Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American actor, filmmaker, businessman who served two terms as the 38th Governor of California. He’s best known for his Hollywood blockbuster movies, including The Terminator (1984), Predator (1987), and Total Recall (1990).

Born in 1947 in Thal, Austria to Aurelia Jadrny and Gustav Schwarzenegger. Both parents raised Arnold until he left home at 18 years old to move to London, where he became a professional bodybuilder with aspirations of becoming Mr Universe. He competed in the 1968 Mr Olympia contest but came second when Sergio Oliva won instead. 

In 1969, Schwarzenegger moved with five friends from Munich to Venice Beach near Los Angeles, which resulted in him becoming popular in the United States. He became involved in many businesses, including fitness magazines, personal training, nutrition products and real estate when he was not shooting at cinema screens worldwide.

Arnold Schwarzenegger participation in bodybuilding contests made him one of the most popular athletes in the world to be covered by the media. As a Hollywood icon, his famous quotes have been motivational to many people throughout his career. 

In this blog post, we look at some famous quotes from Arnold Schwarzenegger and implement them in different aspects of our lives.

1. “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s famous quote is about struggling to achieve something. It doesn’t matter if you lose or come out on top. What matters is the fighting spirit that has brought you there. Unfortunately, when we are faced with challenges, it is our feelings of inadequacy that makes us give up even before attempting.

Let’s say this girl I liked, but she has a boyfriend. By asking her out, my mind is already thinking that she would say no and not want to risk getting my feelings hurt. So I let fear of rejection stop me from trying at all. 

Remember this quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger when you feel fear or doubt in your abilities to do something you want to do. It is when we are at our lowest point, feeling low and thinking of giving up, that we must not. If there were ever a time to try, it would be now.

2. “The worst thing I can be is the same as everybody else. I hate that.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

Every person has an idea of how they want to succeed in life. Some want to have a lot of money. Some are happy just being average, while others seek to leave their distinct mark on society. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s analogy “I hate that” tells us that he hates the idea of being another homogenous person who does what everybody else does. He hates being an indistinguishable part of the group.

If you think of what makes each person unique, their own beliefs make them different from everyone else. Our thoughts are our way of distinguishing ourselves from others. If you despise what other people do, make it your goal not to imitate these actions because, in essence, they don’t work for you even if they did for them.

3. “I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

On his arrival in the United States, Schwarzenegger knew nothing about getting started on achieving his goal of becoming a Hollywood star aside from knowing that he had to train his body using various routines that he found in Muscle Magazine. He worked his way from being a bricklayer to an actor by working hard and training.

Even as he established himself as a Hollywood actor, Schwarzenegger continues to work out because he believes it is the secret to good health and longevity. Even with all his wealth, power and fame, Arnold Schwarzenegger has not stopped working through his words, “I didn’t get there by wishing for it,” and continues to work hard.

If we want something in life, we must do what is necessary to achieve it and not just hope that things will work out one day. We have to take action to achieve a goal if we want to see it realized.

4. “When I was ten years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

When we are children, our parents teach us what they believe to be the most important aspects of living a good and happy life. For many people, it is predominantly wealth; for others, it is faith or love. But for Arnold Schwarzenegger, happiness was paramount because he believed that with happiness as his goal in life, he would live his life as he wanted and not as others had planned.

5. “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

As a child, Schwarzenegger was often bullied for being an immigrant with weird interests in bodybuilding. So it was these difficulties throughout his life. However, that made him stronger as he had to face many hardships to become a bodybuilder, actor, and politician.