Selected Will Smith Quotes
Will Smith- Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also briefly known as the "Fresh Prince", is an American actor, rapper and film producer. He has received many awards which includes an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and four Grammy Awards. As of 2023, his films have grossed over $9.3 billion globally, making him one of Hollywood's most bankable stars
He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (1990–1996). He first gained recognition as part of a hip hop duo with DJ Jazzy Jeff, with whom he released five studio albums and the US Billboard Hot 100 top 20 singles "Parents Just Don't Understand", "A Nightmare on My Street", "Summertime", "Ring My Bell", and "Boom! Shake the Room" from 1984 to 1994. He released the solo albums Big Willie Style (1997), Willennium (1999), Born to Reign (2002), and Lost and Found (2005), which contained the US number-one singles "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" and "Wild Wild West". He has received four Grammy Awards for his rap performances.
He achieved wider fame as a leading man in such films as the action film "Bad Boys" (1995), its sequels "Bad Boys II" (2003) and "Bad Boys for Life" (2020), and the sci-fi comedies "Men in Black" (1997), "Men in Black II" (2002), and "Men in Black III" (2012). After starring in the thrillers "Independence Day" (1996) and "Enemy of the State" (1998), he received an Academy Best Actor Award for his portrayal as Muhammad Ali in "Ali" (2001), and as Chris Gardner in The "Pursuit of Happyness" (2006). He then starred in a range of commercially successful films, including "I, Robot" (2004), “Shark Tale" (2004), "Hitch" (2005), "I Am Legend" (2007), "Hancock" (2008), "Seven Pounds" (2008), "Suicide Squad" (2016) and "Aladdin" (2019).
For his portrayal of Richard Williams in the biographical sports drama "King Richard" (2021), he won the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor. At the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony, shortly before winning, he faced public backlash for slapping and shouting at Oscar presenter Chris Rock after Rock made an unscripted joke referencing Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith subsequently resigned from the Academy and was banned from attending all Academy functions, including the Oscars, for ten years (Source: Wikipedia).
Selected Will Smith Quotes:
“People’s advice is based on their fears, their experiences, their prejudices, and at the end of the day, their advice is just that: it’s theirs, not yours. When people give you advice, they’re basing it on what they would do, what they can perceive, on what they think you can do. But the bottom line is, while yes, it is true that we are all subject to a series of universal laws, patterns, tides, and currents—all of which are somewhat predictable—you are the first time you’ve ever happened. YOU and NOW are a unique occurrence, of which you are the most reliable measure of all the possibilities.”
― Will Smith, Will
Will Smith, Life
“Choosing the city you live in is as important as choosing your life partner.”
― Will Smith, Will
Will Smith, Life
“If you’re absent during my struggle, don’t expect to be present during my success.”
Will Smith, Life
“The thing I’ve learned over the years about advice is that no one can accurately predict the future, but we all think we can. So advice at its best is one person’s limited perspective of the infinite possibilities before you. People’s advice is based on their fears, their experiences, their prejudices, and at the end of the day, their advice is just that: it’s theirs, not yours. When people give you advice, they’re basing it on what they would do, what they can perceive, on what they think you can do. But the bottom line is, while yes, it is true that we are all subject to a series of universal laws, patterns, tides, and currents—all of which are somewhat predictable—you are the first time you’ve ever happened. YOU and NOW are a unique occurrence, of which you are the most reliable measure of all the possibilities.”
Will Smith, Life
“It’s respectable to lose to the universe. It’s a tragedy to lose to yourself.”
― Will Smith, Will
Will Smith, Life
“Life isn't how many breaths you take, but it's the moments that take your breath away.”
Will Smith, Life
“The separation of talent and skill is one of the greatest misunderstood concepts for people who are trying to excel, who have dreams, who want to do things. Talent you have naturally. Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft."
Will Smith, Life
“Being realistic is the most common path to mediocrity.”
