Arnold Schwarzenegger Quotes: 52 Motivating Quotes by a Legendary Figure

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Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger: 52 quotes 23 likes

Famous Arnold Schwarzenegger Quotes

Arnold Schwarzenegger

From a 1982 interview with Boston Globe journalist Marian Christy. Christy, Marian. "Winning according to Schwarzenegger." https://secure.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/294151457.html Boston Globe: Boston, MA. 9 May 1982: p 51. Accessed 25 Jun 2016.
1980s
Context: Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. When you make an impasse passable, that is strength. But you must have ego, the kind of ego which makes you think of yourself in terms of superlatives. You must want to be the greatest. We are all starved for compliments. So we do things that get positive feedback.

“If I can see it and believe it, then I can achieve it.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger book Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

Source: Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

“Everybody pities the weak; jealousy you have to earn.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Variant: You have to remember something: Everybody pities the weak; jealousy you have to earn.

“Marijuana… That's not a drug, that's a plant.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

“What is the point of being on this Earth if you are going to be like everyone else?”

Arnold Schwarzenegger book Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

Source: Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

“I was also going to give a graduation speech in Arizona this weekend. But with my accent, I was afraid they would try to deport me.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger Quotes about the trip

“My fellow immigrants, my fellow Americans how do you know if you are a Republican? I’ll tell you how. If you believe that government should be accountable to the people, not the people to the government, then you are a Republican! If you believe a person should be treated as an individual, not as a member of an interest group, then you are a Republican! If you believe your family knows how to spend your money better than the government does, then you are a Republican! If you believe our educational system should be held accountable for the progress of our children, then you are a Republican! If you believe this country, not the United Nations, is the best hope of democracy in the world, then you are a Republican! If you believe that the American Dream can be reachable if you work hard enough to earn it, then you are a Republican! And, ladies and gentlemen, if you believe we must be fierce and relentless and terminate terrorism, then you are a Republican! There is another way you can tell you’re a Republican. You have faith in free enterprise, faith in the resourcefulness of the American people, and faith in the U. S. economy.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

2000s, Speech at the Republican National Convention (31 August 2004)

“My hair was pulled. I was hit with belts. So was the kid next door, and so was the kid next door. It was just the way it was. Many of the children I've seen were broken by their parents, which was the German-Austrian mentality. Break the will. They didn't want to create an individual…. It was all about conforming. I was one who did not conform and whose will could not be broken. Therefore I became a rebel. Every time I got hit, and every time someone said, 'You can't do this,' I said, 'This is not going to be for much longer, because I'm going to move out of here… of course, I had no plan how.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Fortune magazine (August 2004).
2000s

“Why not? With my way of thinking, you always shoot for the top.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

On 60 Minutes, when asked whether he favors amending the U.S. Constitution to allow naturalized citizens (such as himself) to run for president. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=6675372&src=rss/oddlyEnoughNews&section=news (31 October 2004).
2000s

“There is another way you can tell you’re a Republican. You have faith in free enterprise, faith in the resourcefulness of the American people, and faith in the U. S. economy. To those critics who are so pessimistic about our economy, I say: ‘Don’t be economic girlie men!”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

2000s, Speech at the Republican National Convention (31 August 2004)

“When I was on my way to the podium a gentleman stopped me and said I was as good a politician as I was an actor. What a cheap shot.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

2000s, Speech at the Republican National Convention (31 August 2004)

“28% of the greenhouse gasses come from eating meat and from raising cattle, so we can do a much better job. … Luckily we know that you can get your protein source from many different ways, you can get it through vegetables if you are a vegetarian. I have seen many body builders that are vegetarian and they get strong and healthy.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

" Arnold Schwarzenegger: Stop eating meat and save the planet http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/35038053/arnold-schwarzenegger-stop-eating-meat-and-save-the-planet", in BBC Newsbeat website (8 December 2015)
2010s

