Leonardo DiCaprio – a name synonymous with Hollywood stardom, an actor par excellence who has captivated audiences worldwide with his versatile roles and impassioned performances. But beyond his cinematic brilliance, DiCaprio is a prominent figure known for his dedication to environmental activism, using his influential platform to champion the cause of our planet’s preservation.
Born in Los Angeles, California, on November 11, 1974, Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio started his acting career in television before making his film debut in ‘This Boy’s Life’ in 1993. His breakthrough came just a year later with ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,’ earning him an Academy Award nomination at a tender age of 20. Throughout his illustrious career, DiCaprio has garnered critical acclaim and several awards, including an Oscar for Best Actor for ‘The Revenant.’
But his influence doesn’t stop at the silver screen. DiCaprio is a tireless environmental advocate, establishing the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 1998 dedicated to protecting Earth’s biodiversity and fostering a harmonious relationship between humanity and the natural world.
In this blog post, we will explore some of most inspiring, reflective, and visionary Leonardo DiCaprio quotes. They not only offer a glimpse into the mindset of this acclaimed actor and environmentalist but also serve as a source of motivation and encouragement for us to achieve our dreams and contribute positively to the world. So, whether you are an aspiring actor, a dedicated environmentalist, or simply someone seeking inspiration, there is a DiCaprio quote that might resonate deeply with you.
Selected quotes appear in the following video:
Table of Contents
- Leonardo DiCaprio Quotes on Life
- Leonardo DiCaprio Quotes on The Environment and Planet Earth
- Leonardo DiCaprio Quotes on Movies and Acting
- Leonardo DiCaprio Quotes on Relationship
- Leonardo DiCaprio Quotes from Movies
- Interesting Facts about Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio Quotes on Life
I’m not the kind of person who tries to be cool or trendy, I’m definitely an individual.
I don’t think anyone really gets used to being recognized around the world. It kind of feels like a videogame at times, especially with paparazzi and people following you and things of that nature. But it’s part of who I am now.
If you want to be successful, respect one rule. Never let failure take control of you.
Everybody has gone through something that has changed them in a way that they could never go back to the person they once were.
School, I never truly got the knack of. I could never focus on things I didn’t want to learn. Math is just the worst. To this day, I can’t concentrate on it. People always say, ‘You should have tried harder.’ But actually, I cheated a lot because I could not sit and do homework.
When I was young, I used to have this thing where I wanted to see everything. I used to think, how can I die without seeing every inch of this world?
Wrong connection will give you shock throughout your life but the right one will light up your life.
As a kid, I was going to be a marine biologist or an actor. When I became successful as an actor, I said, well, maybe I can lend a voice to this with an equal passion. You realize how lucky we are and how destructive we’ve been and what little regard we have for the natural world.
We are all shaped from memories we have as young people.
Considering all that’s happened in my life, I feel like I’m a pretty level-headed person that has remained happy and not let my shortcomings overtake the better part of me. I’m fulfilling the things I wanted to fulfil, and I’m still sane.
I will succeed and nothing in this world is going to stop me.
A man’s legacy is determined by how the story ends.
If you can do what you do best and be happy, you’re further along in life than most people.
Only you and you alone can change your situation. Don’t blame it on anything or anyone.
I want you to back yourself into a corner. Give yourself no choice but to succeed. let the consequences of failure become so dire and so unthinkable that you’ll have no choice but to do whatever it takes to succeed.
I’ve been very lucky to have achieved a lot of the things that I dreamt of achieving as a young man. But, at the end of the day – and I truly believe this – it is not about achieving great wealth or success. Because they don’t bring happiness, ultimately.
Be thankful for the hard times, for they have made you.
Leonardo DiCaprio Quotes on The Environment and Planet Earth
Global warming is not only the No.1 environmental challenge we face today but one of the most important issues facing all of humanity. We all have to do our part to raise awareness about global warming and the problems we as a people face in promoting a sustainable environmental future for our planet.
Enough is enough. The truth is our planet’s alarm is now going off and it’s time to wake up and take action.
Raising awareness on the most pressing environmental issues of our time is more important than ever.
I love being immersed in nature, going to places in the world that are pristine and untouched by man. It’s almost a religious experience when you go to a place like the Amazon, and there’s no civilization for thousands of miles.
I play fictitious characters often solving fictitious problems. I believe mankind has looked at climate change in the same way, as if it were a fiction.
Raising awareness on the most pressing environmental issues of our time is more important than ever.
