Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you get good at.
Matthew McconaugheyRead
I've read a lot of really great characters in some really crappy stories, where I said, like, 'Boy I could shine here, but the story sucks.' I don't want to be part of that.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Great characters can be overshadowed by poor storytelling, and it's important to choose quality narratives.
Matthew McConaughey reflects on his experiences as an actor, expressing that even if he encounters well-developed characters, he prefers not to associate with subpar stories. He values the integrity of the narrative and believes that one should strive to contribute to worthwhile projects rather than settle for mediocrity.
Themes
CharactersStorytellingQualityNarrativeArt
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about film projects, this quote can highlight the importance of narrative quality.
More from Matthew Mcconaughey
All quotes →I know who I am. And after all these years, there's a victory in that.
Matthew McconaugheyRead
I don't dislike any of my exes. If I took time to form a relationship, it's gonna hurt when we move on, but are you puttin' White-Out over all that beautiful time together? That was real time in your life. It's connected to where you are today.
Matthew McconaugheyRead
You know who it is? It's me in 10 years. So I turned 25. Ten years later, that same person comes to me and says, 'So, are you a hero?' And I was like, 'not even close. No, no, no.' She said, 'Why?' I said, 'Because my hero's me at 35.' So you see every day, every week, every month and every year of my life, my hero's always 10 years away. I'm never gonna be my hero. I'm not gonna attain that. I know I'm not, and that's just fine with me because that keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing.
Matthew McconaugheyRead
I love having my hands in the dirt. It is never a science and always an art. There are no rules. And if it comes down to me versus that weed I'm trying to pull out of the ground that doesn't want to come out? I know I'll win.
Matthew McconaugheyRead
Kids will remind you that, even though you've gone down a road 100 times, it's brand new for them - and that's healthy.
Matthew McconaugheyRead
Similar quotes
When asked, 'How do you write?' I invariably answer, 'one word at a time.'
Stephen KingRead
You know, Hitler wanted to be an artist. At eighteen he took his inheritance, seven hundred kronen, and moved to Vienna to live and study... Ever see one of his paintings? Neither have I. Resistance beat him. Call it overstatement but I'll say it anyway: it was easier for Hitler to start World War II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas.
Steven PressfieldRead
I change the language with which I use my voice. In opera, I know I have an orchestra behind me; I have to communicate to people very far from me.
Andrea BocelliRead
It's probably why I'm a short story writer. I tend to remember things in the past in narrative form, in story form, and I grew up around people who told stories all the time.
Tobias WolffRead
I seriously doubt I would ever have written the first story had I not been a lawyer. I never dreamed of being a writer. I wrote only after witnessing a trial.
John GrishamRead
I'd spent five hours that morning trying to write a song that was meaningful and good, and I finally gave up and lay down. Then, "Nowhere Man" came, words and music, the whole damn thing, as I lay down...Song writing is about getting the demon out of me. It's like being possessed. You try to go to sleep, but the song won't let you. So you have to get up and make it into something, and then you're allowed sleep.
John LennonRead