From roundhouse kicks on the big screen to the depths of Internet humor, Carlos Ray “Chuck” Norris has carved out a unique place for himself in American pop culture. Born on March 10, 1940, in Ryan, Oklahoma, Chuck Norris spent his early life in a financially struggling family and a tumultuous social environment. But like the phoenix, he rose from his adversities, with each challenge strengthening his resolve.
Upon serving in the United States Air Force in the late 1950s, Norris developed an interest in martial arts. His fervor and dedication led him to become one of the world’s leading martial artists, and eventually, an international movie star. His roles in films such as “Way of the Dragon,” where he squared off against Bruce Lee, and the hit TV series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” solidified his status as a beloved action hero.
However, Chuck Norris’ influence extends beyond his roles in film and television. Known for his indomitable spirit and wit, Norris has left us with a treasure trove of quotes that continue to inspire, entertain, and even mystify us. These quotations encompass life lessons, stoic wisdom, and a good dose of humor, providing us a window into the mind of this versatile figure.
As we delve into the world of Chuck Norris quotes, we don’t merely encounter a series of punchlines. Instead, we find nuggets of wisdom encapsulating his remarkable life journey, reflecting his perseverance, strength, and distinctive sense of humor. From the man who supposedly cuts through a hot knife with butter and does not wear a watch because he decides what time it is, let’s embark on an exploration of the wisdom and wit that Chuck Norris has shared with the world.
Some of the quotes appear in the following video:
Table of Contents
- Best Chuck Norris Quotes
- Chuck Norris Quotes on Martial Arts
- Chuck Norris Quotes on God
- Chuck Norris Quotes on Politics
- Chuck Norris Quotes from Movies
- Interesting Facts about Chuck Norris
Best Chuck Norris Quotes
Men are like steel. When they lose their temper, they lose their worth.
Anytime you get action legends together, it has to be a classic.
A lot of people give up just before they’re about to make it. You know you never know when that next obstacle is going to be the last one.
I don’t initiate violence, I retaliate.
Parks represent an efficient, cost-effective way to improve public health.
There’s a lot to be done; I just see a total moral decay in our society.
Whatever luck I had, I made. I was never a natural athlete, but I paid my dues in sweat and concentration and took the time necessary to learn karate and become world champion.
The only time we fail is when we stop trying.
I’m a people’s actor, not a critics’ actor, and I always have been.
Violence is my last option.
A lot of times people look at the negative side of what they feel they can’t do. I always look on the positive side of what I can do.
I think Christians and Muslims should hug each other.
People need to realise what real happiness and success is, because success as an actor is fleeting. You can be up there one day and gone the next.
Good morals lead to good laws.
I’ve always found that anything worth achieving will always have obstacles in the way and you’ve got to have that drive and determination to overcome those obstacles on route to whatever it is that you want to accomplish.
Between income taxes and employment taxes, capital gains taxes, estate taxes, corporate taxes, property taxes, Social Security taxes, we’re being taxed to death.
Unfortunately, people are re-interpreting the Constitution as a living document, and it’s not. It’s a solid-based document and it shouldn’t be played with.
My mom was essentially a single mother raising three boys. If anyone could have had any reason to give up, it was her. But she didn’t, and neither did we.
A small behavioural change can also lead to embracing a wider checklist of healthier choices.
A walk in nature is a perfect backdrop to combine exercise, prayer, and meditation while enhancing the benefit of these activities.
You are not what has happened to you. You are what you choose to become.
It’s official: The biggest back-to-school bullies are anxiety, worry and fear.
Some of the most miserable people I know are some of the richest people in America, they are the most miserable individuals I’ve ever seen.
In America the schools have become too permissive, the kids now are controlling the schools, the tail is wagging the dog. We’ve got to make a change there and get it back to where the teachers have control of the classrooms.
The key to the future in an aging society is not found in increasing just our life span; we need to increase our health span at the same time.
As a former Airman First Class in the United States Air Force, like many veterans in America, my military experience played an important part in instilling in me a sense of character and discipline that has served me throughout my life.
Running from your fear can be more painful than facing it, for better or worse.
