43 Tommy Wiseau Quotes ― ‘The Room’s’ Disputable Filmmaker

Tommy Wiseau gained worldwide renown after creating what would become the "best worst" movie, "The Room," in 2003. Despite the film's awkward and incomplete plots and weird measures of deadpan delivery and melodrama, it is still one of the most beloved and remembered cult classics.

Tommy Wiseau always had his eye on an entertainment career. Though he initially wanted to be a rockstar, he went into film and TV instead. And even then, he focused on directing while acting was his primary passion in the industry.

As you will read from the quotes listed below, Wiseau loved his work. Despite the reviews on his most critical film, "The Room," the 67-year-old thought highly of it and what he felt it achieved. In fact, he said he wouldn't change a thing about it.

Wiseau also had a positive outlook on life and passionately advocated for self-expression. The reflective director, who has a staunch self-assuredness, understood that love and respect were essential for a peaceful world, and these quotes prove just that.

A photo of from "The Room" with the quote, "Express yourself, don't hurt yourself." | Source: YouTube/TommyWiseau

Tommy Wiseau Quotes That Have Become Memes

"You Are Tearing Me Apart, Lisa!" — Tommy Wiseau

"Hi, Doggie!" — Tommy Wiseau

"Everybody Betray Me! I Fed Up With This World!" — Tommy Wiseau

"Oh, Hi Mark!" — Tommy Wiseau

"Underwear, I got the picture. That's life." — Tommy Wiseau

A photo of Tommy Wseau with the quote, ""I like rock music. I also like classical, if you ask me. I'm very adaptable, they say that. But I have certain preference too, be honest." | Source: YouTube/TommyWiseau

Tommy Wiseau Quotes for Your Inspiration

"When people sometimes misquote me, I don't know if they understand what I'm saying." — Tommy Wiseau

"You can laugh, you can cry, you can express yourself, but please don’t hurt each other!" — Tommy Wiseau

"I like acting better than anything else, but, you know, directing's good." — Tommy Wiseau

"Express yourself, don't hurt yourself." — Tommy Wiseau

A photo of Tommy Wiseau in "The Room" with Lisa, with the quote, ""I inspire myself." | Source: YouTube/TommyWiseau

"I'm going to do more movies and travel." — Tommy Wiseau

"I am pro-expression. I am pro - you know, as long as you don't hurt anyone." — Tommy Wiseau

"I'm not here to criticize anyone." — Tommy Wiseau

"I like rock music. I also like classical, if you ask me. I'm very adaptable, they say that. But I have certain preference too, be honest." — Tommy Wiseau

"If a lot of people love each other, the world would be a better place to live." — Tommy Wiseau

A photo from "The Room" with the quote, "Oh, Hi Mark!" | Source: YouTube/TommyWiseau

"My background is in psychology and I'm also a stage actor. That's my background." — Tommy Wiseau

"Let's face it: people don't have respect for other people. That's the story here. When everyone is respected, then we can all live within magic." — Tommy Wiseau

"You know what they say - love is blind." — Tommy Wiseau

"You cannot have the drama without comedy." — Tommy Wiseau

A photo from "The Room" with the quote, ""The emotion, and the other aspect is that this relate to many different obstacle in life. Emotion, yes, I love emotion, for your information, very much so." | Source: YouTube/Tommy Wiseau

"We have many Lisas, Marks, Dennys, Johnnys, and other characters from 'The Room' in America and in the entire world." — Tommy Wiseau

"Think about who you are. Think about how nice you can be to another person. By the same token then, to have your own opinion about life, you as an individual, with respect. But I think that's what the key to success is." — Tommy Wiseau

"For many years I wanted to be a rock star but of course that didn't work out. I did however write on napkins and pieces of paper sentences and occurrences. I decided maybe I should write a book because I had been writing so much. I'm actually writing a book based on The Room that will hopefully be published soon." — Tommy Wiseau