Arnold Schwarzenegger Quotes about thinking

“I think that gay marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Positive thinking can be contagious. Being surrounded by winners helps you develop into a winner.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Source: Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder

“Anyway, my fellow Americans, this is an amazing moment for me. To think that a once-scrawny boy from Austria could grow up to become governor of the state of California and then stand here…then stand here in Madison Square Garden and speak on behalf of the president of the United States -- that is an immigrant's dream. It is the American dream.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

2000s, Speech at the Republican National Convention (31 August 2004)

“The most important thing is that we need to be a party that is inclusive and tolerant. We can be those things and be the party we always have been. We need to think about the environment. Teddy Roosevelt was a great environmentalist and people forget Reagan was the one who dealt with the ozone layer with the Montreal protocol. We also need to talk about healthcare honestly. Nixon almost passed universal healthcare. We need to have an talk about immigration and realize you can't just deport people. We need a comprehensive answer. We also need to stay out of people's bedrooms. The party that is for small government shouldn't be over-reaching into people's private lives. Mainly, we need to be a party where people know what we are for, not just what we are against.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/16mq0g/iamarnold_ask_me_anything/c7xg9aa (2013)
2010s

“Anybody here think they could move to Austria, learn the language, become famous for working out, then be a movie star, then marry into their royalty, and hold public office? How many lifetimes would you need… I’m on my third attempt at Rosetta Stone Spanish. All right? How can I judge these guys? I can barely handle the temptations of Facebook.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Bill Burr, You People Are All the Same (2012)
About

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Trending quotes

“Money doesn't make you happy. I now have $50 million but I was just as happy when I had $48 million.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Money , Happiness

“Stop whining.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

“There are no shortcuts—everything is reps, reps, reps.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger book Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

Source: Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

Arnold Schwarzenegger Quotes

“Just like in bodybuilding, failure is also a necessary experience for growth in our own lives, for if we're never tested to our limits, how will we know how strong we really are? How will we ever grow?”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Failure , Strong

“If it can bleed, we can kill it.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Eventually there was a split between my parents about me. My mother obviously knew what was going on with me and the girls my friends lined up. She never came out and said anything directly, but she let me know she was concerned. Things were different between me and my father. He assumed that when I was eighteen, I would just go into the Army and they would straighten me out. He accepted some of the things my mother condemned. He felt it was perfectly all right to make out with all the girls I could. In fact, he was proud I was dating the fast girls. He bragged about them to his friends. 'Jesus Christ, you should see some of the women my son's coming up with'. He was showing off, of course. But still, our whole relationship had changed because I'd established myself by winning a few trophies and now had some girls. He was particularly excited about the girls. And he liked the idea that I didn't get involved. 'That's right, Arnold', he'd say, as though he'd had endless experience, 'never be fooled by them'. That continued to be an avenue of communication between us for a couple of years. In fact, the few nights I took girls home when I was on leave from the Army, my father was always very pleasant and would bring out a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/067122879X (1977), New York: Simon & Schuster.
1970s, Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder (1977)

Women , Fools , Home , Girl

“I love him and Maria does too, and so thank you, Kurt.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

1986 wedding reception http://gawker.com/5803201/an-encyclopedia-of-every-other-awful-thing-arnold-schwarzenegger-has-done to Kurt Waldheim
1980s

Love

“I play the Terminator, but you guys are the true terminators.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

To American soldiers stationed in Iraq (2003), as quoted in Fox News http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,91110,00.html (2003).
2000s

Guy

“For the first time since I became a citizen in 1983, I will not vote for the Republican candidate for President. Like many Americans, I’ve been conflicted by this election – I still haven’t made up my mind about how exactly I will vote next month. But as proud as I am to label myself a Republican, there is one label that I hold above all else – American. So I want to take a moment today to remind my fellow Republicans that it is not only acceptable to choose your country over your party – it is your duty.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

written Twitter statement reported 8 October 2016 article by Variety https://variety.com/2016/biz/news/arnold-schwarzenegger-i-will-not-vote-for-the-republican-candidate-for-president-1201882915/, released a day after the release of the Access Hollywood tape from 2005 of an interview of Trump by Billy Bush
2010s

