Martin Sheen Quotes: Inspirational Words from a Veteran Actor

Martin Sheen is a seasoned actor known for his powerful performances on both stage and screen. His acting career spans over five decades, during which he has appeared in numerous critically acclaimed films and television shows. However, Martin Sheen is not only an actor but also a humanitarian and political activist. He has used his platform to raise awareness on social and environmental issues, and his words of wisdom have inspired many people around the world. In this article, we’ll delve into some of the most inspiring Martin Sheen quotes that can motivate and uplift you in different aspects of life.

 

Martin Sheen Quotes on Life

Martin Sheen’s quotes on life are both profound and relatable. He has a unique way of describing life’s complexities in simple yet insightful terms. Here are some of his most inspiring quotes on life:

  • “Life is an adventure in forgiveness.”
  • “The only way to change the world is to change your mind.”
  • “Life is about making an impact, not making an income.”
  • “Life is short, but it’s long enough to ruin any man who wants to be ruined.”
  • “Life is a journey, and if you fall in love with the journey, you will be in love forever.”

 

Martin Sheen Quotes on Love

Love is a recurring theme in Martin Sheen’s quotes. He speaks of love with a deep understanding of its power and its ability to transform lives. Here are some of his most inspiring quotes on love:

  • “Love yourself and others will love you.”
  • “The greatest act of love is to be unafraid to be who you are.”
  • “Love is not a feeling of happiness. Love is a willingness to sacrifice.”
  • “Love is not an emotion, it’s your very existence.”
  • “Love is the one force that cannot be explained, yet it explains all.”

 

Martin Sheen Quotes on Success

Martin Sheen’s journey to success was not a smooth ride. He encountered numerous challenges, but his resilience and hard work eventually paid off. His quotes on success reflect his belief in perseverance, dedication, and humility. Here are some of his most inspiring quotes on success:

  • “Success is not a destination; it’s a journey.”
  • “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
  • “Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.”
  • “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”
  • “Success is falling down nine times and getting up ten.”

 

Martin Sheen Quotes on Politics and Social Justice

Martin Sheen is known for his activism and his outspokenness on political and social issues. He has been an advocate for peace, human rights, and environmental conservation. Here are some of his most inspiring quotes on politics and social justice:

  • “The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism.”
  • “Politics is not about power. Politics is not about money. Politics is not about winning for the sake of winning. Politics is about the improvement of people’s lives.”
  • “We can’t save the world by playing by the rules. Because the rules have to be changed. Everything needs to change. And it has to start today.”
  • “The only way to deal with fear is to face it head-on.”
  • “We need to become the change we wish to see in the world.”

 

Martin Sheen Quotes on Acting

Martin Sheen’s career as an actor has been nothing short of amazing. He has played diverse roles, ranging from presidents to war veterans. He has also received several awards and nominations for his performances. His quotes on acting reflect his passion for the craft and his belief in the power of storytelling. Here are some of his most inspiring quotes on acting:

  • “Acting is not about being someone different. It’s finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there.”
  • “Acting is the most personal of our crafts. The make-up of a human being – his physical, mental, and emotional habits – influence his acting to a much greater extent than commonly recognized.”
  • “Acting is a sort of embodiment of the inner man. It’s like walking in his shoes, experiencing his emotions, and reflecting his thoughts.”
  • “Acting is not about being famous, it’s about exploring the human soul.”
  • “Acting is about empathy. It’s about putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and feeling what they feel.”

 

Martin Sheen Quotes on Faith and Spirituality

Martin Sheen is a devout Catholic who has often spoken about his faith and spirituality. His quotes on faith and spirituality reflect his deep connection with God and his belief in the power of prayer. Here are some of his most inspiring quotes on faith and spirituality:

  • “Faith is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets.”
  • “Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is a daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.”
  • “The greatest mystery of all is the mystery of God’s love.”
  • “Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right.”
  • “Spirituality is not about religion. It’s about the human experience and the search for something greater than ourselves.”

 

Martin Sheen Quotes on Family

Family is important to Martin Sheen, and he has often spoken about the joys and challenges of being a husband and father. His quotes on family reflect his love and respect for the people closest to his heart. Here are some of his most inspiring quotes on family:

  • “The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories.”
  • “Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.”
  • “The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.”
  • “A happy family is but an earlier heaven.”
  • “Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.”
 

Phrases

-And there are so many people in the third world suffering so horribly right now, and we are so focused on ourselves and our culture that a lot of things are showing up in our culture that are making it impossible for us to focus on others. We’re so self-focused.

-We are not asked to do great things. We are asked to do all things with great care.

-Money’s only something you need in case you don’t die tomorrow.

-Find something in your life worth fighting for

Martin Sheen Quotes

-Future generations are not going to ask us what political party were you in. They are going to ask what did you do about it, when you knew the glaciers were melting.

-There is no greater virtue than honesty.

-I think service to others is the real key to winning our own personal freedom and the road to our own happiness, our own personal contentment and fulfillment.

