Nothing Is Over until You Stop Trying

The Best Zyzz Quotes: Get Inspired Brah!

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Posted byNayem kkc

october 6, 2016

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Let’s face it… Zyzz was very inspirational. He influenced an entire generation and changed many lives because of his story and transformation.

Here are a few quotes from zyzz that he is best known for:

Who is Zyzz

I am not zyzz. Zyzz is a person who took over who I am. I am Az , and Zyzz is a fucking spirit. Zyzz took over me. Everyone has a little bit of Zyzz in them. You just don’t know it yet.

Zyzz Message

My message is to train hard, don’t be a sad cunt, enjoy life and don’t take yourself too seriously. If there were more people like me, the world would be a happier place. I’d rather do what I do and have fun then sit back hating on someone achieving something.

Zyzz on Religion

Shreddology, the belief that to transcendence of life into heaven is achieved at 6% body fat.A complete euphoria and sense of accomplishment overcomes the shredder, entering, almost surpassing the majestic boundaries of human emotion

The Zyzz Mindset

Everybody, one day will die, and be forgotten. Act and behave in a way that will make life interesting and fun, fuck a mundane predictable life working monday to friday with something you derive no pleasure from; just living life out till you grow old and wither away. Find a passion, form relationships, and don’t be afraid to get out there. Fuck what everyone else thinks. Trust me, its alot more fun that way.

Dont ever pay people out or put people down. Instead just put yourself up and let the haters do their thing. Id rather be a person that’s hated on, than a person that does the hating. A wise man once said..

Haters gonna hate!

Zyzz on Being Called Arrogant

That reminds me of something…When I have my shirt off, I get called a show off. But when a random skinny kid has his shirt off, or some tubby bloke, nobody says anything or cares. Funny.

On Veni Vidi Vici

AKA my chest tat. I came, I saw, and I conquered. Fuck being second. I must dominate in everything I do.

Zyzz on Being Confident

Being confident was a gradual process. I remember going to a rave when I was 17 and seeing girls all over these ripped guys, thinking, “Fuck they have it good.”

Then started training. Eventually, you stop giving a fuck about girls and grow a passion for it because you love it. If you dont enjoy it and you want to do it just for the end result, you might as well give up, because you wont be consistent.

I’ve seen many fall. I’ve been training 5 days a week for the last 4 years, whether or not I go on holiday, am sick or injured. No excuses!

Zyzz Inspiration

At the end of the day, I have respect for anyone who wants to make a change for themselves to start training and improving their body and health. In my opinion, the gym/training/dieting lifestyle is by far the most fun and rewarding way to live your life. The people that laugh at the overweight and obese people in the gym are a disgrace. I applaud them for having the courage and determination to train and want to make a change for themselves despite the obvious hardships they would face. At the end of the day, its all up to how much you want it yourself.

Some people don’t care that much, are happy with their bodies and its not a big issue for them. Good for them. But for anyone to take the piss out of and ridicule anyone trying their best to lose weight/gain muscle and make a change for themselves, especially if they are finding it hard due to their genetics makes me sick. If you want it, you will get it, and will eventually prove the haters wrong. And that is one of the best feelings a human being can experience.

---

If you ever heard any of the phrases like “You mirin” or “Come at me bro“, as well as words like sick cunt,aesthetics, and Veni Vidi Vici…remember that these were all started by Zyzz.

He was more than a person. He was a revolution. An icon for transforming your mind and body into a stronger version of yourself. You can find Zyzz quotes pretty much everywhere… You can even get Zyzz shirts with some of them on it.

Here’s a gallery of a few more Zyzz quotes that I put together for anyone who needs a little motivation:

If you have anymore that I forgot, add them to the comments below and I’ll put them on.

Forever mirin’
Zyzz Fan

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Biceps don't grow on trees

Content → Health & Life 

by Nayemkkc

October04, 2016


                                  WillYouQuit?        

https://www.facebook.com/Nayemkkc

Bodybuilding can provide incredible life-changing benefits, but even diehard lifters often fizzle out as the years go by. Will you still be in the gym in 20 years? Test yourself here.

Many of you who are reading this right now are probably in your teens or early 20s. Right now, you are gung-ho about bodybuilding, bursting with enthusiasm to transform your body into a muscular marvel. You can't imagine ever quitting, and you have a social media account packed with the memes to prove it.

