Bill Pullman Quotes

Powerful Bill Pullman for Daily Growth

About Bill Pullman

Bill Pullman, born William James Pullman on December 17, 1956, in Hornell, New York, is an acclaimed American actor renowned for his versatile performances in film, television, and theater. Raised in the Midwest, Pullman developed a love for acting from a young age, inspired by his parents who were both educators and amateur actors. He pursued his passion at the State University of New York at Oneonta before moving to New York City to study at the Herbert Berghof Studio. Pullman's professional acting career began in the 1980s with appearances on popular television shows like 'St. Elsewhere', 'Miami Vice', and 'The Equalizer'. His breakthrough role came in 1987 when he starred as Eric Qualen in the miniseries 'Ellis Island'. However, it was his portrayal of President Thomas J. Whitmore in Roland Emmerich's 'Independence Day' (1996) that catapulted him to international fame. The film, which also starred Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum, became one of the highest-grossing films of all time. In addition to his work in blockbuster films, Pullman has shown a penchant for independent cinema. His roles in 'While You Were Sleeping' (1995), 'Lost Highway' (1997), and 'The Zero Theorem' (2013) demonstrate his range as an actor. Pullman continues to act, demonstrating his commitment to the craft that has been a part of his life since childhood. His performances, marked by intensity and nuance, continue to captivate audiences worldwide.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Desperation makes a man creative."

The quote by Bill Pullman, "Desperation makes a man creative," emphasizes that extreme circumstances or intense need can drive individuals to think outside the box, innovate, and create solutions where none seemed possible before. In times of desperation, we tap into our deepest reserves of resourcefulness, harnessing creativity as a tool for survival and overcoming adversity. This quote serves as a reminder that even in difficult situations, there is potential for growth, learning, and the creation of something new if we are willing to push beyond our comfort zones.

"We will not go quietly into the night!"

This quote signifies a strong resistance to surrender or give up easily, particularly in the face of adversity or difficult circumstances. It suggests a commitment to fight back, persevere, and maintain one's integrity and spirit, even when the odds seem stacked against them. Bill Pullman delivers this line as President Whitmore in the movie "Independence Day," rallying his people to defend Earth from an alien invasion. It serves as a powerful call-to-action, inspiring resilience and determination.

"I'd rather be here [fighting] than in Washington on some committee."

Bill Pullman's quote expresses a preference for direct action over bureaucratic processes, suggesting that he values being involved in the fight (whatever it may be) more than engaging in deliberation or strategy-making at a high level, such as on a committee in Washington D.C. It implies a desire to make an impact now rather than spending time on discussions and debates that might not lead to immediate results.

"It's about us, it's not about them."

Bill Pullman's quote, "It's about us, it's not about them," encourages introspection and self-awareness. The focus should be on ourselves and our actions, rather than fixating on others or external circumstances. This perspective fosters personal growth, responsibility, and empowerment by emphasizing the control we have over our own lives and decisions. It's a call to action for individuals to prioritize their own well-being, goals, and values in the pursuit of a fulfilling life.

"The trick is to let go of your expectations, and just be present to what life offers you moment by moment."

This quote encourages mindfulness and acceptance. It suggests that instead of trying to control or predict the future (one's expectations), it is more fulfilling and beneficial to focus on the current moment and embrace whatever experiences come our way, as these are the only things we can truly influence and learn from. Essentially, it's a reminder to live in the present and appreciate life for what it offers at any given moment.

Well, I can do certain jobs because smells don't bother me. But that means I'm usually the one at the ranch cleaning up all the manure.

- Bill Pullman

Cleaning, Bother, Means, Ranch

I have never forgotten John Candy's generosity. He showed me how to be a gentle leader.

- Bill Pullman

Leader, Never, How, Generosity

Theater has always been most important to my psyche.

- Bill Pullman

Important, Always, Most, Psyche

A lot of people just ask me about how I can do small budgets and big budgets, but many actors do both. I think the more self-destructive impulse I have is doing so many different characters.

- Bill Pullman

Small, Big, Self-Destructive, Different Characters

The military is a discrete entity. Then they come back, and they're such a small percentage of the population, and they can't really - it's hard for them to talk to civilians.

- Bill Pullman

Small, Back, Come, Percentage

I co-own the ranch with my brother, and he and his wife are really the backbone of the operation.

- Bill Pullman

Wife, Ranch, His, Operation

I also turn down what's probably a good amount of coinage to be made out of playing dads, an incredible number of obnoxious dad.