"In America we have across the country, the entire world." — Tommy Wiseau

Tommy Wiseau Quotes about 'The Room,' Filmmaking, and Life

"The room is a special place. It's not "A room" it's THE room. It's a place where there is no restriction. If we title it 'a room' it can be any room but it's THE room so it is a special place. We all have this place. It's like our little corner that you are comfortable with." — Tommy Wiseau

A photo from "The Room" with the quote, ""I think The Room is something magnetic, a certain magnetism in The Room that is related to human behavior, and that's why people relate to it." | Source: YouTube/TommyWiseau

"I personally think that all the scene that you see, love scene, is pretty real, almost 100 percent." — Tommy Wiseau

"All topics, issues, and subjects in 'The Room' add to the depth of the characters in the movie, and they are equally important." — Tommy Wiseau

"'The Room' is relationships. The room is you and me and everyone in America. That's basically what 'The Room' is." — Tommy Wiseau

"I studied movies for many years, but I am professionally an actor because I, my background is actually a stage actor and acting." — Tommy Wiseau

A photo from "The Room" with the quote, "'The Room' is relationships. The room is you and me and everyone in America. That's basically what 'The Room' is." | Source: YouTubeTommyWiseau

"As a director, I have to feel realism from actors, and they can't be plastic." — Tommy Wiseau

"Love is very complex. If a lot of people love each other, the world will be a better place to live. Actually, that's a sentence from my script. Love is also full of electricity - if you do not feel the electricity within your body, then it's not love." — Tommy Wiseau

"When I was little kid, I used to want to be a rock star." — Tommy Wiseau

"I Iike a lot of classic movies, like, for example, 'Citizen Kane,' James Dean movies, etc, etc." — Tommy Wiseau

A photo from "The Room" with the quote, "I always say that you don't have to like 'The Room', but you will discover something - maybe a tiny little thing - and say, 'Wait a minute, maybe I want to see more.'"

"My take on it, like a filmmaker or actor, is if you have much more colors within your creation, eventually people will appreciate what you're doing, and the other stuff is secondary, like critiques or even awards or anything else, as long as people enjoy it." — Tommy Wiseau

"As a filmmaker and an actor, my job is to react towards people, but I want a reaction from them." — Tommy Wiseau

"I always say that you don't have to like 'The Room,' but you will discover something - maybe a tiny little thing - and say, 'Wait a minute, maybe I want to see more.'" — Tommy Wiseau

A photo from "The Room" with the quote, "As a director, it's my job to provoke, and when people decided 'The Room' be called a phenomenon, or whatever you call it, it's fine with me." | Source: YouTube/TommyWiseau

"When I was a little kid, I wanted to be, like, you know, a movie star, you know? Or, I always have interest in movie, you know? Because I like the visual aspect of the movies, et cetera." — Tommy Wiseau

"I'm satisfied with the way 'The Room' turned out, and I don't want to change anything." — Tommy Wiseau

"As a director, it's my job to provoke, and when people decided 'The Room' be called a phenomenon, or whatever you call it, it's fine with me." — Tommy Wiseau

"People bring flowers and that's pretty memorable. I actually got a rose from one girl. She was so beautiful! I love all the screenings to be honest with you. I don't think I have gone to one single bad screening! Even if negative things happen, I turn it into positive reaction." — Tommy Wiseau

A photo of from "The Room" with the quote, ""Let's face it: people don't have respect for other people. That's the story here. When everyone is respected, then we can all live within magic." | Source: YouTube/TommyWiseau

As these quotes reflect, Wiseau stood firm in who he was, his views of the world, and what he wanted. How the world responded to what he put into it seemed to matter little to the filmmaker.

Despite this, he had high hopes for how it could turn out and had an appreciation for those who engaged in his art. His quotes, including those about putting yourself first or reflecting on life, can serve as a source of inspiration and guide for being unapologetic about who you are.