"When I work, I work very hard. So I look to work with people who have that level of dedication. And I depend on that from everyone. From the director to my crews that I work with." - Tom Cruise
"When I first started out all the attention could be a bit unnerving, especially when people stared. Now I find the best thing is to just relax. Being recognized is just something you have to get used to." - Tom Cruise
"What I find sometimes that is tricky is if actors are using too much of their own life in a picture, in a scene, they get locked into a particular way to play the scene, and it lacks an immediacy." - Tom Cruise
"The thing about film-making is I give it everything, that's why I work so hard. I always tell young actors to take charge. It's not that hard. Sign your own cheques, be responsible." - Tom Cruise
"It's well known I'm a Scientologist, and that has helped me to find that inner peace in my life and it's something that has given me great stability and tools that I use." - Tom Cruise
"Saddam has committed many crimes against humanity and against his own people." - Tom Cruise
"The exciting part of acting, I don't know how else to explain it, are those moments when you surprise yourself." - Tom Cruise
"I've never done work for money ever. If your choices are based on grosses and the film doesn't do well, what does that mean? It leaves you with nothing." - Tom Cruise
"I've never made a film that I didn't believe in, you know? However the picture turns out, I've always given everything to it. That's kind of how I approach life. I can't help it. There's no part-way with me on anything in any area of my life." - Tom Cruise
"I've learned to relax more. Everybody feels pressure in what they do, maybe mine is just a little different because there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to accomplish what I want to." - Tom Cruise
"I've gotten very good at scheduling my life, scheduling the scene and preparing myself for knowing, saving the energy, consuming the energy, knowing when to go for it and having the available reserves to be able to do that. You have to think about that, because it's endurance." - Tom Cruise
"I want a world without war, a world without insanity. I want to see people do well. I don't even think it's as much as what I want for myself. It's more what I want for the people around me. That's what I want." - Tom Cruise
"I love kids. I was a kid myself, once." - Tom Cruise
"I love what I do. I take great pride in what I do. And I can't do something halfway, three-quarters, nine-tenths. If I'm going to do something, I go all the way." - Tom Cruise
"I look at the Samurai because they were the artists of their time. What I think struck me when I read Bushido is compassion. 'If there's no one there to help, go out and find someone to help.' That hit me, because I try to lead my life like that." - Tom Cruise
"I find that, especially with children, they want to contribute. Even my kids, when they come in and they mess up the work and I'm busy, but they are just trying to help out, so I always say, 'Thank you.' That's how I am with them and I find that they're happier and I'm happier as a result." - Tom Cruise
"I do it because it's fun. I'm not a great mountain climber but things like that excite me. I think a lot of people are going to think that stuff is special effects, but it's not. I'm on the mountain. Throughout the fight scenes, when things come dangerously close, that's all real." - Tom Cruise
"I always look for a challenge and something that's different." - Tom Cruise
"I didn't become an actor to have power, but it just happens that I have it and so I have a lot of opportunities." - Tom Cruise
"I disagree with people who think you learn more from getting beat up than you do from winning." - Tom Cruise
"Even the scenes where you don't have the action, I've got to pace myself. At the end of the day, you know, you might be doing a close-up and working on this scene and you got to be prepared, you got to have it available. So I think of that when I'm preparing for a film, so I prepare very hard." - Tom Cruise
"As a kid when I was growing up, I remember vividly being on the roof of my family's station wagon, and across the street was the Sahara Desert. I always wanted to see other places and learn about how other people lived. I began to travel and saw different cultures even within America." - Tom Cruise