- Bill Pullman

Made, Amount, Dad, Dads

As an actor, you're continually riding the waves of whether you're in or out, getting work or not getting work, and Kazan was really a guy who was condemned into not working and looking to go deep into someplace and just live inside his art.

- Bill Pullman

Deep, Riding, Guy, Kazan

I was 21, and rehearsing a play, took a fall and was in a coma for a few days. And when I recovered, I'd lost my sense of smell completely.

- Bill Pullman

Play, Sense, Took, Rehearsing

I've seen a lot of actors in a lot of different stages of their careers, and I've seen it come and go. People get a sense of entitlement from it. And that's when it starts getting you in trouble.

- Bill Pullman

Go, Sense, Come, Stages

I'm not the first one to say it, but that time onstage is a heightened sense of present tense.

- Bill Pullman

Say, Sense, First One, Present Tense

I'm intrigued by a tough situation, and I try to do something with it.

- Bill Pullman

Tough, Try, Situation, Intrigued

I planted an orchard when I was 13. The impulse came from wanting to grow my own apples. That and the nursery catalog showed an apple tree with a beautiful girl standing under the fruit. Whether the flavor or the picture that did it, I've been hooked since.

- Bill Pullman

Been, Wanting, Planted, Nursery

I'm not a gardener. I don't have the consistency for gardening, and I have barely enough for an orchard. I don't embarrass myself. You have to be there tending and weeding. With orchards, you can go through negligent periods and recover.

- Bill Pullman

Gardening, Through, Recover, Orchard

There is something exciting when you see people who are very formal talking with each other, and there is a sense that they have chosen to be that way. There is something masked that is more interesting to me than just people who are intent on displaying their uniqueness or whatever.

- Bill Pullman

Talking, Other, Very, Displaying

I've always been what they call a late bloomer.

- Bill Pullman

Always, Call, Been, Bloomer

I think about Laura Bush every once in awhile. She is a great supporter of the arts. I did a show at the Eisenhower Theater, and she would make a point of coming backstage. The relationship between Laura and George Bush was always that way where you felt like he was at his best behavior when he was in her company.

- Bill Pullman

I Think, About, Bush, Laura

I've always been a fan of George C. Scott, who was working in movies when I was in college... films like 'Patton' and 'Hospital.' I was really impressed by him, and I had seen him onstage as well in 'Uncle Vanya.' He was a champ to me.

- Bill Pullman

College, Been, Impressed, Scott

That's how we invaded Iraq, through the fear of an 'evil empire,' and it just makes people feel like bulls with the toreadors - you see red, and you charge.

- Bill Pullman

Through, Like, Charge, Bulls

I like those crisis moments - if you're on top of it and don't get pulled under by panic and fear, it's a very bonding thing.

- Bill Pullman

Crisis, Like, Very, Bonding

There is a bearing which comes from having a little bit of something withheld. In acting classes, they always say don't reveal 100 percent: it's much more interesting.

- Bill Pullman

Always, Which, Having, Withheld

I don't like this instinct of reality television to wear your lifestyle in public. I've really always loved the anonymity of things.

- Bill Pullman

Always, Instinct, Like, Anonymity

I'm a very discriminating shoe shopper. I only look for something special. In fact, I don't think I've ever bought two pairs at the same time.

- Bill Pullman

Think, Fact, Very, Something Special

I don't have a favorite fruit. There are things that thrill me each turn of the season.

- Bill Pullman

Fruit, Me, Things, Season

Westerns give people a chance to see wide-open spaces and life before technology took over.

- Bill Pullman

Give, Over, Westerns, Spaces

We've seen with Brexit and other things that there's a dark impulse to be petulant and frustrated with complicated solutions.

- Bill Pullman

Solutions, Other, Frustrated, Impulse

That massiveness of bureaucracy at the VA is chronic and has been chronic.

- Bill Pullman

Bureaucracy, Been, Chronic, VA

I did a lot of Shakespeare touring when I was in college in Montana.

- Bill Pullman

College, Lot, Shakespeare, Montana

I did this play, 'Expedition 6,' that I worked on for three years in between other things. It was a good, interesting time for me because I trained as a theater director, and I went back, and we toured it around.

- Bill Pullman

Play, Other, Trained, Toured

My interest in theater really began in the '70s when American realism wasn't really in favor. I really dreaded going into a play that had a toaster that worked. I just didn't want to see that.

- Bill Pullman

Play, Going, Began, Toaster

There's something about Warren Wilson. You can gain a lot of very important things and skills that you carry over into whatever you decide to do.

