10 Incredible Robin Williams Quotes You Should Check Out

On August 11, 2014, the news of Robin Williams’ death shock the world entirely. In case you don’t live on this planet, Williams committed suicide by hanging at his home in Paradise Cay, California—his struggle with “Lewy body dementia” ultimately led to this tragic departure. 

The death of Williams was instant global news. The entertainment world, friends, and fans responded to his death through social and other media outlets. Many fans paid tribute to Williams with photo and video reenactments of the 1989 film Dead Poets Society’s “O Captain! My Captain!” scene.

While the many, many performances, interviews and memorable scenes from his famous films, Williams could fill a lifetime and more with joy and laughter, his death will always feel too soon. However, we must preserve the smiles he has given us, and learn to live a lighter, happier and more loving life through his words.

Ahead, take a look at this Infographic and remember the incredible talent—and incredible soul—of the great Robin Williams with these quotes selected from his rich and varied career. Quotes that will stay with us for a long time.

Infographic: 10 INCREDIBLE ROBIN WILLIAMS QUOTES – by @asifahsankhan

Dubbed “the funniest man alive” by Entertainment Weekly in 1997, Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) is credited with leading San Francisco’s comedy renaissance. After rising to fame as Mork in Mork & Mindy (1978–82), Williams established a career in both stand-up comedy and feature film acting.

Known for his improvisational skills, Williams brought audiences hours of laughter, putting his imaginative spin on characters in film and television. He was lauded for his serious roles as well, winning a best supporting actor Oscar for his performance as Sean Maguire, the therapist who counsels Matt Damon’s math genius in “Good Will Hunting” (1997), and receiving nominations for “The Fisher King” (1991), “Dead Poets Society” (1989) and “Good Morning, Vietnam” (1987). 

He also won six Golden Globe Awards, along with the Cecil B. DeMille award in 2005, four Grammy Awards and three Emmy’s.

Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014)

Born in Chicago in 1951, Williams became one of only two students accepted into John Houseman’s prestigious acting program at Julliard, the other being Christopher Reeve, who became a lifelong friend. Williams gained fame as Mork, the bizarre, suspenders-sporting alien on the sitcom “Mork & Mindy,” a spinoff from “Happy Days.” Williams departed from the script so often that producers intentionally left blank moments on page for Williams to have space to indulge his ad-libbing genius. Image: Robin Williams in 1972 – Wynn Miller/The LIFE Images Collection

Robert De Niro and Robin Williams in Awakenings (1990)

Robin Williams and Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting (1997) for which he won the 1997 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as teacher Sean Maguire. Upon winning, Williams said in his 1998 Oscar speech: “Most of all, I want to thank my father, up there, the man who when I said I wanted to be an actor, he said, ‘Wonderful. Just have a back-up profession like welding’.”

Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)

Robin Williams as “Adrian Cronauer” in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges in The Fisher King (1991)

Although Williams was first recognized as a stand-up comedian and television star, he later became known for acting in film roles of substance and serious drama. He was considered a “national treasure” by many in the entertainment industry and by the public.

Robin Williams on the Johnny Carson’s Show. Throughout the course of his career won numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Good Will Hunting (1997). He also won six Golden Globe Awards, including Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his roles in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), The Fisher King (1991) and Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), along with the Cecil B. DeMille award in 2005.

His on-stage energy and improvisational skill became a model for a new generation of stand-up comedians. Many comedians valued the way he worked highly personal issues into his comedy routines, especially his honesty about drug and alcohol addiction, along with depression. According to media scholar Derek A. Burrill, because of the openness with which Williams spoke about his own life, “probably the most important contribution he made to pop culture, across so many different media, was as Robin Williams the person.”

Dubbed “the funniest man alive” by Entertainment Weekly in 1997, Williams brought audiences hours of laughter, putting his imaginative spin on characters in film and television. He was lauded for his serious roles as well, winning a best supporting actor Oscar for his performance as Sean Maguire, the therapist who counsels Matt Damon’s math genius in “Good Will Hunting”(1997), and receiving nominations for “The Fisher King” (1991), “Dead Poets Society” (1989) and “Good Morning, Vietnam” (1987).

Although Williams was first recognized as a stand-up comedian and television star, he later became known for acting in film roles of substance and serious drama. He was considered a “national treasure” by many in the entertainment industry and by the public. His on-stage energy and improvisational skill became a model for a new generation of stand-up comedians.

Many comedians valued the way he worked highly personal issues into his comedy routines, especially his honesty about drug and alcohol addiction, along with depression. Williams created a signature free-form persona in comedy, in a style that was so widely and uniquely identified with him, that new comedians imitated Williams personally.

While his death may haunt us forever, no doubt but as we must preserve the smiles he has given us, and learn to live a lighter, happier—and more loving life through his words, consider this, as is or was, in a way, my own personal tribute to the man, the comedian, the actor, the legend—and El Capitán.

© 2017 Asif Ahsan Khan. ® All Rights Reserved.