30 Leslie Nielsen Quotes to Praise His Talent and Hilariousness

Leslie Nielsen was a veteran Hollywood star whose show business career spanned six decades. Although he is no more, he left behind quotes that his beloved fans can remember him by. Here are 30 Leslie Nielsen quotes that shine a light on his real-life persona.

Leslie Nielsen was an actor, producer, and comedian. The renowned showbiz star appeared in over 100 movies and 150 television programs. Overall, he portrayed 220 characters in his lifetime. Here are 30 Leslie Nielsen quotes to get to know him better.

Leslie Nielsen's quote: "Truth hurts. Maybe not as much as jumping on a bicycle with the seat missing, but it hurts." | Source: Amodays

Leslie Nielsen's Hilarious Quotes

"Doing nothing is very tough to do because you never know when you’re finished. The upside is that from the moment you wake up in the morning, you’re on the job." — Leslie Nielsen

"Shirley! Don't call me Shirley!" — Leslie Nielsen

"I really have to keep an eye on myself, because sometimes I think I might say something important." — Leslie Nielsen

"Truth hurts. Maybe not as much as jumping on a bicycle with the seat missing, but it hurts." — Leslie Nielsen

"Yes, it's true, I've been called the Laurence Olivier of spoofs. I guess that would make Laurence Olivier the Leslie Nielsen of Shakespeare." — Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen's quote: "One thing a person won't do when he's laughing is try to beat you up." | Source: Amodays

"I used to have this dream that somebody was knocking at my door. I’d say ‘Who is it?’ and they’d answer ‘Police.’ I’d open the door and they would say to me, ‘Pack your bags. We realized you have no talent." — Leslie Nielsen

"Any sport that comes from Scotland is good!" — Leslie Nielsen

"One thing a person won't do when he's laughing is try to beat you up." — Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen's quote: "I love comedy and I hope I never stop doing it." | Source: Amodays

Leslie Nielsen's Quotes Full of His Personal Experience

"I don't think anybody can really sit down and decide that their mission in life is to make people think. I think their mission in life is to leave people alone!" — Leslie Nielsen

"I had always functioned with dignity, wanting to appear intelligent, macho, never vulnerable or insecure. But now I realize that... a part of these comic characters is a fundamental part of me too." — Leslie Nielsen

"Are you having problems hearing? If so, those around you already know it. Hearing loss is no laughing matter, so don't be a punchline." — Leslie Nielsen

"I’m a professional actor. If I was a plumber, I wouldn’t just do my plumbing in Beverly Hills bathrooms; I’d like to install air conditioning units and a few other things." — Leslie Nielsen

"I love comedy and I hope I never stop doing it." — Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen's quote: "I played a lot of leaders, autocratic sorts; perhaps it was my Canadian accent." | Source: Amodays

"Those who the gods seek to destroy first, learn how to play golf." — Leslie Nielsen

"The reason there's a question mark on my front door is just in case I forget my address." — Leslie Nielsen

"You know it's very difficult to be an actor, and to have people depending on you to say the right line, at the right time, and to not be able to hear your cues! I can't tell you how many times I would've had to have said What? if I didn't have my hearing aids. So my hearing aids are a life saver, and they allow me to practice my craft." — Leslie Nielsen

"I played a lot of leaders, autocratic sorts; perhaps it was my Canadian accent." — Leslie Nielsen

"I'm afraid if I don't keep moving, they're going to catch me ... I am 81 years old and I want to see what's around the corner, and I don't see any reason in the world not to keep working. But I am starting to value my down time a great deal because I am realizing there might be other things to do that I am overlooking." — Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen's quote: "It doesn't really matter where I go [Heaven or Hell]. I'll have plenty of friends in both places." | Source: Amodays

"It's been dawning on me slowly that for the past 35 years I have been cast against type, and I'm finally getting to do what I really wanted to do." — Leslie Nielsen

"I had to weave and play around with a honey bear, you know, and I could wrestle with him a little bit, but there's no way you can even wrestle a honey bear, let alone a grizzly bear that's standing ten feet to eleven feet tall! Can you imagine? But it was fascinating to work that close to that kind of animal." — Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen's quote: "I like that kind of 'straight-faced' comedy. I like to be straight-faced and outrageous." | Source: Amodays

Leslie Nielsen's Famous Quotes

"Sometimes integrity is a punch in the face." — Leslie Nielsen

"There's an old saying that God exists in your search for him. I just want you to understand that I ain't looking." — Leslie Nielsen

"Do your part to silence gossip - don't repeat it." — Leslie Nielsen

"The violence or the vaudeville style of comedy is a technique all by itself. You get up there, and you are a comedian, and you're doing one thing. That is, you're going to make the audience laugh." — Leslie Nielsen

"It doesn't really matter where I go (Heaven or Hell). I'll have plenty of friends in both places." — Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen's quote: "Any sport that comes from Scotland is good!" | Source: Amodays

"The reason they call if ‘golf’ is that all the other 4 letter words were used up." — Leslie Nielsen

"In episodic television you'll have a good guy who's on every week and that's his show! He's the regular on it, and you're not going to be "better" than he is; I mean, he's the guy who's got to solve your problem! So if you're playing a good guy, you have to have a problem, and he's going to solve it for you. And the only really strong dramatic part is the heavy, because the meaner and crueler and rottener you are, the better the good guy looks when he whips ya' at the end because he always is gonna whip ya! So, the best dramatic guest shot is the heavy." — Leslie Nielsen

"When you see Charlie Chaplin, he stays funny. He doesn't become drama, and so what really seems to endure is comedy." — Leslie Nielsen

"I would love to see what's going to happen with science fiction with peoples' heads, because we still have people running around in the year 2050 or 2100 or 2200 and they have incredible technology and you see the effects: laser beams and rays and beaming down and beaming up. Incredible technical things happening, but everybody is still running around jealous, fighting, whacking, cheating. There's got to be something going on! Some kind of change. I’d like to see something starting to happen in that area, with the psychology of the human being and how that changed." — Leslie Nielsen

"I like that kind of 'straight-faced' comedy. I like to be straight-faced and outrageous." — Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen's quote: "The reason there's a question mark on my front door is just in case I forget my address." | Source: Amodays

Through his quotes, Nielsen shared his thoughts about his Hollywood career and what makes him happy about his path. He also showcased his humorous wit by using his comedic skills to describe what type of comedy he was into.

In addition, Nielsen, best known for the film franchise, "The Naked Gun," which also starred Priscilla Presley and Anna Nicole Smith, was born on February 11, 1926, and died on November 28, 2010.

If you enjoyed reading up on this iconic show business performer, read more on one of Hollywood's beloved fictional characters, "35 Madea Quotes."