George Takei

I had a really unusual, remarkably unusual father because he, in our family, was the one that suffered the most. He was the one that explained American democracy to me. He said, 'Our democracy is a people's democracy and it can be as great as people can be, and it can be great... but we are also fallible human beings.'

Well, you know, I do think in the larger span of things, I owe it all to Star Trek, because Star Trek has given me this pop icon status if you will, and one of the gifts have been this megaphone I have which amplifies my voice and I can reach people. And I do think the movement for equality for LGBT Americans is in the same context of all of the great American movements, you know, the basic fundamental ideals of this country of justice and equality.

As an Asian American, I\'m aware of how stereotypes can be very destructive. We\'ve been defined by the drag queens. And yes, they exist. But we\'ve been defined as irresponsible, flamboyant, loud, and garish. I think what we need to do - and what we haven\'t done as aggressively as we should have - is to depict the vast diversity of the GLBT community.

I am emboldened, not cowed, by the words and actions of Trump and his circle. I believe many others are as well. Together we will stand in opposition. I\'m not going anywhere, and I won\'t be silenced.

I was involved in the civil rights movement way back in the late \'50s and through the \'60s and \'70s. I was doing a civil rights musical here in Los Angeles and we sang at one of the rallies where Dr. Martin Luther King spoke, and I remember the thrill I felt when we were introduced to him. To have him shake your hand was an absolutely unforgettable experience. Even before I could vote, I was involved in the political arena.

We must remind ourselves that an assault on any one of our liberties and freedoms is an assault on all.

Today we have the economic collapse that the whole planet is suffering, but there is hope, and that\'s what\'s going to keep us moving ahead.

People forget that stereotypes aren't bad because they are always untrue. Stereotypes are bad because they are not always true. If we allow ourselves to judge another based on a stereotype, we have allowed a gross generalization to replace our own thinking.

It's really hard to hate someone for being different when you're too busy laughing together.

The theatre for me is much more satisfying as an actor because you are working in front of a living, breathing, throbbing, gasping, laughing and hopefully applauding audience. And the immediate connection you get with that audience is very satisfying.

Unfriending me when I didn't even know we were friends? It's like breaking wind when you're home alone. If I can't smell you, knock yourself out.

Should any terrorist strike or act of war occur in which American lives are lost, we must be on guard for any attempt by the government to turn that tragedy into justification for sweeping action.

We have to be vigilant about how the Trump administration may try to divide us from each other.

The real challenge in acting is in comedy. It\'s easier to get that gasp in a drama. Not easy, because you still have to find that emotional pitch. And when you do something in drama and you hear that sob from the audience it\'s so fulfilling. But as a comic actor, when the laugh is supposed to come and you punch in that line and nothing happens it is dreadful. It\'s horrific and you feel like dying right there.

Good grief. If we can't laugh at ourselves, and at one another, in good spirit and without malice, then what fun can be left? If we must withhold all ribbing in the name of protecting everyone's feelings, then we truly are a toothless society. We will reach what I call 'the lowest common denominator of butthurt.

The word today is \"detained,\" not \"interred.\" People are being detained with no due process. They don\'t know what the charges are, why they\'re being detained. Simply because they have an Arab name or some association, but there are no charges.

I\'m a preservationist, I believe in preserving history intact, but I also enjoy the technological advances which have been made.

We need to take our passion and effect real change at the local, state, and federal levels, to help elect progressive leaders, and to stem the tide of division, fear and scapegoating.

Confidence in the human capacity for problem solving, for invention, for innovation.

To me, the amazing thing is that so much that was science fiction back then, political fiction, today is reality. We have indeed a spacecraft called an international space station. And we have the diversity of this planet working on that ship, including Americans and Russians working side by side. I think the imagineers are the ones that set the goal. And the inventors and the technicians see that as a goal to work toward, or the political scientists and the diplomats. And eventually, that\'s arrived at.

My father told me, \"Don\'t do anything that would bring shame to the family.\" I was always mindful of that. When I told him I wanted to pursue a career as an actor, my father said, \"Look at what you see on television at the movies, is that what you want to be doing? Do you want to make a life out of that?\" And I said, \"Daddy, I\'m going to change it\".

For me, country music symbolized freedom and the joys of life... roaming the country, experiencing the joys as well as the heartbreaks. It was a transporting kind of song, and I\'d just kind of sing along with them.

The large majority of faith-based people are decent, fair-minded people. We should not characterize people of faith as the adversaries of GLBT equality.

I\'m George Takei, and I\'m straight... up asking you to vote.

When billionaires can give $50 million, $500 million to a campaign, and there\'s no limit, then it makes a mockery of \'one man, one vote.\'

I discovered that funny animal pictures - memes - would get a lot of likes and shares.

To characterize all Muslims as terrorists is fear-mongering of the worst kind.

I\'m especially concerned about the future of this country, because I\'m concerned about the gay people of the future. We need to ensure their good life by registering to vote.

I\'m most comfortable with my computer. Yes, I have an iPhone, but I\'ve reached that point now where to read e-mails on my phone, I need my reading glasses. I\'m most comfortable with the big-screen computer.

I\'d like to think that, when I explain it, that Mr. Trump will understand marriage is defined by two people who love each other, commit to each other, and will care for each other through thick and thin.