But the cold, hard truth is that only a fraction of you will still be training hard 10 years from now. And only a fraction of that fraction will still be hitting the iron 20 years from now. Most of you will have given up for any number of reasons, and will look just like a regular person: skinny, fat, skinny-fat, or just, well normal. That's just how the odds shake out.

As I write this, I am on the verge of turning 47 years old. I started messing with weights around age 12 or 13, and shortly after I turned 14 at the start of ninth grade, I decided I was going to stay committed and consistent with lifting until I had seriously beefed up my 95-pound body. Plenty of other kids I knew were into lifting weights—mostly bench presses and curls, of course. By the time I graduated at 135 pounds, most of them had lost interest. Then, in my 20s, I found a whole new community of bodybuilders to train and compete with. This was a revelation.

And yet, a couple decades later, most of them have long since abandoned serious training. Many haven't exercised in any way for years. What happened? The same things that will happen to you eventually. But by preparing yourself ahead of time, you can look these situations in the eye and persevere.

Will You Quit When The Pain Comes?

If you train hard and heavy for long enough, even with thorough warm-ups and good form, you will still get hurt. You'll have a "that didn't feel right" moment in your lower back, shoulders, or some other similarly delicate body part, and the irritation will unexpectedly last longer than just a day or two. You'll get a muscle tear, a joint sprain, or experience chronic pain in the lumbar spine, hips, shoulders, knees, or elbows due to issues such as joint impingement, soft-tissue injuries, arthritis, or other inflammations. It will happen.

Personally, I have probably injured my lower back over 100 times since the first instance at age 18, I've torn a triceps muscle, had shoulder surgery to relieve impingement, and have advanced arthritis in both shoulders. I've had to adapt my training to all those situations, which usually meant having to give up certain exercises and going much lighter on others.

But that's just half the story. Injuries are just as challenging psychologically as they are physically, perhaps even more so. When you can't train, or can't train the way you want to, it can be frustrating and depressing. Just ask Branch Warren, whose laundry list of injuries I laid out in the article "What The Bodybuilding Greats Can Teach You." Losing the size and strength you worked so hard to build is also devastating, even if you know you can regain it eventually. It's not easy to have faith that things will get better with time and patience.

You're going to experience this. Will you quit?

Will You Quit When Your Goals Dissolve?

Very few of you will ever be able to look like the guys on the magazine covers or the Mr. Olympia stage, no matter how long and hard you train or how many risks you are willing to take along the way. You could do everything right, and your biggest goals might still end up being both unrealistic and unattainable.

I was totally ignorant of this as a teenager when I fell in love with bodybuilding. I vividly recall being 18 years old, staring at the photos of my idol, Arnold Classic Champion and three-time Mr. Olympia runner-up Rich Gaspari, and being absolutely certain I would look just like him in a year! Here I am pushing 50, and I still haven't ever looked like The Dragonslayer in his prime.

We all have a specific genetic blueprint, with things like bone structure and muscle shape and attachments predetermined. We can and should make the most of what we were given from our parents, but we can't change our genetics. The genetics for being a champion bodybuilder on even the local level are, to say the least, rare. And despite what anyone who peddles drugs or gray-area substances would like you to believe, only bodybuilders with incredibly special genetics can ever look like a Mr. Olympia competitor.

So you probably won't ever look quite as big and freaky as you dream. Will you quit?

Will You Quit When The Gains Stop?

Every serious lifter remembers that amazing "honeymoon phase" when gains were steady and substantial. There's nothing else like it. It was amazing! And then it was over.

Without digging too much into the exercise textbooks, training like a bodybuilder gives you a shock to the system that forces your body to adapt to the new stress, ultimately signaling the muscles to grow larger and more powerful. But sooner or later—and it might take six months or two years—the body will become accustomed to training and your gains will slow to a crawl.

Unfortunately, it gets worse. Sooner or later, you will run into long periods of plateaued results. As hard as you try, you won't gain an ounce of new muscle for months. Assuming you switch things up and are on point with your rest, nutrition, and supplementation, you will eventually see progress again. But it's very hard for most people to continue putting out effort day after day, month after month, while seeing no reward for those efforts.

As the years go by, these stretches will be longer in duration. It will seem as if all hope is lost, and pushing on will seem pointless. I guarantee you that if you train long enough, these phases will happen. Will you quit?

Will You Quit When Nobody Else Cares?

