I think the most insulting thing you can do to a director is to challenge when he or she is satisfied with your interpretation.
Dustin HoffmanRead
I wanted to find my limitations so I decided to do Shylock. And if I fail? I've never been afraid of that. I have other fears - doing bad work knowingly is the worst fear.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the courage to confront one's limitations and the fear of not performing to one's own standards.
Dustin Hoffman expresses the importance of pushing oneself to explore personal boundaries and limitations through the challenge of taking on the role of Shylock. He acknowledges the possibility of failure but emphasizes that his true fear lies in knowingly doing poor quality work, which speaks to a commitment to excellence and personal integrity.
Themes
LimitationsCourageFearExcellencePerformance
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a motivational speech to encourage artists to embrace challenges.
More from Dustin Hoffman
All quotes →There's a rebirth that goes on with us continuously as human beings. I don't understand, personally, how you can be bored. I can understand how you can be depressed, but I just don't understand boredom.
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