Adam Savage Quotes

Powerful Adam Savage for Daily Growth

About Adam Savage

Adam Savage is an American special effects designer, television personality, and educator, best known as co-host of the Discovery Channel's MythBusters and Unchained Reaction. Born on July 15, 1967, in Hayward, California, Savage developed a passion for cinema and special effects at an early age, influenced by films like Star Wars and King Kong. After graduating from high school, Savage enrolled at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts but dropped out to pursue practical experience in the film industry. He worked as a props maker for Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), contributing to movies such as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Back to the Future Part II. In 1993, Savage co-founded Prophetik Entertainment, a special effects studio that produced visual effects for films like Starship Troopers, X-Men, and The Matrix Reloaded. It was during this time that he met his future MythBusters co-host, Jamie Hyneman. The duo started collaborating on projects in 1997 when they created the special effects for a commercial featuring a tank crashing through a convenience store. This partnership led to their appearance on MythBusters from 2003 to 2016, during which time they conducted hundreds of experiments to test the validity of urban legends and popular myths. Savage is also known for his love of model-making and cosplay. He has appeared in numerous episodes of the television show The Toys That Made Us, where he discusses iconic toys that influenced pop culture. In addition to his work on television, Savage co-founded Tested.com, an online platform for creators, inventors, makers, and artists to share their projects and connect with others. Throughout his career, Adam Savage has inspired countless individuals to pursue their passions in the realms of science, engineering, and art, embodying a spirit of curiosity, creativity, and resourcefulness that transcends the boundaries of traditional education.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Always make new mistakes."

This quote by Adam Savage encourages continuous learning, growth, and innovation. By "always making new mistakes," he suggests that one should embrace taking calculated risks, stepping out of their comfort zone, and trying new things - for it is in these missteps that we gain valuable lessons and experience, ultimately propelling us forward towards mastery. It's not about avoiding errors but learning from them, adapting, and using those experiences to fuel our journey towards self-improvement.


"Remember: When you're through changing, you're through."

The quote suggests that personal growth and change are essential aspects of life. It encourages individuals to continuously adapt, learn, and evolve, as stagnation leads to an end in personal development. Embracing change allows us to grow, overcome challenges, and live fulfilling lives.


"The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

This quote by Adam Savage emphasizes the importance of passion in achieving greatness. To "do great work" implies exceptional quality or impact, which typically comes from a deep-rooted enthusiasm for one's field or task. If an individual loves what they do, they are more likely to be motivated, engaged, and dedicated, leading to remarkable results and personal fulfillment. This quote serves as a reminder that following one's passions can lead to greatness in any endeavor.


"It's not about special effects, it's about storytelling."

This quote emphasizes that the primary purpose of special effects is to serve the story being told in a film or media production. While special effects can be visually stunning, they should never overshadow or detract from the narrative. Effective storytelling through special effects means crafting visuals that enhance the audience's understanding and emotional engagement with the story, rather than distracting them with unnecessary spectacle.


"Don't be afraid to screw up, be afraid not to try."

This quote emphasizes that taking risks and potentially making mistakes is a natural part of learning and personal growth. It encourages people to embrace opportunities rather than being paralyzed by fear of failure. The message is to not let the fear of not succeeding stop us from trying, as inaction leads to missed opportunities and stagnation. Instead, it's better to learn from our errors, grow, and move forward.


Growing up in New York, I was sort of shocked when I realized that my children are Californians. They are 14 years old, and I explain to them frequently that they will never realize the glory of a snow day. You wake up and the world says, 'Oops, it's too much fun to go to school, you've got to stay home and deal with the snow!'

- Adam Savage

Deal, Explain, Frequently, Californians

Let's get on our knees and pray. I don't know to whom. Is there a patron saint of ballistics gel?

- Adam Savage

Saint, Knees, Our, Patron

Deadlines refine the mind. They remove variables like exotic materials and processes that take too long. The closer the deadline, the more likely you'll start thinking waaay outside the box.

- Adam Savage

Mind, Variables, Likely, Materials

Mostly I make lists for projects. This can be daunting. Breaking something big into its constituent parts will help you organize your thoughts, but it can also force you to confront the depth of your ignorance and the hugeness of the task. That's OK. The project may be the lion, but the list is your whip.

- Adam Savage

Big, Projects, Mostly, Depth

I had saved a few hundred photos of dodo skeletons into my 'Creative Projects' folder - it's a repository for my brain, everything that I could possibly be interested in. Any time I have an Internet connection, there's a sluice of stuff moving into there, everything from beautiful rings to cockpit photos.

- Adam Savage

Skeletons, Projects, Hundred, Rings

I think one of the defining moments of adulthood is the realization that nobody's going to take care of you. That you have to do the heavy lifting while you're here. And when you don't, well, you suffer the consequences.

- Adam Savage

Think, Here, I Think, Defining

The skeptical community is absolutely near and dear to the 'Mythbusters' heart and there's no small reason that they've embraced us. That's our people. That's the way we like to think.

