Although Christian Bale wants to keep a low profile, the public interest about his personal life or personality has never waned. Of course, it does not help when he says, “If people really knew what a jerk I am in real life…” But if we follow his quotes, we do find a glimpse of the real man, who wanted to fade in the background as a teenager and who as an adult loves his wife “beyond belief”. Described as one of the most versatile and talented actors of his generation, he has talked mostly about his profession in his interviews; but at the same time has touched various important issue. Let us look at some of his inspirational quotes on courage, life, family, hope, character etc.
What I like about it is that I'm not somebody who's in movies. I'm a guy who's not very good going around the track with a bunch of guys who are a hell of a lot better.
Christian Bale
I think there's a limited amount of planning you can do, at least in the position I'm in. Maybe more successful actors can plan more than I'm able to.
Christian Bale
The blue collar milieu was something that I really understood and resonated with me and I thought was underrepresented in American cinema.
Christian Bale
I'm an actor I'm not a politician. I always kick myself when I talk too much about family, or personal things.
Christian Bale
In everyday life, my wife is the most wonderful. We're in love with each other beyond belief.
I was born in Wales but I'm not Welsh - I'm English.
Christian Bale
I'm not really into musicals.
Christian Bale
I don't ever really sit back and look at roles I've taken and look at any similarities.
Christian Bale
I never applied to any acting schools. I don't know if that's just bad reporting, or - sometimes I just make stuff up.
Christian Bale
Directors go their whole career without being able to tell personal stories and to work with a cast as talented as they are.
Christian Bale
My hope is that people will be repulsed by the character's complete lack of ethics and obsession with consumerism - that's what I was saying about the difference between the character's message and the film's message.
After the modest success of my first film, I found it very daunting to have to live with that kind of burden of expectations.
Christian Bale
I've always felt that I would rather see an actor, writer, or musician's work, rather than actually know the person. If you know too much about an artist, it somehow lessens their ability to do their work as well.
Christian Bale
I don't think I'm like any of the characters I've played. They're all really far from who I am.
'Batman' took 10 months to film, and by the time I stopped working on it, it took a long time before my English accent came out again. I was actually having to try for it.
I certainly liked performing [Patrick Bateman], but it was because he thinks he's so [bloody] cool and just the [stuff], but is really such a cheesy dork.
Christian Bale
You get those occasional moments when you're absolutely calm, and you've just done something that would have scared you shitless earlier that day, and you've just done it like it was nothing. I find that very relaxing.
Christian Bale
For me, I think the harder the shoot, the more I feel like I'm enjoying myself.
Christian Bale
There's a level of confidence in the actor you're working with that really helps a lot. It makes all the difference.
Christian Bale
I don't get it when you get so much openness about the way movies are made, and the special effects and the behind-the-scenes stuff and all of that. I can't help but feel like this reduces it a little bit.
Christian Bale
I quite like it when you're working with people and you only get to know them through the scenes that you're doing together.
Essentially, I'm untrained, so I just go with my imagination and try to put myself as solidly as I can into the shoes of whatever person I'm going to be playing.
If you're smart you're just gonna be all about the work. But as a young person, you want to going out to clubs and doing all the stuff. I'm just glad I survived it.
Christian Bale
It's not who I am underneath but what I do that defines me.
Christian Bale
I become a bit of a blank page in public. And that's precisely why I like acting.
Christian Bale
It's a wonderful thing when your trainer is actually the person you're playing.
Christian Bale
I'm English. Our dentistry is not world famous. But I made sure I got moldings of my old teeth beforehand because I miss them.
Christian Bale
I think the harder the shoot, the more I feel like I'm enjoying myself.
Christian Bale
I think mostly it's the adventure that I will have in making the movie. That's what I look for.
Christian Bale
Planning a career, I always find a tricky thing, because I don't have much of a plan, really.
Christian Bale
I would have been very happy just cruising around and enjoying the unexpected. I've never been ambitious.
Christian Bale
I'm not really looking forward to wearing a black rubber suit in the summertime in humid Chicago. If you see a pool of sweat through the city, follow it and you will find me.
Christian Bale
You're creating a different world and the actor's job is to be able to convince the audience to enter into that world, whether it be actually something that you recognize from your own life or not.
Christian Bale
It was just the two of us, inside there with just mirrors, all the way around us. Everywhere we looked, there were these two freaks, sitting at a table, eyeballing each other.
Christian Bale
Look, I've got incredible pride for my family. I've absolutely fallen into that cliche of a dad who could just happily talk about my daughter endlessly.
Christian Bale
I swear, the bigger your muscles get, the duller you are. You become fascinated with carbs and protein and ripped abs and things that are just not interesting at all.
Christian Bale
Sometimes the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people have got to have their faith rewarded.
Christian Bale
As an actor, I don't feel like it's necessary to watch a great deal of films. In fact, I think it can lead to imitation and unhealthy competition, which just isn't needed.
Christian Bale
The risk element only came from acknowledging other people's attitudes toward it, and realizing that they considered it to be a risk for me to do.
Christian Bale
I'll find myself having dinner with people and someone will mention something and I will say I was in that situation once. Then I'll say, forget it, it was a scene I was in. That can get to be quite confusing.
Christian Bale
I want to do good work. I want the opportunity to work with good people, and the only way I'm gonna do that is to commit 110% - you get out what you put in.
Christian Bale
It's tough to make a good movie. I think the bigger the movies are, the worse they are. A lot of big movies make a lot of money and you kind of forget about what they are and they don't really make you think.
Christian Bale
And being as I'm somebody who loves movies like The Machinist, I also love going along to big mass entertainment movies. I get in the mood for all kinds of movies, and so I like to try each of them.
In honesty, there are probably a lot of stories that can be told with Batman. I like the idea of him growing older and he can't quite do it as much anymore.