I think setting a goal, getting a visual image of what it is you want. You’ve got to see what it is you want to achieve before you can pursue it.
Long ago I made it a principle of my life to cultivate a positive frame of mind, to strive to project it and to share it with those I meet. It is a principle that has served me well.
Exercise, prayer, and meditation are examples of calming rituals. They have been shown to induce a happier mood and provide a positive pathway through life’s daily frustrations.
If you want to accomplish anything in life, you can’t just sit back and hope it will happen. You’ve got to make it happen.
When I got into the film business, my aim was to adopt a positive persona, of a guy who fights against injustice. And it saved me, because my acting was atrocious to say the least!
Ads sway kids’ preferences. Star athletes spokespeople sway kids’ preference.
I haven’t always been warmly welcomed for holding my conservative positions in Hollywood. Then again, I’ve never been very good at being politically correct either, on or off screen. So why start now?
The only time you lose at something is when you don’t learn from that experience.
I’ve got a bulletin for you, folks. I am no superman. I realize that now, but I didn’t always.
People whine, ‘I haven’t succeeded, because I haven’t had the breaks.’ You create your own breaks.
You can benefit from even a small amount of added movement each week and uncomplicated exercises like walking. Some will always be better than none; to start, do that to which you’re comfortable committing.
As we look at the many problems we face in treating our veterans in a manner befitting their service and sacrifice, it’s time we commit ourselves as a nation to applying the kind of resources and military precision necessary to finally make things right.
Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, John Wayne – these men had the code of the West.
When the boogie man goes to sleep, he checks his closet for me.
There is no finish line. When you reach one goal, find a new one.
Sometimes the things we want most are the hardest to get. That means you need to be even more determined to succeed. That’s what it takes to be a winner. You have to want it bad enough to stick with it no matter how tough things get.
The 3 key components for success are as follows: psychological preparedness, physical conditioning, mental toughness.
The best defence is not to offend.
Focus on what it is that you want, set a realistic goal. Start setting goals that you feel you can accomplish. Don’t try to go right to the top in one leap. Every time you accomplish a goal you develop the strength and wisdom to accomplish the next one.
Chuck Norris Quotes on Martial Arts
In 1968, I fought and won the world middleweight karate championship by defeating the world’s top fighters. I then held that title until 1974, when I retired undefeated.
Martial arts was really the first thing in my life that I followed through on and accomplished a degree of proficiency for.
Karate is the best thing you can do for your child.
It wasn’t until I went to Korea out of high school and got exposed to the martial arts for the first time and was just completely enamored with the physical ability of the martial arts and making my black belt.
What was Bruce Lee like? How did you meet? What was it like to choreograph the fight scene in Rome with him? Did you spend much time together off-screen? Those are a small sampling of the inquiries I’m asked often, wherever I go around the world.
From 1964 to 1968, I won many state, national and international amateur karate titles.
Chuck Norris Quotes on God
As six-time world karate champion and then a movie star, I put too much trust in who I was, what I could do, and what I acquired. I forgot how much I needed others and especially God.
It’s amazing because people come up to me and say, ‘Chuck, you’re the luckiest guy in the world to be a world karate champion and a movie and TV star.’ When they say this to me, I kind of smile because luck had nothing to do with it; God had everything to do with it.
I definitely feel I do have God in my corner.
God bless and help all the victims and patriots of 9/11, from the families of Flight 93 passengers to those who were in the Pentagon and Twin Towers as well as others who have fought and presently fight the war on terror.
Whether we are famous or not, we all need God. We also need other people.
The Apostle Paul did what he had to do to spread the message of God. I realize that that is what I have to do; I have to bite the bullet and overcome my shyness.
Use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds.
I gave my life to the Lord at 12. I was baptized at 12.
Unfortunately, in the entertainment field, sometimes you start believing your celebrity. You have a strong tendency to drift from the Lord, which I did. I did drift for a number of years.
Chuck Norris Quotes on Politics
Many of you may remember that I supported Mike Huckabee for president in 2008. He was doing great, beating out Mitt Romney, when some shenanigans were pulled by bringing in Fred Thompson as a candidate to compete against Mike for the evangelical and conservative votes in South Carolina.
