As one of the most recognized American actors in Hollywood, Robert Downey Jr. has had a roller coaster of a career. His past is marked by addiction and drug charges, but his talent in front of the camera and a commitment to his current sobriety has led to a string of successes, not to mention a few million fans. Besides being the face of Tony Stark and Iron Man, he is known for being well-spoken and insightful. Robert Downey Jr. quotes are proof.
Downey has been acting since he was five years old. His early work includes roles in teen-based movies “Weird Science”and “Less Than Zero.” While he was easily recognized as a talented actor, a drug addiction threatened to end his career in 2001. The future Iron Man was fired from the TV series “Ally McBeal” (despite winning a Golden Globe Award) amidst drug charges and court-ordered rehab.
Through hard work and dedication, Downey achieved sobriety in 2003. Ready to get back to work, he faced initial challenges due to his past reputation. It wasn’t until Mel Gibson vouched for him with the film “The Singing Detective” that he started to make his comeback.
With big films including “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” “Zodiac,” and the 10 titles within the Marvel Universe, it was a comeback for the record books. After the original “Iron Man” in 2008, Downey was included in Time Magazine’s list of 100 most influential people. Then from 2013 to 2015, Forbes listed him as one of the country’s highest-paid actors.
Tony Stark is known for his quick quips and helpless egotistical remarks, but Robert Downey Jr. quotes speak of reinvention, hard work, and optimism.
Here are 20 of the most notable Robert Downey Jr. quotes.
1. “I just think it’s good to be confident. If I’m not on my team, why should anybody else be?”
2. “Do I want to be a hero to my son? No. I would like to be a very real human being. That’s hard enough.”
3. “People rise out of the ashes because, at some point, they are invested with a belief in the possibility of triumph over seemingly impossible odds.”
4. “Listen, smile, agree, and then do whatever the fuck you were gonna do anyway.”
5. “I don’t need an Iron Man suit. I’m already a weapon of mass seduction.”
6. “I think we all do heroic things, but hero is not a noun, it’s a verb.”
7. “Remember that just because you hit bottom doesn’t mean you have to stay there.”
8. “The lesson is that you can still make mistakes and be forgiven.”
9. “I’ve noticed that worrying is like praying for what you don’t want to happen.”
10. “I have a sense of destiny that you are led to the things you are supposed to do.”
11. “Sometimes you just gotta be drop-kicked out of the nest.”
12. “Look, even bad years are pretty good years, I think.”
13. “There are some parents who have really done it right and told their kid, ‘You know, we have this dough, none of this is for you. You have to get your own.’”
14. “People never change because they are under threat or under duress. Never. They change because they see something that makes their life seem valuable enough to start moving toward a life worth living.”
15. “Nothing will serve you better than a strong work ethic. Nothing.”
16. “I used to be so convinced that happiness was the goal, yet all those years I was chasing after it I was unhappy in the pursuit. Maybe the goal really should be a life that values honor, duty, good work, friends, and family.”
17. “Life is just so painful and messy and hard and worth it and all that stuff.”
18. “I want to give myself the freedom not to have to be projecting my whole life ahead.”
19. “It’s really not that difficult to overcome these seemingly ghastly problems…what’s hard is to decide.”
20. “It’s hard to get out of the barrel. It’s slippery around the edges and people are happy to see you fall back in.”
Whether you love him as Tony Stark or want to know more about the man behind the helmet, it’s hard not to admire a man who fought for sobriety and success. Share these Robert Downey Jr. quotes to encourage others to keep fighting.
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