Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, (16 April 1889 – 25 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. Chaplin became a worldwide icon through his screen persona “the Tramp” and is considered one of the most important figures in the history of the film industry. His career spanned more than 75 years, from childhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977, and encompassed both adulation and controversy.
Chaplin’s childhood in London was one of poverty and hardship. As his father was absent and his mother struggled financially, he was sent to a workhouse twice before the age of nine. When he was 14, his mother was committed to a mental asylum. Chaplin began performing at an early age, touring music halls and later working as a stage actor and comedian. At 19, he was signed to the prestigious Fred Karno company, which took him to America. Chaplin was scouted for the film industry and began appearing in 1914 for Keystone Studios. He soon developed the Tramp persona and formed a large fan base. Chaplin directed his own films from an early stage and continued to hone his craft as he moved to the Essanay, Mutual, and First National corporations. By 1918, he was one of the best-known figures in the world. (From Wikipedia)
“Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.” – Charlie Chaplin
“Nothing is permanent in this wicked world, not even our troubles.” – Charlie Chaplin
“In the end, everything is a gag.” – Charlie Chaplin
“I suppose that’s one of the ironies of life doing the wrong thing at the right moment.” – Charlie Chaplin
“You’ll find that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile.” – Charlie Chaplin
“Perfect love is the most beautiful of all frustrations because it is more than one can express.” – Charlie Chaplin.
“Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain.” – Charlie Chaplin
“What do you want a meaning for? Life is a desire, not a meaning.” – Charlie Chaplin
“Words are cheap. The biggest thing you can say is ‘elephant’.” – Charlie Chaplin
. “That’s the trouble with the world. We all despise ourselves.” – Charlie Chaplin
. “I went into the business for the money, and the art grew out of it. If people are disillusioned by that remark, I can’t help it. It’s the truth.” – Charlie Chaplin
. “Despair is a narcotic. It lulls the mind into indifference.” – Charlie Chaplin
“The saddest thing I can imagine is to get used to luxury.” – Charlie Chaplin
“We might as well die as to go on living like this.” – Charlie Chaplin
“All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman, and a pretty girl.” – Charlie Chaplin
“I don’t believe that the public knows what it wants; this is the conclusion that I have drawn from my career.” – Charlie Chaplin
“I went into the business for the money, and the art grew out of it. If people are disillusioned by that remark, I can’t help it. It’s the truth.” – Charlie Chaplin
“The basic essential of a great actor is that he loves himself in acting.” – Charlie Chaplin
“Imagination means nothing without doing.” – Charlie Chaplin
“Why should poetry have to make sense?” – Charlie Chaplin
“A man’s true character comes out when he’s drunk.” – Charlie Chaplin
“I am at peace with God. My conflict is with Man.” – Charlie Chaplin
“I am for people. I can’t help it.” – Charlie Chaplin
“A day without laughter is a day wasted.” – Charlie Chaplin
“To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it!” – Charlie Chaplin
“You’ll never find a rainbow if you’re looking down.” – Charlie Chaplin
“Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.” – Charlie Chaplin
“I do not have much patience with a thing of beauty that must be explained to be understood.” – Charlie Chaplin
“If it does need additional interpretation by someone other than the creator, then I question whether it has fulfilled its purpose.” – Charlie Chaplin
“I have no further use for America. I wouldn’t go back there if Jesus Christ was President.” – Charlie Chaplin
“I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician.” – Charlie Chaplin
“The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.” – Charlie Chaplin
“Dictators free themselves, but they enslave the people.” – Charlie Chaplin
“I’d sooner be called a successful crook than a destitute monarch.” – Charlie Chaplin
“Despair is a narcotic. It lulls the mind into indifference.” – Charlie Chaplin
“I always like walking in the rain, so no one can see me crying.” – Charlie Chaplin
“We think too much and feel too little.” – Charlie Chaplin
“What do you want a meaning for? Life is a desire, not a meaning.” – Charlie Chaplin
“We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness, not by each other’s misery.” – Charlie Chaplin
“My pain may be the reason for somebody’s laugh. But my laugh must never be the reason for somebody’s pain.” – Charlie Chaplin
“A tramp, a gentleman, a poet, a dreamer, a lonely fellow, always hopeful of romance and adventure.” – Charlie Chaplin
