Liam John Neeson OBE is a Northern Irish actor. He has been nominated for a number of awards, including an Academy Award for Best Actor, a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and three Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama. Profoundly inspirational Liam Neeson quotes will make you look at life differently and help you live a meaningful life.
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Famous Liam Neeson Quotes
I get fed up with plots that are driven by someone constantly getting information on a computer. – Liam Neeson
I was an OK boxer, I wasn’t great, I was OK, but I loved the discipline of getting together every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, usually Saturday afternoons too, with a whole bunch of mates and training, very, very hard for about two-and-half hours. – Liam Neeson
Some mornings you wake up and think, gee I look handsome today. Other days I think, what am I doing in the movies? I wanna go back to Ireland and drive a forklift. – Liam Neeson
There’s periods now in our New York residence when I hear the door opening, especially the first couple of years… Anytime I hear that door opening I still think I’m gonna hear her. – Liam Neeson
Hollywood is throwing action movies at me. – Liam Neeson
I love working with children and this young boy, Thomas Sangster, is quite a remarkable young actor. He raises your game, you know. He certainly raised mine. – Liam Neeson
And as the hour approached for the execution, in his own mind, Collins became both the executioner and the victim. He would pace up and down, transformed in almost a kind of exorcism when he knew he was responsible for taking someone’s life. – Liam Neeson
I certainly notice the vitality in Belfast, which wasn’t there in the Seventies. There was a war going on then. Now there are cranes everywhere. There really is a sense of renewal and hope. – Liam Neeson
Well I was on the jury duty on the Deauville Film Festival, a few years ago. – Liam Neeson
I do believe at the end of the night when you’re with your family, the character gets hung up on the door like a coat, and is there to be taken on the next morning. – Liam Neeson
I thought, well of course, Kinsey absolutely adored teaching. He was a wonderful teacher. So these kids really inspired me. So that was a clue I hung onto. He loved young people, he absolutely loved them. And he loved teaching them and trying to help them. – Liam Neeson
I will never become a director or a movie producer. I was always looking at picture directing because I didn’t know what to do! You can’t be a movie director without real preparation. – Liam Neeson
I’m so touched that complete strangers will send me a script asking me to be in their film. That still amazes me – and sometimes for a lot of money too. – Liam Neeson
People ask me if I ever feel outside the Hollywood loop, and I never do, because both of us do a lot of theatre, so it’s great for New York and it’s also half-way between Europe and the west coast, so it’s the best of both worlds. – Liam Neeson
Well I think people think sex is controversial. Not always, but certainly it’s something to be discussed. – Liam Neeson
In real life, wolves will do anything to avoid contact with mankind. – Liam Neeson
I have no desire to play King Lear or Hamlet. I never had a grand ambition. I just followed my nose. – Liam Neeson
It is the right to bear arms which is the problem. I think if the Founding Fathers knew what was happening they would be turning in their graves with embarrassment at how that law has been interpreted. – Liam Neeson
Live and die on this day… Live and die on this day. – Liam Neeson
Being Irish and a citizen of the world, has made me truly appreciate Irish culture, music and history. Whether you’re first, second generation Irish or even with no connection to Ireland, you should visit in 2013 for a unique experience. – Liam Neeson
Yeah, well, I finally stopped smoking for good. – Liam Neeson
There’s a ruthlessness to the city now that wasn’t there before. I was in Dublin a few months ago, when we were shooting Breakfast on Pluto, and if I saw one kid throwing up on the street, I must have seen a hundred of them. – Liam Neeson
To be honest, I’m scared to death of rollercoaster rides. – Liam Neeson
I’ve made many films and only a few times I’ve played real people. – Liam Neeson
I’m trying to be a comedian, you know? – Liam Neeson
I’m not the kind of actor that would know what my character had for breakfast last Tuesday. – Liam Neeson
In Los Angeles, it’s like they jog for two hours a day and then they think they’re morally right. That’s when you want to choke people, you know? – Liam Neeson
It is fun to explore these kick-butt characters. – Liam Neeson
Girl Rising reminds us that educating the girls of today is an investment in everyone’s tomorrow. – Liam Neeson
It’s funny, but you get to a time in your life when you think you have all the friends you will ever have. – Liam Neeson
