Quote Of The Day By Nathan Fillion: 'Everything That's In My Control, Those Are The Things That I Worry About...'

Whether it's space cowboy Mal Reynolds in Fox's "Firefly" or middle-aged cop John Nolan in ABC's "The Rookie," Nathan Fillion has long been one of the most beloved faces on television. 

It's fair to say that the actor has had a varied career, with plenty of guest appearances or recurring roles on shows such as "Family Guy," "Drunk History," "Gravity Falls," and "The Santa Clarita Diet." But the best Nathan Fillion TV shows are ones where he really gets to explore a character in depth, including "The Rookie" and ABC's "Castle."

Of course, he's dabbled in cinematic adventures too, even working with Steven Spielberg on "Saving Private Ryan" as the film's other Private Ryan. And in 2005, Fillion reunited with the "Firefly" crew for the show's sequel movie "Serenity."

Fillion also took to the skies in 2025's "Superman" as the Green Lantern, Guy Gardner, and he recently reprised the role in HBO's "Lanterns" series. Now is as good a time as ever to acknowledge the wisdom that Fillion has collected over the course of his impressive career, which is why he's today's quote of the day.

"I told myself a while back, 'Love what you do, but don't fall in love with what you do.' That way you won't be brokenhearted if ever it gets canceled five episodes in — which has happened to me. Everything that's in my control, those are the things that I worry about. Once it's out of my hands, I try not to worry."

The quote from Nathan Fillion comes from an interview with Entertainment Weekly where he answered questions from "Castle" fans. He was specifically asked about the show's future.

Though the series ultimately lasted eight seasons, during its early days, Fillion wanted to make sure he didn't get heartbroken by another cancellation. It seemed like he wanted to avoid a situation like "Firefly," which was a genre defining sci-fi TV show despite being scrapped by ABC after just one season.

Nathan Fillion's 2009 comments might have been about not getting his hopes up for his TV show being renewed, but his sentiments are wise words that we can use in every day life. While it's great to do something you enjoy, showing some restraint in case something doesn't pan out could help prevent emotional devastation.

Instead, take what you know is for certain and make sure you're doing everything you can to achieve that goal rather than fixating on what may or may not happen in the future. If anything, panicking about what is around the corner could impact your current situation so that whatever you're working toward doesn't ever happen — this can be a form of a self-sabotage.

Fillion's perspective clearly worked well for "Castle," since the ABC procedural lasted for eight seasons until its finale in 2016. He's also managed to push his career further with bigger projects, like joining the DC Universe.

• "The difference between lucky people and unlucky people is gratitude. When I see someone complaining about their job, I often ask them 'Where would you rather be right now?' Because when I'm at work, even on my worst day, there's nowhere I would rather be." — from a 2025 interview with Q With Tom Power 

• "Being bold is really hard to do. It's really hard to be brave and be all those things, but you can pretend to be those things. It's okay to be nervous, but take a minute and pretend you're not. It's been my success." — from a 2025 interview with Q With Tom Power

• "I think I've come to peace with my reflection, right? I used to call it The Daily Betrayal: 'Ugh! Jesus...' Now I think I've come to terms with that. But now I get a little resentful though when I see pictures of myself as a younger man. I go 'Ah yeah, you had the world by the tail! You had no idea how good you had it! You didn't enjoy it enough kid!'" — from a 2026 interview on I Think You're Overthinking It with Chris Hardwick