Nothing ends nicely, that's why it ends.
Tom Cruise
I love what I do. I take great pride in what I do. And I can't do something halfway, three-quarters, nine-tenths. If I'm going to do something, I go all the way.
When you have to cope with a lot of problems, you're either going to sink or you're going to swim.
I'm passionate about learning. I'm passionate about life.
I'm an all-or-nothing kind of person, and when I become interested in something, I give it my all.
I disagree with people who think you learn more from getting beat up than you do from winning.
I want a world without war, a world without insanity. I want to see people do well. I don't even think it's as much as what I want for myself. It's more what I want for the people around me. That's what I want.
I have respect for what other people believe. What I believe in my own life is that it's a search for how I can do things better, whether it's being a better man or a better father or finding ways for myself to improve.
Talk is over-rated as a means of settling disputes.
When I work, I work very hard. So I look to work with people who have that level of dedication. And I depend on that from everyone. From the director to my crews that I work with.
When you become successful in any type of life, there are people who are not contributing to the motion.
I love kids. I was a kid myself, once.
Have you ever gotten the feeling that you aren't completely embarassed yet, but you glimpse tomorrow's embarrassment?
I always look for a challenge and something that's different.
I go without sleep, I just go hard.
If you have kids, it is the most important thing to create good times.
Individuals have to decide what is true and real for them.
I've never made a film that I didn't believe in, you know? However the picture turns out, I've always given everything to it. That's kind of how I approach life. I can't help it. There's no part-way with me on anything in any area of my life.
Awards are wonderful. I've been nominated many times and I've won many awards. But my journey is not towards that. If it happens it will be a blast. If it doesn't, it's still been a blast.
When I'm promoting a film, I'm not going to get caught up in anything else, and that includes all my personal things.
Whether it's making a film or raising my children, personally I'm striving to do the right things and to learn.
I'm a romantic.
Do I make mistakes? Yeah.
Saddam has committed many crimes against humanity and against his own people.
Every single time I start to do a picture, without fail, I feel as if I don't know what I'm doing.
If I don't talk about my religion, if I say I'm not discussing it or different humanitarian things I'm working on, they're like, 'He's avoiding it.' If I do talk about it, it becomes, 'Oh, he's proselytizing.'
I don't care who you are, life has challenges.
I've spent many birthdays on a movie set, all great days.
Here's how I've lived my life: I've never been late to a set. I make films I believe in. I feel privileged to be able to do what I love.
I've gotten very good at scheduling my life, scheduling the scene and preparing myself for knowing, saving the energy, consuming the energy, knowing when to go for it and having the available reserves to be able to do that. You have to think about that, because it's endurance.
It's well known I'm a Scientologist, and that has helped me to find that inner peace in my life and it's something that has given me great stability and tools that I use.
I would live with all of my sisters if I could. We've always been very close, my sisters and me.
I've learned to relax more. Everybody feels pressure in what they do, maybe mine is just a little different because there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to accomplish what I want to.
The exciting part of acting, I don't know how else to explain it, are those moments when you surprise yourself.
I've never done work for money ever. If your choices are based on grosses and the film doesn't do well, what does that mean? It leaves you with nothing.
I look at the Samurai because they were the artists of their time. What I think struck me when I read Bushido is compassion. 'If there's no one there to help, go out and find someone to help.' That hit me, because I try to lead my life like that.
I've been... chased by paparazzi, and they run lights, and they chase you and harass you the whole time. It happens all over the world, and it has certainly gotten worse. You don't know what it's like being chased by them.
I didn't become an actor to have power, but it just happens that I have it and so I have a lot of opportunities.
I've always had the same values. Family for me has always been important. When I shoot, everybody comes.
I like to work with people that I like hanging out with, that I admire, that are really smart and talented, and we can problem solve together.
When I first started out all the attention could be a bit unnerving, especially when people stared. Now I find the best thing is to just relax. Being recognized is just something you have to get used to.
I'm always around my mother and sisters. I always wanted to be a father, a husband.
As a young actor, people were trying to define who I was before I really knew that for myself. But I still remember thinking, 'This is what I love doing, and I hope I'm going to be able to do it forever.'
What I find sometimes that is tricky is if actors are using too much of their own life in a picture, in a scene, they get locked into a particular way to play the scene, and it lacks an immediacy.
The thing about film-making is I give it everything, that's why I work so hard. I always tell young actors to take charge. It's not that hard. Sign your own cheques, be responsible.