Leonardo DiCaprio Quotes on Movies and Acting
When you are given an opportunity to make a film like ‘Body of Lies’ – and I would put ‘Blood Diamond’ in the same category – of course, you jump at these opportunities.
I don’t know if I’m more confident than ever before, because I definitely had confidence when I was starting out. Maybe I have less confidence now that I did then.
Thirty is a very good age for an actor: you can play both young and old men.
The best thing about acting is that I get to lose myself in another character and actually get paid for it. It’s a great outlet. I’m not really sure who I am – it seems I change every day.
The good thing about acting is that it always keeps you on your toes. It’s not like any other job where you can go in and do the same thing as yesterday.
I have learned from my experiences in this industry that there is absolutely no way to control people’s opinions on your performance in your movie. You go out there, promote your film and hope people like the work you did.
Growing up in this business and truly wanting to be a part of the world of film, I’m a truly privileged person standing here today. But I must say, the pinnacle, the pinnacle of all that has been to work alongside one of the greatest contributors to the world of cinema of our time, and that is the great Martin Scorsese.
I really hate relaxing. I’ve done three movies in a row, worked for two years straight, and to me, idle time is the devil’s workshop. I like to focus on something.
It’s business! Leave your emotions at the door.
Money was always on my mind when I was growing up. So I was always wondering how we were going to afford this and that. Acting seemed to be a shortcut out of the mess.
Don’t think for a moment that I’m really like any of the characters I’ve played. I’m not. That’s why it’s called ‘acting’.
I grew up when I was 15 when I had my first opportunity in movies. I watched every great movie for a year and a half, and since then I’ve asked myself how I can emulate such artistry. That’s really my motivation. I want to do something as good as my heroes have done.
My career should adapt to me. Fame is like a VIP pass wherever you want to go.
I’ve managed to keep a clear head and remain sane in this business because I remain a kid off-camera.
When I started acting, I didn’t think of it as a career. I always thought Hollywood was this magical world where a fairy came down and said, ‘Come live with the Munchkins; you are now one of us.’ I didn’t understand the concept of it as a career. I thought I would save up enough money to go to college.
I didn’t know what types of movies I wanted to do. I want to do things that are different. I want to take my time with each role.
I’m just starting to scratch the surface of what really makes me happy and it’s taken me a while to admit that acting like a little child and being a jerk and a punk is fun.
I like to be able to play a character and act out a lot of things which I can’t or don’t do in my normal everyday life.
I haven’t died in a movie in a while, ‘The Departed,’ ‘Body of Lies,’ ‘Revolutionary Road,’ ‘Shutter Island’ and ‘Inception.’ I guess I did die in ‘The Departed.’
Portraying emotionally ill characters gives me the chance to really act.
I love science fiction, but I have a hard time feeling for characters in a galaxy far away. Choosing movies is the one thing in my life where there’s no compromising.
I took some time off after ‘Titanic’ because I needed to let the dust settle and recharge my battery. I felt, ‘OK, you’ve been given a tremendous opportunity; what are you going to do with it? Now your name can finance movies that you do want to do.’
I really don’t know what I’m doing… I don’t. It’s terrible. I go in there and I learn how to be like the character and do the best I can, and that’s all I really do.
I don’t think I ever expected anything like an Oscar ever, to tell you the truth. That is not my motivation when I do these roles. I really am motivated by being able to work with great people and create a body of work that I can look back and be proud of.
I don’t ask other actors questions. I think that’s too intrusive. I just watch. I don’t want to be constricted to an idea of what acting is by anyone else. I want to take my own education.
Leonardo DiCaprio Quotes on Relationship
I’m probably not going to get married unless I live with somebody for 10 or 20 years. But these people (Romeo and Juliet) took a chance and they did it. We don’t have the balls that Romeo did.
I prefer ordinary girls – you know, college students, waitresses, that sort of thing. Most of the girls I go out with are just good friends. Just because I go out to the cinema with a girl, it doesn’t mean we are dating.
I’ve never been Romeo who meets a girl and falls for her immediately. It’s been a much slower process for me each time I’ve gone into a relationship.
I’ve always been a slow starter. My first date was with a girl called Cessi. We had a beautiful relationship over the phone all summer, and then when we met, I couldn’t look her in the eye.
The first kiss I had was the most disgusting thing in my life. The girl injected about a pound of saliva into my mouth, and when I walked away I had to spit it all out.
To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the ultimate tragedy.
With Romeo and Juliet, you’re talking about two people who meet one night, and get married the same night. I believe in love at first sight-but it hasn’t happened to me yet.
