To my way of thinking, an actor's course is set even before he's out of the cradle.
James Dean

Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today.
James Dean

The gratification comes in the doing, not in the results.
James Dean

Only the gentle are ever really strong.
James Dean

An actor must interpret life, and in order to do so must be willing to accept all the experiences life has to offer. In fact, he must seek out more of life than life puts at his feet.
James Dean

But you can't show some far off idyllic conception of behavior if you want the kids to come and see the picture. You've got to show what it's really like, and try to reach them on their own grounds.
James Dean

When an actor plays a scene exactly the way a director orders, it isn't acting. It's following instructions. Anyone with the physical qualifications can do that.
James Dean

If a man can bridge the gap between life and death, if he can live on after he's dead, then maybe he was a great man.
James Dean