I wish I could do a lot of things different. I'm not going to tell you what they are, but if I had a list of all my films right now, I'd go, 'Okay, I'll cross that one out and cross that one out and cross that one out and cross that one out.' Really. But I've made over 40 films. How can I not have some losers in there?
Interpretation
Reflecting on past mistakes is integral to growth and success.
In this quote, Steve Martin expresses his introspection about his career in filmmaking, acknowledging that out of over 40 films, it's natural to have some that didn't meet expectations. This candid admission highlights the importance of recognizing failures as part of the journey toward success, suggesting that every experience, good or bad, contributes to personal and professional growth.
In practice
In a film class discussing lessons learned from directors' careers, this quote can illustrate the process of growth through mistakes.
When I first started doing my comedy act, I just desperately needed material. So I took literally everything I knew how to do on stage with me, which was juggling, magic and banjo and my little comedy routines. I always felt the audience sorta tolerated the serious musical parts while I was doing my comedy.
You want to be a bit compulsive in your art or craft or whatever you do.
I have heard it said that a complicated childhood can lead to a life in the arts. I tell you this story of my father and me to let you know I am qualified to be a comedian.
...it is not the big events that hurt the most but rather the smallest questionable shift in tone at the end of a spoken word that can plow most deeply into the heart.
Reviews for someone like me come in three packages. One is justifiable praise, the second is justifiable criticism, and the third is, "This is only published because he's a celebrity."
If he thinks he would harm Mirabelle, he would back away. But he does not yet understand when and how people are hurt. He doesn't understand the subtleties of slights and pains, that it is not the big events that hurt the most but rather the smallest questionable shift in tone at the end of a spoken word that can plow most deeply into the heart.
In sports, you simply aren't considered a real champion until you have defended your title successfully. Winning it once can be a fluke; winning it twice proves you are the best.
The cherished dream of every chessplayer is to play a match with the World Champion. But here is the paradox: the closer you come to the realization of this goal, the less you think about it.
What are the five products you want to focus on? Get rid of the rest, because they’re dragging you down. They’re turning you into Microsoft. They’re causing you to turn out products that are adequate but not great.
Success is a great deodorant. It takes away all your past smells.
What we need is an entrepreneurial society in which innovation and entrepreneurship are normal, steady and continuous.
Passion gets an entrepreneur through the startup days and the enormous efforts it takes to build a business.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.