53 of the Best Arnold Schwarzenegger Quotes

Arnold Schwarzenegger, fully named Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger, was born in Australia in 1947. In his childhood, Arnold dreamed of being a bodybuilder, his father however did not support that dream. His father was a police chief and an alcoholic, it has been said that his father was abusive to him. Arnold and his brother also had an estranged relationship because his father favored his brother and constantly pitted the two against one another. His brother was in a fatal car crash and died in 1971, and his father died in 1972; Arnold refused to attend either of their funerals.

Arnold began bodybuilding and was known as the Austrian Oak or Styrian Oak, he won an ametuer Mr. Universe title in 1967. In 1968, he moved to California to compete for bigger events, he won ten more titles, Mr Universe four more times and Mr. Olympia six times. During his bodybuilding career, he also acted in a few movies such as, ‘Hercules in New York’ (1970) and a documentary called ‘Pumping Iron’ (1977). He retired from bodybuilding in 1975, but went back in 1980 to compete and win the Mr. Universe title one more time. After Arnold retired from bodybuilding, it wasn’t the end for him as he still acted in more movies. In 1983, Schwarzenegger became a U.S. Citizen and then he was elected as the Governor of California in 2003.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Quotes

“I like the color red because it’s a fire. And I see myself as always being on fire.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Confidence comes from victory, but strength comes from the struggle.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I need a vacation.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, ‘Terminator 2: Judgement Day’ (1991)

“The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Positive thinking can be contagious. Being surrounded by winners helps you develop into a winner.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I was always dreaming about very powerful people, dictators and things like that. I was just always impressed by people who could be remembered for hundreds of years, or even, like Jesus, be for thousands of years remembered.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“If you don’t find the time, if you don’t do the work, you don’t get the results.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“It’s showtime.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, ‘The Running Man’ (1987)

“Milk is for babies. When you grow up you have to drink beer.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Break your mirrors! In our society that is so self-absorbed, begin to look less at yourself and more at each other. you’ll get more satisfaction from having improved your neighborhood, your town, your state, your country, and your fellow human beings than you’ll ever get from your muscles, your figure, your automobile, your house, or your credit rating” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“For me, life is about continuously being hungry. The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“If I train the hardest, run the longest, go beyond what anyone else has the mental determination to do, I will be the winner.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“But I’m all woman.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, ‘Junior’ (1994)

“The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That’s what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they’ll go through the pain no matter what happens.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Be hungry for success, hungry to make your mark, hungry to be seen and to be heard and to have an effect. And as you move up and become successful, make sure also to be hungry for helping others.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Start wide, expand further, and never look back.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“You must see it. You must believe it. And then you must never stop working to make it happen.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“You are terminated.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, ‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines’ (2003)

“Help others and give something back. I guarantee you will discover that while public service improves the lives and the world around you, its greatest reward is the enrichment and new meaning it will bring your own life.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I never felt that I was good enough, strong enough, smart enough. He let me know that there was always room for improvement. A lot of sons would have been crippled by his demands, but instead the discipline rubbed off on me. I turned it into drive.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I knew I was a winner back in the late sixties. I knew I was destined for great things. People will say that kind of thinking is totally immodest. I agree. Modesty is not a word that applies to me in any way. I hope it never will.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“You can have results or excuses. Not both.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Allow me to break the ice.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, ‘Batman and Robin’ (1997)

“It’s simple, if it jiggles, it’s fat.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I do the same exercises I did 50 years ago and they still work. I eat the same food I ate 50 years ago and it still works.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I welcome and seek your ideas, but do not bring me small ideas; bring me big ideas to match our future.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

““Pain makes me grow. Growing is what I want. Therefore, for me pain is pleasure.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I’m not sh*tting on you.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, ‘Red Heat’ (1988)

“I think that gay marriage should be between a man and a woman.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Life’s six rules for success. 1. Trust yourself. 2. Break some rules. 3. Don’t be afraid to fail. 4. Ignore the naysayers. 5. Work like hell. 6. Give something back.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Marijuana… That’s not a drug, that’s a plant.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“The wolf on the hill is not as hungry as the wolf climbing the hill.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“You killed my father.. Big mistake.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, ‘Last Action Hero’ (1993)

“In our society, the women who break down barriers are those who ignore limits.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I don’t walk away from things that I think are unfinished.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“If you are gonna wear gloves when you lift, just make sure they match your purse.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I’m a cop you idiot.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, ‘Kindergarten Cop’ (1990)

“The resistance that you fight physically in the gym and the resistance that you fight in life can only build a strong character.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Life may be full of pain but that’s not an excuse to give up.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“What is the point of being on this Earth if you are going to be like everyone else?” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Just remember, you can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“If it bleeds, we can kill it.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, ‘Predator’ (1987)

“You know, nothing is more important than education, because nowhere are our stakes higher; our future depends on the quality of education of our children today.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I would never exchange my life with anybody else’s.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Money doesn’t make you happy. I now have $50 million but I was just as happy when I had $48 million.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“It is going to be tough if you look for the easy way out because very rarely is there an easy way out. There is nothing that replaces hard work.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Get to the chopper.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, ‘Predator’ (1987)

“As you know, I’m an immigrant. I came over here as an immigrant, and what gave me the opportunities, what made me to be here today, is the open arms of Americans. I have been received. I have been adopted by America.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Learned helplessness is the giving-up reaction, the quitting response that follows from the belief that whatever you do doesn’t matter.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“We made, actually, history, because it was the first time ever that doctors could prove that a lifelong Republican has a heart.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Never follow the crowd. Go where it’s empty.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Hasta la vista, baby.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, ‘Terminator 2: Judgement Day’ (1991)

Video – Arnold Schwarzenegger Undercover at Gold’s Gym

Okay this is a HILARIOUS video. Arnold wears a costume and goes around the original Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach California offering “workout tips” to other people working out. It’s perhaps the funniest clip we’ve ever seen with Arnold.

 

Summary

There are many fans of Arnold, in fact his childhood home, in Thal, Austria, was turned into a museum revolving solely around Schwarzenegger in 2011. If you are a fan of Arnold or not, you are sure to at least know who he is and have watched at least a few movies he has starred in.

Arnold’s first big movie breakout role was in Conan The Barbarian. Some of his recent movies include ‘Escape Plan’ (2013) with Sylvester Stalone and another two more Terminator sequels, ‘Terminator Genisys’ (2015) and ‘ Terminator: Dark Fate’ (2019). Use some of these quotes to share with friends and family, recall the movie they are from, or use them in a personalized trivia game.

Image Credit: “Arnold Schwarzenegger” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0