Criminals thrive on the indulgence of society’s understanding. – Liam Neeson
I love it when a plan comes together – Liam Neeson
Looking out for your children is an ongoing process throughout your life. – Liam Neeson
I am totally for gun control in the U.S. The population of America is roughly 300 million and there are 300 million guns in this country, which is terrifying. Every day we’re seeing some kid running rampant in a school. And do you know what the gun lobby’s response to Newtown was? The National Rifle Association’s official response was, ‘If that teacher had been armed’ It’s crazy. – Liam Neeson
I’m keeping myself to myself. And I like it that way. I’m not hunting. I’m the opposite of a – what would a male cougar be? Is there such a thing? Whatever it is, I’m not that. – Liam Neeson
But, you know, there’s still an argument, there’s still ten states that outlaw premarital sex, and many more states where adultery is still outlawed and a crime. – Liam Neeson
The Irish Catholic side was married to the life of an actor and I found out acting could be a form of prayer. – Liam Neeson
I do shadow boxing and use a heavy bag, but I don’t spar with anyone. – Liam Neeson
It’s interesting, the more successful you become the more people want to give you stuff for nothing. – Liam Neeson
I believe that UNICEF is the most important branch of the U.N.; they do exceptional work to help the neediest children around the world – Liam Neeson
I never thought about becoming a professional singer, but I am in touch with Bono about releasing a musical movie. It will be about an Irish band during the ’70s who are looking for fortune in Las Vegas. I should play the singer of the band but I don’t want to sing in front of anybody. – Liam Neeson
In bed at night, I could be reading some book, and I’ll come across a sentence that’s totally unrelated to some scene I did years ago. But I’ll play the scene back in my mind and think, I did that wrong – I should’ve opened the door more slowly. – Liam Neeson
Young people were once considered relatively safe from HIV/AIDS. Today, their lives and futures are at risk throughout the world because of this disease. I believe it is young people throughout the world who offer us the greatest hope for defeating this deadly pandemic. – Liam Neeson
I have to make it my job to be careful with my family. – Liam Neeson
I don’t think I’m funny. – Liam Neeson
Every cliche about kids is true; they grow up so quickly, you blink and they’re gone, and you have to spend the time with them now. But that’s a joy. – Liam Neeson
Rihanna is a very talented person. One of those people who are able to do whatever they want with great results. – Liam Neeson
It’s an extraordinary thing, this tiny little province of Northern Ireland, where carnage happened. And I was part of it. I grew up in it. – Liam Neeson
You are not what you were born, but what you have it in yourself to be. – Liam Neeson
I’m a big believer in acts of kindness, no matter how small. – Liam Neeson
Men fear most what they cannot see. – Liam Neeson
If you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, you become something else entirely. – Liam Neeson
It’s extraordinary to look into a baby’s face and see a piece of your flesh and your spirit. It makes you realize you are a part of the human race. – Liam Neeson
I’ve had an unbelievable life. I’ve been very lucky. You do create your own luck too, you know? I never forget where I’m from. Whenever I pass a building site or see somebody digging a ditch, I always think, ‘That’s real work.’ – Liam Neeson
Why would anyone ever tell anything personal to a journalist? – Liam Neeson
Northern Ireland is the world’s best kept secret, both in the character of its people and its scenery. – Liam Neeson
Your compassion is a weakness your enemies will not share. – Liam Neeson
I was reared a Catholic but I think every day we ask ourselves, not consciously, what are we doing on this planet? What’s it all about? – Liam Neeson
Every time I see Anthony Hopkins I think that, to some extent, he has just been getting away with it all these years. – Liam Neeson
We live in such a corporate world where everyone is passing the buck, it seems to me. Therefore I like stories where the individual takes responsibility for BEING the individual, and not just for himself, but for his comrades, his society and ultimately for his country. Ultimately, we can all learn a lesson from that and not be browbeaten by the corporate world which is taking over. – Liam Neeson
The cause of making the world a better place for children unites us all. – Liam Neeson
It’s still a great, big, beautiful, wonderful world no matter what the headlines of the newspapers are and it’s there to be explored. It’s there for our children to go out and explore and explore different cultures and learn from it. I never lose hope. – Liam Neeson
For every successful actor or actress, there are countless numbers who don’t make it. The name of the game is rejection. You go to an audition and you’re told you’re too tall or you’re too Irish or your nose is not quite right. You’re rejected for your education, you’re rejected for this or that and it’s really tough. – Liam Neeson
