Quotes from Ethan Hawke

Pride. Never pretend you are not a knight of attempt to diminish yourself because you deem it will make others more comfortable. We show others the most respect by offering the best of ourselves.

Thank God. You are now a little bit lighter, you are a little bit more you. 'Cause if you can lose it—a car, an idea, a belief, a woman—it wasn't yours.

I looked around me and absorbed the peace of a sprawling bustling city stopped dead, socked in snow. My puppy jumped and barked, twisting and sliding. I was instantly wildly grateful just to be awake and witness all this stillness. I don't ever want to die, I thought, I want to live forever.

I learned that evening that rain falls equally on all things. Jealousy, fear, and anger are obstacles to a knight's first goal: a clear mind.

the hollow rumble of wings, the movement of darkness, and the stillness of light.

the actual joy of acting lies in the absence of personality.

If someone asks me if I believe in God, I shake my head like I couldn't give a shit, but the truth is, I do. I just don't know what to do about it.

Often we imagine that we will work hard...arrive at some distant goal, and then we will be happy. This is a delusion. Happiness is the result of a life lived with purpose. Happiness is not an objective. It is the movement of life itself, a process, an activity.

This is who Shakespeare was meant for: not The New York Times! Not intellectuals. Just plain folks. You play Shakespeare's music right for a real house and that shit goes up all by itself.

Men are weak and silly and they admire strength and goddamn it, I had it.

Jealousy, fear, and anger are all obstacles to a knight's first goal: a clear mind

Grace is the ability to accept change. Be open and supple; the brittle break.

Arrogance is born of insecurity. Pride is different. It is born of dignity, self-worth, and self-respect. We all see the world through the prism of our identity. If our self-worth is low, it affects everything we do. The point of life is to contribute to others, but without a certain self-regard, it is sometimes difficult to make breakfast.

a man needs to aspire to greatness and if he gives up on his hope for excellence, his soul dies

Hello, you've reached the winter of our discontent.

I want to want to try to never waste energy degrading someone else. Also, I want to try not to see life as a competition.

Don't you find it odd...that when you're a kid, everyone, all the world, encourages you to follow your dreams. But when you're older, somehow they act offended if you even try.

I do not want you children to use my untimely death, or any setback that life may deliver, as an excuse not to take responsibility for yourselves.

That's the point of acting: to bring about awareness of humanity, to conjure compassion, and to alleviate shame.

To head north, a knight may use the North Star to guide him, but he will not arrive at the North Star. A knight's duty is to proceed in that direction.

In singing our song, in telling our story, in inviting you to say 'Hey, listen to me, and i'll listen to you', we're starting a dialogue. And when you do that, this healing happens, and we come out of our corners, and we start to witness each other's common humanity. We start to assert it. And when we do that, really good things happen

Luck is the residue of design. A man makes being there for his son a priority—chances are good that boy'll turn out safe. You understand me?" He looked at me head-on, the white hospital light hitting his age-spotted face directly. "What I'm saying is, being in a healthy marriage takes two. Being a good father…all that takes is you.

It's funny—but there will be no need for insurance in heaven. None at all. And there will be so much need for poetry and songs and jokes. People will value what you've learned. It doesn't matter if you can make a living. Shakespeare will be important. You will be so valuable, William. And I will just sit there listening, realizing how I've misspent my life.

Oddly, with discipline, structure, and order, you will find freedom, anything is possible. Without it, locating your saddle may take all morning.