Ellie Kemper Quotes

Powerful Ellie Kemper for Daily Growth

About Ellie Kemper

Ellie Kemper, born Elizabeth Claire Kemper on May 2, 1980, is an American actress, comedian, and writer renowned for her quick wit, charm, and versatile performances in various genres of television and film. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Ellie showed an early interest in performing arts. She attended the prestigious Danforth Plant Science Center's School of Academy of the Sacred Heart before moving to New York City to pursue a career in comedy. Her breakthrough role came as Erin Hannon on the NBC sitcom 'The Office' (2009-2013), where she portrayed a naive and optimistic character that became a fan favorite. In 2015, Kemper joined the cast of the Tina Fey-produced Netflix series 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt', for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination. The show, praised for its humor, social commentary, and Kemper's performance as the title character, Kimmy, ran for four successful seasons (2015-2019). Kemper's influence extends beyond acting, with her memoir 'My Squirrel Days: A Family Story' (2017) detailing her upbringing and experiences before fame. The book showcases Kemper's gift for storytelling and reflects her love for family and humor. Kemper continues to captivate audiences with her talent, charm, and comedic timing in various projects, solidifying her position as a beloved figure in the entertainment industry.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I'm not a perfect person, and I never will be. But I can always start again."

This quote by Ellie Kemper emphasizes resilience, self-awareness, and the ability to begin anew after mistakes or setbacks. It suggests that while no one is flawless, everyone has the capacity for self-improvement and growth. The message encourages us not to be disheartened by our imperfections but instead to use them as opportunities for change and personal development.


"Life is too short for fake friends, bad haircuts, and spoiled milk."

This quote by Ellie Kemper emphasizes the importance of authenticity, self-care, and efficiency in life. She suggests that our time is precious, and we should surround ourselves with genuine people (avoiding fake friends), take care of our physical appearances (avoiding bad haircuts), and not waste resources unnecessarily (avoiding spoiled milk). It encourages us to make conscious choices about who we spend time with, how we present ourselves, and how we manage our resources, ultimately striving for a more fulfilling life.


"You can't control everything that happens to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by it."

This quote by Ellie Kemper underscores the importance of resilience in the face of adversity. It suggests that while we can't always prevent difficult experiences from occurring, we have the power to choose how those events affect us. Rather than allowing hardships to diminish our spirit or identity, we can make a conscious decision to rise above them and continue growing as individuals. This mindset emphasizes personal strength, adaptability, and the determination to thrive despite life's challenges.


"When you're young, you think being an adult means knowing all the answers. But the older I get, the more I realize that being an adult just means knowing where to find the right questions."

This quote by Ellie Kemper highlights the shift in perception as one transitions from youth to adulthood. As a young person, we often believe that becoming an adult means having all the answers, but in reality, being an adult means knowing how to ask the right questions. This wisdom underscores the understanding that life's complexities can be navigated not by possessing every answer, but rather through asking insightful and pertinent questions to gain knowledge and make informed decisions.


"I feel like life's too short for anything but kindness and pie."

This quote by Ellie Kemper suggests a dual emphasis on compassion and enjoyment. She seems to express that life, being finite, should be dedicated primarily to kindness towards others. Moreover, she playfully mentions pie, which might symbolize pleasure, happiness, or simply the little things that bring joy in our lives. Essentially, she encourages embracing both altruism and simple joys as we navigate through life.


The weekend after 'Kimmy' started streaming on Netflix, I did notice a definite difference in people on the street recognizing you. I think that's such a strange thing to happen. It's like, you asked for it, you went and put yourself in the public eye, so don't be surprised people recognize you, but that part can be strange.

- Ellie Kemper

Weekend, I Think, Part, Strange Thing

I want to be a morning-talk-show host. I love Kelly Ripa's job. She gets to live in New York and has this amazing job hosting a talk show.

- Ellie Kemper

Love, New, Hosting, Talk Show

I think, regardless of gender, women and men need to be brave, take chances with their work, and be open to feedback. But I do think 'politeness' is an issue that can hinder your work if you aren't careful. Kindness is important, but being overly polite - thinking you can't disagree with someone about your own work - be careful about that.

- Ellie Kemper

Gender, I Think, Polite, Overly

A lot of people ask, 'What's the best advice Tina Fey's given you?' But she doesn't, like, go about doling out advice - like, 'I've got another tip for you!'

- Ellie Kemper

Advice, Like, Given, Tina

I always have ice cream in the house. I have a bowl of it, and then a bit more. One of the greatest pleasures in my life is going back and getting a second half-bowl. The first bowl is just the prelude.

- Ellie Kemper

My Life, Always, Going, Prelude

A man's face is not a rich person's lawn; you are wasting resources if you devote that much energy to trimming your beard, sideburns, or mustache just so. Nor is a man's face the woods; there need not be the tangled weeds, shrubbery, and wildlife/eggs benedict that get ensnared in them.

- Ellie Kemper

Wasting, Devote, Your, Mustache

If you're tired, you shouldn't make yourself exercise. Take a nap instead. It's about getting an appropriate amount of work and rest. I get very crabby if I'm not well-rested.

