Did Keanu Reeves Say, ‘I Buy Myself Clothes. I Have Great Times by Myself’?

“The lonely life of Keanu Reeves” is a popular internet trope. And although we found no evidence that he was the originator of a quote about loneliness widely attributed to him on the internet, it’s easy to see why people think he said it — the quote aligns perfectly with the “sad Keanu” meme.

The quote extolls the virtues of being alone:

Someone told me the other day that he felt bad for single people because they are lonely all the time. I told him that’s not true I’m single and I don’t feel lonely. I take myself out to eat, I buy myself clothes. I have great times by myself. Once you know how to take care of yourself company becomes an option and not a necessity.

  (Pinterest screenshot)

We searched for the origins of this quote, and found no evidence that Reeves ever said it — it doesn’t turn up in any print articles from trustworthy publications, or in interviews or videos of him talking. It only pops up on various websites, like the meme-hosting site iFunny, but without any citation showing when and where he made the alleged statement. That said, if we find any further information about the source of the quote, we will update this story.

Spurious “wisdom”-type quotes misattributed to famous people are a common internet phenomenon.

The “sad Keanu” meme originated from online discourse about a photograph of Reeves sitting by himself on a park bench eating a sandwich. The image was taken in 2010 in New York. Reeves addressed the meme in a BBC interview, where he acknowledged that the trope represents “good fun” on the internet but that he also wishes he hadn’t had the picture taken by a paparazzo while eating a sandwich alone.

As of January 2023, Reeves has been dating visual artist Alexandra Grant, a long-time friend.

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