Top 12 Most Inspiring George Clooney Quotes

George Clooney may be one of People's “Sexiest Men Alive,” but the actor and activist had much humbler beginnings. Although both his aunt and father were in show business, he was never given any preference. In fact, Clooney tried acting at a young age, but suffered from a debilitating form of Bell’s palsy. Since the disease causes facial paralysis, he struggled with the expressive part of acting until eventually recovering from the illness.

In the meantime, Clooney grew up in a small town in Kentucky and made his living as both a shoe salesman and a farmhand. He didn’t make the move to pursue acting roles in Los Angeles until his late 20s. It wasn’t until his big break on the hit medical show ER in 1994 that he began to find success.

Today, Clooney is considered one of Hollywood’s “A-List” with a host of Academy Award wins and nominations to his name. He now uses his fame to advocate humanitarian issues like the Darfur conflict.

Here are the Top Most Inspiring Quotes From George Clooney.

Top 12 Most Inspiring George Clooney Quotes

“Art takes different forms… But it represents something that is basic in all of us—our history.”

— George Clooney

"Failures are infinitely more instructive than successes."

― George Clooney

“You have only a short period of time in your life to make your mark, and I'm there now.”

― George Clooney

"You need to have flopped quite a few times to get a sense of how little any of it has to do with you."

― George Clooney

“If we turn our heads and look away and hope that it will all disappear then they will - all of them, an entire generation of people. And we will have only history left to judge us.”

― George Clooney

“You never really learn much from hearing yourself speak.”

― George Clooney

“I'm kind of comfortable with getting older because it's better than the other option, which is being dead. So I'll take getting older.”

— George Clooney

“I had to stop going to auditions thinking, 'Oh, I hope they like me.' I had to go in thinking I was the answer to their problem. ”

— George Clooney

“The only failure is not to try”

― George Clooney

“Anyone would be lying if they said they didn’t get lonely at times.”

— George Clooney

"When you're young you believe it when people tell you how good you are. And that's the danger, you inhale. Everyone will tell you you're a genius, which you are not, and if you understand that, you win."

― George Clooney

"There are quite a few things that the devil could tempt me with… I could be tempted by youth if I was allowed to hold on to all the wisdom that I’ve gotten. In everything, not just sports. In life. In acting. I’d be tempted by youth only so I could continue doing it a little longer."

— George Clooney