William Devane Quotes

Powerful William Devane for Daily Growth

About William Devane

William Devane, born on September 5, 1937, in Albany, New York, is an acclaimed American actor and writer, renowned for his captivating performances in film and television. His journey into the world of arts began at a young age when he discovered his passion for acting while performing in school plays. Devane attended Syracuse University, where he honed his skills and gained valuable experience on stage. After graduation, he moved to New York City to pursue a career in acting. His early career was marked by roles in various off-Broadway productions, including "The Hostage" and "A Man's a Man." In 1964, Devane made his television debut on the show "The Defenders." However, it was his portrayal of Bobby Ryan in the soap opera "Ryan's Hope," which aired from 1975 to 1989, that catapulted him to stardom. His performance earned him three Daytime Emmy Awards. Devane transitioned seamlessly into film, with notable roles in "The Exorcist" (1973), "K-19: The Widowmaker" (2002), and the miniseries "The Langoliers" (1995). His portrayal of President John F. Kennedy in the miniseries "Kennedy" (1983) was particularly noteworthy, earning him an Emmy nomination. Throughout his career, Devane has been recognized for his commitment to environmental causes and was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as a member of the National Council on the Arts. In 2007, he published "The View From Up Here," a collection of poems reflecting on his life and experiences. Today, William Devane continues to act and write, leaving a lasting impact on the world of entertainment with his powerful performances and thought-provoking works.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The more you know who you are and what you want, the less you hesitate spending time with people and doing things that matter."

This quote suggests that self-awareness and clarity about personal goals lead to a confident approach to life. When one knows their identity and desires, they become more selective about how they spend their time and energy, focusing on activities and relationships that align with those core aspects of themselves. In other words, this understanding empowers individuals to prioritize their values and pursue what truly matters to them, freeing them from unnecessary distractions and hesitations.


"Don't try to please everybody, you're not wine."

This quote by William Devane signifies that it's impossible and unnecessary to cater to everyone's tastes or expectations, just as no single type of wine can please every individual's unique preferences. The implication is that one should focus on being authentic and true to oneself, rather than trying to mold oneself to fit the expectations of others in an attempt to gain favor or approval. By embracing individuality, one can find fulfillment, happiness, and success in life.


"Success is a journey, not a destination. If you focus on the destination, you miss the journey and all the great moments along the way."

This quote emphasizes that success should be viewed as a process rather than an end goal. It encourages individuals to enjoy and appreciate the experiences and achievements gained throughout their journey towards success, instead of solely focusing on the final outcome. The "great moments along the way" refer to the personal growth, learning opportunities, and memories that are crucial elements of our personal and professional development. By concentrating on the destination, one might overlook these valuable aspects of their journey.


"The most important thing in life is to be willing to take the first step."

This quote by William Devane underscores the significance of overcoming inertia and taking that initial action, which is often the biggest hurdle in any endeavor. It suggests that readiness to start a journey or project, no matter how small the first step may be, holds immense importance in achieving success and personal growth. The quote emphasizes the power within each individual to initiate change, break through self-imposed limitations, and seize opportunities for learning and advancement.


"Happiness comes from living as you need to, as you want to. As your inner voice tells you to. Happiness comes from being who you actually are instead of who other people think you should be."

This quote emphasizes the importance of self-expression and authenticity in attaining happiness. It suggests that true happiness arises when one lives according to their own needs, desires, and inner voice rather than conforming to societal or external expectations. The implication is that being true to oneself, as opposed to attempting to fit into predefined roles or norms, leads to a deeper and more fulfilling sense of contentment.


At one time, whenever the hell it was, they wanted a character to come in and stir up the pot. They brought me in for 8-10 episodes and said we'll try it for that.

- William Devane

Hell, Come, Brought, Pot

I live out in the desert, in farm country. I'm around a lot of farmers, guys with packing houses, that sort of thing. Half the time, these guys are in their pajamas or in their slippers. It's their place.

- William Devane

Country, Farmers, Half, Slippers

Joey, my older brother, had his own TV show in the '50s, along with Cathy Callahan.

- William Devane

Older Brother, TV, TV Show, Joey

What I would have liked to do on that show was play a secretary of state who has huge personal business interests throughout the world. That, to me, seems to be more in synch with reality.