- Adam Savage

Small, Think, Reason, Our People

Walking the floor at a con dressed as Chewbacca, you might as well be Bono. I mean it's ridiculous. People just walk up and grab you and hold you, because they love Chewbacca so much.

- Adam Savage

Love, Might, Con, Bono

The fact is that the British Museum had a complete specimen of a dodo in their collection up until the 18th century - it was actually mummified, skin and all - but in a fit of space-saving zeal, they actually cut off the head and they cut off the feet and they burned the rest in a bonfire.

- Adam Savage

Feet, Fact, British Museum, 18th Century

From earliest times, humans - explorers and thinkers - have wanted to figure out the shape of their world. Forever, the way we've done that is through storytelling. It is difficult to let the truth get in the way of a good story.

- Adam Savage

Through, Good Story, Figure, Explorers

I'm always going to be making costumes. It's one of the ways I relax my brain. In addition to the pleasure of having the piece, there is a deep and abiding pleasure for me assembling something in my head - learning to know something in its totality in my head, and then putting together all the constituent parts into a cohesive whole.

- Adam Savage

Learning, Deep, Putting, Abide

There's this group online that I frequent. It's a group of prop crazies just like me called the Replica Props Forum, and it's people who trade, make and travel in information about movie props.

- Adam Savage

Movie, Like, Replica, Forum

The 'Mythbusters' crew, we monitor the Discovery boards, we look for the new ideas that are being forwarded on those boards, and we keep track of what's going on, we keep updated.

- Adam Savage

New, Going, Boards, New Ideas

Technology is usually there to let some process go on hidden in the background. For us on 'MythBusters,' we're always trying to make the process apparent. So, we have learned to try and never rely on a technological solution when an analogue one is in front of us.

- Adam Savage

Solution, Some, Hidden, Apparent

The coolest toys don't have to be bought; they can be built. In fact, sometimes the only way they'll ever exist is if you make them yourself.

- Adam Savage

Fact, Toys, Built, Coolest

Firemen have the coolest toys ever!

- Adam Savage

Toys, Ever, Firemen, Coolest

Of course, I love tools. I also love arranging them, to the point where I came up with a name for my organizing metric: first-order retrievability.

- Adam Savage

Love, Them, Also, Arranging

Lists are how I parse and manage the world.

- Adam Savage

World, How, Lists, Parse

That aesthetic of the Star Wars universe: the do-it-yourself, hotrod ethic that George Lucas exported from his childhood, is exactly the same kind of soul behind what we do and build for the show. It may not look pretty, but it gets the job done.

- Adam Savage

Behind, Aesthetic, Lucas, None

Let's blow some stuff up.

- Adam Savage

Some, Stuff, Up, Blow

In theory, cars are fairly simple. If they don't start, it's either the fuel system or the electrical system. Teach yourself about the path of each in your engine and tracing it is fairly straightforward. But at the beginning, mastering each new system seems like an unreachable shore. The car is effectively a black box.

- Adam Savage

Beginning, Straightforward, Unreachable

The idea of an ordered and elegant universe is a lovely one. One worth clinging to. But you don't need religion to appreciate the ordered existence. It's not just an idea, it's reality. We're discovering the hidden orders of the universe every day.

- Adam Savage

Lovely, Ordered, Discovering, Orders

I'm not a sculptor; I'm a hard-edged model maker. You give me a drawing, you give me a prop to replicate, you give me a crane, scaffolding, parts from 'Star Wars' - especially parts from 'Star Wars' - I can do this stuff all day long. It's exactly how I made my living for 15 years.

- Adam Savage

Long, I Can, Years, Prop

I've learned over decades of building that a deadline is a potent tool for problem-solving.

- Adam Savage

Over, Learned, Potent, Deadline

I'm a lifelong movie addict, and one of my favorite projects is making replica props and costumes. Nearly every one of these - from R2D2 to Hellboy's revolver - ends with the paint job. And it's not just cosmetic. The paint literally tells a story: what this thing is made of, where it's been, what it's been used for, and for how long.

- Adam Savage

Movie, Been, Projects, Costumes

I am incrementally a pessimist, but I see the international debate that Edward Snowden has engendered, and I think this is exactly where the discussion should be. So, I would say I'm more optimistic than pessimistic.

- Adam Savage

I See, I Think, Edward, International

I am now standing in a mixture of cooling fluid, gasoline, and cola.

- Adam Savage

I Am, Standing, Mixture, Cooling

I like to work fast. I despise not having the right tool or, worse, knowing I have it but not being able to find it. It's a pointless delay that wrecks my pace - and mood.

- Adam Savage

Mood, Pointless, Having, Wrecks

Audiences of critical thinkers are my favorite kinds of audiences. There are jokes I tell in the show that don't get laughs unless I am in front of an audience of critical thinkers. Put me in front of a crowd of science teachers or astronauts! The guileless aren't our audience - it's the critical thinkers we love.

- Adam Savage

Love, Critical, Astronauts, Jokes

I've always thought something that makes you laugh, it makes you laugh because there's a little bit of truth to it.

- Adam Savage

Thought, Always, Makes, Laugh

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