Robin Williams Quotes: 11 Inspirational Sayings From The Late Comedian On His Birthday

Tuesday would have been Robin Williams' 64th birthday. The late, great comedian was born July 21, 1951, in Chicago and enjoyed a hugely successful career before his death by suicide last August. Williams was known for his performances in movies like "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Good Will Hunting," "Aladdin," "Dead Poets Society" and more.

Williams, both while acting and not, was also famous for his eloquence. Here are a few of the best quotes from the comedic legend, collected by E! and Business Insider:

"You're only given a little spark of madness and if you lose that, you're nothing." -- to the Los Angeles Times

"Comedy can be a cathartic way to deal with personal trauma." -- to Parade

"The genie was only supposed to be a few lines, but I asked, 'Do you mind if I try something?’ and went off to the recording studio. I emerged, 22 hours later, with a stream-of-consciousness improvisation in 41 characters." -- to the Telegraph

"It's great to play ... Who wants to be deeply serious all the time? That would suck, I think. But I'm just now getting to the point where you realize, 'Wait, you don't have to play all the time.' It's exhausting, and you have to save something for when you come home. [My ex-wife] Marsha gets asked that all the time: 'He must be really wild at home!' The truth is that if I were, she wouldn't be alive. That type of freneticism is insane." -- to Rolling Stone

"Stand-up is the place where you can do things that you could never do in public. . . Once you step on stage you're licensed to do that. It's an understood relationship. You walk on stage, it's your job. Then it’s a question of what can you get away with." -- to Entertainment Weekly

And take a look at some of his beloved sound bites from films, found by US Weekly and Mashable:

“You'll have bad times, but it'll always wake you up to the good stuff you weren't paying attention to.” -- from "Good Will Hunting"

"The human spirit is more powerful than any drug and that is what needs to be nourished, with work, play, friendship, family. These are the things that matter." -- from "Awakenings"

“What's wrong with death, sir? What are we so mortally afraid of? Why can't we treat death with a certain amount of humanity and dignity, and decency, and God forbid, maybe even humor. Death is not the enemy, gentlemen. If we're going to fight a disease, let's fight one of the most terrible diseases of all, indifference.” -- from "Patch Adams"

"Imagining something is better than remembering something." -- from "The World According To Garp"

"You know what music is? God’s little reminder that there’s something else besides us in this universe; harmonic connection between all living beings, everywhere, even the stars." -- from "August Rush"

"No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world." -- from "Dead Poets Society"