- Bill Pullman

Over, Important Things, Very, Warren

Some of the shoes I have are from movies - I have my workman's boots from 'While You Were Sleeping' - while others are shoes I've had forever.

- Bill Pullman

Some, Had, Workman, Boots

I always loved asking everybody when I arrived in England, from the drivers who picked me up to the people at the hotel to people I met when I was walking in the park, almost everyone at some point would say, 'Everyone loves Ant & Dec!' From eight to 80.

- Bill Pullman

Asking, Some, Everybody, Drivers

I did 'Malice,' 'Sommersby,' and 'Sleepless in Seattle,' and they're as disparate characters as I've ever played. But somehow, there was that thing - they were all second male leads, so they all didn't get the girl in some weird way.

- Bill Pullman

Some, Second, Characters, Malice

I love to prune. I have a physical need to do things.

- Bill Pullman

Love, Need, I Love, Prune

The idea of taking classic American stories and reinterpreting them for a time and place is not just commercially viable. These stories also carry a sensual nature of what it meant to be an American, and they deserve to be reinterpreted.

- Bill Pullman

Deserve, Stories, Meant, Meant To Be

'The Last Seduction,' 'Sleepless in Seattle' and 'While You Were Sleeping' did a lot to get me noticed for bigger roles.

- Bill Pullman

Bigger, Last, Seduction, Seattle

I was doing this children's theater play, and it was non-Equity. We were out of town to do it at the Kennedy Center, and it was always kind of, 'Well, the producers may have to turn this into Equity,' and that's what happened. It was kind of a silly children's theater play, but that's how I got my card.

- Bill Pullman

Play, Doing, Turn, Card

I went to school in the 1970s, and there was a lot of physical theater in those days.

- Bill Pullman

School, Theater, Lot, 1970s

You're always carrying something that's interfering. It's like static noise that doesn't have to be there, and you have to school yourself to clean that out.

- Bill Pullman

Always, Static, Like, Interfering

I've been lucky to have opportunities with David Lynch in 'Lost Highway' and Jennifer Lynch in this movie 'Surveillance,' so I've always boomeranged around a little bit, and no one has caught my foot in the trap yet, but I think if I move fast enough... 'cos I think I got trapped a couple of times.

- Bill Pullman

Lucky, Caught, Been, Surveillance

I think institutions that are bureaucratic often try to squeeze from the top down, and they don't have good results on the ground level.

- Bill Pullman

Think, I Think, Squeeze, Bureaucratic

It's during wartime that innovations happen.

- Bill Pullman

Happen, Innovations, Wartime

I've done a lot of different kinds of things, so different people remember me for different things.

- Bill Pullman

Different People, Kinds, Different Things

Sometimes when you really try to be earnest, everything disappears. If you really try to make a romantic movie, the first thing that goes out the window is the romance or real passion. It suddenly becomes cute-ville or cozy-ville. It's another world other than life.

- Bill Pullman

Movie, Other, Romance, Disappears

I've always liked authors such as Philip K. Dick and Ray Bradbury.

- Bill Pullman

Always, Philip, Ray, Authors

There was an idea of accepting everyone; there was no sense of exclusion.

- Bill Pullman

Everyone, Idea, No Sense, Accepting

With While You Were Sleeping, it was so much fun and such a Cinderella story, that I didn't want to do another romantic comedy. I wanted to do the opposite.

- Bill Pullman

Comedy, Want, Another, So Much Fun

Globalisation is happening so fast it's confusing for people, and tolerance is threatened.

- Bill Pullman

Fast, Happening, Threatened, Tolerance

Commercial movies have to end with moral flags flown again and all that.

- Bill Pullman

Movies, Commercial, Again, Flown

I was the kid who would join a sports team and be the biggest liability at first and a star player by the time the game got going. I just move very slowly.

- Bill Pullman

Game, Very, By The Time, Liability

I don't think I'm repeating anything I've done before, but sometimes I lose track.

- Bill Pullman

Think, Sometimes, Before, Repeating

It's astounding how challenging plays are... The scary part is that you get to encounter humanity in a way you don't in films. The audience amplifies the experience.

- Bill Pullman

Audience, Films, Plays, Encounter

We're all part of humanity. And maybe there's something about the worst people, with the most destructive, warped minds, that is just an acceleration of something that is in quite a few of us.

