Quote Of The Day By Woody Harrelson: 'You Don't Sit And Look At Your Own Life And Think About The Things You Are Upset About. For Me, I Might...'

After his breakthrough role as a naive bartender in NBC's "Cheers," Woody Harrelson has built a robust career over the decades, becoming a bankable presence in both film and television. 

Harrelson starred as Detective Marty Hart in Season 1 of "True Detective," cementing his ability to bring flawed, yet grounded characters to life. His performance was a perfect foil to that of Matthew McConaughey's Rust Cohle, who balances Hart's everyman instincts with a cynicism that favors the inexplicable. Apart from his acclaimed "True Detective" role, Harrelson also starred in shows like "The Freak Brothers," "Will & Grace," and "White House Plumbers." Harrelson is set to reunite with McConaughey in the upcoming Apple TV comedy, "Brothers."

Throughout his career, Harrelson has earned multiple Emmy nominations, winning once for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy in 1989 for his work on "Cheers." As one of Hollywood's most enduring and versatile actors, Harrelson brings his A-game to every role, which is why he is today's quote of the day.

"You don't sit and look at your own life and think about the things you are upset about. For me, I might just binge watch some show and then by the time I have watched four episodes, I am not even thinking about whatever it was that got me upset before ... Speaking to Matthew [McConaughey], he always likes to tell about one time he went through the same thing. He asked, 'What do you do when you get all these things stacked up and they are really bothering you?' I said, 'Just forget about it.'"

The above quote is from Harrelson's 2018 interview with The Talks. When asked how he remains optimistic in the face of hardships, the actor explained that he tries to avoid being cynical, a sentiment that Harrelson said his friend and co-star McConaughey also shares. Harrelson went on to elaborate that he often combats negativity by not dwelling on it.

"This is not what a therapist would recommend but a lot of times I trick myself out of any kind of down or depressive moment," he added.

Woody Harrelson's quote runs the risk of being misconstrued as escapism, but it can be contextualized against his optimistic attitude as a lifelong activist. Harrelson has passionately spoken about environmental issues over the years, while also raising awareness about societal oppression and injustice. 

"I think there is a lot to be said for an optimistic viewpoint — just to be positive," Harrelson said in the aforementioned interview with The Talks. "That's what helps. It's not that I am convincing myself to be positive; I just feel positively about things."

While completely ignoring a negative state of mind might not be productive for everybody, Harrelson views it as a trick that dissuades him from dwelling on the negative. 

"It's like getting involved in an alternative life," the actor added while talking about distractions that help soothe negative thoughts.

• "I think the main thing is to believe in yourself. If you don't, then you're already lost. Also you have to persist." — from a 2017 interview with The Double Negative
• "When everybody opens the door for you — here's the best table, here's whatever you need — and people bend over backward, if your mind starts to believe, yeah, I deserve this, it's not good. I'm still going through my trip with fame, but even without fame, to deal with one's ego is a powerful tussle." — from a 2023 interview with the New York Times Magazine
• "I think there are young people that are true leaders. It's absolutely inspiring. That's why I am hoping that finally a change happens where things like gun control and environmental issues are concerned. When the youth are the ones commenting on this, they are coming from a very pure perspective." — from a 2018 interview with The Talks