Best 101 quotes of Tom Cruise on MyQuotes

As a kid, when I got to the edge of a cliff I wanted to jump off. I didn't want to kill myself. I wanted to fly.

As an actor - like an artist - you have to ask, "Why do I choose a certain moment to play something a certain way?" It's organic to who we are.

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.

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.

Being a Scientologist, when you drive past an accident... you know you have to do something about it because you know you're the only one that can really help.

But I think also you look at Scientology it is the fastest growing religion. It's helped so many people.

But my friends are happy for me. The people who know me are happy. My mom is happy. My family is happy.

Do I make mistakes? Yeah.

Emotions kick up. You try not to kick things up, but you go through things you can't help.

Even in my dreams, I’m an idiot who knows he’s about to wake up to reality.

Everybody dies, Sally. The thing is to die well.

For me as a man, philosophically, when you talk about honor and integrity, that’s the way I want to live my life. It moved me.

For me, to take a movie and travel the world and go and work with these cultures and an international cast and have this spy thriller that's not just about character but also action and suspense, they're very challenging films as a producer to make, creating stories, creating set pieces that serve this character [Ethan Hunt].

Have you ever gotten the feeling that you aren't completely embarassed yet, but you glimpse tomorrow's embarrassment?

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 also realise power is fleeting, it doesn't last forever in this career, so I want to make the most of it. I want to make the kinds of pictures that interest me, it's as simple as that. 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 always look for a challenge and something that's different.

I believe in life. I know that life comes in at your heart and it doesn't matter if you're an actor, a filmmaker or a gentleman on the street, it comes at you. What Scientology gives me is the tools to deal with that, to better enjoy my life and to be able to contribute more.

I disagree with people who think you learn more from getting beat up than you do from winning.

I don't care if you print something nasty about me. If it's true, fine. I don't care. But just make sure it's the truth.

I don't care what someone believes. I don't care what nationality they are. But if someone wants to get off drugs, I can help them. If someone wants to learn how to read, I can help them. If someone doesn't want to be a criminal anymore, I can give them tools that can better their life.

I don't care who you are, life has challenges.

I don't hide from cameras or anything. It doesn't bother me. I don't seek our press for the women I'm dating, but if it finds me, it finds me.

I enjoy working with writers and their scripts. It's very exciting to me. Eventually I would like to produce, direct and act onstage, but it's not a heavy pressure. When I do it, I want to do it well. I'm just educating myself with writers and scripts, because I didn't read a lot of books when I was growing up.

I feel good about the decisions that I made and I'm happy. You know, I'm really happy.

I feel good about the fact that I finally found something I love. I never lived in one place for very long - that's the way my whole life has been. I was always packing and moving around, staying in Canada, Kentucky, Jersey, St. Louis - it all helped because I was always learning new accents, experiencing different environments.

I feel lonely at times, but I don't want to get into a relationship with someone if it is not right. I'm not the type of person who just does things to do them.

I feel the need... the need for speed.

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.”

If someone doesn’t want to be a criminal anymore, I can give them tools that can better their life. You have no idea how many people want to know what Scientology is.

If you have kids, it is the most important thing to create good times.

I had to train myself to focus my attention. I became very visual and learned how to create mental images in order to comprehend what I read.

I have cooked turkeys in my day but when Mom`s around I let her do it.

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.

I just want to help people. I'm a helper. For instance, I myself have helped hundreds of people get off drugs. In Scientology, we have the only successful drug rehabilitation program in the world. It's called Narconon.

I kept looking [at Katie] and thinking, 'This woman's amazing.' I'm happy that I'm with her. She's amazing, and I'd think the same of her even if she wasn't with me - she's just amazing.

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.

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 love adventure movies, I just love action adventure films. It's pure cinema and you go in and you're lost to it. To me, it's that challenge - I want to give an audience that ride, that entertainment.

I love kids. I was a kid myself, once.

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.

I'm a good listener. I think it's the one characteristic that's most important. I've always been that way. Not that I take all the advice, but you've got to listen to it and have the courage to make your own decision. Then I just go for it.

I'm always around my mother and sisters. I always wanted to be a father, a husband.

I'm not greedy. I just want my half.

I'm someone who doesn't believe in making my problems other people's problems.

I'm usually nervous to meet people that I admire because what if they're not cool or something?

In this life, it's not what you hope for, it's not what you deserve - it's what you take!

I remember looking at my dad and wanting to understand him. I didn't want to just write the guy off. He was lost. I can't speak specifically in terms of why and how he got to where he was - that was his journey. All I can tell you is, he was overwhelmed by life... My mother basically did all the work, and then they got separated and I didn't see him for a long time. He didn't try to help the family financially or spiritually, and I lived with the effects of the chaos.

I structure the scripts and work on them on films and work on scenes with writers and but I haven't written a script myself, I really respect what they do and I'm fortunate I get to work with people that I really enjoy working with and we all kind of spitball and work together on these things, but I haven't written a script yet.

I think if technology is used in a way that is not responsible, that is a bad thing. I think technology and where it is going inevitable, and there's great benefits that can help an individual in society at large.