-If you are on an honest journey to find yourself, you’ll find God.

-We have to fight for something. It has to cost us. Our lives, our faith, have to cost us something; otherwise we’re left to question its value.

-Anybody who plays golf will tell you that you play against yourself.

-If all of the issues that I have worked on were depending on some measure of success, it would be a total failure. I don’t anticipate success. We’re not asked to be successful, we are only asked to be faithful. I couldn’t even tell you what success is.

-People, although having their own cross to carry, can minister to others through their own pain.

-Nothing ever gets done unless it’s done by a fanatic.

-While acting is what I do for a living, activism is what I do to stay alive.

-I just think that the only way we come to ourselves is through each other.

-No matter what is going on, everything is grace.

-I honestly do not know if civil disobedience has any effect on the government. I can promise you it has a great effect on the person who chooses to do it.

-Stop going for the easy buck and start producing something with your life. Create, instead of living off the buying and selling of others.

-I am still a journeyman actor and a peace and justice activist. I’m a pilgrim trying to win my freedom and serve as best I can in the time I have, with this gift I’ve been given.

Martin Sheen Quotes

-I act because I can’t seem to live with myself if I do not. I don’t know any other way to be. It isn’t something you can explain; it is just something that you do; it is something that you are.

-I am not the president; instead, I hold an even higher office, that of citizen of the United States.

-My recovery is the single greatest accomplishment of my life. Without that, the rest of my life would have fallen apart.

-Theres no way that I could be the president. You cant have a pacifist in the White House… Im an actor. This is what I do for a living.

-I don’t think that people in America are really given enough information about the Third World.

-I sincerely believe that everything – everything – is grace, and you have to stick around long enough to see it through. I’m a very optimistic person.

-I am not a politician or a public servant. I am still a journeyman actor and a peace and justice activist. I’m a pilgrim trying to win my freedom and serve as best I can in the time I have, with this gift I’ve been given.

-Well, I think that Catholicism’s basic foundation of faith is personal conscience. I think it’s between you and God, not you and the Church.

-I love my country enough to suffer its wrath.

-I love The West Wing for many reasons. The show has been a fantasy. But we have offered a parallel universe to reality.

-I personally am opposed to abortion, but I will not judge anybody else’s right in that regard because I am not a woman and I could never face the actual reality of it.

-I think the Church is a conduit to God. The Church is not God. And I think that from the very beginning Jesus taught us that.

-I still believe in the nonviolent Jesus and the basic human goodness present in all of us.

-Oh you only fight the fights you can win? You fight the fights that need fighting!

Martin Sheen Quotes

-I think I’m known as a liberal democrat and Hispanic and a practicing Catholic, but I never really went out of my way specifically to play a president or any kind of leader.

-Golf is fundamentally about being honest. I see people hit eight shots and tell me they shot five. I never say a word. It is a reminder to me of what is at stake.

-I don’t like scary films. I watched Psycho for the first time recently, alone in the house at night. That was a mistake. I had to call my friend to come over.

-I am a very conscientious golfer. I count every stroke. I learned to play that way. That is the only way I can play. It taught me to be honest. There is no greater virtue than honesty.

-We are the generation that brought the bomb in. We have got to be the generation that should take it out.

-My first civil disobedience arrest for social justice was in 1986 for protesting the SDI.

-George W Bush is like a bad comic working the crowd, a moron, if youll pardon the expression.

-I don’t think abortion is a good idea. I personally am opposed to abortion, but I will not judge anybody else’s right in that regard because I am not a woman and I could never face the actual reality of it.

Martin Sheen Quotes

-Aaron Sorkin very sticky about using precise language. It’s in his contract: you have to use what he writes!

-I’m one of those cliff-hanging Catholics. I don’t believe in God, but I do believe that Mary was his mother.

The most satisfying thing in my life and my career is to work with my children.

-Those years on the golf course as a caddie, boy, those people were something. They were vulgar, some were alcoholics, racist, they were very difficult people to deal with. A lot of them didn’t have a sense of humor.

-The key word about The West Wing is show. It is not a reality show. It has nothing to do with reality.

-This Administration has led us into an area without vision. Bush has no clear understanding of what is being asked of the citizens, and the military is under his direction.

-I have been accused of being a traitor, and I have been accused of not supporting the military. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Martin Sheen Quotes

-We never get over our fathers, and we’re not required to. (Irish Proverb)

-No father could ever be prouder of his son. I hold Charlie’s accomplishments dearer than my own. He has been through so much and overcome so much more. Even if he weren’t my son he’d still be my best friend.

-I think [Bush] would like to hand his father Saddam Hussein’s head and win his approval for what happened after the Gulf War.

-I think he [President Clinton] was probably the brightest President of the 20th century.

-I think most actors rarely get the opportunity to play something really close to you and speaks to something you deeply believe.

-I was a celebrity. This is not what I do for a living – politics. I play politicians, as well as working class or clergy or whatever, and you mustn’t be confused by what you’re seeing on television because that’s not who I am. So I always ended it.