Christopher Reeve was an American actor, director, and activist best known for his role as Superman in the 1978 film. He was paralyzed from the neck down in 1995 after a horse-riding accident. He was an advocate for people with disabilities and for stem cell research, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 2015. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Christopher Reeve on disability, superman, hope.
Either you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool or you go out in the ocean.
So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.
I'm not living the life I thought I would lead, but it does have meaning, purpose. There is love... there is joy... there is laughter.
Never accept ultimatums, conventional wisdom, or absolutes.
In the face of adversity, hope often comes in the form of a friend who reaches out to us.
You've got to give more than you take.
Christopher Reeve inspirational quote
Christopher Reeve Image Quotes
Once you choose hope, anythings possible.
Don't give up. Don't lose hope. Don't sell out. — Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve Short Quotes
Some people are walking around with full use of their bodies and they're more paralyzed than I am.
Pain is inevitable. Misery is a choice.
When we turn our attention away from ourselves, our potential is limitless.
Your body is not who you are. The mind and spirit transcend the body.
Either you vegetate and look out a window, or activate and try to effect change.
You can do anything you think you can.
You play the hand you're dealt. I think the game's worthwhile.
I am a very lucky guy. I can testify before Congress. I can raise funds. I can raise awareness.
It's important to me to say what I really mean.
Once you choose anything is possible.
At first dreams seem impossible, then improbable, then inevitable.
Christopher Reeve Quotes About Disability
I refuse to allow a disability to determine how I live my life. There is only one way to go in life and that is forward. — Christopher Reeve
I've still never had a dream that I'm disabled. Never. — Christopher Reeve
I have never been disabled in my dreams. — Christopher Reeve
motivational quote by Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve Quotes About Superman
What I do is based on powers we all have inside us; the ability to endure; the ability to love, to carry on, to make the best of what we have - and you don't have to be a 'Superman' to do it. — Christopher Reeve
What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely. From an acting point of view, that's how I approached the part. — Christopher Reeve
People may never understand this - and perhaps I should give up caring whether they do or not - but the idea of me playing Superman is so far away from what I was brought up to aspire to. — Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve Quotes About Hope
I have more awareness of other people and, I hope, more sensitivity to their needs. I also find that I'm more direct and outspoken. — Christopher Reeve
I never said I will stand, I said I hoped to stand. It wasn't a prediction. — Christopher Reeve
Once we choose hope, everything is possible. — Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve Quotes About Inspirational
We can either watch life from the sidelines, or actively participate... Either we let self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy prevent us from realising our potential, or embrace the fact that when we turn our attention away from ourselves, our potential is limitless. — Christopher Reeve
If you don't have a vision, nothing happens. — Christopher Reeve
There is no such thing as can't. — Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve Quotes About Impossible
We live in a time when the words impossible and unsolvable are no longer part of the scientific community's vocabulary. Each day we move closer to trials that will not just minimize the symptoms of disease and injury but eliminate them. — Christopher Reeve
For everyone who thought I couldn’t do it… for everyone who thought I shouldn’t do it… for everyone who said, ‘It’s impossible’… see you at the finish line! — Christopher Reeve
On the wall of his rehabilitation room was a picture of the space shuttle blasting off, autographed by every astronaut now at NASA. On top of the picture it says, "We found nothing is impossible." That should be our motto. — Christopher Reeve
Every scientist should remove the word 'impossible' from their lexicon. — Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve Famous Quotes And Sayings
Don't give up. Don't lose hope. Don't sell out. — Christopher Reeve
Misfortune can force you into doing things you should be doing anyway. Lessons come from adversity. Anything can happen to anyone... You can find a new lease on life - more meaning than you thought possible in simple things... Let go. Live in the moment. Go forward. — Christopher Reeve
The key to success is letting the relationships in your life grow to the highest levels they possibly can . . . not putting yourself first in life and remembering that the more you give away, the more you have. — Christopher Reeve
A hero is someone who, in spite of weakness, doubt or not always knowing the answers, goes ahead and overcomes anyway. — Christopher Reeve
I think we all have a little voice inside us that will guide us. It may be God, I don't know. But I think that if we shut out all the noise and clutter from our lives and listen to that voice, it will tell us the right thing to do. — Christopher Reeve
I remember telling a neurosurgeon, "Don't give me too much information, because at the moment my ignorance is my best asset." — Christopher Reeve
Success is not about money and power. Real success is about relationships. There's no point in making $50 million a year if your teenager thinks you're a jerk and you spend no time with your wife. — Christopher Reeve
In the second half of the 20th century, people are becoming more limited: Vocabularies are smaller, thoughts are smaller, aspirations are smaller, everything is very scaled down. Everyone is typecast. — Christopher Reeve
I did my first apprenticeship when I was 15, then joined the union when I was 17. I worked every summer in high school and college. — Christopher Reeve