Will Smith, Life
“I wanna say something that I want you to remember for the rest of your life, OK? I want you to listen closely. I'm giving you a key to life right now, this is the key to life. The key to life, the key to life is running and reading. Oh right? Now listen very seriously, the key to life is running and reading. Right now, why running? When you're running and you are there and you're running there's a little person that talks to you and that little person says "Oh, I'm tired", "My lounge's about to pop", "I'm so hurt", "I'm so tired", "There's no way I can possibly continue". And you wanna quit. Right? That person, if you learn how to defeat that person when you're running you will learn how to not quit when things get hard in your life. Running. Oh right? That's the first key to life. Reading. The reason the reading is so important. There've been millions and billions and billions and gazillions of people that have lived before all of us. There's no new problem you can have with your parents, with school, with a bully, with anything, there's no problem you can have that someone hasn't already solved and wrote about it in a book. So they keys to life are running and reading.”
Will Smith, Life
“Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is the product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. That is near insanity. Now do not misunderstand me, danger is very real, but fear is a choice.” ― Will Smith in the movie 'After Earth'
Will Smith, Life
“Fear is not real. It is a product of thoughts you create. Do not misunderstand me. Danger is very real. But fear is a choice.”
Will Smith, Life
“Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. That is near insanity. Do not misunderstand me danger is very real but fear is a choice.”
Will Smith, Life
“In filmmaking circles, there is a simple axiom that describes the structure of a great character journey: somebody wants something badly, and goes for it, against all odds. (Another variation is, a person falls into a hole, and tries to get out.) If you think about any movie you’ve ever liked, any character you’ve ever rooted for, it’s because they wanted something you could relate to and they struggled, risking life and limb, to achieve it. What’s true about movies is also true about life: You tell me what you want, and I’ll tell you who you are.”
― Will Smith, Will
Will Smith, Life, Art
“Don't chase people. Be yourself, do your own thing, & work hard. The right people ~ the ones who really belong in your life ~ will come to you & stay.”
Will Smith, Life, Goals
“If you are unwilling or unable to pivot and adapt to the incessant, fluctuating tides of life, you will not enjoy being here. Sometimes, people try to play the cards that they wish they had, instead of playing the hand they’ve been dealt. The capacity to adjust and improvise is arguably the single most critical human ability.”
― Will Smith, Will
Will Smith, Life, Goals
“How we decide to respond to our fears, that is the person we become. I decided to be funny.”
― Will Smith, Will
Will Smith, Life, Goals
“Life is like school, with one key difference—in school you get the lesson, and then you take the test. But in life, you get the test, and it’s your job to take the lesson.”
― Will Smith, Will
Will Smith, Life, Goals
“If you're not making someone else's life better, then you're wasting your time. Your life will become better by making other lives better.”
Will Smith, Life, Goals, Time
“Smiling is the best way to face every problem, to crush every fear, and to hide every pain.”
Will Smith, Life, Goals, Problems
“There’s two kinds of people in this world. There’s hammers and nails ... You decide what to be ..”
Will Smith, Goals
“Jus’ remember, Lover Boy,” she said, “be nice to everybody you pass on your way up, coz you just might have to pass them again on your way down.”
Will Smith, Goals
“Stop thinking about the damn wall!” he said. “There is no wall. There are only bricks. Your job is to lay this brick perfectly. Then move on to the next brick. Then lay that brick perfectly. Then the next one. Don’t be worrying about no wall. Your only concern is one brick.”
Will Smith, Goals
“Never underestimate the pain of a person, because in all honesty, everyone is struggling. Some people are just better at hiding it than others.”
Will Smith, Goals
“Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings & emotions.”
Will Smith, Goals
“Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away.”
Will Smith, Goals
“The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be out-worked, period. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all of those things you got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, there's two things: You're getting off first, or I'm going to die. It's really that simple, right?
You're not going to out-work me. It's such a simple, basic concept. The guy who is willing to hustle the most is going to be the guy that just gets that loose ball. The majority of people who aren't getting the places they want or aren't achieving the things that they want in this business is strictly based on hustle. It's strictly based on being out-worked; it's strictly based on missing crucial opportunities. I say all the time if you stay ready, you ain't gotta get ready.”
Will Smith, Goals
“Don't chase people. Be yourself, do your own thing and work hard. The right people - the ones who really belong in your life - will come to your. And stay.”
