Mark Wahlberg Quotes

I just focus on my work with inner-city kids, and in my community, and on my philanthropic work.

For me, family always comes first I would do anything to protect them.

This is my most important role. If I fail at this, I fail at everything.

I'm only doing whatever the next role calls for.

The first thing I do when I start my day is, I get down on my hands and knees and give thanks to God. Whenever I go outside of my house, the first thing I do is stop at the church.

As far as I'm concerned, there's no job more important on the planet than being a mom.

I never want to be told, "Hey, this is what you do best, and this is the only thing you're going to do." And there are other people that are put into that box. Or unable to navigate through all the different genres. Some people insist on being a tough guy even though it's not happening. People only want to see them in leading romantic roles. Yet they continue to try and force something that doesn't feel organic to people.

Women don't get the credit they deserve.

Okay, we're going to land somewhere safely, don't worry.

All that running around in my underwear put money in my pockets. I can focus on working in interesting movies without having to worry about supporting myself.

Pretty early on in making the first movie I realized that this is what I wanted to do. I felt like by that time I just found my niche, like this is what I was supposed to be doing. So I completely submerged myself into the world of watching movies, making my own movies, buying video cameras and lights. When I wasn't making a movie, I was making my own movies. When I wasn't making movies, I was watching movies. I was going back and studying film and looking back at guys that were perceived as great guys that I can identify with. It just became my life.

The first movie I can remember ever seeing was Hard Times with Charles Bronson and James Coburn. My dad also introduced me to the likes of Jimmy Cagney... John Garfield... Robert Ryan... Steve McQueen... James Caan... Those are my fondest memories.

Every time I do a movie, I'm reading the script, or if it's something I have coming up, I'm reading the script, and I just spend hours and hours and days and weeks and months going over the script and just writing a lot of different ideas down, finding a little dialogue or just coming up with ideas for scenes and moments and all that kind of stuff.

You know, there's nothing like seeing the smile on my kids' faces. Laughing together. Playing. It's the best.

I work as hard as anybody will ever work and I like that. That's why I've been successful and that is when I feel good about myself. If I do my damnedest and don't succeed, I feel good about the effort.

I always say one of my favorite things about making movies is finishing on that last day because I get to have my life back and let that go, and hopefully have a real sense of accomplishment at the end of it.

[I want to be remembered] as a great servant of God who tried to give back as much as possible, and as a great father and husband.

If I succeed in business but fail as a father, then I've failed.

The best part of a great movie is a great villain and I usually have a tendency to root for the bad guy.

I do understand that going out and promoting the movie is a big responsibility, and part of the reason they give me the job in the first place.

A lot of people tend to chew up the scenery. I'm a firm believer in less is more, especially on the big screen.

For a lot of explosions and stuff like that [in Transformers] you're harnessed to something getting swung in the air or dragged onto something or thrown onto something.

Immortality... Is that a super power?

Music is my life. The last job I had, I was a bricklayer's apprentice. And I was happy with that job, too, because it was something that made me feel good. To build a wall for the side of a building felt really good to me.

You have to take everything I say with a grain of salt.

There aren't really many compliments flying around with me and my friends. It's a lot of tough love. But you know, that love is there and if you need to have a serious conversation you just gotta wait for the right time to do it.

But no, I'm not political. My obligation is to pull the lever and elect somebody who's going to make life a little better for everybody, especially those who don't have as much good fortune as others.

It's ridiculous that people call me a sex symbol. I don't feel like that at all. My daughter would get a kick out of it - she'd find it very funny. I'll take it though. I'm very humble. But it's certainly not the way I feel.

I've always been into working out and eating healthy. That's just who I am.

There's a lot a great television nowadays.

Previously, I've worked with Bill Monahan on The Departed, he recently wrote American Desperado for us, and I just acted in a movie he directed called Mojave. So, yes, Jimmy, that goes without saying.

I want people to come see my films and enjoy them but at the end of the day you can't control what people think.

I've always wanted to do right in life. But the wanting and the doing aren't quite the same thing.

I don't think God's going to judge me based on my film work - although I hope he has a sense of humour and I hope he's a fan of movies because I've done some things that may be questionable in his eyes as an actor!

Working with talented people and challenging myself as an actor [excites me].

I prepare mentally and physically for everything I do. I like having to do both, because you submerge yourself into the character and the world and you live it until it's over.

I never lie. I believe everything I say, so its not a lie.

I love the man that [Peter Berg] is, the father that he is, and the leader. We push each other in a way. It's competitive.

Justin Bieber is like the white Tupac. Compared to a lot of people.

Well every moment, every project is different. I took a very slow approach to acting, trying to really work with people I could learn from. And I got something different out of each experience.

I'm always friendly and encouraging on set. I want people to be at their best creatively.

I also like to get out there to promote a positive message about the importance of family and faith and of doing the right thing.

A lot of talented actors still have to pay their bills.

I always tend to like the characters that I play. I'm convinced that I am this person and I'm OK with whatever they do.

Having two daughters changed my perspective on a lot of things, and I definitely have a newfound respect for women. And I think I finally became a good and real man when I had a daughter.

Will Ferrell and I are teaming up again on a film called Daddy's Home. In the movie I play a Special-Ops soldier who has just discovered that Will Ferrell's character is married to my ex-wife and is my children's stepfather. So, I have to come home and try to win them back and take him out.

If I'm not training then, gosh, anything: donuts... Kentucky Fried Chicken 20-piece hot wings... corned beef hash and eggs... But because I'm training, I'm eating very healthily: almond milk... Ezekiel bread... chicken... fish... I'm on a strict diet.

The important thing is that ever since I realized all the wrongs that I had done, I have been trying to correct them for the past 27 years.