70 Bill Murray Quotes You Will Want to Read Over and Over…and Over
These Bill Murray quotes about acting and his career will have you laughing over and over.
If you have seen the movie Groundhog Day, then you can appreciate how things are even funnier when you watch them repeatedly happening in an endless loop.
Bill Murray plays a meteorologist trapped in a time loop in the tiny town of Punxsutawney.
Share your favorite scene from Groundhog Day with us in the comment section below.
What are the benefits of reading these Bill Murray quotes?
The film was a box office success, despite the conflict brewing with director Harold Ramis.
The pair had a long-standing partnership, which included movies like Caddyshack and Ghostbusters.
Ramis wanted to draw more attention to the film’s comedic aspects, while Murray wanted to focus on the film’s philosophical undertones.
Ironically, the film was praised as a perfect blend of the two.
We can learn several things from these Bill Murray quotes, like:
- laughing is important
- what it takes to be an actor and follow your dreams
- his views on success, fame, and wealth
Murray also landed more serious and prominent roles thanks to his showcase of talents.
Sadly, though, the rift lasted for years, until shortly before Ramis died in 2014.
Keep reading these Bill Murray quotes about Groundhog Day, What About Bob, acting, and how to live life laughing!
Don’t forget to check out these Elizabeth Taylor quotes that prove she shined like a diamond.
Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.
If you enjoy this collection, check out our inspirational quotes category page.
Bill Murray quotes that will have you laughing
1. “Movie acting suits me because I only need to be good for ninety seconds at a time.” — Bill Murray
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2. “Whatever you do, always give 100%. Unless you’re donating blood.” — Bill Murray
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3. “It just doesn’t matter! It just doesn’t matter!” — Bill Murray
4. “Life is so damn short. For f*ck’s sake, just do what makes you happy.” — Bill Murray
5. “This is not a dress rehearsal; this is your life.” — Bill Murray
6. “I’m a nut, but not just a nut.” — Bill Murray
7. “Disneyland. The world’s biggest people trap, built by a mouse.” — Bill Murray
8. “The best way to teach your kids about taxes is by eating 30 percent of their ice cream.” — Bill Murray
9. “People are like music. Some speak the truth, and others are just noise.” — Bill Murray
10. “Well, it’s hard to be yourself, it’s the hardest job there is.” — Bill Murray
You will also enjoy our article on Zoolander quotes.
Bill Murray quotes about acting and his career
11. “The more relaxed you are, the better you are. That’s sort of why I got into acting. I realized the more fun I had, the better I did it. And I thought that’s a job I could be proud of. It’s changed my life learning that, and it’s made me better at what I do.” — Bill Murray
12. “I’ve retired a couple of times. It’s great because you can just say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I’m retired.” — Bill Murray
13. “This really should be kept secret, but you can learn a lot by watching the making-of DVDs. Every actor should do it. You figure out what you’re dealing with.”— Bill Murray
14. “I feel that if you really want an Oscar, you’re in trouble. It’s like wanting to be married – you’ll take anybody. If you want the Oscar really badly, it becomes a naked desire and ambition. It becomes very unattractive.” — Bill Murray
15. “Groundhog Day was one of the greatest scripts ever written. It didn’t even get nominated for an Academy Award.” — Bill Murray
16. “I’ve never made any horrible, horrible movies. If you don’t ruin your reputation, you can always get work.” — Bill Murray
17. “There were a lot of actors that are more talented than me at Second City who quit it before they even got to a paying status. Weird luck. I had no other option.” — Bill Murray
18. “We’re Americans! Do you know what that means? It means our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world.” — Bill Murray
19. “I improvise whenever I feel it’s important, or whenever I think that something’s there. It’s nice to have a script that’s so well written that I don’t have to improvise. I mean, I used to have to re-write whole movies; this is kind of nice.” — Bill Murray
20. “A movie like ‘Caddyshack,’ I can walk on a golf course, and some guy will be screaming entire scenes at me and expecting me to do it word for word with him. It’s like, ‘Fella. I did that once. I improvised that scene. I don’t remember how it goes.’ But I’m charmed by it. I’m not like, ‘Hey, knock it off’. It’s kind of cool.” — Bill Murray
You will also enjoy our article on Caddyshack quotes.