Time , Country

“My fellow Americans, I want you to know that I believe with all my heart that America remains the great idea that inspires the world. It's a privilege to be born here. It's an honor to become a citizen here. It's a gift to raise your family here, to vote here, and to live here. Our president, George W. Bush, has worked hard to protect and preserve the American dream for all of us. And that's why I say, send him back to Washington for four more years!”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

2000s, Speech at the Republican National Convention (31 August 2004)

World , Family , Dreams , Idea

“I have a message to the neo-Nazis, to the white nationalists, and to the neo-Confederates: Your heroes are losers. You are supporting a lost cause. And believe me, I knew the original Nazis, because you see, I was born in Austria in 1947, shortly after the Second World War. And growing up, I was surrounded by broken men, men who came home from a war filled with shrapnel and guilt, men who were misled into a losing ideology. And I can tell you: that these ghosts you idolize spent the rest of their lives living in shame and right now, they’re resting in hell.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

A message for Donald Trump -, ATTN video https://twitter.com/attn/status/898328098529083394 (August 2017)
2010s

Men , War , World , Home

“I don't worry about it, because I never took an overdosage.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

1987
Attributed

“Yes, his father was a Nazi; yes, he has been a consistent supporter and friend of renowned Nazi Kurt Waldheim. All right, so what if the rumors--confirmed for SPY by a businessman and longtime friend of Arnold's--that in the 1970s he enjoyed playing and giving away records of Hitler's speeches are true?”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Charles Fleming, "Uh-Oh" March 1992, page 62 of Spy Magazine https://books.google.ca/books?id=Xa7j5ofHW0EC&lpg=PP1&dq=spy+magazine+schwarzenegger&pg=PA62&redir_esc=y&hl=en#v=onepage&q=spy%20magazine%20schwarzenegger&f=true
About

Support

“In those days you didn't have to deal with the black market. You could go to your physician and just say, 'Listen, I want to gain some weight, and I want to take something.' Then the physician would say, 'Do it six weeks before competition, then it will be safe.' And that's what you would do. The dosage that was taken then versus taken now is not even 10 percent. It's probably 5 percent.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

1992
Attributed

“This is like winning an Oscar!… As if I would know! Speaking of acting, one of my movies was called True Lies. And that’s what the Democrats should have called their convention.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

2000s, Speech at the Republican National Convention (31 August 2004)

“Just remember, you can't climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Commencement Speech at University of Southern California http://graduationwisdom.com/speeches/0067-schwarzenegger.htm (May 2009).
2000s

Success

“We simply must do everything we can in our power to slow down global warming before it is too late… The science is clear. The global warming debate is over.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Bill signing ceremony for California's strict anti-emissions law (26 September, 2006) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15029070/.
2000s

Science

“Going through the pain barrier, that's what makes the muscles grow. There's this pain, this aching, and going on and on and on. That's what divides a champion from a non-champion - having the guts to go through the pain barrier.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Will he be back? https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/28/arnold-schwarzenegger-california-terminator-budget-deficit, The Guardian, (May 2009)
2000s

Pain

“Arnold did not see Goyette again until fourteen years later, in 1989
Goyette says that the coupled renewed their relationship, meeting every spring
Goyette says the relationship continued generally no more than once a year until 1996”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

page 328 of "Fantastic" published 30 May 2006 https://books.google.ca/books?id=p_lPLwK8r0UC&pg=PA328
About

Spring

“I used to feel that women were here for one reason. Sex was simply another kind of exercise, another body function. I was convinced a girl and I couldn't communicate on equal footing because she wouldn't understand what I was doing. I didn't have time to take one girl out regularly and go through a normal high-school romance with all its phone calls and notes and squabbles. That took too much time. I needed to be in the gym. For me it was a simple matter of picking them up at the lake, and then never seeing them again.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/067122879X (1977), New York: Simon & Schuster.
1970s, Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder (1977)

