Michael J. Fox citations

“What other people think of me is not my business.”

“Control is illusory. No matter what university you go to, no matter what degree you hold, if your goal is to becomes master of your own destiny, you have more to learn.”

“I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business.”

“My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance, and in inverse proportion to my expectations.”

“Pay attention to what's happening around you. Read the book before you see the movie. Remember, though you, alone, are responsible for your own happiness, its still okay to feel responsible for someone else's. Liveto learn.”

“Optimism is a cure for many things.”

“After all that I'd been through, after all that I'd learned and all that I'd been given, I was going to do what I had been doing every day for the last few years now: just show up and do the best that I could do with whatever lay in front of me.”

“If you have one foot in yesterday and one foot in tomorrow, you're pissing all over today.”

“The only thing that separates any one of us from excellence is fear and the opposite of fear is faith. I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence I can reach for, perfection is God’s business.”

“One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered.”

“A creative mess is better than idle tidiness.”

“Happiness is a decision.”

“When prescribing one of the drugs I take, my doctor warned me of a common side effect: exaggerated, intensely vivid dreams. To be honest, I've never really noticed the difference. I've always dreamt big.”

“When life takes away, something of greater value is always given in return.”

“If you don't take the time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?”

“I think I benefited from being equal parts ambitious and curious. And of the two, curiosity has served me best.”

“I have no argument with those who see in organized religion a template or an imperative to live life according to a prescribed set of beliefs. Just give others the room, within the laws of civil society, to believe or not believe whatever they like.”

“You suffer the blow, but you capitalize on the opportunity left in its wake.”

“Our challenges don't define us, our actions do.”