James Dean (1931 – 1955) was an all-round actor. Born in Indiana, his brilliant career had notable appearances in film, television and theater, although popular culture especially remembers Dean for his roles as a “bad boy”, an eternal teenager with no future and a bad life.
Especially famous for his role in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), James Dean died that same year due to an unfortunate car accident. From there, the legend of James Dean grew until he became a true pop culture idol.
Not losing good manners always gives us added value and more moral integrity.
3. Death cannot be considered, because if you are afraid of dying, there is no room in your life to make discoveries.
Risk invites death, but therein lies the magic of life.
4. Dream as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die today.
Perhaps James Dean’s most famous phrase. A true ode to carpe diem.
5. I am not going to go through life with one arm tied behind my back.
About his desire to live to the limit.
6. There is no way to be truly great in this world.
Humility guided James Dean through his short but passionate life.
7. Gratification comes from doing, not from results.
The flow state gratifies us, the salary only rewards us.
8. I don’t even claim to be ‘the best’. I want to fly so high that no one can reach me. Not to prove anything, I just want to get to where you need to get when you give your entire life and everything you are to one thing.
Totally dedicated to his job as an actor. A lover of cinema.
9. The best thing about being single is that you can get into bed on any side you want.
A funny phrase that explains the benefits of emotional freedom.
10. I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.
Overcoming adversity is essential for a happy life.
11. I believe there is only one form of greatness for man. It is when a man can bridge the gap between life and death. I mean, if he can live after he’s dead, then maybe he was a great man. For me the only success, the only greatness, is immortality.
Obviously, his figure and his legacy turn this famous quote from Dean into a true premonition.
12. People told me I acted like Brando even before I knew who Brando was. The comparison doesn’t bother me, but it doesn’t flatter me either.
About the eternal comparisons with another famous actor: Marlon Brando.
13. I liked to go out and scare cows with the motorcycle. They would start running, with their udders wagging and lose a liter of milk.
An anecdote that portrays his jovial and carefree spirit.
14. No one has ever done anything for me. I do not owe anybody anything.
Showing your dignity.
15. Don’t ‘act’. If you are smoking a cigarette, smoke it, don’t act like you are smoking it.
A great phrase to know how to interpret naturally, without forcing or exaggerating.
16. Whatever it is that I have inside that makes me who I am, it’s like a movie. Movies only work in the dark, if you open them all the way and let the light in, you kill them.
A good dose of darkness makes life epic.
17. An actor has to learn everything there is to know, experience or get as close to that state as possible.
About interpretive art, in one of those absolutely unforgettable James Dean phrases.
18. It was a friendly thing, without complications. I respect her, she is untouchable: we belong to totally different castes. She is one of those girls that you put on an altar to worship. But well, the old woman (her mother) didn’t like it at all. Not that I blame her either.
About his relationship with an actress named Pier Angeli.
19. I try so hard to get people to reject me, why?
About his self-destructive spirit.
20. You have to live quickly, death comes soon.
A sad self-fulfilling prophecy.
21. When you know that a character can give something more and you don’t know exactly what it is, you have to look for it; walk the tightrope.
His ability to take his characters to the extreme elevated him to fame.
22. The only greatness for man is immortality.
And this is never achieved. We are small; insignificant.
23. Being a doctor is not easy. Being a man is even harder.
The difficulty of being a normal man.
24. For me, acting is the most logical way for people’s neurosis to manifest.
Cinema has the ability to awaken our darkest side.
25. Being an actor is the loneliest thing in the world. You are really alone with your concentration and imagination and that is all you have.
The loneliness of the interpreter.
26. I am also close to nature and now I am able to appreciate the beauty with which this world is endowed.
His veneration for nature clashed with his image as a tough guy from the big cities of the United States.
27. To my way of thinking, an actor’s course is set before he is even out of the cradle.
The actor’s destiny is written in his genes, according to this beautiful phrase by James Dean
