102 Quotes by James Dean

Studying cows, pigs and chickens can help an actor develop his character. There are a lot of things I learned from animals. One was that they couldn’t hiss or boo me.

But you can’t show some far off idyllic conception of behavior if you want the kids to come and see the picture. You’ve got to show what it’s really like, and try to reach them on their own grounds.

When an actor plays a scene exactly the way a director orders, it isn’t acting. It’s following instructions. Anyone with the physical qualifications can do that.

To my way of thinking, an actor’s course is set even before he’s out of the cradle.

I wouldn’t like me, if I had to be around me.

To me, acting is the most logical way for people’s neuroses to manifest themselves, in this great need we all have to express ourselves.

At times there seems to be a million ideas worth painting. However, there are days when it’s a challenge to pull any idea together. On these days I go to my studio, leaf through an art history book, and tell myself that I am part of this great tradition.

You try to be yourself, do only what you've always done and like to do, and right away, you're tagged as an oddball.

To grasp the full significance of life is the actor's duty; to interpret it his problem; and to express it his dedication.