David Duchovny Quotes

Powerful David Duchovny for Daily Growth

About David Duchovny

David William Duchovny, born on August 7, 1960, in New York City, is an acclaimed American actor, writer, producer, and musician. He is best known for his roles as FBI agent Fox Mulder in the television series 'The X-Files' and Hank Moody in the show 'Californication'. Duchovny was raised in a Jewish family with a strong intellectual background - his father, Moses Duchovny, was an engineer at Bell Labs, while his mother, Margaret Duchovny (née Miller), was a school administrator turned teacher and writer. This environment instilled in him a love for literature, science fiction, and the arts. After graduating from Princeton University with an A.B. in English Literature, he pursued a Ph.D. at Yale University but decided to leave before completing it to focus on his acting career. His breakthrough role came as Denizen Rite in the 1987 film 'Want to Be a Millionaire?' followed by his portrayal of Billy Dolan in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). In 1993, Duchovny teamed up with Gillian Anderson for 'The X-Files', a series that would become a cultural phenomenon. The show's blend of science fiction and paranoia resonated deeply with audiences worldwide. Following its nine-season run, he authored multiple novels under the pseudonym 'A.E. Dellamora'. In 2007, Duchovny starred as Hank Moody in Showtime's 'Californication', a character for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Drama in 2008. His other notable works include the films 'Becoming Redwood' (2015) and 'Hollywoodland' (2006), where he played George Reeves, the actor who portrayed Superman on television. Duchovny continues to act, write, and perform music while balancing his family life with wife Téa Leoni and their two children. His multifaceted career spanning over three decades has cemented him as a versatile artist in the entertainment industry.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I like the idea that I'm living out some destiny that I can't quite see yet."

This quote suggests a sense of mystery and purpose in one's life journey. David Duchovny expresses an appreciation for the idea that his actions and experiences might be unfolding according to a plan or destiny, beyond his immediate understanding. It reflects a hopeful perspective on life, where one embraces the unknown and continues to move forward, trusting that everything has a reason and a place in the grand scheme of things.

"If you don't take risks, you'll have a wasted soul."

David Duchovny's quote emphasizes the importance of taking risks in life. He suggests that living without taking risks results in an unfulfilled existence, a "wasted soul." This implies that to truly live, one must challenge themselves, step out of their comfort zone, and seize opportunities for growth and adventure. Life without risks can be seen as monotonous and unexceptional, leaving individuals lacking the richness and depth that comes from personal development and experiencing new things.

"In my dreams I am always running. Running and never arriving anywhere."

This quote by David Duchovny encapsulates a sense of restlessness, longing, or unfulfillment that many people may experience in their lives. The recurring dream of running yet never reaching a destination symbolizes the pursuit of goals or personal growth without finding true satisfaction or resolution. It could represent a feeling of being perpetually stuck, seeking change, or simply not finding peace in one's current state. Ultimately, it serves as a reminder that life is often a journey with no ultimate destination but rather an experience of constant growth and self-discovery.

"I think it's important to be honest with yourself and try to confront the demons that reside within us all."

This quote emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, honesty, and personal growth. It suggests that everyone harbors inner struggles (demons), and it's crucial to recognize these issues rather than ignoring or suppressing them. By confronting these challenges, we grow as individuals, fostering a deeper understanding of ourselves and promoting personal development.

"The more you deny the elephant, the more he leaves his shit on your carpet."

This quote implies that when one chooses to ignore or deny a significant issue or problem (the elephant), it doesn't go away but rather creates negative consequences (leaves its 'shit' on your carpet). In other words, it is more productive and beneficial to acknowledge and address challenges instead of ignoring them.

When I grew up, I was in Manhattan the whole time. But my kids have been all over the world.

- David Duchovny

Over, Been, Whole, Manhattan

For hundreds of years, that was the major form of entertainment: The grown-ups sat around and watched the kids play. Now they sit around and watch the television. The actors are the kids.

- David Duchovny

Play, Entertainment, Sat, Grown-Ups

I love dogs. They live in the moment and don't care about anything except affection and food. They're loyal and happy. Humans are just too damn complicated.

- David Duchovny

Love, Happy, Loyal, Humans

Maybe the best things about celebrity are the things like being able to get that seat on the plane that you wouldn't normally get, but that's kind of like cheating.

- David Duchovny

Celebrity, Maybe, Plane, Cheating

Chemistry is really about two people who like to act together, I think. It's like tennis in the most cliched way. It's like if you hit the ball, they hit the ball back, and they don't hit it into the stands, and they don't put the ball in their pocket and walk off - and they don't argue with the umpire, you know?