Right now, nobody blinks if you go to the gym every day and come home sweaty, veiny, and swilling protein. But what about 10 years from now?

At some point, some people will discourage you from pursuing your goals or ridicule you for having those goals in the first place. They'll belittle you and say you're shallow and narcissistic for putting so much time and effort into building your body. People will give you no credit for your hard work and dismiss your results as being purely the fruits of illegal drugs, even if you never touch the stuff. They will assure you that all your muscle will turn to fat. They will tell you they know someone's brother's uncle's best friend who is 10 times bigger and stronger than you. They will tell you how unhealthy your pursuit of bigger muscles is, even while they drink, smoke, and are overweight themselves.

But those are just the haters. Other people—people you love—will simply fail to encourage you, acknowledge your progress, or praise your dedication. They just won't care. Will you quit?

Will You Quit When Life Happens?

It's easy to say, "training is life," but then one day, life steps in and reminds you what it really is.

You might have to work 60 or more hours a week to support a family. You might only be able to get five hours of sleep every night due to work, school, or parenting demands. You might spend eight hours at work every day and another three commuting to and from work. Finding time for training and eating right will be a massive challenge. You might have to take care of a disabled child, an ill partner, or an aging parent.

Bodybuilding will seem an impossible task in the face of all this. Will you quit?

Why I Haven't Quit, And You Shouldn't Either

For all those reasons, most people do quit. Me? I've faced most of those obstacles and impediments over the last 30-plus years, but quitting was never an option. As God is my witness, I never once considered it.

Why did I persevere? I think it has a lot to do with the fact that bodybuilding was never solely about the results. It was never about the muscle. No, bodybuilding was the habit that gave me the structure and discipline I was able to apply in other areas in my life. It gave me confidence. Bodybuilding taught me how to set goals and follow through on accomplishing them through hard work and persistence. Bodybuilding provided stress release when I faced issues such as marriage problems or the deaths of my parents and my sister.

Of course, in my case, bodybuilding also gave me a career in the fitness industry. But there's no doubt that it paid me more in intangibles than in dollars. No matter who you are, bodybuilding can be an incredible journey of self-discovery and personal transformation.

Whether you are 15 or 50, whether you started training last week or 20 years ago, I urge you not to quit—no matter what. You won't regret it.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger- The Austrian Oak

 Arnold Schwarzenegger-The Austrian Oak

1.Early life

Schwarzenegger was born in Thal, Styria, and christened Arnold Alois. His parents were Gustav Schwarzenegger (August 17, 1907 – December 13, 1972) and Aurelia Schwarzenegger (née Jadrny; July 29, 1922 – August 2, 1998). Gustav was the local chief of police, and had served in World War II as a Hauptfeldwebel after voluntarily joining the Nazi Party in 1938, though he was discharged in 1943 following a bout of malaria. He married Schwarzenegger's mother on October 20, 1945; he was 38, and she was 23. According to Schwarzenegger, both of his parents were very strict: "Back then in Austria it was a very different world, if we did something bad or we disobeyed our parents, the rod was not spared." Schwarzenegger grew up in a Roman Catholic family who attended Mass every Sunday

2.Personal records

• Clean and press – 264 lb (120 kg)
• Snatch – 243 lb (110 kg)
• Clean and jerk – 298 lb (135 kg)
• Squat – 545 lb (247 kg)
• Bench press – 520 lb (240 kg)
• Deadlift – 710 lb (320 kg)

3.Mr. Olympia

Schwarzenegger's goal was to become the greatest bodybuilder in the world, which meant becoming Mr. Olympia. His first attempt was in 1969, when he lost to three-time champion Sergio Oliva. However, Schwarzenegger came back in 1970 and won the competition, making him the youngest ever Mr. Olympia at the age of 23, a record he still holds to this day.

He continued his winning streak in the 1971–74 competitions. In 1975, Schwarzenegger was once again in top form, and won the title for the sixth consecutive time, beating Franco Columbu. After the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest, Schwarzenegger announced his retirement from professional bodybuilding.

Months before the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest, filmmakers George Butler and Robert Fiore persuaded Schwarzenegger to compete, in order to film his training in the bodybuilding documentary called Pumping Iron. Schwarzenegger had only three months to prepare for the competition, after losing significant weight to appear in the film Stay Hungry with Jeff Bridges. Lou Ferrigno proved not to be a threat, and a lighter-than-usual Schwarzenegger convincingly won the 1975 Mr. Olympia.