Women , School , Sex , Feeling

“In sports, you learn competition means go after it, win it. And not to let anything else interfere. It's something you learn, and it sticks with you. I consider myself an expert in looking into a particular idea or goal and then going after it without anything else in mind… It's always the same kind of thing. You pick a goal, and then you just go after it, accomplish it, and get satisfaction out of that.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

From Cowboys & Indians, the "magazine of the west" (September 2004).
When asked if big-screen success could bring him as much satisfaction as body-building victories
2000s

Idea , Sport , Learning

“This guy is just fumbling around.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Schwarzenegger's Boris blast http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2007/10/03/schwarzenneger-s-boris-blast-89520-19885738/, Daily Mirror (3 October 2007).
On Boris Johnson, whom Schwarzenegger was viewing via a video link.
2000s

Guy

“She maybe is Puerto Rican or the same thing as Cuban. I mean, they are all very hot. They have the, you know, part of the black blood in them and part of the Latino blood in them that together makes it.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Commenting on Bonnie Garcia during a staff meeting (8 September 2006), as quoted in The Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-govmeeting-mp3,0,1874429.mp3file (2006).
2000s

Parting

“Yes I have used them, but no, they didn't make me what I am. Anabolic steroids were helpful to me in maintaining muscle size while on a strict diet in preparation for a contest.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

1977
Attributed

Help

“According to interviews Goyette gave to Leamer for his book "Fantastic: The Life of Arnold Schwarzenegger," the two had a brief fling in 1975 when she was a teenager.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Amy Argetsinger 13 August 2005 article by Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/12/AR2005081201651.html?noredirect=on referencing Gigi Goyette
About

Life , Books

“I used steroids. It was a risky thing to do, but I have no regrets. It was what I had to do to compete. The danger with steroids is overusage. I only did it before a difficult competition – for two months, but not for a period of time that could harm me. And then afterward, it was over. I would stop. I have no health problems, no kidney damage or anything like that from using them.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

1996
Attributed

Health , Problem , Time

“I finally arrived here in 1968 with $20 in my pocket. What a special day it was. I remember I arrived here with empty pockets but full of dreams, full of determination, full of desire. The presidential campaign was in full swing. I remember watching the Nixon-Humphrey presidential race on TV. A friend of mine who spoke German and English translated for me. I heard Humphrey saying things that sounded like socialism, which I had just left. But then I heard Nixon speak. He was talking about free enterprise, getting the government off your back, lowering the taxes and strengthening the military. Listening to Nixon speak sounded more like a breath of fresh air. I said to my friend, I said, 'What party is he?”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

My friend said, 'He's a Republican'. I said, 'Then I am a Republican'. And I have been a Republican ever since.
Arrived as immigrant with only $20 in his pocket http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Arnold_Schwarzenegger_Immigration.htm
2000s, Speech at the Republican National Convention (31 August 2004)

Dreams

“I take steroids because they help me an extra 5 percent. Women take the (contraception) pill. They are somewhat similar. I do it under a doctor's supervision. (1974)”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Attributed

Women , Help

“Bodybuilders party a lot, and once, in Gold's — the gym in Venice, California, where all the top guys train — there was a black girl who came out naked. Everybody jumped on her and took her upstairs, where we all got together.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

1970s, Oui interview (1977)

Guy , Girl , Training

“I found a new me. When I first came over to America, it was like, 'How can I be rich? How can I build my movie career? How can I become the most muscular man?' It was all about me, and then there was this turn, and I found it was really great to do this.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

From Cowboys & Indians, the "magazine of the west" (September 2004).
Recalling a speech in which his father-in-law, creator of the Peace Corps, urged listeners to "Break that mirror in front of you -- that mirror that only lets you look at yourself."
2000s