Top 40 River Phoenix Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “We’re all worth it, man. We’re all worth millions of planets and stars and galaxies and universes.”

— River Phoenix

2. “Although I can’t stop all cruelty to living creatures on the planet, I can be kinder to every living creature in my life.”

— River Phoenix

3. “Animals are not our playthings. We are on this earth to protect them. It’s our duty.”

— River Phoenix

4. “In simplicity there is truth.”

— River Phoenix

5. “It still strikes me as strange that anyone could have any moral objection to someone else’s sexuality. It’s like telling someone else how to clean their house.”

— River Phoenix

6. “I would never, never do anything unless I believed in it.”

— River Phoenix

7. “Addiction is not just for bad people or scumbags – it’s a universal disease.”

— River Phoenix

8. “I have a lot of chameleon qualities, I get very absorbed in my surroundings.”

— River Phoenix

9. “Vegetarianism is a link to perfection and peace.”

— River Phoenix

10. “Music is a whole oasis in my head. The creation process is so personal and fulfilling.”

— River Phoenix

11. “I’ve learned that if you can’t get it all together to accomplish this thing called peace, you do at least your part in your life, because that’s where you can truly make an immediate difference.”

— River Phoenix

12. “You feel the spirit move you. I can be possessed really well.”

— River Phoenix

13. “I project a definite innocence. A lot of that is just the way I grew up.”

— River Phoenix

14. “What I have got from my childhood aren’t toys, but memories. And happy memories are better than any toy.”

— River Phoenix

15. “I don’t want to die in a car accident. When I die it’ll be a glorious day. It’ll probably be a waterfall.”

— River Phoenix

16. “I sometimes lie, especially about personal things, because what does it matter? I am a kind of minute commodity. My name is no longer my own. I try to lie as much as I can when I’m interviewed. It’s reverse psychology. I figure if you lie, they’ll print the truth.”

— River Phoenix

17. “We are taught to consume. And that’s what we do. But if we realized that there really is no reason to consume, that it’s just a mind set, that it’s just an addiction, then we wouldn’t be out there stepping on people’s hands climbing the corporate ladder of success.”

— River Phoenix

18. “Animals can’t really voice their opinion. We feel as though we can be on of the spokespeople on their behalf.”

— River Phoenix

19. “Sometimes I wish I wasn’t as conscious as I am. It would be so much easier.”

— River Phoenix

20. “Rich kids gave us their old clothes. They were the best clothes we ever had. We were these very pure, naive, poor children. The rich kids called us a lot of names but it never bothered us because we didn’t know what the words meant.”

— River Phoenix

21. “When I was old enough to realize all meat was killed, I saw it as an irrational way of using our power, to take a weaker thing and mutilate it. It was like the way bullies would take control of younger kids in the schoolyard.”

— River Phoenix

22. “It’s a great feeling to think that I can be a friend to so many people through my movies.”

— River Phoenix

23. “People wonder if I’ll always be a part of this family and the answer is yes. My family has a lot of good energy going in one direction and because of it, we get a lot of things done. That’s why I’ll always spend a lot of time at Camp Phoenix.”

— River Phoenix

24. “When I was younger, I was worried about how others viewed me and if I was good enough. I realize now that you can’t mold an image or try to be something that you are not. As far as being an actor is concerned, your work really speaks for itself.”

— River Phoenix

25. “Acting is like a Halloween mask that you put on.”

— River Phoenix

26. “I wouldn’t eat a hamburger for 40,000 dollars.”

— River Phoenix

27. “Commercials were too phony for me. I just didn’t like selling products I didn’t believe in.”

— River Phoenix

28. “I really like acting because you can create a character. You can make someone who has never existed before. That’s neat.”

— River Phoenix

29. “I’ve been wanting to go into music ever since I can remember. I mean even before I became an actor. I just thought it would be a tough field to break into, so I became an actor instead.”

— River Phoenix

30. “I like girls who are natural because I am natural in everything I do. If I meet a girl who is snobby and wants special treatment, she’s not going to get it from me because she hasn’t earned it. But I’ve been basically lucky because I’ve mostly met nice girls-and that’s what attracts me.”

— River Phoenix

31. “I can’t on my own change the regime in South Africa or teach the Palestinians to learn to live with the Israelies, but I can start with me.”

— River Phoenix

32. “I’m really normal. I play football, go to the beach, drive. We have dogs. I can imagine people calling me a character, but I’m Joe Straight.”

— River Phoenix

33. “Music is a hobby, because I’m not making any money out of it, but I put just as much conviction into that as I do into my acting.”

— River Phoenix

34. “I’ve been around the movie business, so I can play it cool and all that, but when people are different they have that off thing about them. Their whole presence is just a little innocent, I think.”

— River Phoenix

35. “Music is my main goal, but I’m not going to rush a record out. There are so many actors who have come out with albums these days. I don’t want to do it because it’s the thing to do. I want to wait until the time is right.”

— River Phoenix

36. “I would rather quit while I was ahead. There’s no need in overstaying your welcome.”

— River Phoenix

37. “Life is multi-layered and there’s no way I could do my life justice in one pat answer.”

— River Phoenix

38. “I did my best work in The Mosquito Coast. I know it wasn’t such a big hit, but for me it was more meaningful than anything else I’d ever done.”

— River Phoenix

39. “Everything is ironic to me. There are moments I find hysterical, but I’m probably the only one who would find that, except for a few people.”

— River Phoenix

40. “I’d like to play every type of character, but only once. I like to expierence things.”

— River Phoenix