You traveled the world… Now you must journey inwards… to what you really fear… it’s inside you. – Liam Neeson
I keep fit as much as I can. – Liam Neeson
For all of nature’s wonder and beauty, it is also hostile and unpredictable. – Liam Neeson
I’m Irish, so I’m used to odd stews. I can take it. Just throw a lot of carrots and onions in there and I’ll call it dinner. – Liam Neeson
Listen, I know how old I am and that I’m just a shoulder injury from losing roles like the one in Taken. So I stay with the training, I stay with the work. It’s easy enough to plan jobs, to plan a lot of work. That’s effective. But that’s the weird thing about grief. You can’t prepare for it. You think you’re gonna cry and get it over with. You make those plans, but they never work. – Liam Neeson
If someone stands in the way of true justice, you simply walk up behind them, and stab them in the heart. – Liam Neeson
We’re all always acting. You need to be able to sit in silence and not beat up on yourself. It’s hard to say to yourself, ‘You are human. Welcome to the human race.’ – Liam Neeson
Well, I think they’re all basically the same story. Every culture in the world has them. When you strip it down and analyze it, it’s the young man or girl who goes through a trial or ordeal and hits a very low ebb but manages to get guidance from a Merlin type figure. – Liam Neeson
I don’t do my own stunts, but I do my own fighting. I don’t consider fighting to be a stunt. – Liam Neeson
You think your life is going one way and then suddenly, you’re on another track. – Liam Neeson
Getting married and settling down isn’t the most important thing in my life. – Liam Neeson
I think there must be some other life forms, even if they’re microscopic. – Liam Neeson
There seems to be more opportunities for old guys like me to do a little fighting and running because the lead characters also require a bit of depth and maturity and gravitas that one is likely to acquire doing drama all those years. – Liam Neeson
I try to stay fit. I try and do something every day but I don’t jog. My body hates jogging. – Liam Neeson
But I was very, very lucky, and it was a wake up call as far as motorbikes are concerned. I never flirted with death on the bike, but now I’m totally convinced they’re death machines. – Liam Neeson
Acting is invigorating. But I don’t analyse it too much. It’s like a dog smelling where it’s going to do its toilet in the morning. – Liam Neeson
I offer my performance as prayer for someone I’ve worked with as an actor or someone who has died. The image that comes into my head as I walk to the stage, I offer that performance up for that person. – Liam Neeson
But, you know, sex is controversial, it just is and it always will be. – Liam Neeson
I have often found that no matter where I meet people in the world, there is a path that leads back to Queen’s. – Liam Neeson
I did, although I didn’t read from page 1 to page 187 but I read chunks of it. I did a little bit of science when I was in the university so I was able to understand the graphs and pie charts and stuff like that. It was extremely dry. – Liam Neeson
I always wanted to be a cowboy, and Jedi Knights are basically cowboys in space, right? – Liam Neeson
I was very slow in maths, geometry I actually enjoyed. – Liam Neeson
Before ‘Schindler’s List,’ I wouldn’t have believed movies had a lot of power for social change. – Liam Neeson
I don’t know if I’m a strict parent or a pushover. – Liam Neeson
If I get rejected for a part, I pick myself up and say, ‘OK, not today, maybe tomorrow I’ll get this other part or something.’ – Liam Neeson
But let’s just say, I’m Irish. I grew up in the 1950s. Religion had a very tight iron fist. – Liam Neeson
I love doing my own stunts but it’s hard. – Liam Neeson
I think I survived by running away some. Running away to work. – Liam Neeson
Queen’s University flies the flag for the arts in Northern Ireland and beyond. – Liam Neeson
I think if you’re the son or daughter of successful actors and actresses, it’s a double pressure. More is expected of you. – Liam Neeson
Yes, I’m Catholic; I’m proud of it. But I had lots of Protestant friends. – Liam Neeson
Kinsey’s quest was really for us all to be tolerant and accepting of each other. – Liam Neeson
Acting with creatures that aren’t there is kind like acting with an actor who refuses to come out of his trailer. You still have to go on and do the scene. – Liam Neeson
I’m still a proud Irishman, of course, but I’ve become an American citizen. I’m very, very proud of that. – Liam Neeson
I have friends who have daughters and there’s times I think I’m glad I have boys instead of girls. – Liam Neeson
When I see great boxers, it’s like reading a wonderful poem. – Liam Neeson
Well, I think I’ve made 44 films and only like four times I’ve played real characters I’m just drawn to people who have a pioneer spirit, this extraordinary energy and commitment to their cause. – Liam Neeson
