22 Leonard Nimoy Quotes That Will Live Long and Prosper Forever

Star Trek icon passed away at the age of 83, but his wisdom will be with us always

By Jenna Mullins Feb 27, 2015 7:04 PMTags
Leonard NimoyAP Photo/Steven Senne

Legendary actor Leonard Nimoy passed away Friday at the age of 83, and when someone of that magnitude leaves us, fans often find it hard to appropriately mourn or honor them. The Star Trek icon brought so much joy and entertainment to the world, and not just in the confines of a television screen. And long after he took off Spock's ears, he was teaching us something important.

These 22 quotes from both Leonard and his Vulcan alter-ego represent everything he stood for: a profound passion for exploration and knowledge, a real desire to help others and a lover of living the best life possible. We hope they bring some comfort to those who are grieving over his death:

1. "I think it's my adventure, my trip, my journey, and I guess my attitude is, let the chips fall where they may."

2. "Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end."

3. "I am not Spock. But given the choice, if I had to be someone else, I would be Spock. If someone said, 'You can have the choice of being any other TV character ever played,' I would choose Spock. I like him. I admire him. I respect him."

4. "I'm touched by the idea that when we do things that are useful and helpful, collecting these shards of spirituality, that we may be helping to bring about a healing."

5. "Whatever I have given, I have gained."

6. "The miracle is this: the more we share the more we have."

7. "My memory of those places is better than my pictures. That's why I get much more satisfaction out of shooting thematic work that has to do with an idea that I'm searching for, or searching to express."

8. "I object to intellect without discipline; I object to power without constructive purpose."

9. "When you let me take, I'm grateful. When you let me give, I'm blessed."

10. "A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory."

11. "You proceed from a false assumption: I have no ego to bruise."

12. "Change is the essential process of all existence."

13. "That is the exploration that awaits you! Not mapping stars and studying nebula, but charting the unknown possibilities of existence."

14. "Insufficient facts always invite danger."

15. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Or of the one."

16. "You know, for a long time I have been of the opinion that artists don't necessarily know what they're doing. You don`t necessarily know what kind of universal concept you're tapping into."

17. "I believe in goodness, mercy and charity. I believe in casting bread upon the waters."

18. "Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

19. "I have been, and always shall be, your friend."

20. "Spock is definitely one of my best friends. When I put on those ears, it's not like just another day. When I become Spock, that day becomes something special."

21. "Art, if it is successful, needs no explanation. Star Trek and Spock, if they are works of art, can be discussed. But finally the response comes in individual terms. Each viewer sees what is there for him, depending on his frame of reference.

22. "Live Long and Prosper"

Leonard Nimoy's grandson announced on Twitter that a "special shirt" will soon be on sale at his official online shop, and all proceeds will go to the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Foundation

Rest in peace, Mr. Nimoy.