If the government decides to become a tyrannical government, our guns are to protect us against that.
Well, I grew up as a democrat.
Trump wants a wall between Mexico and the U.S. as well as a temporary ban on all Muslims, especially those coming from terrorist countries, among other tightened securities.
I think I can achieve more outside the political arena.
They say imitation is the best form of flattery. That is particularly the case if you’re a U.S. presidential candidate and pundits are likening you to a conservative giant like Ronald Reagan.
America isn’t ready for President Hillary Clinton. It should never be.
Chuck Norris Quotes from Movies
If winning overshadows everything, why didn’t you teach one of us to lose?
Scott James, (1980)
Never let your girlfriend hold your piece.
Josh Randall, Forced Vengeance (1982)
My kind of trouble doesn’t take vacations.
J.J. McQuade, Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)
You really didn’t think I’d leave… without making sure you were dead?
Colonel Braddock, Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985)
When I want your opinion, I’ll beat it out of you.
Eddie Cusack, Code of Silence (1985)
If you come back in, I’ll hit you with so many rights you’ll be begging for a left.
Matt Hunter, Invasion U.S.A. (1985)
Sleep tight, sucker.
Maj. Scott McCoy, The Delta Force (1986)
I don’t step on toes… I step on necks.
Col. James Braddock, Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988)
Most mountains have four sides.
Col. Scott McCoy, Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection (1990)
Running from your fear is more painful than facing it.
Cliff Garrett, The Hitman (1991)
Interesting Facts about Chuck Norris
Now, it’s time to get to know the man and legend himself, so here are some interesting facts about Chuck Norris. Enjoy!
- Getting Help from Steve McQueen – When Chuck Norris became a world champion in karate contests, he draw attention and credence to his abilities as a martial arts instructor. Celebrities, among them actors, were taught and instructed by him on the finer points of self-defense. Some of these actors included Priscilla Presley and Steve McQueen. Norris even trained Price Is Right host Bob Barker. In 1974, after Norris retired from competition, he was looking for other things to do and it was Steve McQueen who suggested to Norris that he try his luck in acting. After several years and nine films, Chuck Norris eventually had his breakthrough with the 1982 film – Lone Wolf McQuade.
- The Term to Face Bruce Lee in the Movie – Norris got his big break during the 80s, but in 1972 he already played in the movie Return of the Dragon (also known as The Way of the Dragon) as a villain, facing off against the hero Bruce Lee. Without a doubt, two martial arts legends on screen. Lee knew Norris as the two were also friends and wanted him to participate in the movie. However, the producer of the film insisted that Norris gain 20 pounds in order to appear much larger than Lee on camera. According to Norris, that is the reason why he didn’t do jump kicks in the movie, since he couldn’t get himself off the ground due to his weight.
- Norris Founded His Own Martial Arts System – Chuck Norris had years of training and experience in both Tang Soo Do and Tae Kwon Do, and with this knowledge, he developed his own unique martial arts system and philosophy that he eventually called Chun Kuk Do. In addition to combat techniques, the system also encourages the ones who practice it to develop themselves to their maximum potential and look for the good in other people. In 2015, the system was renamed and is now known as the Chuck Norris System.
- He’s a Real Texas Ranger – Chuck Norris played a Texas Ranger for eight seasons and was the star of the 1990s television series Walker, Texas Ranger. In 2010, Norris was named an honorary member of the Texas Rangers in acknowledgment of his work, helping raise awareness for the elite unit and also for his work helping underprivileged youths with martial arts programs. His brother, Aaron Norris, who was an executive producer on the show, also received the designation.
- His Own Cartoon Series – During the 1980s, When Norris was one of the most popular figures around, he joined forces with animation company Ruby-Spears for what would become an animated series – Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos. The show featured Norris and a team of martial artists fighting villains. The plan was to develop and air 65 shows, but eventually only a few shows aired. Norris said that they only did six of them, when a woman at CBS said that it was too violent. Here is the awesome opening of that show:
For more quotes from famous movie stars, please visit our pages dedicated to Clint Eastwood quotes, Will Smith quotes, Denzel Washington quotes, and Jim Carrey quotes.