- David Duchovny

Back, I Think, About, Cliched

I don't like the idea of being eaten by a shark. I like to swim in the ocean, and I think much more about sharks than anyone should. I really resent the fact that my oceangoing experiences are ruined by 'Jaws.'

- David Duchovny

Fact, Idea, I Think, Jaws

I'm half Jewish, half Scottish. It's hard for me to buy anything.

- David Duchovny

Me, Buy, Half, Scottish

I'm very proud of my Scottish blood.

- David Duchovny

Proud, Blood, Very, Scottish

Without whining and without making myself a tragic figure, there is no replacement for the loss of your privacy. It's a huge sacrifice.

- David Duchovny

Myself, Making, Figure, Whining

I feel I have to work hard to nurture whatever talent I have as an actor. I feel like it's not natural to me. So I don't take it for granted... What I think is my natural ability - which is writing - I think I totally take that for granted.

- David Duchovny

Feel, I Feel Like, I Think, Nurture

'Alien' is a great movie. So is 'Close Encounters.' But I'm not the guy who goes out to the science-fiction festival. '2001's good.

- David Duchovny

Goes, Movie, Festival, Great Movie

Women's fashion is a subtle form of bondage. It's men's way of binding them. We put them in these tight, high-heeled shoes, we make them wear these tight clothes and we say they look sexy. But they're actually tied up.

- David Duchovny

Wear, Tight, Put, Binding

People think celebrities don't have to worry about human things like sickness and death and rent. It's like you've traveled to this Land of Celebrity, this other country.

- David Duchovny

Worry, Think, Celebrity, Traveled

I understand the self-loathing and the resentment, and the discipline that it takes to sit down in front of a typewriter or computer every single day, whether it's going well or not going well.

- David Duchovny

Understand, Going, Every Single Day

If you have Darwin, Christ and Nietzsche, they're all going to talk at once. You need somebody who listens.

- David Duchovny

Need, Christ, Going, Nietzsche

You can go through life and actually speak your mind and do it in an articulate fashion and with a really intelligent point of view.

- David Duchovny

Mind, Point Of View, Through, Articulate

Sometimes the better the writing, the harder it is to play because you really want to service it. It's hard to be that quick and articulate in life. You've got to try to make it seem discovered, you know, not rehearsed.

- David Duchovny

Play, Quick, Discovered, Articulate

Part of being an actor is letting things come about organically as opposed to forcing them.

- David Duchovny

Actor, Forcing, Opposed, Organically

My entire life has been an attempt to get back to the kind of feelings you have on a field. The sense of brotherhood, the esprit de corps, the focus - there being no past or future, just the ball. As trite as it sounds, I was happiest playing ball.

- David Duchovny

Happiest, Been, Trite, Corps

It's hard to find scripts that know what they are from page one to page 115.

- David Duchovny

Know, Find, Hard, Scripts

Fame does lead to money, which I don't have a close relationship with. I'm the kind of guy who never sees the money - it all goes somewhere else. I don't understand it, I don't like to deal with it. I have a fear of not having it, because I grew up without it.

- David Duchovny

Somewhere, Deal, Guy, Close Relationship

I wanted to write plays. I was at Yale graduate school at the time for English literature, not for acting... I liked the idea of collaboration, and I thought if I'm gonna write plays, I should learn something about speaking the lines that I might try to write.

- David Duchovny

Thought, Idea, About, Yale

'Duch' means spirit and 'ovny' is kind of the adjectival ending, so the word itself means spiritual. It's my father's name, obviously. He took the 'H' out because he was tired of people saying Duchovny, but he never did it legally. When my parents divorced, my mother, to my father, put the 'H' back in.

- David Duchovny

Father, Back, Put, Divorced

I envisioned that as my life: staying in academia to make a living and then taking summers off to write my novels.

- David Duchovny

My Life, Summers, Envisioned, Novels

My favorite parts of work as an actor and a director are those unplanned mistakes that do happen, because it's like catching lightning in a bottle. It's the best part of what we do.

- David Duchovny

Lightning, Happen, Catching, Best Part

I don't need my phone to play me music. I need it to be a phone and an e-mail thing.

- David Duchovny

Music, Play, Need, E-Mail

I mean, you always want everybody to pat you on the back and tell you you're wonderful every time you do something; I think that's human nature.

- David Duchovny

Think, Always, Everybody, Every Time

I was about 26 or 27 and it was imperative that I make a living right away and it's hard to make a living on stage, so I started in television and film.