- Bill Pullman

Maybe, Part, About, Acceleration

I enjoy that with theater, you can just go into a room with a paper bag lunch: there're no cables, no electricity. It's the purest experience.

- Bill Pullman

Lunch, Enjoy, Go, Purest

I was brought up in a very small town in upstate New York.

- Bill Pullman

Small, New, Very, Upstate

Truthfully, I almost avoided 'While You Were Sleeping,' because I find those romantic comedies kind of precious, and they're full of lines that leave you feeling a little bewildered when you say them.

- Bill Pullman

Sleeping, Almost, While, Truthfully

I've never really been a television watcher and watched comedies, and I have gotten a number of invitations to be on television as the dad.

- Bill Pullman

Television, Been, Gotten, Comedies

I've never really been a television watcher, so I never watch comedies.

- Bill Pullman

Never, Watch, Been, Comedies

I noticed that in 'The Revenant,' as much as it is a good story of revenge and endurance, there are times that you get to escape with a story like that.

- Bill Pullman

Revenge, Like, Good Story, Escape

I've been lucky to be a part of many blockbuster movies... in which it's hard to get to that level of being memorable, but I still have fond memories of 'Independence Day,' to be sure. There are also many small ones I've had that give me many fond memories.

- Bill Pullman

Small, Lucky, Been, Fond

Othello is someone who's just had a victory, and it's the aftermath of coming back and attempting to live comfortably as a civilian.

- Bill Pullman

Victory, Attempting, Othello, Civilian

Television tends to be a more difficult medium for me to get my head around sometimes when it comes to certain things I get offered.

- Bill Pullman

Television, Certain Things, Tends

If you are in an Edward Albee play, you say Edward Albee is the greatest playwright of all time... If you're in an Israel Horovitz play, you say Israel Horovitz is the greatest playwright of all time.

- Bill Pullman

Play, Say, Edward, Playwright

I really enjoyed doing Albee's 'The Goat.' It's a powerful piece and a really exciting play to do.

- Bill Pullman

Powerful, Play, Doing, Goat

I always feel like there's some behaviour that we're all capable - we have our inhibitions protecting from indulging in certain appetites or developing certain appetites.

- Bill Pullman

Some, Always, Protecting, Inhibitions

There's a point you get to on the stage where you're not remembering lines but living them, and you reach this pure moment which, really, is more intense than what you can achieve in life.

- Bill Pullman

Reach, Living, Which, Lines

I want to be scary, boring, philosophical, funny, touching.

- Bill Pullman

Want, Boring, Touching, Philosophical

There's always a certain kind of homework you have to do when there's an accent involved.

- Bill Pullman

Homework, Always, Involved, Accent

'Zabriskie Point' was a time when I was in a lot of change and flux, and these incredible visuals hit me like they had rearranged the organs in my body. The ending and the free-floating debris and everything is an image that burned itself in my consciousness.

- Bill Pullman

Body, Point, Had, Flux

There's something that comes into you that's so exciting when you're directing.

- Bill Pullman

You, Something, Exciting, Directing

This whole climate change and what it's doing to our environment is frightening to people.

- Bill Pullman

Change, Doing, Environment, Frightening

'The Virginian' has a very important romantic story line that you don't find in a lot of Westerns... At the heart of the story is quite a bit of pain and a sense of loss.

- Bill Pullman

Pain, Line, Very, Quite A Bit

I love that vein which uses sci-fi to address society's problems. It is the same when you have useful nightmares - things morph, and you get to confront issues in your dreams.

- Bill Pullman

Love, Which, Vein, Useful

Rural towns aren't always idyllic. It's easy to feel trapped and be aware of social hypocrisy.

- Bill Pullman

Trapped, Always, Aware, Idyllic

I watched John Wayne movies, matinees - things like that. It was only in college that I saw European films. That became more of what I was interested in.

- Bill Pullman

College, Films, Became, Wayne

I have gotten a number of invitations to be on television shows as 'the dad,' but that was Kryptonite to me. I was like, 'This would be the death of me. I'll be a cesspool of niceness.' It doesn't feed me.

- Bill Pullman

Death, Like, Gotten, Invitations

I think Westerns are always so great for clearing out the clutter and the ambiguities, and getting right to the broad strokes of that kind of situation.

- Bill Pullman

Think, Always, Clutter, Ambiguity

I always feel like there are a lot of different types of favourites. There are some that I look to for interesting things, some that I look to for acting things, others that I watch again and again.

