American actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks is one of the most respected men in Hollywood, and for good reason. If I were to describe him with a single word, it would be delightful. Well-known for frequently playing ordinary character in extraordinary situations, Hanks is among the most relatable and down-to-earth people on the big screen. Having gone through years of theater performances, and even more on television, he finally found his place in the movie industry. We have selected 23 of the most heartening Tom Hanks quotes to motivate you on your path forward.
Born on July 9, 1956, in Concord, California, Tom Hanks grew up in what he called a “fractured” family. After his parents divorced (when he was 5), he moved around a lot, but, thankfully, he didn’t experience drug or alcohol problems, just a lot of childhood confusion. He began acting with the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in 1977, and later moved to New York City. He played a leading role in the television series Bosom Buddies, but gained far more recognition when he starred in the Ron Howard movie Splash. Later on, Tom Hanks went on to star in many more popular and acclaimed movies, including Big, Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Saving Private Ryan, Apollo 13 and Toy Story.
Widely known for his likable, mild-mannered and good-natured personality, he frequently works with Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg. Tom Hanks is the second actor in movie history to win two consecutive Best Actor Oscars, for his performances in Philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994). In 2016, he was ranked third highest grossing actor of all time, with all of his films grossing a total of $4.3 billion in the US.
Take a look at our selection of heartening Tom Hanks quotes that will inspire you to take the next steps toward your dreams.
23 Heartening Tom Hanks Quotes
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- “If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. It’s the hard that makes it great.” – Tom Hanks
- “From now on we live in a world where man has walked on the Moon. It’s not a miracle; we just decided to go.” – Tom Hanks
- “Some people go to bed at night thinking, ‘That was a good day.’ I am one of those who worries and asks, ‘How did I screw up today?’ “ – Tom Hanks
- “Everybody has something that chews them up and, for me, that thing was always loneliness. The cinema has the power to make you not feel lonely, even when you are.” – Tom Hanks
- “It’s just as hard… staying happily married as it is doing movies.” – Tom Hanks Quotes
- “I will entertain anything; it doesn’t matter. You know, it’s not obviously about the price, it’s not about who, it’s kind of about when and what. It’s material, that’s all.” – Tom Hanks
- “Never give up because you never know what the tide will bring in the next day.” – Tom Hanks
- “And I’m not apolitical – I’m very specific in my politics. But a lot of the time it’s nobody’s business unless you’re over at my house having dinner.” – Tom Hanks
- “If you’re funny, if there’s something that makes you laugh, then every day’s going to be okay.” – Tom Hanks
- “You cannot look up at the night sky on the Planet Earth and not wonder what it’s like to be up there amongst the stars. And I always look up at the moon and see it as the single most romantic place within the cosmos.” – Tom Hanks
- “I’ve made over 20 movies, and 5 of them are good.” – Tom Hanks
- “My job has always been to hold a mirror up to nature.” – Tom Hanks
- “Believing is seeing and seeing is believing.” – Tom Hanks
- “I am who I am, and I think I have a good nature, by and large. But if someone takes advantage of that good nature, well then, you know, I’m not that nice a guy.” – Tom Hanks
- “Movie-making is telling a story with the best technology at your disposal.” – Tom Hanks
- “There’s millions of survivors out there. Make it one million and one.” – Tom Hanks Quotes
- “Some people are cowards… I think by and large a third of people are villains, a third are cowards, and a third are heroes. Now, a villain and a coward can choose to be a hero, but they’ve got to make that choice.” – Tom Hanks
See also:22 Fascinating Christopher Nolan Quotes - “It’s always a combination of physics and poetry that I find inspiring. It’s hard to wrap your head around things like the Hubble scope.” – Tom Hanks
- “My favorite traditional Christmas movie that I like to watch is All Quiet on the Western Front. It’s just not December without that movie in my house.” – Tom Hanks
- “At the end of the day it’s got to be a good movie, it’s got to be a funny movie, and it’s got to make people think, ’Hey, I couldn’t have spent my time any better.’ “ – Tom Hanks
- “A hero is someone who voluntarily walks into the unknown.” – Tom Hanks
- “There isn’t any great mystery about me. What I do is glamorous and has an awful lot of white-hot attention placed on it. But the actual work requires the same discipline and passion as any job you love doing, be it as a very good pipe fitter or a highly creative artist.” – Tom Hanks Quotes
- “If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. It’s the hard that makes it great.” – Tom Hanks
Summary
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