- David Duchovny

Television, Living, Away, Right Away

I feel like I came to acting late in a way. I was about 26 or 27, and it was imperative that I make a living right away, and it's hard to make a living on stage, so I started in television and film.

- David Duchovny

Feel, Away, About, Right Away

There's nothing wrong with acknowledging the panoply of life's rich experience.

- David Duchovny

Experience, Rich, Nothing, Acknowledging

I had a fear that I'd be typecast, but I don't really have that fear anymore.

- David Duchovny

Anymore, Had, Really, Typecast

I love the ocean, wide-open space and trees, but I'm not a gardener or anything like that. I think I may be, eventually. I was raised in the city, so I don't have that skill set, but my heart is more with the dirt than the concrete. It's an unrequited love with nature - a one-way love affair.

- David Duchovny

Love, Concrete, I Think, Affair

'The X-Files,' as I recall, we didn't know really what we were until the middle of the first year. You know, so if we'd been cancelled, you get cancelled before you mature into what it is you can actually be, which is too bad.

- David Duchovny

Bad, Year, Been, Cancelled

Privacy is something I have come to respect. I think when I was younger I wanted to tell everybody everything, because I thought I was so damn interesting. Then I heard the snoring.

- David Duchovny

Think, Everybody, I Think, Snoring

One of the nice things about acting is that it allows you to open up to the other people within you.

- David Duchovny

Other, Within, About, Open

I don't believe in a conspiracy to hide the existence of extraterrestrial life.

- David Duchovny

Existence, Hide, Conspiracy, Extraterrestrial

I won't look online. The whole fan thing makes me self-conscious, which is not to say I don't appreciate it or understand it. If Mickey Mantle were around, I'm sure I'd have a ton of questions to ask him that might make him uncomfortable. I get it. That doesn't mean it's not really awkward.

- David Duchovny

Questions, Around, Whole, Mantle

On the one hand, people think they own kids; they feel that they have the right to tell the kids what to do. On the other hand, people envy kids. We'd like to be kids our whole lives. Kids get to do what they do. They live on their instincts.

- David Duchovny

Envy, Think, Other, Instincts

I'm trying to protect what I advertise. That's my stance on any kind of self-expression.

- David Duchovny

Trying, Kind, Protect, Self-Expression

The key is to get to know people and trust them to be who they are. Instead, we trust people to be who we want them to be - and when they're not, we cry.

- David Duchovny

Trust, Want, Them, Key

In the U.S., oddly, we have images of men as arrogant and aggressive.

- David Duchovny

Men, Arrogant, Images, Oddly

Games, by nature, have more plot options and non-linear qualities than TV and film.

- David Duchovny

Nature, Plot, TV, TV And Film

At one time there were voiceover artists, now there are celebrity voiceover artists. It's unfortunate because these people need the money less than the voiceover artist.

- David Duchovny

Celebrity, Need, Unfortunate, One Time

What strikes me is that 'XIII' looks like a movie. The shot making is movie-like, which is kind of fun - the kind of playful action movie shot making is pretty, is pretty good. What's also great about this game is its style and interesting story-line.

- David Duchovny

Game, Movie, About, Playful

Whenever somebody says they need an angle for their story I always fear that they've got an idea and they want me to fit into it or they want me to come up with an idea myself or I'm supposed to be more revealing than I've been, and to me it just sounds like something I don't want to do.

- David Duchovny

Idea, Been, Got, Angle

I really enjoy taking an outdoor shower.

- David Duchovny

Enjoy, Shower, Really, Outdoor

I always dreamt of being a basketball player. A dream that only I believed in.

- David Duchovny

Basketball, Dream, Always, Believed

I don't make decisions based on money.

- David Duchovny

Money, Based, Make, Decisions

I do not think that Mulder trusts any one other than Scully. He s very solitary. She is the only one who takes him seriously. I don t know if they re in love. In a way, their relationship is deeper than that, because they cannot live without each other.

- David Duchovny

Love, Other, Very, T

My whole life, I've wanted things before I was ready. I was always pushing for the next job, the next success. I was so focused on achieving and the path that I was missing some great point about life.

- David Duchovny

Next, Some, Always, Missing

If my work was good enough, I would never have to do publicity.

- David Duchovny

Work, Never, Would, Publicity

Every day I try to do breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga. These things sound awfully cliche, but they help me slow down and try to point to a truth.

- David Duchovny

Every Day, Sound, Breathing, Exercises

Sometimes the better the writing, the harder it is to play because you really want to service it.

