47+ Steve McQueen Quotes On Charismatic, Intense And Iconic

Steve McQueen was an American actor who was known for his roles in films such as The Great Escape, The Thomas Crown Affair, and Bullitt. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool" for his anti-hero persona and his ability to remain calm and collected in intense situations. He was one of the top box office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Steve McQueen on life, charismatic, intense.

Top 10 Steve McQueen Quotes

1. I'm not sure that acting is something for a grown man to be doing.
2. The world is as good as you are. You've got to learn to like yourself first.
3. I believe in me. I'm a little screwed up, but I'm beautiful.
4. I hope you find what you're looking for.
5. Acting is like racing, you need the same concentration. You have to reach inside you and bring forth a lot of broken glass. That's painful.
6. If I hadn't made it as an actor, I might have wound up a hood.
7. Nobody trusts anyone, or why did they put tilt on a pinball machine.
8. People try to contain things by putting them into categories. I don't.
9. Often the best way to relax is just to go back to work.
10. I worked hard, and if you work hard you get the goodies.

Steve McQueen Short Quotes

• When a horse learns to buy martinis, I'll learn to like horses.
• Stardom equals freedom. It's the only equation that matters.
• I don't want to talk about nonsense because it doesn't help me.
• Anything that doesn't make sense, I don't want to give too much of my brain to.
• I always feel I'm an amateur. I don't most of the time know what I'm doing.
• I need to have a reason why I'm doing something. Otherwise I'm lost.
• The person is being confrontational.
• Sometimes you have to say goodbye to the things you know and hello to the things you dont.
• Sometimes you have to bend with the breeze or you break.
• Ill never be as good an actor as I want to be....but I'll be good.

Steve McQueen Quotes About Life

Stardom equals financial success and financial success equals security. I've spent too much of my life feeling insecure. I still have nightmares about being poor, of everything I own just vanishing away. Stardom means that can't happen. — Steve McQueen

When you're racing, it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting. — Steve McQueen

Racing is life. Everything else is just waiting. — Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen Famous Quotes And Sayings

I don't like to put too much effort into things. I find that once you get involved with special effects it is no longer about what is happening in front of the camera and I really want to concentrate on what is happening in front of the camera, like the man apparently peeing on the surface of the screen. — Steve McQueen

You see, I don't believe in that grabbin' and grabbin' and stuffin yourself and not givin' anythin' or puttin' it back. — Steve McQueen

The best thing about making films is the time spent making them. When I see works that I've made, I always think what a great time I had making them. The films remind me of that time. — Steve McQueen

I've got a feeling I'm leaving stardom behind, you know. I'm gradually becoming more of a filmmaker, acquiring a different kind of dignity from that which you achieve in acting. After all, I'm no matinee idol, and I'm getting older. I don't think I can be doing my kind of thing in the seventies; I want to be on more of the creative side of business. — Steve McQueen

I live for myself and answer to nobody — Steve McQueen

Every time I start thinking the world is all bad, then I start seeing people out there having a good time on motorcycles. It makes me take another look. — Steve McQueen

I want people to do what they want to do because when they feel comfortable it seems to translate better on screen. It is when you put people in a straitjacket that it doesn't seem to translate very well at all. The individuals I work with are usually people I know. — Steve McQueen

One of the things that make motorcycling so great is because it never fails to give you a feeling of freedom and adventure. — Steve McQueen

I deal with certain things in my work because of who I am. I make work in order to make people think. — Steve McQueen

I really don't like to act. At the beginning, back in '51, I had to force myself to stick with it. I was real uncomfortable, real uncomfortable. — Steve McQueen

The Navajos have a saying they live by: 'A land where there is time enough and room enough.' I want that, too. — Steve McQueen

I find it difficult to breathe when l'm in the space. There seems to be no oxygen. I want to put people into a situation where they're sensitive to themselves watching the piece. — Steve McQueen

I love creating images, of course, because I'm an artist. — Steve McQueen

When I walk out into the street or go to the toilet, I don't think of myself as being black. Of course, other people think of me as black when I walk into a pub. Obviously being black is a part of me. — Steve McQueen

I think as an actor, you're more like a dancer, and you have to use your body. I don't understand all these questions about nudity. It's a nonsense. He's an actor, an artist, so get on with it. — Steve McQueen

There is no right or wrong angle for something. The idea of putting the camera in an unfamiliar position is simply to do with film language. Sometimes it is spectacular, sometimes it is ugly, sometimes it is uninteresting. — Steve McQueen

Everyone deserves not just to survive, but to live. — Steve McQueen

When I believe in something, I fight like hell for it. — Steve McQueen

I liked being in the Marines. They gave me discipline I could live with. By the time I got out, I was able to cope with things on a more realistic level. — Steve McQueen

I would rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than in any city on earth. — Steve McQueen

I don't know why it (stardom) happened-but it's kinda nice. Maybe it's because I'm someone off the streets. Maybe people relate to me. — Steve McQueen

The camera movement should be like a cat jumping onto a table - with just enough amount of effort and that's it. That's enough. — Steve McQueen

As far as art and filmmaking is concerned, I don't see there's any separation; it's just one continuous thing. — Steve McQueen

I have difficulty putting words in peoples' mouths. The best dialogue is very, very thin dialogue; you let people improvise and then basically you record what they've improvised and then write it down. — Steve McQueen

Life Lessons by Steve McQueen

1. Steve McQueen taught us that hard work and dedication can lead to success, no matter what obstacles you may face.
2. He also showed us that it is possible to overcome adversity and still achieve greatness.
3. Lastly, he demonstrated that it is possible to be both a successful actor and a humanitarian, as he was an advocate for many social causes.