Quotes About Determination

I like to watch 'America's Got Talent' every Tuesday just to scout out the competition so I can see what I'm up against.

You need to overcome the tug of people against you as you reach for high goals.

I knew I can teach physics well, so earning money from tuition was no struggle. The struggle was to earn money through acting.

I didn't know Penn was an Ivy League school - I didn't know what the Ivy League was. When I got in, they sent me the package, and the tuition was my mother's salary for a year. My mom said, 'We can't afford it.' So I went to the library and found several scholarships and grants and was able to cover 90 percent of my education that way.

I turned down a lot of parts, and I ate a lot of canned tuna for dinner because I was just like, 'No, I don't want to do that; no, that's awful.' But sticking to my guns paid off, and I can look back now and be proud that I refused to take any stereotypical Asian parts.

Musicals are hard for me because I got thrown out of the glee club in high school, because I couldn't sing in tune at the time. I can sing in tune now, but I have to work really hard on it to make sure that I don't exercise one of my great talents, which is the ability to sing in three keys at the same time.

I was never necessarily conscious of my failures when I attempted something and it didn't work out, because I feel like I'm so in tune with my purpose I never necessarily acknowledge that.

In order to make it in this league, period, you have to be able to tune out some things and believe in yourself and go play.

I tune it all out because if I let other people's stress get to me, then I stress myself out more than I need to.

I always tell girls who say they want to start a band but don't have any talent, 'Well, neither do I.' I mean, I can carry a tune, but anyone who picks up a bass can figure it out. You don't have to have magic unicorn powers.

When I was about forty-three years of age, I had a private secretary with a beautiful baritone voice. I told him I would give anything in the world if I could only carry a tune. He laughed and said, 'Anybody who has a voice and perseverance can sing.'

That's why everybody loves to tune in and watch these fights, because at any given moment, any given fight, any given fighters, anything can happen. A fighter could win nine out of 10 times, but there's always that one time.

One lesson I learned with Pomplamoose is that there will always be haters. Part of achieving some level of success is learning to tune out the rage.

It drives my wife crazy because I can tune out anything. Whatever it is I'm focused on, I won't hear anything, I'm just focused on what I need to get done. It becomes a problem sometimes. I've been that way from as early as I can remember.

Look, I was only given a year or two to come up with tunes for this record, and when all but eight of them were thrown out for riotous behaviour, I got a bit ticked off; wouldn't you?

I just couldn't get anyone to sing my songs, so I had to sing my own tunes.

I got tired of depending on other people, and I had this strong desire to make music of my own. I decided to start writing my own tunes and just see what could happen.

I'm looking for an intensity of focus. It's a bit like tuning a guitar string. You tighten and tighten, and nothing really changes until you hit that tension, and suddenly it's there: you've got a note.

One thing I liked about 'Silver Bell' is that I barely knew how to play in the tuning I was writing in, and I just went for it anyway.

I didn't play the game right because I saw a reward at the end of the tunnel.

To survive, you've got to keep wheedling your way. You can't just sit there and fight against odds when it's not going to work. You have to turn a corner, dig a hole, go through a tunnel - and find a way to keep moving.

There is absolutely, 100 percent, a light at the end of the tunnel for anyone who stutters.

When there's no light at the end of the tunnel, it's hard to keep things going.

I can't imagine something worse than scripts being written into a tunnel, thinking, 'I don't know when this ends. I don't know.' It usually ends when people get sick of it, but I think it's great when it gets to end on its own terms.