Christian Bale
I seek … the means to fight injustice. To turn fear against those who prey on the fearful.
Christian Bale
You say something bad about Newsies and you have an awful lot of people to answer to.
Christian Bale
Nuclear apocalypse-who do you need? Actors are probably not top of the list. What can I do for you? I can pretend to be somebody who can grow you some nice crops.
Christian Bale
The only thing that I'm obsessed with is sleeping, and actually, it is more than an obsession, it is a pleasure.
Christian Bale
You have to treat yourself like a mushroom to some degree, in order to keep on discovering things.
Christian Bale
I've had some painful experiences in my life, but I feel like I'm trivializing them by using them for a scene in a movie. I don't want to do that. It just makes me feel kind of dirty for having done that.
Christian Bale
But I learned that there's a certain character that can be built from embarrassing yourself endlessly. If you can sit happy with embarrassment, there's not much else that can really get to ya.
It's the actors who are prepared to make fools of themselves who are usually the ones who come to mean something to the audience.
Christian Bale
All I've ever ended up with in terms of achievements is the movie, some really stupid anecdotes, a bunch of crosswords that I didn't finish and maybe some old bicycle that I found lying around on set.
Christian Bale
I feel like I'm pretty good but I don't like to toot my own horn, you know. I want to let the work speak for itself and kind of move on to the next thing.
Christian Bale
Were all conning ourselves, one way or another, just to get through life.
Christian Bale
I never, in any city I've ever been in, never remember the names of streets. The longest place I ever lived in was for five years and I didn't know the name of the next street over.
Christian Bale
I think it's important when you're acting to be as relaxed as possible even if you're doing something intense. You're basically in a state of dynamic relaxation.
Christian Bale
There's nothing like boxing for getting you in shape.
Christian Bale
You'll hunt me. You'll condemn me. Set the dogs on me. Because that's what needs to happen. Because sometimes truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.
Christian Bale
I don't personally look to my own life experiences for answers about how to play a scene.
Christian Bale
Well, it's embarrassing to be a star.
Christian Bale
It's about pursuing it rather than waiting to see what comes along.
Christian Bale
I like being responsible for myself
Christian Bale
If you're doing your job properly, you take the risk of feeling slightly foolish and delve in and bring out the emotions.
Christian Bale
It's got to do with putting yourself in other people's shoes and seeing how far you can come to truly understand them. I like the empathy that comes from acting.
Christian Bale
The art of survival is a story that never ends.
Christian Bale
Being misunderstood is not a bad thing as an actor. I know the truth.
Christian Bale
I always want to confuse people in terms of any kind of image and be unpredictable in any kind of movie I make.
Christian Bale
I tend to think you're fearless when you recognize why you should be scared of things, but do them anyway.
Christian Bale
The biggest rebellion I could've ever had with my father would be to work in a bank. He would have disowned me. As long as I was doing something where I didn't have to wear a tie, I was good.
In honesty, there are probably a lot of stories that can be told with Batman. I like the idea of him growing older and he can't quite do it as much anymore.
I find what I do for a living really funny. I mean, acting is kind of a hilarious thing for a grown man to call a job.
Christian Bale
A lot of actors say that theater's the thing for them. And that's great, and I'm not one to speak with any authority about it because of not having done it properly. For me, movies are what I love.
I'll find myself having dinner with people and someone will mention something and I will say I was in that situation once. Then I'll say, forget it, it was a scene I was in. That can get to be quite confusing.
Christian Bale
I'm an actor I'm not a politician. I always kick myself when I talk too much about family, or personal things.
I don't have acknowledged preferences of characters.
Christian Bale
All I've ever ended up with in terms of achievements is the movie, some really stupid anecdotes, a bunch of crosswords that I didn't finish and maybe some old bicycle that I found lying around on set.
Christian Bale
I start from scratch with each movie; I wipe the slate and I certainly don't rely on some bag of acting tricks I've amassed over the years.
Christian Bale
Planning a career, I always find that such a tricky thing, because I don't have much of a plan, really.
Christian Bale
I think mostly it's the adventure that I will have in making the movie. That's what I look for.
And I not only inherited an aversion to the nine-to-five routine, but the sense from my parents that being bored and boring is the worst thing that you can be.
One of the places where we lived when I was growing up had this big wood out the back. And starting when I was about 8, I used to enjoy just walking alone through the wood late. Eleven p.m. Midnight. Later.
Christian Bale
I do like taking stuff seriously that a lot of people look at as nonsense. I enjoy the insanity of that. And I like the commitment that is needed for that.
Art is something to be proud of. Art is no compromise.
Christian Bale
Well, it's embarrassing to be a star.
Christian Bale
Look, I've got incredible pride for my family. I've absolutely fallen into that cliche of a dad who could just happily talk about my daughter endlessly.
I don't get it when you get so much openness about the way movies are made, and the special effects and the behind-the-scenes stuff and all of that. I can't help but feel like this reduces it a little bit.
It's got to do with putting yourself in other people's shoes and seeing how far you can come to truly understand them. I like the empathy that comes from acting.
I like the idea of movies having a magic element. How many times have you seen an actor in a movie who you know only as the character? It's wonderful, isn't it?
Nuclear apocalypse - who do you need? Actors are probably not top of the list. What can I do for you? I can pretend to be somebody who can grow you some nice crops.
The point of having a director is that they make the final decision; it's their point of view, they set the rhythm and they make the final decisions.
Christian Bale
But I learned that there's a certain character that can be built from embarrassing yourself endlessly. If you can sit happy with embarrassment, there's not much else that can really get to ya.
I have this theory that, depending on your attitude, your life doesn't have to become this ridiculous charade that it seems so many people end up living.