Schwarzenegger came out of retirement, however, to compete in the 1980 Mr. Olympia. Schwarzenegger was training for his role in Conan, and he got into such good shape because of the running, horseback riding and sword training, that he decided he wanted to win the Mr. Olympia contest one last time. He kept this plan a secret, in the event that a training accident would prevent his entry and cause him to lose face. Schwarzenegger had been hired to provide color commentary for network television, when he announced at the eleventh hour that while he was there: "Why not compete?" Schwarzenegger ended up winning the event with only seven weeks of preparation. After being declared Mr. Olympia for a seventh time, Schwarzenegger then officially retired from competition

4.Steroid use

Schwarzenegger has admitted to using performance-enhancing anabolic steroids while they were legal, writing in 1977 that "steroids were helpful to me in maintaining muscle size while on a strict diet in preparation for a contest. I did not use them for muscle growth, but rather for muscle maintenance when cutting up."^[35] He has called the drugs "tissue building".^[36]

In 1999, Schwarzenegger sued Dr. Willi Heepe, a German doctor who publicly predicted his early death on the basis of a link between his steroid use and his later heart problems. As the doctor had never examined him personally, Schwarzenegger collected a US$10,000 libel judgment against him in a German court.^[37] In 1999, Schwarzenegger also sued and settled with theGlobe, a U.S. tabloid which had made similar predictions about the bodybuilder's future health.

04/27/2012

5.Arnold Schwarzenegger Expendables 2 Poster

6.List of competitions

Year	Award	Location	Notes
1965	Junior Mr. Europe	Germany
1966	Best Built Man of Europe	Germany
1966	Mr. Europe	Germany
1966	International Powerlifting Championship	Germany
1966	NABBA Mr. Universe amateur	London	2nd to Chet Yorton
1967	NABBA Mr. Universe amateur	London
1968	NABBA Mr. Universe professional	London
1968	German Powerlifting Championship	Germany
1968	IFBB Mr. International	Mexico
1968	IFBB Mr. Universe	Florida	2nd to Frank Zane
1969	IFBB Mr. Universe	New York
1969	NABBA Mr. Universe professional	London
1969	Mr. Olympia	New York	2nd to Sergio Oliva
1970	NABBA Mr. Universe professional	London	defeated his idol Reg Park
1970	Mr. World	Columbus, Ohio	defeated Sergio Oliva for the first time
1970	Mr. Olympia	New York
1971	Mr. Olympia	Paris
1972	Mr. Olympia	Essen, Germany
1973	Mr. Olympia	New York
1974	Mr. Olympia	New York
1975	Mr. Olympia	Pretoria, South Africa	subject of the documentary Pumping Iron
1980	Mr. Olympia	Sydney, Australia

Acting career

Early roles

Schwarzenegger wanted to move from bodybuilding into acting, finally achieving it when he was chosen to play the role of Hercules in 1970's Hercules in New York. Credited under the name "Arnold Strong," his accent in the film was so thick that his lines were dubbed after production.^[3] His second film appearance was as a deaf mute hit-man for the mob in director Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye (1973), which was followed by a much more significant part in the film Stay Hungry (1976), for which he was awarded aGolden Globe for New Male Star of the Year. Schwarzenegger has discussed his early struggles in developing his acting career. "It was very difficult for me in the beginning – I was told by agents and casting people that my body was 'too weird', that I had a funny accent, and that my name was too long. You name it, and they told me I had to change it. Basically, everywhere I turned, I was told that I had no chance."^[8]

Schwarzenegger drew attention and boosted his profile in the bodybuilding film Pumping Iron (1977),^[2][3] elements of which were dramatized; in 1991, he purchased the rights to the film, its outtakes, and associated still photography.^[39] In 1977, he also appeared in an episode of the ABC situation comedy The San Pedro Beach Bums. Schwarzenegger auditioned for the title role of The Incredible Hulk, but did not win the role because of his height. Later, Lou Ferrigno got the part of Dr. David Banner's alter ego. Schwarzenegger appeared with Kirk Douglas and Ann-Margret in the 1979 comedy The Villain. In 1980, he starred in a biographical film of the 1950s actress Jayne Mansfield as Mansfield's husband, Mickey Hargitay.

