Quotes from Sam Elliott

My dad worked for the Fish and Wildlife Service, and he worked for the Department of Interior, you know, like the federal government. And consequently, I was outdoors a lot in my lifetime.

I was one of the early guys from my generation to have hair on his face. Me and Tom Selleck, and I was first.

I've had those periods in my career when I was sitting around waiting for a phone call and had an agent who was doing the same thing rather than going out there to shake the bushes looking for a job for me. It's a frustrating game, that's the downside of this business - the rejection.

I'll do anything. I'll shave my head for the right job. I'm partial to my facial hair, I guess, but I also enjoy doing something where I look totally different, which is kind of the reason why I've always worn long hair. I can really change my look radically by getting rid of it.

I love the fact that I'm having an opportunity to make people laugh and you actually get to hear it.

I think the people that most often cross a line are comedians. I think they relish that, and take pride in that on some level - at least, from what little I've seen and understand about people that do stand-up.

I grew up in Sacramento and spent a lot of time in the Saturday matinee. I just thought, 'Wow.' It's that magic of sitting in a dark theater as a little kid. That was in the '50s.

I think every actor's dream is somebody writes something specifically for them.

I truly loved Jason Reitman. I was there on his first film, 'Thank You For Smoking,' and I'd go work with him to do anything.

My family is all from the Southwest. My great-great-grandfather was at the Battle of San Jacinto with Sam Houston.

I've spent my entire career on horseback or on a motorcycle. It boxes you in, the way people perceive you. I read a lot of scripts. Most of 'em go to other actors.

I'm not a hunter, but I've been around guns all my life. I'm a great shot.

I understand lost love, and I think that can destroy a man more than anything if it was a deep love that is lost somehow.

Everyone is so preoccupied by youth. People talk about how the movie business is a microcosm of the bigger picture, or life imitating art, but the business is guilty for getting women out of the way.

I'm a four star general in this thing, and you don't rise to the ranks of a four star general by hanging about the house being the perfect dad.

Even after nearly 50 years in this business, I still feel like I'm lucky every time I get a decent job, but an opportunity to work with people of that ilk.

I've been married one time and I have one daughter, who I love more than anyone in the world. And that's where my world is.

The opportunity, number one, to work with Ang Lee is an amazing thing for me.

I was in the cement end of the construction business, as a laborer. I was pouring concrete, and stripping forms off of set concrete, and pulling nails, and stacking plywood, and doing that kind of thing. I was in peak condition in those days.

I'm picky, very picky. I wanted to be an actor since I was nine years old, and I figured that was only one way to ever have any longevity, and that's to be careful about what kind of work you do.

Any of these Vietnam vets that have been there and know the deal, they don't feel that any Hollywood endeavor about the Vietnam era has ever gotten it right yet.