- Bill Pullman

Some, Always, Types, Different Types

I do take lots of time off between projects, but when the right thing comes along, I don't like to turn it down, I've been doing this for a decade, and I remember what it was like when I started. You spend maybe five percent of your time actually doing it, and the rest of the time, you're trying to get that five percent.

- Bill Pullman

Doing, I Remember, Been, Five

If I were born in the 1700s, I would look like a rounded man.

- Bill Pullman

Like, Would, Were, Rounded

There's definitely a pattern of great British shows that get reinvented in America and do really well here, but I think 'Torchwood' is a bit different. It's more of a hybrid that doesn't exist as a reinvention.

- Bill Pullman

Think, Here, I Think, Reinvented

Growing things and being able to live off the land has always appealed to me.

- Bill Pullman

Growing, Always, Able, Appealed

American audiences and European and Asian audiences are so different.

- Bill Pullman

European, Audiences, Asian

It's astounding to me that in a country where there is an ever-growing divide between rich and poor, that people won't accept the need for regulation on banks and salaries and so on.

- Bill Pullman

Country, Need, Banks, Astounding

My family and I are hooked on 'The Searchers.' I can't get enough of it.

- Bill Pullman

Enough, Get, Searchers, Hooked

I'd have to say that it kills me that there's a concern that 'Torchwood' has gone to America to become Americanised.

- Bill Pullman

Me, Say, Gone, Concern

I hate to admit it, because it makes me sound weird, but I'm Mr. Shoes. I own over 30 pairs.

- Bill Pullman

Sound, Over, Mr, Pairs

I have always been impressed by the fruit community. There is a Tao of fruit, which is generous. You share what you know, and you give what you can.

- Bill Pullman

Give, Always, Which, Generous

I have a pretty good grip on who I am.

- Bill Pullman

I Am, Pretty, Grip, Pretty Good

It's funny: When I first heard they were thinking of me for the president in 'Independence Day,' I just assumed it was a comedy - I didn't exactly think of myself as leader-of-the-free-world material.

- Bill Pullman

Think, Independence Day, Heard

Fox was interested in a different title to 'Independence Day.'

- Bill Pullman

Independence Day, Title

Sometimes you fall into the niche of being the confidant guy, or the good-looking guy, or being too charactery, or not charactery enough.

- Bill Pullman

Fall, Confidant, Too, Niche

I think, when I'm 73, I'm going to be getting softer, writing Hallmark cards, losing my teeth.

- Bill Pullman

Think, I Think, Hallmark, Teeth

I think I was born out of my time.

- Bill Pullman

Think, I Was Born, I Think, My Time

It's hard to explain to people how, if you're really capable of providing the right professional work environment, it allows you to get more personal.

- Bill Pullman

Work, Explain, Providing, Work Environment

I never imagined myself in films. My benchmarks were performances I saw in the theater.

- Bill Pullman

Never, Films, Were, Imagined

I like to build houses.

- Bill Pullman

Build, Like, Houses

I like to wear my dad's shoes to auditions as sort of a lucky thing. I feel like I'm on solid ground.

- Bill Pullman

Lucky, Solid, Auditions, Ground

The first Westerns I saw as a child were those little 8-mm. home movies put out by Castle Films.

- Bill Pullman

Castle, Films, Saw, Westerns

I've always wrestled against being typified in one way or another.

- Bill Pullman

Always, Against, Another, One Way

Stacy Keach was really fun to work with, and Henry Winkler was very fun.

- Bill Pullman

Work, Very, Really, Henry

I'm fascinated by movies and enjoy that, of course, but always, the measure of how you are functioning in the arts was theater.

- Bill Pullman

Enjoy, Always, Fascinated, Arts

With modern medicine prolonging life no matter what condition you're in, it seems like we're working towards immortality by science.

- Bill Pullman

Medicine, Immortality, Like, Towards

I think you do independent movies because you're looking to cut away from commercial movies.

- Bill Pullman

Think, I Think, Cut, Commercial

The chaos of my life has a lot to do with my hair.

- Bill Pullman

Chaos, My Life, Lot, Hair

I wake up as soon as it gets light.

- Bill Pullman

Light, Up, Wake, Wake Up

I always love challenges and doing something that I can't quite figure out.

- Bill Pullman

Love, Doing, Always, Figure

I don't watch TV. I'd probably be a better person if I did, but it makes me anxious.

- Bill Pullman

Better Person, TV, Makes, Anxious

I'm often confused with other actors. But the people who know my work don't have that problem.

- Bill Pullman

Work, Problem, Other, Confused

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