Action superstar

Schwarzenegger's breakthrough film was the sword-and-sorcery epic Conan the Barbarian in 1982, which was a box-office hit.^[2] This was followed by a sequel, Conan the Destroyer, in 1984, although it was not as successful as its predecessor.^[40] In 1983, Schwarzenegger starred in the promotional video, Carnival in Rio. In 1984, he made his first appearance as the eponymous character, and what some would say was his acting career's signature role, in James Cameron's science fiction thriller film The Terminator.^[2][3][4]Following this, Schwarzenegger made Red Sonja in 1985.^[40]

During the 1980s, audiences had an appetite for action films, with both Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone becoming international stars.^[3] Schwarzenegger's roles reflected his sense of humor, separating him from more serious action hero films, such as the alternative universe poster for Terminator 2: Judgment Day starring Stallone in the comedy thriller Last Action Hero. He made a number of successful films, such as Commando (1985), Raw Deal (1986), The Running Man (1987), Predator (1987), and Red Heat (1988).

Footprints and handprints of Arnold Schwarzenegger in front of theGrauman's Chinese Theatre, with his famous catchphrase "I'll be back"written in.

Twins (1988), a comedy with Danny DeVito, also proved successful. Total Recall (1990) netted Schwarzenegger $10 million and 15% of the film's gross. A science fiction script, the film was based on the Philip K. Dick short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale".Kindergarten Cop (1990) reunited him with director Ivan Reitman, who directed him in Twins. Schwarzenegger had a brief foray into directing, first with a 1990 episode of the TV series Tales from the Crypt, entitled "The Switch",^[41] and then with the 1992 telemovieChristmas in Connecticut.^[42] He has not directed since.

Schwarzenegger's commercial peak was his return as the title character in 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which was the highest-grossing film of 1991. In 1993, the National Association of Theatre Owners named him the "International Star of the Decade".^[6] His next film project, the 1993 self-aware action comedy spoof Last Action Hero, was released opposite Jurassic Park, and did not do well at the box office. His next film, the comedy drama True Lies (1994), was a popular spy film, and saw Schwarzenegger reunited with James Cameron.

That same year, the comedy Junior was released, the last of Schwarzenegger's three collaborations with Ivan Reitman and again co-starring Danny DeVito. This film brought him his second Golden Globe nomination, this time for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy. It was followed by the action thriller Eraser (1996), the Christmas comedy Jingle All The Way (1996), and the comic book-based Batman & Robin(1997), in which he played the villain Mr. Freeze. This was his final film before taking time to recuperate from a back injury. Following the critical failure of Batman & Robin, his film career and box office prominence went into decline. He returned with the supernatural thriller End of Days (1999), later followed by the action films The 6th Day (2000) andCollateral Damage (2002), both of which failed to do well at the box office. In 2003, he made his third appearance as the title character in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, which went on to earn over $150 million domestically.^[43]

Arnold Schwarzenegger's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

In tribute to Schwarzenegger in 2002, Forum Stadtpark, a local cultural association, proposed plans to build a 25-meter (82 ft) tallTerminator statue in a park in central Graz. Schwarzenegger reportedly said he was flattered, but thought the money would be better spent on social projects and the Special Olympics.^[44]

Retirement

His film appearances after becoming Governor of California included a three-second cameo appearance in The Rundown, and the 2004 remake of Around the World in 80 Days. In 2005, he appeared as himself in the film The Kid & I. He voiced Baron von Steuben in theLiberty's Kids episode "Valley Forge". He had been rumored to be appearing in Terminator Salvation as the original T-800; he denied his involvement,^[45] but he ultimately did appear briefly via his image being inserted into the movie from stock footage of the first Terminatormovie.^[46][47] Schwarzenegger appeared in Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables, where he made a cameo appearance.

Return to acting

In January 2011, just weeks after leaving office in California, Schwarzenegger announced that he was reading several new scripts for future films, one of them being the World War II action drama With Wings as Eagles, written by Randall Wallace, based on a true story.^[48][49] On March 6, 2011, at the Arnold Seminar of the Arnold Classic, Schwarzenegger revealed that he was being considered for several films, including sequels to The Terminator and remakes of Predator and The Running Man, and that he was "packaging" a comic book character.^[50] The character was later revealed to be the Governator, star of the comic book and animated series of the same name. Schwarzenegger inspired the character and co-developed it with Stan Lee, who would have produced the series. Schwarzenegger would have voiced the Governator.

