James Dean Biography

“Only the gentle are ever really strong.”

“Gratification comes in the doing, not in the results.”

“Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today.”

“To grasp the full significance of life is the actor's duty; to interpret it his problem and to express it his dedication. Being an actor is the loneliest thing in the world. You are all alone with your concentration and imagination, and that's all you have. Being a good actor isn't easy. Being a man is even harder. I want to be both before I'm done.”

“Studying cows, pigs and chickens can help an actor develop his character. There are a lot of things I learned from animals. One was that they couldn't hiss or boo me. I also became close to nature and am now able to appreciate the beauty with which this world is endowed.”

"How can you measure acting in inches?" Dean’s comment when told he was too short to be an actor."

“I'm not going to go through life with one arm tied behind my back.”

"If a man can bridge the gap between life and death ... I mean, if he can live on after his death, then maybe he was a great man."