- William Devane

Business, Play, More, Synch

The same issue is happening on a show like Everybody Loves Raymond now, which is in its eighth year and struggling to come up with good stories. It'll be interesting to see how they do. The bottom line is, it starts with the writers and ends with the writers.

- William Devane

Year, Line, Everybody, Good Stories

It would have been nice for Greg to eventually grow into a mature relationship with Laura. He was moving toward that already but then took a turn into the juvenile with Paige.

- William Devane

Grow, Been, Took, Laura

And all of Laura's stuff, what they wrote originally wasn't as good and Constance wound up doing that herself. That was all her stuff, reading to the child, because she had children herself and that's what she would have done.

- William Devane

Doing, Wrote, Originally, Laura

Even though shows like NYPD Blue are soaps in my opinion, but they're individualized to an extent that you can still follow what's going on if you miss a week.

- William Devane

Still, Soaps, Extent, NYPD

I knew with The West Wing that that wasn't going to be for very long, that I was just the red herring.

- William Devane

Red, Going, Very, Wing

The West Wing seems to be feeding the myth about how presidential politics are.

- William Devane

Politics, How, Myth, Wing

I'm an Irish-American, and I grew up in an Irish-American neighborhood.

- William Devane

Up, Grew, Neighborhood

I like working fast, but I got to the age where the real difference between television and the movies is, I'm not smart enough to be in the movies. It's a very political world. In all modesty, I can say that I'm a much better actor, but that doesn't matter.

- William Devane

Very, Political World, Real Difference

The business is built on slowing or even stopping the aging process.

- William Devane

Business, Process, Built, Stopping

Donna Mills came on the show as a female antagonist, about a year before, so now they wanted to have a male antagonist. I was cast as a Senator to shake things up.

- William Devane

Year, Shake, About A Year, Antagonist

And I have to credit David Jacobs with the opportunities he gave me. He was totally into sharing the creation of characters. David put together a show that told the story of people over many years' time and that was greatly enjoyable. Though nowadays that is frowned upon.

- William Devane

Show, Nowadays, Frowned, Greatly

David was the kind of guy who was totally supportive of the actors and instructed the writing staff to trust the actor's instincts, since after all, it's the actors playing the character.

- William Devane

Trust, Kind, Supportive, Instincts

I'm trying to find a character that's my age and I can sustain week after week. I'd like to do a series.

- William Devane

Week, I Can, Like, Sustain

Networks don't want a show with a continuing story. There's no backend potential.

- William Devane

Want, Show, Networks, Continuing

Clint Eastwood is aging beautifully. But someone like Burt Reynolds and others are practically destroying their faces in the amount of work they have.

- William Devane

Eastwood, Amount, Clint, Destroying

I don't play polo anymore because I am too old. But we still have a half a dozen horses - a couple of young horses we are teaching how to play polo and older horses that are real trustworthy when you get them up in the mountains.

- William Devane

Mountains, Play, Couple, Polo

I would fix other people's lines if they asked me on occasion. The hard part of writing is the architecture of it, getting the story and structuring it. Not the tweaking of lines.

- William Devane

Other, Occasion, Tweaking, Lines

I didn't care about that because I'm not a diplomatic person to begin with. I just went along with things and did what I wanted to do because I knew they had to shoot their 12 pages a day. And when they realized that I didn't alter the text they really didn't mind what I did.

- William Devane

Diplomatic, About, Had, Shoot

Ultimately the Emmys are a popularity contest.

- William Devane

Popularity, Contest, Popularity Contest

I try to watch only real things, which basically amounts to C-Span for me. I like real people in real situations. I learn from that.

- William Devane

Like, Real People, Which, Situations

Writers are not always right however, but then again, I've been on shows where the actors have complete control and change everything and it's terrible.

- William Devane

Always, Been, However, Complete

When you go to a movie, it's about what's not being said. I tried to bring that to Greg Sumner. It was always about what's not being said.

- William Devane

Go, Movie, Always, I Tried

A show like Knots or any other show that can be called a soap opera does terribly in syndication because if you're a viewer and you miss a week you don't know what's going on.

- William Devane

Opera, Other, Viewer, Knots

It worked well because Don Murray didn't want to be on Knots anymore.

- William Devane

Want, Well, Worked, Knots

If you watch Cheers, in 12 years they didn't age a day.

- William Devane

Day, You, Watch, Cheers

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