Neil Patrick Harris Quotes

Powerful Neil Patrick Harris for Daily Growth

About Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris, born on June 15, 1973, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is an accomplished American actor, singer, and author, best known for his versatile roles in television, film, and theater. Harris's acting career began at the tender age of 15 when he was cast as Doogie Howser, M.D., earning him a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor - Television Series Drama in 1990. This breakthrough role paved the way for his successful journey in the entertainment industry. Influenced by his parents' love for music and theater, Harris developed a passion for performing arts from an early age. He attended Columbia University but left to focus on his acting career. His Broadway debut was in 2001 with "Proof," earning him a Tony Award nomination. Harris gained renewed popularity in the late 2000s as Barney Stinson in the hit television series "How I Met Your Mother." His portrayal of this womanizing character earned him four consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series from 2009 to 2013. Aside from acting, Harris is an author and has written two memoirs: "Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography" (2014) and "The Magic Misfits" series for children (2017-2019). His works reflect his humor, wit, and the unique perspective he brings to storytelling. In addition to his acting and writing endeavors, Harris is an accomplished magician and has performed at the White House and the Tony Awards. He also hosts the Primetime Emmy Awards, further solidifying his status as a beloved figure in Hollywood. Neil Patrick Harris continues to captivate audiences with his talent, versatility, and charm, leaving a lasting impact on the world of entertainment.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things happen to you."

This quote emphasizes the idea that true courage is cultivated through adversity, not just ease or good fortune. In other words, when one faces challenges and manages to overcome them, they develop the strength, resilience, and determination that are the hallmarks of bravery. Good experiences alone may foster confidence and gratitude, but it's the hardships we face and survive that truly test our courage.


"I always say it's better to be the cockroach in the room than the cheese."

This quote by Neil Patrick Harris suggests that it is more advantageous to be the one who survives or thrives in challenging situations, like a cockroach, rather than being the object of consumption, such as cheese. It implies resilience, adaptability, and an ability to endure and outlast adversity, which are valuable traits for success in life.


"Always stay curious."

The quote by Neil Patrick Harris, "Always stay curious," emphasizes the importance of maintaining an inquisitive nature throughout one's life. It suggests that curiosity drives personal growth, encourages learning, and fosters a keen interest in understanding the world around us. By staying curious, we remain open-minded, receptive to new ideas, and motivated to explore the unknown, thus enriching our experiences and broadening our perspectives.


"Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people are attracted to you."

This quote emphasizes the power of positivity in attracting favorable outcomes and relationships. By maintaining an optimistic outlook on life (staying positive), one can magnetically draw good experiences and people towards them, as optimism is seen as attractive and inspiring by others. In essence, this suggests that adopting a hopeful mindset fosters personal growth and encourages the manifestation of desirable circumstances.


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

This quote by Neil Patrick Harris emphasizes the importance of passion in achieving greatness. The implication is that one's work should not just be a means to an end, but rather something one genuinely enjoys and finds fulfillment in. When we love what we do, we are more likely to invest our time, energy, and creativity into it, which can lead to exceptional outcomes and personal growth. Conversely, if we are indifferent or dislike our work, the chances of doing great things are significantly reduced as motivation and dedication are often lacking.


I've been very fortunate to go from interesting chapter to interesting chapter.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Interesting, Been, Very, Chapter

I have an unbelievable assistant who handles all of my scheduling! It's like a Tetris game.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Game, Like, Assistant, Unbelievable

There is just a lot of creativity and theatricality in performers who happen to be gay. Maybe there's a success in numbers, so by the law of averages we are going to get these jobs.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Law, Happen, Maybe, Performers

Rather than ignore those who choose to publish their opinions without actually talking to me, I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Love, My Life, Very, Fortunate

I like the tube more than the NY subway though, you've got cushioned seats.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Subway, Tube, Though, Cushioned

We're in such a volatile climate right now politically. I think they didn't want Assassins to not succeed due to popular opinion and politics, versus on its own merits. I can respect that.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Politics, Think, I Think, Popular Opinion

I didn't want to go marching down the street with camera crews. Oy. To get married? Really? It seems like you have an agenda when you do it that way. I wouldn't want to get married to be an example.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Want, Go, Like, Marching

I've been taking a trapeze class for the last couple of years. I'm working on my double back flip right now.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Been, Last, Couple, Trapeze

Being able to live my life transparently does empower me to feel like I can be myself more. It's easier for me to flirt with girls now that girls know that I'm gay. It almost makes it a sexier encounter than if I was trying to pretend that I was straight.