Leonardo DiCaprio Quotes from Movies
You can dream of a moment for years and still somehow miss it when it comes. You’ve got to reach through the flames and take it, or lose it forever. I took it.
Toby, This Boy’s Life (1993)
You’re growing up. And rain sort of remains on the branches of a tree that will someday rule the Earth. And it’s good that there is rain. It clears the month of your sorry rainbow expressions, and it clears the streets of the silent armies… so we can dance.
Jim Carroll, The Basketball Diaries (1995)
Did my heart love ’til now? Forswear its sight. For I never saw true beauty ’til this night.
Romeo, Romeo + Juliet (1996)
I wear the mask. It does not wear me.
King Louis, The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it’s not some place you can look for. Because it’s not where you go. It’s how you feel for a moment in your life when you’re a part of something. And if you find that moment … it lasts forever.
Richard, The Beach (2000)
If you get all of us together, we ain’t got a gang, we’ve got an army.
Amsterdam Vallon, Gangs of New York (2002)
Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse, wouldn’t quit. He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and crawled out. Gentlemen, as of this moment, I am that second mouse.
Frank Abagnale Jr., Catch Me If You Can (2002)
You sit there with a mass murderer. A mass murderer. Your heart rate is jacked, and your hand… steady. That’s one thing I figured out about myself in prison. My hand does not shake… ever.
Billy Costigan, The Departed (2006)
Which would be worse? To live as a monster, or to die as a good man?
Teddy Daniels, Shutter Island (2010)
Downward is the only way forward.
Cobb, Inception (2010)
When morals decline and good men do nothing, evil flourishes. A society unwilling to learn from the past is doomed. We must never forget our history. We must never lower our guard.
J. Edgar Hoover, J. Edgar (2011)
Django, and his friend in grey here, Dr. Schultz, are customers. And they are our guests, Stephen, and you, you old decrepit bastard are to show them every hospitality. You understand that?
Calvin Candie, Django Unchained (2012)
Let me tell you something: there’s no nobility in poverty. I’ve been a poor man, and I’ve been a rich man. And I choose rich every time.
Jordan Belfort, The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
The only respectable thing about you, old sport, is your money. Your money, that’s it. Now I’ve just as much as you. That means we’re equal.
Jay Gatsby, The Great Gatsby (2013)
As long as you can still grab a breath, you fight. You breathe… keep breathing.
Hugh Glass, The Revenant (2015)
I could be one pool party away from starring in a Polanski movie!
Rick Dalton, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
Interesting Facts about Leonardo DiCaprio
Time for some interesting facts about Leonardo DiCaprio that may surprise you. But before we dive in, I’d like to recommend you watch the following video from our good friends at Factomania, which covers 11 things you didn’t know about Leonardo DiCaprio:
- The Origin of His Name – Leonardo DiCaprio is named after Leonardo da Vinci. When his mother was pregnant with him, she visited the Uffizi museum in Florence, Italy, and while staring at a painting by Leonardo da Vinci, she suddenly felt kicks for the first time. His parents saw this as a sign and so, decided to name the baby Leonardo.
- He Bought an Island with a Plan in Mind – In 2005, DiCaprio bought an island and paid for it no less than $1.75 million. His plan was to make it a resort to be entirely self-sustaining, with 36 villas that would rely on natural energy only. The plan didn’t go without difficulties, but after several construction delays, building permits were issued. However, as of 2021, construction on the island hasn’t even started.
- He Helped Pay Nursing Home Fees – Millvina Dean is Titanic’s youngest passenger and the last living Titanic survivor. When she broke her hip, she had to move live in a nursing home. However, she didn’t have enough money to pay the fees for her stay there, so in order to get funds and pay, she had to sell Titanic memorabilia. A fund on her behalf was launched, and both Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio donated $30,000 to pay for her stay, and for her not to sell her memorabilia.
- He Has Won Both the Oscar and The Razzie – Leonardo DiCaprio has won both the awards for best and worst actor, funny but true. In 1999, he won the “Worst Screen Couple” award for his role as King Louis in the movie The Man in the Iron Mask, and in 2016 won the Academy Award for his role as Hugh Glass in the movie The Revenant.
- He’s Struggling with OCD – DiCaprio has been struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder all his life, yet he’s doing the best he can not to let it affect his life. He constantly fights urges to walk through doorways several times and also forces himself not to step on every chewing gum stain when walking along sidewalks, part of his ways of battling with the disorder.
For more quotes from famous actors, check out Morgan Freeman quotes, Bruce Lee quotes, Clint Eastwood quotes, and Chuck Norris quotes.