Bill Murray quotes about success, wealth, and fame
21. “I always want to say to people who want to be rich and famous: ‘Try being rich first.’ See if that doesn’t cover most of it.” — Bill Murray
22. “People usually go through a bad period when they first get successful. You’re new, and you’re hot, and things go wrong.” — Bill Murray
23. “I try to be available for life to happen to me. We’re in this life, and if you’re not available, the sort of ordinary time goes past, and you didn’t live it. But if you’re available, life gets huge. You’re really living it.” — Bill Murray
24. “I’m not an alcoholic. I only drink two times a year. When it’s my birthday, and when it’s not my birthday.” — Bill Murray
25. “There aren’t many downsides to being rich other than paying taxes and having relatives asking for money. But being famous, that’s a 24-hour job right there.” — Bill Murray
26. “I have a brother who gives socks for Christmas. He gives socks. Every year, I get a pair of socks from him. The first year I had money, I really went shopping. I got really caught up in it. I bought all my brothers sets of luggage, and I bought ’em winter coats from Giorgio Armani – winter coats. And I got a pair of socks from this brother.” — Bill Murray
27. “There’s only a couple times when fame is ever helpful. Sometimes you can get into a restaurant where the kitchen is just closing. Sometimes you can avoid a traffic violation. But the only time it really matters is in the emergency room with your kids. That’s when you want to be noticed because it’s very easy to get forgotten in an ER.” — Bill Murray
28. “You’re supposed to have one hand up and one hand down. As you’re trying to going up, you’re trying to pull someone up at the same time.” — Bill Murray
29. “I made a lot of mistakes and realized I had to let them go. Don’t think about your errors or failures. Otherwise, you’ll never do a thing.” — Bill Murray
30. “I don’t have a problem talking about my work, but I don’t make a habit of talking about myself.” — Bill Murray
Surprising genuine, and insightful Bill Murray quotes
31. “My favorite thing about New York is the people because I think they’re misunderstood. I don’t think people realize how kind New York people are.” — Bill Murray
32. “Every moment that you share someone else’s pain, feel what they feel, makes you more human.” — Bill Murray
33. “The automatic things you do are basically those things that keep you from doing the better things you need to do.” — Bill Murray
34. “I think we’re all sort of imprisoned by – or at least bound to – the choices we make… You want to say no at the right time, and you want to say yes more sparingly.” — Bill Murray
35. “I’ve got kids, and that’s important. It’s funny. You think that there’s an expiration date on them and there just isn’t.” — Bill Murray
36. “My iPhone has 2 million times the storage of the 1969 Apollo 11 computer. They went to the moon. I throw birds at pig houses.” — Bill Murray
37. “Just beat my record for most consecutive days without dying. The secret is to have a sense of yourself, your real self, your unique self.” — Bill Murray
38. “The last time doesn’t exist. It’s only this time. And everything is going to be different this time. There’s only now.” — Bill Murray
39. “I don’t have to take this abuse from you — I have hundreds of people waiting in line to abuse me!” — Bill Murray
40. “Friendship is so weird. You just pick a human you’ve met and you’re like, ‘Yep, I like this one,’ and you just do stuff with them.” — Bill Murray
41. “We do need each other. It’s lonely to really effectively live your life, and anyone you can give help to, or get help from, that’s part of your obligation.” — Bill Murray
Bill Murray quotes about difficulty and common sense
42. “It’s hard to be an artist. It’s hard to be anything. It’s hard to be.” — Bill Murray
43. “You can tell how boring a person is by the lack of fear in their eyes when someone is flipping through photos on their phone.” — Bill Murray
44. “Common sense is like deodorant. The people who need it most never use it.” — Bill Murray
45. “You can handle just about anything that comes at you out on the road with a believable grin, common sense and whiskey.” — Bill Murray