I don’t think that I am a sex symbol, although it’s very flattering. – Liam Neeson
The putting on of vestments and lighting candles, it’s a wonderful ritual that never changes from one Mass to another. – Liam Neeson
As you know, Hollywood loves to pigeonhole all the actors and actresses, and suddenly I got ‘re-pigeonholed’ as an action actor. – Liam Neeson
I came to water late. I learned to swim at the age of 20. – Liam Neeson
I think I’m past my due date. I just feel it. – Liam Neeson
I try to be a hard boiled sometimes. My kids see right through it. I’m acting. It’s always, ‘When I say you’ll be back at 11, that means 11, not 11.15. Do you hear me!?’ Then, ‘Yeah, Dad.’ – Liam Neeson
A sex symbol? A symbol of sex? I don’t think that I am a sex symbol, although it’s very flattering. I’m 59, now, so I think I’m possibly past my sell-by date. I think I am. – Liam Neeson
At the Sex Institute in Bloomington, Indiana, they were a phenomenal help, too. We went out there for a few days, and they gave us access to materials. And the biographies, there are four or five, ranging from very poor to excellent. – Liam Neeson
Indeed I regard the enduring support which I have received over the years from all sections of the community in Ballymena as being more than sufficient recognition for any success which I may have achieved as an actor. – Liam Neeson
Well, from an acting point of view, I bear no relation, I don’t look like Alfred Kinsey at all, but I thought somewhere in my artist’s soul, my actor’s soul, I could capture something of the spirit of the man. – Liam Neeson
America has been very, very good to me. – Liam Neeson
It’s easy enough to plan jobs, to plan a lot of work. – Liam Neeson
I had done some flimflam movies, but I didn’t understand what being an actor meant anymore. – Liam Neeson
I’d like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I’d need building up, though he’s very frail now. – Liam Neeson
I’m constantly reading books on God or the absence of God and atheism. – Liam Neeson
You can’t act being a boxer. It’s like being on stage. – Liam Neeson
Sitting down to eat in our house is about sharing, you know, talking about the day you’ve had, be it in school or work or whatever, so that’s very important to us. – Liam Neeson
And the Institute sent me a little film footage of Kinsey himself preparing to do an interview for television to talk about his work, so that was quite valuable for me. – Liam Neeson
I think: ‘Why do I have to do it? What’s it going to prove?’ After all, it’s the work that counts. – Liam Neeson
We’re definitely going to do it, … We’ve been working on it since November. – Liam Neeson
It’s a simple story, yet with all the complexities of myth. The technology was so understated. I thought he (George Lucas) was an amazing director who had created this totally believable world. – Liam Neeson
It was quite an intense time in Belfast in 1977 and I remember going to see it in the cinema. It was a very, very dicey area of Belfast. And the cinema was packed. In fact, I had never seen a cinema packed in my life before that — to see this Episode I. Not Episode I at that time. It was Episode IV. And it was unique. We all got lost in this story for two hours and came back out into the harsh reality of life in Belfast. – Liam Neeson
I’m not supposed to say anything but let’s face it, Jedi knights never die. – Liam Neeson
I do tend to gravitate toward what guiding light we have. . . . If I read something that’s got those ethics in it, then I go towards it. We live in such a corporate world where everyone is passing the buck, it seems to me. Therefore I like stories where the individual takes responsibility for BEING the individual, and not just for himself, but for his comrades, his society and ultimately for his country. Ultimately, we can all learn a lesson from that and not be browbeaten by the corporate world which is taking over. – Liam Neeson
No man is an island, as they say. No. I’ve tried it. I’ve gone on retreats at various times in my life for three or four or five days. I was desperate to get out of there and talk to somebody. But I fly fish a lot, and I can only do that really by myself. I find I’m never lonesome when I’m on a river, far from it, but it’s a lonely practice. – Liam Neeson
The whole awards thing is great. Why? Because the Golden Globes, the Academy Awards, they put a focus on the industry, and that focus translates into people buying tickets to see movies or download films, legitimately download them. And it keeps us all at work. So I’m a big fan of award shows. – Liam Neeson
I was always attracted to the type of cinema hero as an adolescent growing up in Ireland. Robert Mitchum springs to mind. Later on, it was Steve McQueen to a certain extent and Charles Bronson. They’re these types of grizzled characters who had one foot on the side of law and order and the other foot in the bad guy’s camp. – Liam Neeson