On May 20, 2011, Schwarzenegger's entertainment counsel announced that all movie projects currently in development were being halted: "Schwarzenegger is focusing on personal matters and is not willing to commit to any production schedules or timelines".^[55] On July 11, 2011, it was announced that Schwarzenegger was considering a comeback film despite his legal problems.^[56] He appeared in The Expendables 2 (2012),^[57] and starred in The Last Stand (2013), his first leading role in 10 years, and Escape Plan (2013), his first co-starring role alongside Sylvester Stallone. He starred in Sabotage, released in March 2014, and appeared in The Expendables 3, released in August 2014. He starred in the fifth Terminator movie Terminator Genisys in 2015^[58] and will reprise his role as Conan the Barbarian in The Legend of Conan,^[59][60] later renamed Conan the Conqueror.^[61]

In August 2016, his filming of action-comedy Why We're Killing Gunther was temporarily interrupted by bank robbers near filming location in Surrey, British Columbia.^[62]

The Celebrity Apprentice

In September 2015, it was announced Schwarzenegger would replace Donald Trump as host of The Celebrity Apprentice.^[63] This show, the 15th season of The Apprentice, will air in the 2016-2017 TV season.

Filmography

Main article: Arnold Schwarzenegger filmography

Selected notable roles:

• Hercules in New York as Hercules (1970)
• Stay Hungry as Joe Santo (1976)
• Pumping Iron as himself (1977)
• The Villain as Handsome Stranger (1979)
• The Jayne Mansfield Story as Mickey Hargitay (1980)
• Conan the Barbarian as Conan (1982)
• Conan the Destroyer as Conan (1984)
• The Terminator as The Terminator/T-800 Model 101 (1984)
• Red Sonja as Kalidor (1985)
• Commando as John Matrix (1985)
• Raw Deal as Mark Kaminsky, a.k.a. Joseph P. Brenner (1986)
• Predator as Major Alan "Dutch" Schaeffer (1987)
• The Running Man as Ben Richards (1987)
• Red Heat as Captain Ivan Danko (1988)
• Twins as Julius Benedict (1988)
• Total Recall as Douglas Quaid/Hauser (1990)
• Kindergarten Cop as Detective John Kimble (1990)
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day as The Terminator/T-800 Model 101 (1991)
• Last Action Hero as Jack Slater / Himself (1993)
• True Lies as Harry Tasker (1994)
• Junior as Dr. Alex Hesse (1994)
• Eraser as U.S. Marshal John Kruger (1996)
• Jingle All the Way as Howard Langston (1996)
• Batman and Robin as Mr. Freeze (1997)
• End of Days as Jericho Cane (1999)
• The 6th Day as Adam Gibson / Adam Gibson Clone (2000)
• Collateral Damage as Gordy Brewer (2002)
• Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines as The Terminator/T-850 Model 101 (2003)
• Around the World in 80 Days as Prince Hapi (2004)
• The Expendables as Trench (2010)
• The Expendables 2 as Trench (2012)
• The Last Stand as Sheriff Ray Owens (2013)
• Escape Plan as Rottmayer (2013)
• Sabotage as John 'Breacher' Wharton (2014)
• The Expendables 3 as Trench (2014)
• Maggie as Wade Vogel (2015)
• Terminator Genisys as The Terminator/T-800 Model 101/ The Guardian (2015)
• 478 as Victor (2016)
• Why We're Killing Gunther as Gunther (2017)

Political career

Main article: Political career of Arnold Schwarzenegger

Early politics

Vice President Dick Cheney meets with Schwarzenegger for the first time at the White House

Schwarzenegger has been a registered Republican for many years. As an actor, his political views were always well known as they contrasted with those of many other prominent Hollywood stars, who are generally considered to be a liberal and Democratic-leaning community. At the 2004 Republican National Convention, Schwarzenegger gave a speech and explained why he was a Republican:^[64]

I finally arrived here in 1968. What a special day it was. I remember I arrived here with empty pockets but full of dreams, full of determination, full of desire. The presidential campaign was in full swing. I remember watching the Nixon–Humphreypresidential race on TV. A friend of mine who spoke German and English translated for me. I heard Humphrey saying things that sounded like socialism, which I had just left.

But then I heard Nixon speak. He was talking about free enterprise, getting the government off your back, lowering the taxes and strengthening the military. Listening to Nixon speak sounded more like a breath of fresh air. I said to my friend, I said, "What party is he?" My friend said, "He's a Republican." I said, "Then I am a Republican." And I have been a Republican ever since.