- David Duchovny

Service, Play, Better, Harder

I lost my virginity when I was 14. And I haven't been able to find it.

- David Duchovny

Lost, Find, Been, Virginity

I think the real heroic teachers are the ones who work with kids, like my mom and my sister do.

- David Duchovny

Think, Like, I Think, Sister

I'm constantly amazed by the ability a child has to show sympathy, to read emotions, to get to the heart of any situation. It's unfiltered and completely inspiring.

- David Duchovny

Emotions, Show, Read, Situation

I think there are ways in which shows can pop their heads up a little bit in the morass of everything you can watch.

- David Duchovny

Think, I Think, Which, Heads

When I started getting notoriety it was cheesy to appear in a commercial.

- David Duchovny

Commercial, Getting, Appear, Cheesy

Willie Mays was the best ever. When I was in college I once made a catch like the one Mays made over his head. Sometimes when I'm lying in bed at night I think about it. It still makes me warm.

- David Duchovny

College, Bed, I Think, Catch

One of the scary things is that, when you're a kid, you look at your dad as the man who has no fear. When you're an adult, you realize your father had fear, and that you have it, too.

- David Duchovny

Father, Kid, Dad, No Fear

I've run into certain geniuses of individualism - they are very few and far between - who live their lives completely on their own terms; they are very powerful and have a great amount of happiness. We all should aspire to that.

- David Duchovny

Own, Very, Individualism, Aspire

I'm turning into a stricter dad.

- David Duchovny

Turning, Dad, Stricter

A lot of times passion projects or films are difficult to make because they don't have proven directors attached to them.

- David Duchovny

Projects, Directors, Films, Attached

I think patience is a skill and I wish I had it.

- David Duchovny

Wish, Think, I Think, Skill

I mean, there's chemistry in life and there's acting chemistry. I'm not saying they're the same thing, but they're as mysterious.

- David Duchovny

Life, Chemistry, Same Thing, Saying

I think of myself as more of a comic person. I don't know about a comic actor.

- David Duchovny

Think, Actor, I Think, Comic

The happiest moment of my life was probably when my daughter was born.

- David Duchovny

My Life, Born, Happiest, Daughter

I've made so many mistakes. But it is my feeling that you learn from failures, so I welcome them as often as I can.

- David Duchovny

Learn, Failures, Made, Welcome

I like my computer. But I don't know how to use it as well as the 10-year-old daughter.

- David Duchovny

Computer, How, Like, Daughter

I feel like I came to acting late in a way.

- David Duchovny

Late, Like, Came, I Came

I don't mind close-ups, I like them, but they're kind of forceful - you see a lot, you get a lot of information in a close-up. There's less mystery.

- David Duchovny

Mind, Like, Forceful, Close-Up

98% of the people in the world are harmless and wish you well, but it only takes one person who doesn't. That's what you're constantly on guard against.

- David Duchovny

Against, Guard, Constantly, Harmless

I've turned down jobs because I've said, 'Honestly, I can't find my way in. I can't do it. I love you, as a director. I think the script is good. You deserve better than I think I can do.'

- David Duchovny

Love, I Think, Turned, Love You

I may be learning guitar, but I'll never be able to sing.

- David Duchovny

Never, May, Able, Guitar

Generally, I don't like to walk out of a movie. It's like a relationship - you want to see it to the end; otherwise, you won't know if you left early or not.

- David Duchovny

Movie, Like, Otherwise, Generally

There are certain things I learned when I first started learning about acting, to try and place the character physically and emotionally. And the way you place them emotionally is often with humor.

- David Duchovny

Certain Things, Learned, Emotionally

Humility is considered an un-masculine quality.

- David Duchovny

Humility, Considered, Quality

It's always like you write a poem when you can't really say what you're trying to say.

- David Duchovny

Trying, Always, Like, Poem

I enjoy trying to figure out the best way to compliment the picture and not overpower it.

- David Duchovny

Trying, Best Way, Figure, Picture

The worst thing a man can admit is 'I'm not 100 percent fulfilled by my family.' But it doesn't mean he doesn't love his family. I love my family, but I still want to work; I still want challenges. It took me a while to fall in love with the responsibility of family life, and it was a deep thing when I did.

- David Duchovny

Love, Deep, Challenges, Family Life

Well, I still write poetry, but I wouldn't call myself a poet.

- David Duchovny

Myself, Call, Still, Poet

I'll instinctively know that I identify with a character.