My father is an intellectual and physical man, which is a rather unusual combination. He's great. As he brought up me and my brothers and sisters, he ingrained in us that your appearance is not your responsibility, other than that you should not be a slob. — Christopher Reeve
I am optimistic. But I also know that, with time, I'm beginning to fight issues of aging as well as long-term paralysis. — Christopher Reeve
I don't think actors are to blame for poor writing. The culture changes first, and the theater follows it. In the case of the movies, it's the same thing. — Christopher Reeve
A hero is an ordinary person doing things in an extra ordinary way. — Christopher Reeve
The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts. — Christopher Reeve
Don't put a limit on what can be accomplished. — Christopher Reeve
I'm starting a new chapter in my [[life], and you have no idea how much that means. — Christopher Reeve
Living a life with meaning means spreading the word. Even if you can't move, you can have a powerful effect with what you say. — Christopher Reeve
Maybe one way I am original is that at heart I really am a classical actor. I haven't had my chance yet in the commercial world to show that. Movies aren't really made about classical people so much any more. — Christopher Reeve
I get pretty impatient with people who are able-bodied but are somehow paralyzed for other reasons. — Christopher Reeve
I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. — Christopher Reeve
Having that college-town atmosphere with a live repertory company available was a real gift. I found myself gravitating toward the theater from about the age of nine. I guess it was the environment that got me started. — Christopher Reeve
I gradually stopped wondering, ‘What life do I have?' and began to consider, ‘What life can I build? — Christopher Reeve
What can I do today to take a step forward? — Christopher Reeve
If we don't dream of the possible,
the possible never happens. — Christopher Reeve
We all have many more abilities and internal resources than we know. My advice is that you don't need to break your neck to find out about them. — Christopher Reeve
And if you can channel the truth of your own experience onto the stage, that's what the audience wants to see. — Christopher Reeve
At some time, often when we least expect it, we all have to face overwhelming challenges. When the unthinkable happens, the lighthouse is hope. Once we find it, we must cling to it with absolute determination. When we have hope, we discover powers within ourselves we may have never known- the power to make sacrifices, to endure, to heal, and to love. Once we choose hope, everything is possible. — Christopher Reeve
I don't have to prove anything to anyone. As a result, I am ready to take up again the characters who are closer to what I really am. — Christopher Reeve
there is a relationship between the mind and the body that can both create a physical condition and enable us to recover from it — Christopher Reeve
Even though I don't personally believe in the Lord, I try to behave as though He was watching. — Christopher Reeve
You learn the stuff of your life (sports, movies, traveling) ... that's not the essence of your existence, my relationships were always good. Now they have transcended (rise beyond). — Christopher Reeve
All the scientists who are working on solving the problem of curing paralysis say that it won't do you any good if you don't keep your body in shape. — Christopher Reeve
To be able to feel the lightest touch really is a gift. — Christopher Reeve
If I can laugh, I can live. — Christopher Reeve
By reaching out, more comes back than you can possibly imagine. — Christopher Reeve
America is better when all of us take care of all of us. — Christopher Reeve
It never occurred to me that I was a leading man until I was 19 years old. I had been acting since I was 10, so that's nine years and 30 or 40 plays, in school and summer stock, professional theater, too. — Christopher Reeve
I have no bones to pick and no fight with society. And I'm willing to be and interested in being in the mainstream of society. — Christopher Reeve
The character is a piece of fiction. You are yourself, however, and that makes you interesting, because you're alive and you're a human being. — Christopher Reeve
Success is finding satisfaction in giving a little more than you take. — Christopher Reeve
Even if your body doesn't work the way it used to, the heart and the mind and the spirit are not diminished. — Christopher Reeve
When the first Superman movie came out, I gave dozens of interviews to promote it. The most frequent question was: What is a hero? My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences. Now my definition is completely different. I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. — Christopher Reeve
It's defeatist to harp on what might have been, and yet, it's hard to resist considering what might have been. — Christopher Reeve
You should take some responsibility for the way you present yourself. But you should not be hung up on your looks, whether you are ugly or handsome, because it isn't an achievement. — Christopher Reeve
When I first began acting, I assumed an intellectual responsibility attached to my profession, which I had accepted for a long time. My father taught me that an actor had to have a social and political conscience, and that the work that he does has to reflect from that. — Christopher Reeve
Nothing of any consequence happens unless people get behind an idea. It begins with an individual and they share the idea with more individuals-and eventually it becomes a movement. — Christopher Reeve
You should have a dream and absolutely go for it. Don't let anybody say you can't do it. — Christopher Reeve
Life Lessons by Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve taught us to never give up, no matter how difficult the situation may be. He persevered through his paralysis and continued to pursue his passions and inspire others.
Christopher Reeve taught us the importance of resilience and determination, as he continued to fight for causes he believed in even after his accident.
Christopher Reeve taught us to never take life for granted, and to make the most of every day. He was a great example of how to live a life of purpose and make a positive impact on the world.
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