- Ellie Kemper

Rest, Very, Appropriate, Nap

I love, love, love, love, love, love Naeem Khan. Every dress he makes looks like it belongs in a museum. You put it on, and you feel like royalty.

- Ellie Kemper

Love, Dress, Like, Khan

'Kimmy' first and foremost is a show about a woman overcoming the odds. I think that they write the show in a way that you're not beaten over the head with it, but showing and not telling. I think that's really powerful.

- Ellie Kemper

Think, Over, Telling, Odds

I've participated in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon a couple of times, but only in the running portion.

- Ellie Kemper

Running, Couple, Times, Malibu

There are some extremely acceptable male comedians out there: Joel Osteen, Abraham Lincoln, the man who played Phil Spector in HBO's 'Phil Spector.' But even those guys, while insightful and amusing, aren't exactly funny.

- Ellie Kemper

Some, Acceptable, While, Insightful

It took two months from the day my fiance proposed to my first Google search for 'wedding planning: how?' Now, let me interrupt myself here and share how much I hate using the word 'fiance.' It's so fancy, and it's hard not to sound like a jerk saying it. Which is why I will be using my own word for fiance: gloob.

- Ellie Kemper

Fancy, Here, Jerk, Proposed

I loved 'Freaks and Geeks.' I don't know a better show.

- Ellie Kemper

Loved, Better, Geeks, Freaks

Men, who certainly possess not only the savvy but also the know-how to be funny, for some reason, are just not. I began to notice this at a pretty young age, and unfortunately, a lifetime of living - and not a little bit of regret - hasn't done much to convince me otherwise.

- Ellie Kemper

Reason, Young, Some, Savvy

I'm not on social media because I feel like that would be just such another level of responsibility that I don't feel up to. It's not uncommon now to have personal and public intertwined, and I don't know how people are able to manage that. I don't know where you go when you want to be alone if everything is out there.

- Ellie Kemper

Feel, Another, Intertwined, Manage

Growing up, I had one very specific idea of what a wedding should be, and that was the wedding of Fraulein Maria and Captain von Trapp in 'The Sound of Music.'

- Ellie Kemper

Idea, Very, Sound Of Music, Maria

Growing up, I had one very specific idea of what a wedding should be, and that was the wedding of Fraeulein Maria and Captain von Trapp in 'The Sound of Music.'

- Ellie Kemper

Idea, Very, Sound Of Music, Maria

What's shocking to me is seeing people walking around with green juices in their hand when the weather's bad in New York. I couldn't think of anything more awful to have when it's sleeting outside. Like, 'Oh, I'm craving some liquified kale right now.'

- Ellie Kemper

Bad, Some, Awful, Shocking

I am fully anticipating that something - perhaps many things - will not go according to plan on our actual wedding day. If some of the flowers are wilted, or there aren't enough vegetarian meals, or the priest calls me the wrong name, I will embrace these errors.

- Ellie Kemper

Some, According, Our, Anticipating

It's interesting because with a lot of people who I've met in comedy, it seems not to matter what your background is. In terms of formal schooling - I feel like that's a nineteenth century term - but in terms of where you went to high school or college, or wherever, all that really is irrelevant, I have found, in comedy.

- Ellie Kemper

College, Feel, Irrelevant, Schooling

I have found I'm leaning toward more vibrant colors because I'm so happy in them.

- Ellie Kemper

Vibrant, Found, Toward, Leaning

I wrote comedy sketches in college.

- Ellie Kemper

College, Comedy, Wrote, Sketches

I love running. I've been running ever since middle school. In terms of clearing your head and restarting everything, I love running.

- Ellie Kemper

Love, Middle, Been, Middle School

I joined an improv comedy group. Ours was named 'Quick Fire!' with an exclamation point. It was when I auditioned for that team and got on it and felt like... I'll just say I felt like I was good at it.

- Ellie Kemper

Like, Quick, Named, Group

I have given myself dork shivers so many times that I would be an outright liar if I characterized myself as anything other than a pure, utter, and unadulterated dork.

- Ellie Kemper

Other, Characterized, Given, Dork

I'm a little disappointed in myself because before getting pregnant, I resolved to do all these things during my pregnancy to nurse a healthy pregnancy. And so I'm finding in these final weeks that I didn't do any of them.

- Ellie Kemper

Before, Getting, Weeks, Nurse

Yes, some women are funny. No, some women aren't funny. It's similar to how some women are tall and, you know, some women are short.

- Ellie Kemper

Some, Yes, Similar, Women Are

Most New Yorkers want to look amazing, and they want you to understand that they look amazing, but they also want you to stop staring at them.

- Ellie Kemper

New, Want, Understand, Staring

For a few months, I'd have a green juice every day, but one day, I realized I'd rather eat those ingredients than drink them.

- Ellie Kemper

Green, Rather, Months, Ingredients

I've never had prejudice against me because of being a woman in comedy, I've never felt any sort of unfairness because of that - but I do think it is naive to think that it doesn't exist.

- Ellie Kemper

Woman, Think, Against, Naive

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