged me.

When you Google me, you’ll find a lot of people don’t like Richard Dreyfuss. Because I’m cocky and I present a cocky attitude. But no one has ever disagreed with the notion I represent, that we need more civic education. So far there’s 100 percent support for that.

The happiest I ever been was when I was a struggling actor. I’ve had big houses and small houses. I always had work available for most of my career. When I actually had to find jobs to make money, that’s when I was happy.

I really think that living is the process of going from complete certainty to complete ignorance.

Civility is not not saying negative or harsh things. It is not the absence of critical analysis. It is the manner in which we are sharing this territorial freedom of political discussion. If our discourse is yelled and screamed and interrupted and patronized, that’s uncivil.

You’ve got to protect the system of secular faith in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and Enlightenment values. That way, you can protect all religions.

The bad guy always gets the best scene and the best lines in the film, and they usually get the most days off.