QUOTES

8 John Candy Quotes That Will Illuminate Your Mind

Wisdom from a comedy icon.

The man who was born to make people laugh was more serious than we’d think. Candy became an icon, a legend for his 80s and 90s comedic roles, and nobody had a bad word against him.

Roger Ebert told a story about John Candy in his review of Planes, Traines and Automobiles. That’s how it goes:

“One night a few years after “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” was released, I came upon John Candy (1950–1994) sitting all by himself in a hotel bar in New York, smoking and drinking, and we talked for a while. We were going to be on the same TV show the next day. He was depressed. People loved him, but he didn’t seem to know that, or it wasn’t enough. He was a sweet guy and nobody had a word to say against him, but he was down on himself. All he wanted to do was make people laugh, but sometimes he tried too hard, and he hated himself for doing that in some of his movies.”

Even a figure like him, with an undoubtable talent, had his own demons and struggles. As a kid, I grew up watching him goof around, and I only learned later in life that he wasn’t always the happy and joyful clown he played in his films. Not at all. Take his words for it.

1. “Sure, I’m sensitive about my weight. I don’t do fat jokes. I realize I stand out, especially on TV. But I’m the one who has to look in the mirror, and after a while it begins to eat at you.” — John Candy

Candy said this in an interview with People regarding of his figure. After Stripes were released, he decided to refuse any more roles that degraded his size. He was self-aware, but always trying to keep his integrity and dignity.

2. “Like your job. Love your wife.” — John Candy

This one is simple, almost ordinary. It sounds like a fragment from a conversation, but just stop and think about those 6 words for a minute. In a world where every single person tells you 24/7 that you have to be passionate like a Colombian lover in everything you do, otherwise, your work is worthless. These 6 words feel refreshing. Without passion, it’s better if you quit. Candy thought otherwise. There is something to it.

3. “I don’t watch my movies. I just get too critical of myself.” — John Candy

Sounds familiar? We, as writers, do this more often than anybody in the world. We question everything we write, self-deprecate, belittle our work, and criticize ourselves in a way that is far beyond healthy. Guess, what? Icons do it too.

4. “You know, the finest line a man will walk is between success at work and success at home.” — John Candy

Naturally, I often struggle to synchronize my career with my personal life. If one of them is on the right track, the other one is speeding towards disaster. When I’ll be able to manage both equally, maybe then, I can say I’ve found my way for a balanced life.

5. “You don’t pay an actor to act. An actor will do that for free because we love to act. You pay an actor to wait.” — John Candy

I think that applies to writers, as well. We don’t get paid for writing, we do that for free. We get paid when our work is published. Writing is a necessity, a conversation with ourselves, a self-therapy we need to cope and heal our mental and emotional wounds.

6. “I think I may have become an actor to hide from myself. You can escape into a character.” — John Candy

Indeed. Often we do nothing but escaping into a world, age, or character we created so we don’t have to reveal who we are. We find shelter in fictional characters that help us break out from our lives to genuinely express what we feel. Which we never could in reality.

7. “If you’re not happy without it, you’ll never be happy with it.” — John Candy

Can you define what is “it” for you? Got it? Great. Now, you learn how you can be happy without that, and then you might achieve it sooner than you expect.

8. “You wanna hurt me? Go right ahead if it makes you feel any better. I’m an easy target. Yeah, you’re right. I talk too much. I also listen too much. I could be a cold-hearted cynic like you, but I don’t like to hurt people’s feelings. Well, you think what you want about me. I’m not changing. I like me. My wife likes me. My customers like me. ’Cause I’m the real article. What you see is what you get.” — John Candy

This one is actually from Planes, Trains and Automobiles (written by John Hughes), but it truly comes alive with Candy’s heartfelt performance. We believe every word because it resonates with most of us, showing vulnerability and honesty in its purest form.

As people, we are afraid to reveal our truest thoughts and let others take a peek at who we really are. That we are not cool or likable to everyone, we have secrets, and half the time we’re as insecure as a half-legged pelican. Sometimes we leave countries, friends, and lovers to create a chance, a clean sheet to start over and being honest. It sucks, and it takes more courage than we usually have, but we must do it to live without boundaries.

Candy died in 1994 due to a heart attack in Mexico. He’d be 70 this year. According to Amy Madigan (his co-star in Uncle Buck), Candy “was just that guy you wanted him to be. He was really just an incredibly generous person. A real family guy. He treated everybody so equitably and was just such a cool person.”

I miss him dearly.

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