- Neil Patrick Harris

My Life, Feel, Almost, Flirt

I'm a games and theory kind of guy. I love puzzles, so it was fun dissecting Shakespeare's prose.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Love, Kind, Prose, Puzzles

It's good to have a lot of once-in-a-lifetimes in your lifetime. If you get the chance to skydive, go skydiving. If you're offered a part in a weird Shakespeare play in San Diego, slap on some tights and rock out some iambic pentameter.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Play, Some, Skydiving, Slap

'Smurfs' just seemed like a great way to represent a young father to be, guy in a marriage, work in conflict, and I was really interested in the technical CG side of things. I'd never done a movie that I thought would be so physical and yet so precise. So I was intrigued by all of that.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Thought, Movie, Technical, Intrigued

I loved Rent when I first heard it, but it grew on me and so did Tick, Tick... Boom. Some songs are more interesting than others and sometimes the ones that never stood out at first end up being the best to perform.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Sometimes, Some, Boom, Being The Best

I get to choose things that interest me as opposed to trying to get any job that will have me, which for a vast majority of actors is the case.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Will, Which, Opposed, Case

I'm not trying to climb a ladder - I'm casting a bit of a net.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Climb, Trying, Ladder, Casting

I pride myself in being able to straddle demographics, and if that was said as Barney Stinson, it would mean a little different thing.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Myself, Being, Would, Barney

I'm a nerdy, geeky fan of' Labyrinth' and 'Dark Crystal'.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Dark, Fan, Crystal, Labyrinth

I felt a little green, because Shakespeare writes the thought process within the text; it was tricky not to think of what to say and then say it, and instead just deliver the lines.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Green, Process, Think, Writes

I'm a big proponent of monogamous relationships regardless of sexuality, and I'm proud of how the nation is steering toward that.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Proud, Big, Sexuality, Proponent

I'm probably my biggest critic. I worry that if you spend any quality time reveling in good things then karma will slap you upside the head, so I try to stay as even keel as I'm able.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Good, Good Things, Head, Keel

Starship Troopers was great. It was great fun to work on something with blue screens and big budget special effects. Denise Richards was nice to look at too, of course.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Work, Big, Special Effects, Great Fun

I enjoy darker sardonic wit more than knock-knock jokes. I spent the first healthy chunk of my career playing all-American, pleasant, average, nice people, so it's fun to have some complications there.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Career, Average, Some, Nice People

There are so many examples of talented actors working today, no matter how they live their private lives. I'm lucky that people believe me when I'm in character.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Lucky, Private, Lives, Talented Actors

I collect puppet stuff. I have a puppet workshop in my garage. I was looking for any opportunity to be able to get very creatively involved in that world.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Garage, Very, Workshop, Puppet

When I auditioned for the show, I didn't realize it was an MTV production, which is going to make for really good tunes during the episodes, if nothing else.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Production, Which, Tunes, Episodes

It's like, the more you commit, the happier the animators are; if you're at all iffy and concerned, then it doesn't free them up to do as much fun stuff, so you have to just go for it and, again, trust the people around you and not be seemingly guarded and numb. Throw caution to the wind a bit.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Trust, Concerned, Animators, Wind

It's nice to establish yourself as an actor first and a singer second. Proof is such a tremendous piece of work, and I'm incredibly lucky to be a part of it. I'm sure that the musicals will happen in the future, though.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Lucky, Happen, Sure, Establish

I thought the idea of 'Smurfs' lent itself to the 3-D environment pretty well, I think, better than some of the farm animal movies that have been done before. I was a fan of the 'Smurfs' and they come with their own fan base, which I thought was nice.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Some, Been, I Think, Fan Base

Thankfully, the meat of the Tony telecast is the performances from the shows, so the awards show kind of creates itself around the season, and then I fill in based on the vibe of the season in general. I'm happy that there'll be so many legitimately good performances on the show.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Happy, Show, Vibe, Season

Mmmmmmmm. Anderson. He's dreamy. Just dreamy. I've been a fan of his since season 1 of 'The Mole.' I just thought he was so cool when he talked in this cool, low, secret-agent voice.

- Neil Patrick Harris

Voice, Thought, Been, Season

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