1. “It’s extremely powerful to say no. It’s really the most powerful thing to say.” – from an interview with the Washington Post.
2. “When my kids ask what I want for my birthday or Christmas or whatever, I use the same answer my father did: ‘Peace and quiet.’ That was never a satisfactory answer to me as a kid — I wanted an answer like “A pipe.” But now I see the wisdom of it: All I want is you at your best — you making this an easier home to live in, you thinking of others.” – from an interview with Esquire
3. “It’s hard to be an artist. It’s hard to be anything. It’s hard to be.” – from an interview with the Independent
4.“You have to do whatever you can to stay relaxed. There’s tension in your brain, in your system, in your emotions. So you have to spread the awareness around to your various parts, then they can connect and go to work. I try to keep it light. Keep it positive. I am basically all about having fun.”
– from his interview with TimeOut London
5.“I’m much more of a whole person when I’m working. I’m more collected, I’m more connected, I’m more there… So my challenge is to try to live as well when I’m not working as when I’m working.”
– from an interview with the Washington Post
6.When asked about his outrageous interactions with the public, he replied: “My hope, always, is that it’s going to wake me up. I’m only connected for seconds, minutes a day, sometimes. And suddenly, you go, ‘Holy cow, I’ve been asleep for two days. I’ve been doing things, but I’m just out.’ If I see someone who’s out cold on their feet, I’m going to try to wake that person up. It’s what I’d want someone to do for me. Wake me the hell up and come back to the planet.”
– from Rolling Stone
7.When asked, “How does it feel to be Bill Murray?” he replied: “There’s a wonderful sense of well-being that begins to circulate, up and down your spine. And you feel something that makes you almost want to smile. So what’s it like to be me? Ask yourself, ‘What’s it like to be me?’ The only way we’ll ever know what it’s like to be you is if you work your best at being you as often as you can, and keep reminding yourself that’s where home is.” – from a Q & A in Toronto, CA
8.When asked about how the lessons he learned from Improv applied to life: “It pays off when you’re in an elevator and people are uncomfortable. You can just say, ‘That’s a beautiful scarf.’ It’s just thinking about making someone else feel comfortable. You don’t worry about yourself, because we’re vibrating together. If I can make yours just a little bit groovier, it’ll affect me. It comes back, somehow.” – from his New York Times interview
9.When asked whether he ever has bad days, he answered: “When I feel I’m stuck, I do something… not like I’m Mother Theresa, or anything, but there’s someone who’s forgotten about in your life, all the time. Someone who could use an ‘Attaboy,’ or a ‘How you doin’ out there?’ It’s that sort of a scene, remembering that we die alone. We’re born alone. We do need each other. It’s lonely to really effectively live your life, and anyone you can give help to, or get help from, that’s part of your obligation.” – from his New York Times interview
10.“I live a little bit on the seat of my pants, I try to be alert and available. I try to be available for life to happen to me. We’re in this life, and if you’re not available, the sort of ordinary time goes past and you didn’t live it. But if you’re available, life gets huge. You’re really living it.”- from an interview with Charlie Rose
11.“I made a lot of mistakes, and realized I had to let them go. Don’t think about your errors or your failures, otherwise you’ll never do a thing.” – from an interview with The Guardian
