40 Best Sean Connery Quotes From The 'James Bond' Actor

Sir Sean Connery, an Academy Award-winning Scottish actor was the first to play James Bond and had truly managed to give a face to the legendary agent.

Sean Connery was one of the most acclaimed and respected actors of his time, with the James Bond fame making him truly immortal. He has also starred in other films like 'Indiana Jones' but the Scotland-born actor will truly be remembered as Agent 007.

Sir Sean Connery's mother worked as a cleaning lady and his father was a lorry driver and factory worker. With his early life characterized by different endeavors such as joining the Royal Navy, working as a lorry driver, laborer, and even a coffin polisher, Connery entered the world of theatre in the 1950s. His first major movie was 'No Road Back' (1957) but the most significant breakthrough in his career was starring in the James Bond movie franchise. A notable actor of the times, he even landed a role in the 1971 movie 'Diamonds Are Forever' for a whopping $1.25 million paycheck! He retired from acting in 2006 citing  "idiots now making films in Hollywood" as the reason. Sir Sean Connery passed away on 31 October 2020. He was 90 years of age.

If you like what you read, check out our James Bond quotes and [Daniel Craig quotes] as well.

Here's a compilation of the best quotes from the Scottish actor, including funny Sean Connery quotes.

1. "Your background and environment is with you for life. No question about that."

- Sean Connery.

2. "If you’re afraid of getting a rotten apple, don’t go to the barrel. Get it off the tree."

- Sean Connery.

3. "I haven’t found anywhere in the world where I want to be all the time. The best of my life is the moving. I look forward to going."

- Sean Connery.

4. "I got my break — big break — when I was five years old. And it's taken me more than seventy years to realize it. You see, at five, I learned to read. It's that simple, and it's that profound."

- Sean Connery.

5. “If anything could have pulled me out of retirement, it would have been an Indiana Jones film.”

- Sean Connery.

6. "I like women. I don't understand them, but I like them."

-  Sean Connery.

7. “Perhaps I’m not a good actor, but I would be even worse at doing anything else.”

-  Sean Connery.

8. "More than anything else, I'd like to be an old man with a good face, like Hitchcock or Picasso."

- Sean Connery.

9. "I've always been hopeful about Scotland's prospects. And I now believe more than ever that Scotland is within touching distance of achieving independence and equality."

- Sean Connery.

10. “Everything I have done or attempted to do for Scotland has always been for her benefit, never my own and I defy anyone to prove otherwise.”

- Sean Connery.

11. "There is nothing like a challenge to bring out the best in man."

- Sean Connery.

12. "I’m an actor – it’s not brain surgery. If I do my job right, people won’t ask for their money back."

- Sean Connery.

13. "Love may not make the world go round, but I must admit that it makes the ride worthwhile."

- Sean Connery.

14. "Some age, others mature."

- Sean Connery.

15. "To cultivate an English accent is already a departure away from what you are."

- Sean Connery.

16. "I am a Scotsman! I was a Scotsman and I will always be one."

- Sean Connery.

17. "You know, the Oscar I was awarded for 'The Untouchables' is a wonderful thing, but I can honestly say that I'd rather have won the U.S. Open Golf Tournament."

- Sean Connery.

Here are some famous Sean Connery quotes as the iconic James Bond. Take a look at these James Bond quotes.

18. "Both hands on the wheel, Mr. Jones, I'm a very nervous passenger."

- James Bond, 'Dr. No,' 1962.

19. "Tell me, does the toppling of American missiles really compensate for having no hands?"

- James Bond, 'Dr. No,' 1962.

20. "Welcome to Hell, Blofeld."

- James Bond, 'Diamonds Are Forever,' 1971.

21. "Do I look like the sort of man who would make trouble?"

- James Bond, 'Never Say Never Again,' 1983.

22. "Good morning, gentlemen. ACME pollution inspection. We're cleaning up the world, we thought this was a suitable starting point."

- James Bond, 'Diamonds Are Forever,' 1971.

23. "World domination. The same old dream. Our asylums are full of people who think they're Napoleon. Or God."

- James Bond, 'Dr. No,' 1962.

Here are the best Sean Connery quotes by his character John Mason from the 1996 movie 'The Rock.'

24. "I have a unique knowledge of this prison facility. I was formerly a guest here."

- John Mason, 'The Rock,' 1996.

25. "I was trained by the best. British intelligence. But in retrospect I would rather have been a poet. Or a farmer."

- John Mason, 'The Rock,' 1996.

26. "I've been in jail longer than Nelson Mandela, so maybe you want me to run for president."

- John Mason, 'The Rock,' 1996.

27. "I want a suite, a shower, a shave, the feel of a suit."

- John Mason, 'The Rock,' 1996.

28. "'Patriotism is a virtue of the vicious,' according to Oscar Wilde."

- John Mason, 'The Rock,' 1996.

29. "I don't quite see how you cherish the memory of the dead by killing another million."

- John Mason, 'The Rock,' 1996.

These Sean Connery quotes and lines from various characters played by him in his movies are worth a read.

30. "Why, even the saints have been known to employ comedy, to ridicule the enemies of the Faith."

- William of Baskerville, 'The Name Of The Rose,' 1986.

31. "In some cultures it's good luck to be wearing something inside-out."

- Forrester, 'Finding Forrester,' 2000.

32. "Forty years I've been at sea. A war at sea. A war with no battles, no monuments... only casualties."

- Captain Ramius, 'The Hunt For Red October,' 1990.

33. "The first key to writing is... to write, not to think!"

- Forrester, 'Finding Forrester,' 2000.

34. "You just fulfilled the first rule of law enforcement: make sure when your shift is over you go home alive."

- Jim Malone, 'The Untouchables,' 1987.

35. "I miss the peace of fishing like when I was a boy."

- Captain Ramius, 'The Hunt For Red October,' 1990.

36. "Someone I once knew wrote that we walk away from our dreams afraid that we may fail or worse yet, afraid we may succeed."

- Forrester, 'Finding Forrester,' 2000.

37. "It reminds me of the heady days of Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin when the world trembled at the sound of our rockets. Now they will tremble again - at the sound of our silence."

- Captain Ramius, 'The Hunt For Red October,' 1990.

38. "My son, we're pilgrims in an unholy land."

- Professor Henry Jones, 'Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade,' 1989.

39. "The key to a woman's heart is an unexpected gift at an unexpected time."

- Forrester, 'Finding Forrester,' 2000.

40. "Monkeys do not laugh. Laughter is particular to men."

- William of Baskerville, 'The Name Of The Rose,' 1986.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Sean Connery quotes then why not take a look at Harrison Ford quotes, or Clint Eastwood quotes.