- David Duchovny

Character, Know, Identify, Instinctively

I just spend my money on the essentials. Just basically food and shelter.

- David Duchovny

Money, Shelter, Spend, Essentials

One of the great things about doing series television is the guest actors that you can have come on and play around with.

- David Duchovny

Play, Doing, Television, Great Things

I'm kind of stupid when it comes to gadgets.

- David Duchovny

Stupid, Kind, Gadgets

It's always a mystery when you're going into a role - 'Here's your wife of 40 years and... action!' How do you create ease or chemistry or whatever is supposed to exist?

- David Duchovny

Chemistry, Here, Always, Supposed

Anxiety is part of creativity, the need to get something out, the need to be rid of something or to get in touch with something within.

- David Duchovny

Anxiety, Need, Within, Rid

I'm not really a gamer.

- David Duchovny

Really, Gamer

In this age of media and Internet access, we are much more talkative than ever before.

- David Duchovny

Access, Talkative, Ever, Much

If you're smart, you'll always be humble. You can learn all you want, but there'll always be somebody who's never read a book who'll know twice what you know.

- David Duchovny

Humble, Always, Read, Smart

Most journalists expect me to answer all their questions about aliens and spaceships.

- David Duchovny

Me, Expect, Most, Answer

I enjoy comedy and I hope that people enjoy watching me do it.

- David Duchovny

Enjoy, Me, Comedy, I Hope That

I don't think I'd ever be cruel to an animal.

- David Duchovny

Cruel, Think, Ever, Animal

I think people are always trying to demystify whatever acting is, so they want to know what your method is.

- David Duchovny

Think, Always, I Think, Acting

Sex is great until you die, but it's never as great as it was when you were a kid, when it was a mystery.

- David Duchovny

Die, Never, Were, Mystery

In high school and college, I was an athlete.

- David Duchovny

School, College, High, High School

Just like every show has a tone, every show has different people on it playing different games. I don't say 'game' in a pejorative sense, I just mean, these are different stories that we tell ourselves when we go to work.

- David Duchovny

Game, Tell, Tone, Different People

I think we all choose our style from the ether and whatever is out there.

- David Duchovny

Think, Choose, I Think, Ether

People always love and respect characters who speak the truth, even if the truth hurts.

- David Duchovny

Love, Always, Characters, Speak

I had to work in one of the most beautiful ski resorts in the world for almost three weeks. Pity me.

- David Duchovny

Work, Weeks, Almost, Ski

I drive an electric car.

- David Duchovny

Car, Drive, Electric

I wouldn't succeed at musical theater.

- David Duchovny

Succeed, Musical, Theater

I don't think of myself as a TV actor. I think of myself as a film, television and Off-Off-Off-Off Broadway actor.

- David Duchovny

Think, Actor, TV, Broadway

In terms of likeability, that's something that I don't think about as an actor when I approach a role.

- David Duchovny

Think, Actor, Role, Approach

You're raising a kid and you give it food and shelter and, most importantly, you give it the feeling that it's special. I think people react to celebrities like that - I mean, they treat celebrities like children.

- David Duchovny

Think, Give, Raising, Importantly

I don't know how anybody gets better at anything aside from doing it.

- David Duchovny

Doing, Better, How, Aside

What makes me mad is arrogance, pretension, putting on airs.

- David Duchovny

Arrogance, Makes, Putting, Mad

You become tyrannized by this notion that women must not only be treated equally, but they must never fail.

- David Duchovny

Never, Fail, Treated, Notion

I never, ever, ever cook. And I would never eat anything I might cook.

- David Duchovny

Never, Ever, Would, Cook

I'd love to direct more.

- David Duchovny

Love, More, Direct

I think Polanski's an amazing director.

- David Duchovny

Amazing, Think, I Think, Director

I love animals and I love working with them because they don't lie.

- David Duchovny

Love, Working, I Love, Animals

I love the Lower East Side.

- David Duchovny

Love, Side, I Love, East

Actually, I have an interest in finishing my Ph.D., but I just know I never will.

- David Duchovny

Never, Interest, Actually, Finishing

It's not someone else's responsibility to honor my marriage. It's my responsibility.

- David Duchovny

Responsibility, Someone, Honor

Approaching a part or thinking about taking a part, I never think, 'Is that person like me?'

- David Duchovny

Think, Never, Like, Approaching

I still feel like I haven't grown up.

- David Duchovny

Feel, Like, Still, Grown

I'm always trying to perfect the romantic comedy, though.

- David Duchovny

Perfect, Always, Though, Romantic Comedy

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