Was it always my nature to take a bad time and block out the good times, until any success became an accident and failure seemed the only truth?
Lillian HellmanRead
It is best to act with confidence, no matter how little right you have to it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Acting with confidence can often lead to better outcomes, even if you feel uncertain.
This quote emphasizes the importance of confidence in our actions. Lillian Hellman suggests that even in situations where one may feel inadequate or unqualified, presenting oneself with assurance can enhance perception and potentially influence the results positively. Confidence can often overshadow doubts and uncertainties, allowing individuals to navigate challenges more effectively.
Themes
ConfidenceActionCertaintySelf-AssuranceWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a motivational speech to encourage students to participate confidently in class discussions.
More from Lillian Hellman
All quotes βIf I had to give young writers advice, I would say don't listen to writers talking about writing or themselves.
Lillian HellmanRead
If you believe, as the Greeks did, that man is at the mercy of the gods, then you write tragedy. The end is inevitable from the beginning. But if you believe that man can solve his own problems and is at nobody's mercy, then you will probably write melodrama.
Lillian HellmanRead
Nobody knows what you want except you. And nobody will be as sorry as you if you don't get it. Wanting some other way to live is proof enough of deserving it. Having it is hard work, but not having it is sheer hell.
Lillian HellmanRead
Failure in the theater is more dramatic and uglier than any other form of writing. It costs so much, you feel so guilty.
Lillian HellmanRead
It is not good to see people who have been pretending strength all their lives lose it even for a minute.
Lillian HellmanRead
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I know everything I need to know already," Rigg always said... To which Father always replied,"See how ignorant you are? You don't even know why you need to know the things you don't know yet." "So tell me," said Rigg. "I would but you're too ignorant to understand the reasons why your ignorance is a fatal disease.
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No one is to blame for our miseries but ourselves.
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A path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you . . . Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself alone, one question . . . Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't it is of no use.
Carlos CastanedaRead