Top 35 Judd Nelson Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “With failure, you just try again.”

— Judd Nelson

2. “Remember to be as smart as you are.”

— Judd Nelson

3. “I like being a villain. Villains are more exciting.”

— Judd Nelson

4. “Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place.”

— Judd Nelson

5. “It’s great to work with people that you like, any job, no matter what you do.”

— Judd Nelson

6. “Sweets, you couldn’t ignore me if you tried.”

— Judd Nelson

7. “Catcher in the Rye had a profound impact on me-the idea that we all have lots of dreams that are slowly being chipped away as we grow up.”

— Judd Nelson

8. “I took all the philosophy courses I could.”

— Judd Nelson

9. “I like the way the old Toyotas look.”

— Judd Nelson

10. “Young alienation, disappointment and heartache is all a part of the first real growing up that we do.”

— Judd Nelson

11. “I just couldn’t go back to Suddenly Susan after David Strickland’s suicide. I didn’t see how we could make the show light and funny any more.”

— Judd Nelson

12. “Heroes always make the right decision; I find that seldom happens in my life.”

— Judd Nelson

13. “My first paid acting job was a movie called Fandango. It also starred Kevin Costner.”

— Judd Nelson

14. “I love the rehearsal process in the theatre, and the visceral sense of contact and communication with a live audience.”

— Judd Nelson

15. “My closest friend is canine. I have precious few close friends, and most of them are not actors.”

— Judd Nelson

16. “As a kid I had a crush on Sophia Loren and Raquel Welch.”

— Judd Nelson

17. “Almost anything makes me laugh, especially jokes at my own expense. And I will never, ever admit to being ticklish anywhere.”

— Judd Nelson

18. “While they would have provided financial support if I had needed it, the greatest support my parents gave was emotional, psychological.”

— Judd Nelson

19. “The movie that’s had the most effect on me is Jaws. To this day when I’m in the ocean, I’m hearing that music.”

— Judd Nelson

20. “I find it very difficult to relax. I find it increasingly difficult to find outlets for my frustration.”

— Judd Nelson

21. “When I was in college, all the pretty women were in the theatre, so I auditioned for a play.”

— Judd Nelson

22. “Ice T was just a pleasure to work with. He was a smart gentleman.”

— Judd Nelson

23. “It’s very easy to confuse Sean Connery with James Bond. Sometimes in the entertainment industry, people believe the cake is more real than the baker.”

— Judd Nelson

24. “I’m involved with Recording Artists and Actors Against Drunk Driving. I’m also involved with most children’s causes, because children can’t help the environment they’re in.”

— Judd Nelson

25. “It is a career of make-believe, of masks. We all have masks in life.”

— Judd Nelson

26. “I don’t have any blindness when it comes to my money. As an actor, you can get distracted by your work. I do keep an eye on my nest egg, if you will.”

— Judd Nelson

27. “I went to acting school in New York City for two years. I studied with Stella Adler.”

— Judd Nelson

28. “I am very grateful to make my living doing what I would do for free.”

— Judd Nelson

29. “I always thought that the badge a cop has was more like the shield that Captain America has. It’s an obvious sign of good and something you’ll protect other people with, but it will also protect you.”

— Judd Nelson

30. “I have adopted clothes from all the projects I’m in. It’s really been a while since I’ve bought anything myself.”

— Judd Nelson

31. “A fancy watch, it’s completely unnecessary. I just need a watch to tell the right time.”

— Judd Nelson

32. “Death is not my best subject.”

— Judd Nelson

33. “My Brat Pack buddies and I didn’t exactly handle celebrity very well. Success at an early age is far more difficult to handle than failure.”

— Judd Nelson

34. “All of the directors I’ve worked with I have loved and would work with again. I have no favorites.”

— Judd Nelson

35. “I don’t know if it matters what country you’re from, size of the city you’re from, urban or rural, there are people that are hurting each other everywhere.”

— Judd Nelson

36. “I like every single actor or actress in the world, because we never know what the conditions are like when they are working. I give everyone the benefit of the doubt and root for them like a psychotic sports fan.”

— Judd Nelson

37. “My first love is acting on stage. A sitcom is a hybrid of stage and film.”

— Judd Nelson