Best quotes by Neil Patrick Harris

IndividualitySocietal ExpectationsParentingAcceptanceParents need to be more accepting of who their kids are and less concerned about what society thinks they need to be.

LoveGrowthChangeAppreciationTransformationLove is awesome and endless, but it is constantly changing its form. You love something for what it is, then it changes. But that change can make you love it even more.

HumorDiversityHollywoodCelebrationAwardsTonight we celebrate Hollywood's best and whitest, sorry... brightest.

BooksPersonal GrowthTimingI often feel like books find us for reasons, and we read them when we need them the most.

EnjoymentPerspectiveComparisonBut magic is like pizza: even when it's bad, it's pretty good.

PassionCollectingI collect puppet stuff. I have a puppet workshop in my garage. I was looking for any opportunity to be able to get very creatively involved in that world.

Living In The PresentAs I learned from chapters past, it's important to try and stay in the chapter that you're in, and enjoy it while it's lasting. Not be constantly worrying about where this step will take you - living in the potential future. Like a good meal. Like a good chef's tasting meal. You don't want to wonder what's next while you're eating the foie gras.

Personal GrowthContentmentSelf-ConfidenceOptimismI feel like I know where I'm going. And I like where I'm going.

EmpowermentAuthenticitySelf-ExpressionBeing able to live my life transparently does empower me to feel like I can be myself more. It's easier for me to flirt with girls now that girls know that I'm gay. It almost makes it a sexier encounter than if I was trying to pretend that I was straight.

AuthenticityTrustActingBelievabilityI'm lucky that people believe me when I'm in character.

Personal GrowthWork-Life BalanceTime ManagementParentingPrioritizationI need to stop carving out four-hour chunks to do random things and go home and watch my children grow up.

UnderstandingCommunicationListeningI don't know, but I think kids just want to be listened to, so I want to make sure I do that.

AdmirationRegretDancingI regret not dancing more, just cutting loose on the dance floor. I still admire those who don't care much about what others think of them.

IdentityEqualityAcceptanceStereotypesYou can't just put gay in a little gay box anymore.

Personal GrowthIndependenceRealizationI remember thinking that the rest of my life would be solo. I wasn’t weepy when I thought that - it was just a realization that I had gone this long being self-sufficient.

Self-CriticismI'm probably my biggest critic. I worry that if you spend any quality time reveling in good things then karma will slap you upside the head, so I try to stay as even keel as I'm able.

CareerNeil Patrick HarrisI've got no plans to be a ballet dancer at the moment.

TalentAdmirationNeil Patrick HarrisI would not dream of taking on Tobey Maguire. Plus, he's a talented and nice guy, and I have nothing but nice things to say about him.

TheaterThe theater is reaching as many different demographics as it can now.

TheaterTheater for me is about enduring human truth. Special effects can be part of that, but when they obscure what is the reason we come to theater - to see reflections of our confounded humanity - the theater has lost its way.

Neil Patrick HarrisMay I suggest a drinking game where everytime I do a ridiculously long awkward blink, someone does a shot of some kind of alcohol?

EffortChangeRelationshipWhat defines a relationship is the work that's involved to maintain it, and it's constantly changing.

ContentmentMisconceptionsRather than ignore those who choose to publish their opinions without actually talking to me, I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love.

The subject of Citizenfour, Edward Snowden, could not be here for some treason.

Self-EsteemComplimentsAttentionI think flirting is great fun. It doesn't mean that anything's going to come of it but it's fun to be told that you're hot and that your tits look great. You all get your pens out.

OpportunitiesIt's good to have a lot of once-in-a-lifetimes in your lifetime. If you get the chance to skydive, go skydiving. If you're offered a part in a weird Shakespeare play in San Diego, slap on some tights and rock out some iambic pentameter.

Self-DiscoverySelf-IdentityIt's really something for people who are approaching 30 to take a look at what that means to them. I think turning 30 is a chance to re-identify with yourself.

FoodI always thought filet mignon was the steak to beat, but the fat content in a rib eye is fantastic.

My favorite time to dance is at, like, wedding receptions, when it's all ages and everyone seems to be having fun.

I have more artistic control in a smaller show. But it doesn't really matter. Sometimes you can have the smallest role in the smallest production and still make a big impact.

Neil Patrick HarrisI love the American musical for the simplicity of emotion that gets expressed.

ActorsHumorShow BusinessBenedict Cumberbatch is not only the best name in show business, it's also the response you get when you ask John Travolta to pronounce Ben Affleck.

CareerEnjoymentI enjoy being a hyphenate. I've always thought of my career as a plate spinner in the circus.

Sense of humorEducationI grew up being educated by Sesame Street and gained a sense of humor from The Muppet Show. I'd give my right foot to be able to do a scene or two with the Muppets.

My parents own a restaurant in Albuquerque.

Childhood MemoriesNeil Patrick HarrisJim Henson was the only piece of fan mail I ever wrote when I was a little kid.

In my 20s, I mostly ate burritos and nachos, with the occasional burger.

I love Buster Keaton. I was a big fan of the stunt shows at Universal Studios. I'm a huge Cirque du Soleil nut.

ComedyEnjoymentPerformingPressureI'm having a ball. I just walk in, make some funnies and walk out, no pressure.