Will Smith, Goals
“I want to be the person that is the first person there and the last person to leave. That's who I want to be, because I think the road to success is through commitment, and through the strength to drive through that commitment when it gets hard. And it is going to get hard and you're going to want to quit sometimes, but it'll be colored by who you are, and more who you want to be.”
Will Smith, Goals, Success
“To place the responsibility for your happiness on anybody other than yourself is a recipe for misery.”
Will Smith, Goals, Happiness
“You can't be scared to die for the truth. The truth is the only thing that is ever going to be constant.”
Will Smith, Goals, Death, Truth
“We spend money that we do not have, on things we do not need, to impress people who do not care.”
Will Smith, Wealth
“Money & success don't change people; they merely amplify what is already there.”
Will Smith, Wealth, Success
“There's no reason to have a plan B because it distracts from plan A.”
Will Smith, Planning
“We’re all waiting until we have deep knowledge, wisdom, and a sense of certainty before we venture forth. But we’ve got it backward—venturing forth is how we gain the knowledge.”
― Will Smith, Will
Will Smith, Intelligence/Wisdom
“you're the dumbest smart person i know, you're the dumbest dumb person i know.”
Will Smith, Intelligence/Wisdom
“There are so many people who have lived and died before you. You will never have a new problem; you're not going to ever have a new problem. Somebody wrote the answer down in a book somewhere.”
Will Smith, Intelligence/Wisdom
“I believe you need to be educated on what you want to do in life, but I don't believe you necessarily need collage to get there.”
Will Smith, Intelligence/Wisdom, Life
“Not if you pay attention. I mean, you're sending all the right signals - no earrings, heels under two inches, your hair is pulled back, you're wearing reading glasses with no book, drinking a Grey Goose martini, which means you had a hell of a week and a beer just wouldn't do it. And if that wasn't clear enough, there's always the "fuck off" sign that you have stamped on your forehead.”
Will Smith, Sex
“Does it ever occur to women that maybe a guy might like to have a plan, you know, because he's nervous? He's not sure that he could just walk up to you and you'd respond if he said "I like you." "I like you." "I like you!”
Will Smith, Sex
“I'm a guy. Since when do we get anything right the first time?”
Will Smith, Sex
“Basic principles: no matter what, no matter when, no matter who... any man has a chance to sweep any woman off her feet. He just needs the right broom.”
Will Smith, Sex
“When your wondering what to say, or how you look... just remember... she is already out with you. That means, she said yes, when she could've said no. That means she made a plan... when she could've just blown you off. So that means it is no longer you job to make her like you... It's is your job NOT TO MESS IT UP.”
Will Smith, Sex
“The question is, can we love each other unconditionally, or is our love contingent upon the other person acting exactly as we need them to? It’s easy to “love” somebody when they do what you want them to do, exactly how you want them to do it. But how do you behave when they step outside of your picture? How do you treat them when they hurt you? Those are the times that determine whether or not you actually love somebody.”
― Will Smith, Will
Will Smith, Love
“Because thats what people do... they leap and hope to God they can fly! Because otherwise, we just drop like a rock... wondering the whole way down..."why in the hell did I jump?" But here I am Sarah, falling. And there's only one person that makes me feel like I can fly... That's you.”
Will Smith, Love
“I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”
Will Smith, Government
“And the secret to my success is as boring as it is unsurprising: You show up and you lay another brick. Pissed off? Lay another brick. Bad opening weekend? Lay another brick. Album sales dropping? Get up and lay another brick. Marriage failing? Lay another brick.”
― Will Smith, Will
Will Smith, Success
“The thing about money, sex, and success is that when you don’t have them, you can justify your misery—shit, if I had money, sex, and success, I’d feel great! However misguided that may be, it psychologically permeates as hope. But once you are rich, famous, successful—and you’re still insecure and unhappy—the terrifying thought begins to lurk: Maybe the problem is me.”
― Will Smith, Will
Will Smith, Success
“Greatness is not this wonderful, esoteric, elusive, godlike feature that only the special among us will ever taste, it's something that truly exists in all of us.”
Will Smith, Success
“Confucius had it right: It’s nearly impossible for the quality of your life to be higher than the quality of your friends.”
― Will Smith, Will
Will Smith, Friendship
“ALL OF THE PRINCE OF BEL AIR.”