24 Quotes & Sayings By William Shatner

William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor, author, producer, director, and comedian. He has written six books (one of which was made into a film), including his autobiography, Star Trek Memories. He also co-wrote the book TekWar with Ernest Cuneo. Shatner's role as Captain James T Read more

Kirk in the original Star Trek TV series led to his earning multiple Emmy Award nominations, two Golden Globe Awards, and five Emmy Awards for the series itself. His other notable television roles include Boston Legal, Boston Public, Judging Amy, Rescue Me and The Practice. He also appeared in the Star Trek movies in 2013 and 2016.

1
Given the freedom to create, everybody is creative. All of us have an innate, instinctive desire to change our environment, to put our original stamp on this world, to tell a story never told before. I’m absolutely thrilled at the moment of creativity — when suddenly I’ve synthesized my experiences, reality, and my imagination into something entirely new. But most people are too busy working on survival to find the opportunity to create. Fortunately, I’ve been freed by reputation, by the economics of success, and by emotional contentment to turn my ideas into reality. I’ve discovered that the more freedom I have to be creative, the more creative I become. William Shatner
2
Don't be afraid to make an ass of yourself. I do it all the time, and look what I got." (Spoken at a graduation ceremony while holding aloft an honorary doctoral degree from McGill University) William Shatner
3
If you make a fool of yourself, you can do it with dignity, without taking your pants down. And if you do take your pants down, you can still do it with dignity. William Shatner
4
Over the years, I've become barraged by comments from people, such as, 'Beam me up, Scotty! ' and I became defensive. I felt they were derisive and engendered an attitude. I am grateful for the success, but didn't want to be mocked. William Shatner
5
There's a joy and a pain about directing where the dreams you have are becoming concrete but the attention to detail, the need for time is such that it's overwhelming at times, and the stream of responsibility. William Shatner
6
I watch movies and sports. I can count on the fingers of my hand the number of times I have watched an hour show. I never watch a half-hour show, and I never watch myself. William Shatner
7
The mysteriousness and mystique of space is such, that science fiction attempts to tantalize you by telling you a story that could possibly be out there and that's the appeal of science fiction. William Shatner
8
Sci-fi films are the epic films of the day because we can no longer put 10, 000 extras in the scene - but we can draw thousands of aliens with computers. William Shatner
9
I think that prog rock is the science fiction of music. Science fiction speculates on what the future might be and look like and how we'll get there, and yet there's always a central theme of humanity, or there should be. Progressive rock has the same concept of exploration into the parts of the music world that hasn't been explored. William Shatner
10
I find age such a foreign concept. I have to be reminded. I still have the extraordinary feeling of adventure, striking out into unknown fields. William Shatner
11
I love to go to a movie, get a Diet Coke and a barrel of popcorn, and sit there with my kids and watch a film. William Shatner
12
I find the whole time travel question very unsettling if you take it to its logical extension. I think it might eventually be possible, but then what happens? William Shatner
13
Marriage is a reflection of your life in general: how you treat people, how you argue, how secure you are in your own thoughts. How vehemently do you argue your point of view? With what disdain do you view the other's point of view? William Shatner
14
I love the concept of togetherness and the entwinement of marriage. William Shatner
15
You need to be silly to be funny. William Shatner
16
When I did the film Generations, in which the character died, I felt like a guest for the first time. That made me very sad. William Shatner
17
I love technology. Matches, to light a fire, is really high tech. The wheel is really one of the great inventions of all time. Other than that, I am an ignoramus about technology. William Shatner
18
When you've done the technical part, you're then into the joy, the zen, into being. Technology no longer exists for you. You're then into the mystery of the thing you're doing. William Shatner
19
If saving money is wrong, I don't want to be right! William Shatner
20
The longer I go about living, I see it's the relationship that is most meaningful. William Shatner
21
No, I don't regret anything at this point. That may change on the next phone call, but at the moment I don't regret anything. William Shatner
22
My dad was good with actions. William Shatner
23
My dad died of a stroke. William Shatner