AdaptabilityExhaustionSelflessnessBabies just change everything. You have to become super-selfless and super-tired and super-amenable to change. They just change all the time.

DiversityI'm wildly impressed with the diversity of gay roles.

PerformingI loved Rent when I first heard it, but it grew on me and so did Tick, Tick... Boom. Some songs are more interesting than others and sometimes the ones that never stood out at first end up being the best to perform.

ParentingWhen you have twin four-year-olds, you are able to dance like a fool, often. And I do.

I love physical stuff. I love circusy, weird, breathing fire and bucket-listy things.

PrideSexualityI'm a big proponent of monogamous relationships regardless of sexuality, and I'm proud of how the nation is steering toward that.

IdentityActorsAs actors you don't want to have one label. You'd rather have seven.

CareerI enjoy darker sardonic wit more than knock-knock jokes. I spent the first healthy chunk of my career playing all-American, pleasant, average, nice people, so it's fun to have some complications there.

DisciplineThe TV schedule is fantastic. It allows you to have a life. Theater actors are so disciplined - especially if you're doing musicals, you have to be in shape physically, mentally, and have to be on your game all the time. That's exhausting. On TV, especially a sitcom, you have a lot of free time to play.

When I auditioned for the show, I didn't realize it was an MTV production, which is going to make for really good tunes during the episodes, if nothing else.

WisdomPerformanceI often teach a graduate theater seminar on Greek tragedy in performance. I usually begin by saying that no matter what technological advances occur, the wisdom of these plays will never be obsolete.

CareerNeil Patrick HarrisI've been very fortunate to go from interesting chapter to interesting chapter.

TrainingI've been taking a trapeze class for the last couple of years. I'm working on my double back flip right now.

GoalsPersonal GrowthCareerLuckThankfully I've been quite lucky in my career, but it's always good to re-evaluate things and think about what else you want to do.

Neil Patrick HarrisI have an unbelievable assistant who handles all of my scheduling! It's like a Tetris game.

I've done plenty of daredeviling - from white-water rafting to bungee jumping. But I think the most fearless was hosting the Emmy Awards. It was overwhelming, and I definitely had to leave fear at the door.

ActingNeil Patrick HarrisAs an actor, you most often play relatively average parts, so to get to play extreme versions of anything, those are the most exciting parts.

Personal StyleDecision-MakingI think things through a lot, so I probably use my head more than my heart. That probably comes through in my acting.

Decision-MakingCareer ChoicesPersonal InterestsI like to make decisions based on things I'm interested in doing, not what seems like the next move in my quote-unquote career.

ChallengesSelf-ImprovementPreparationPerformanceI think, in life, being nervous about something that's forthcoming is very helpful, whether it's an awards show or a family gathering or a job interview. If you're too calm and confident, then I think you aren't executing to the best of your ability. So I try not to let nerves get the best of me, but I welcome them because it tends to fuel me to try harder.

CreativityWritingIf I wrote a musical it wouldn't be about me. Although I do some magic, so it would probably be about a magician who appeared and re-appeared all over the place.

TelevisionComedyActingPerformanceWe're blessed on 'How I Met Your Mother' to feel like we're doing a bit of a funny playlet everyday.

ActingShakespeareI felt a little green, because Shakespeare writes the thought process within the text; it was tricky not to think of what to say and then say it, and instead just deliver the lines.

Neil Patrick HarrisI don't want to have to inadvertently find a gift and go like, "What the hell is? Oh no, that's for me." And then have to pretend like I'm surprised later. If I know where they're hidden, I will not look. I love presents and I hate faking surprises.

Neil Patrick HarrisHe's easily the most well-adjusted former child star in the room, please welcome... Jason Bateman.

Neil Patrick HarrisI don't stay up and rent private jets and go on yachts and whoop it up in Miami.

ComedyI was a big fan of how Johnny Carson hosted awards shows. Dick Cavett, as well, I think did a really great job of providing a nice blend of comedy, wit and class.

HappinessJoyBabies laughing is like opium.

Neil Patrick HarrisI thought the idea of 'Smurfs' lent itself to the 3-D environment pretty well, I think, better than some of the farm animal movies that have been done before. I was a fan of the 'Smurfs' and they come with their own fan base, which I thought was nice.

I don't know, on a sitcom, and in theatre especially, you have to really be listening to an audience. And if you're losing them, you can hear the sniffs, and the playbills shuffling and whatnot.

DialogueDarknessOn MTV, the dialogue can be a little darker, more interesting and edgy... the animation is just phenomenal. It's a CGI program that's doing all the animation.

TalentWisdomMr. Steven Bochco is a very wise man. After a many-monthed nationwide search to find a precocious teenage doctor, he hired me.

SuccessRespectPoliticsWe're in such a volatile climate right now politically. I think they didn't want Assassins to not succeed due to popular opinion and politics, versus on its own merits. I can respect that.

New YorkHard WorkProgressIt PASSED! Marriage equality in NY!! Yes!! Progress!! Thank you everyone who worked so hard on this!! A historic night!

WarMoviesViolenceAmerican Sniper focuses on a soldier with 160 kills, or as Harvey Weinstein calls it, a slow morning.

EatingThis next presenter is so lovely you could eat her up with a spoon