46. “Melancholy is kind of sweet sometimes, I think. It’s not a negative thing. It’s not a mean thing. It’s just something that happens in life, like autumn.” — Bill Murray
47. “People only talk about what a joyous experience it is, but there is terror: Your life, as you know it, is over. It’s over the day that child is born. It’s over, and something completely new starts.” — Bill Murray
48. “I think midlife crisis is just a point where people’s careers have reached some plateau, and they have to reflect on their personal relationships.” — Bill Murray
49. “Something wild can happen to anybody, and I caution anybody that walks out on the street, just settle your accounts before you leave the house every day.” — Bill Murray
50. “If you can consciously let yourself get taken and see where you go, that’s an exercise. That’s discipline. To follow the scent. Let yourself go and see what happens. That takes a bit of courage.” — Bill Murray
Bill Murray quotes about his life
51. “People say I’m difficult and sometimes that’s a badge of honor.” –Bill Murray
52 “I realized the more fun I had, the more relaxed I was working, the better I worked.” –Bill Murray
53. “Awards are meaningless to me, and I have nothing but disdain for anyone who actively campaigns to get one.” -Bill Murray
54. “When I work, my first relationship with people is professional.” –Bill Murray
55. “Somewhere there’s a score being kept, so you have an obligation to live life as well as you can, be as engaged as you can.” -Bill Murray
56. “No one really wants to admit they are lonely, and it is never really addressed very much between friends and family. But I have felt lonely many times in my life.” –Bill Muray
57. “Sometimes I snore, like when I get really tired.” –Bill Muray
58. “I think all phases of one’s career are serious if you take it seriously no matter if you are doing high profile dramatic pieces or not.” –Bill Murray
59. “And I don’t like to work. I only like working when I am working.” –Bill Murray
60. “I don’t want to be that guy mumbling into his drink at a bar.” – Bill Murray
Bill Murray Quotes in His Memory
61. “It’s a lot of work to read a crummy script.” ― Bill Murray
62. “When you see grown men near to tears because they’ve missed hitting a little white ball into a hole from three feet, it makes you laugh.” ― Bill Murray
63. “All parties are good.” ― Bill Murray
64. “I act like a jerk sometimes.” ― Bill Murray
65. “I don’t know what my fans are going to think. It’s definitely not what they’re used to from me.” ― Bill Murray
66. “Half of the people in this room are more dressed up than on any other day in the year, and the other half are more dressed down.” ― Bill Murray
67. “I realize it’s impossible to have any sympathy, I mean, true sympathy, for people that are famous.” ― Bill Murray
68. “I don’t know how this guy knew how much money I was making. I didn’t know how much money I was making.” ― Bill Murray
69. “The last thing I want is to be (in a film role) is obvious, direct and offensive.” ― Bill Murray
70. “Religion is the worst enemy of mankind. No single war in the history of humanity has killed as many people as religion has.” ― Bill Murray
Which of these Bill Murray quotes is your favorite?
The movie is one of the best of the 1990s and a fan favorite.
Like many great comedy actors, Bill Murray was a Saturday Night Live performer known for his deadpan delivery style.
Murray has won many awards, including Golden Globes, BAFTA, and an Academy Award for Best Actor!
Ramis wasn’t the only person that Murray has feuded with during his illustrious career.
Fellow actor Dan Aykroyd dubbed him, “The Murricane” referencing Murray’s mood swings on set.
He had a physical altercation with Chevy Chase during an SNL skit (although the two worked it out, starring in Caddyshack together).
He also reportedly refused to work with Sean Young again after Stripes.
There was tension between Murray and Richard Dreyfuss while filming What About Bob (another great movie if you haven’t seen it).
Lucy Liu was rumored to have punched him during the filming of Charlie’s Angels.
Sounds like he is a bit of a tortured artist, but he is undoubtedly a comic genius!
What is your favorite Bill Murray quote or movie?
Let me know in the comment section below!