In 1985, Schwarzenegger appeared in "Stop the Madness", an anti-drug music video sponsored by the Reagan administration. He first came to wide public notice as a Republican during the 1988 presidential election, accompanying then-Vice President George H.W. Bush at a campaign rally.^[65]

Schwarzenegger's first political appointment was as chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, on which he served from 1990 to 1993.^[6] He was nominated by George H. W. Bush, who dubbed him "Conan the Republican". He later served as Chairman for the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under Governor Pete Wilson.

Between 1993 and 1994, Schwarzenegger was a Red Cross ambassador (a ceremonial role fulfilled by celebrities), recording several television/radio public service announcements to donate blood.

In an interview with Talk magazine in late 1999, Schwarzenegger was asked if he thought of running for office. He replied, "I think about it many times. The possibility is there, because I feel it inside."^[66] The Hollywood Reporter claimed shortly after that Schwarzenegger sought to end speculation that he might run for governor of California.^[66] Following his initial comments, Schwarzenegger said, "I'm in show business – I am in the middle of my career. Why would I go away from that and jump into something else?"^[66]

Governor of California

Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy in the 2003 California recall election for Governor of California on the August 6, 2003 episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.^[3]Schwarzenegger had the most name recognition in a crowded field of candidates, but he had never held public office and his political views were unknown to most Californians. His candidacy immediately became national and international news, with media outlets dubbing him the "Governator" (referring to The Terminator movies, see above) and "The Running Man" (the name of another one of his films), and calling the recall election "Total Recall" (yet another movie starring Schwarzenegger). Schwarzenegger declined to participate in several debates with other recall replacement candidates, and appeared in only one debate on September 24, 2003.^[67]

President George W. Bushmeets with Schwarzenegger after his successful election to the California Governorship.

On October 7, 2003, the recall election resulted in Governor Gray Davis being removed from office with 55.4% of the Yes vote in favor of a recall. Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California under the second question on the ballot with 48.6% of the vote to choose a successor to Davis. Schwarzenegger defeated Democrat Cruz Bustamante, fellow Republican Tom McClintock, and others. His nearest rival, Bustamante, received 31% of the vote. In total, Schwarzenegger won the election by about 1.3 million votes. Under the regulations of theCalifornia Constitution, no runoff election was required. Schwarzenegger was the second foreign-born governor of California after Irish-born Governor John G. Downey in 1862.

Schwarzenegger was entrenched in what he considered to be his mandate in cleaning up gridlock. Building on a catchphrase from the sketch "Hans and Franz" from Saturday Night Live (which partly parodied his bodybuilding career), Schwarzenegger called the Democratic State politicians "girlie men".^[68]

Schwarzenegger's early victories included repealing an unpopular increase in the vehicle registration fee as well as preventing driver's licenses being given out to illegal immigrants, but later he began to feel the backlash when powerful state unions began to oppose his various initiatives. Key among his reckoning with political realities was a special election he called in November 2005, in which four ballot measures he sponsored were defeated. Schwarzenegger accepted personal responsibility for the defeats and vowed to continue to seek consensus for the people of California. He would later comment that "no one could win if the opposition raised 160 million dollars to defeat you". The U.S. Supreme Court later found the public employee unions' use of compulsory fundraising during the campaign had been illegal in Knox v. Service Employees International Union, Local 1000.^[69]

Schwarzenegger then went against the advice of fellow Republican strategists and appointed a Democrat, Susan Kennedy, as his Chief of Staff. Schwarzenegger gradually moved towards a more politically moderate position, determined to build a winning legacy with only a short time to go until the next gubernatorial election.

Schwarzenegger ran for re-election against Democrat Phil Angelides, the California State Treasurer, in the 2006 elections, held on November 7, 2006. Despite a poor year nationally for the Republican party, Schwarzenegger won re-election with 56.0% of the vote compared with 38.9% for Angelides, a margin of well over one million votes.^[70] In recent years, many commentators have seen Schwarzenegger as moving away from the right and towards the center of the political spectrum. After hearing a speech by Schwarzenegger at the 2006 Martin Luther King, Jr. breakfast, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom said that, "[H]e's becoming a Democrat [… H]e's running back, not even to the center. I would say center-left".

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