Quotes About Perseverance

I failed my 11-plus and ended up working in a factory after I left school. But then I passed my audition on 'New Faces' and I was on the telly. Suddenly, I was living in London, and sending my parents money that they could never have imagined. It was a massive thing for me; I was a 17-year-old kid who was able to support his family!

I think it's always difficult to get a show on telly, whether you're George Clooney or just starting out. But there's room. If you're into it, chase it. You'll get it.

I am 47; I think I must be one of the oldest female newscasters on telly. There's not many of us who still get to work regularly for this long.

The fact that I have done films down South didn't boost or hamper my chances here. In fact, I was still shooting for both my Telugu films when I met Ashu sir for 'Mohenjo Daro.' During the audition, he gave me five scenes with lengthy dialogues. Once I cleared them, he gave me a song to dance to. So, my Bollywood entry was no cakewalk.

I have worked really hard to reach where I am - I worked hard on my Hindi and diction because I am a Parsi and Hindi is not my strong point, and I've also learnt Tamil and Telugu because I want to get my lines right. I want to be known as a performer.

I want to thank the audience of both the Telugu speaking states for standing by me throughout my journey.

I am trying my best to strike a balance. How many hours a day can I work? I work for 12-15 hours a day; it gets very strenuous. I balance between Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi.

It took me a while to grasp Kannada and Telugu.

It has pleased and interested me to see how I could get along under difficult circumstances and with so much discomfort but as I say I was not sent out here to improve my temper or my health or to make me more content with my good things in the East.

Golf has taught me a lot about patience and keeping my temper.

I don't cancel because of temperament. I have had seven major surgeries in my life. I have had tumors. I have had two children with Caesareans; you don't just get up and sing the day after one of those.

Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth were slaves by birth, freedom fighters by temperament.

America is a place where you can succeed no matter who you are. I am proof of that. But you must work very hard and be willing to endure pain. You must set a goal and win in the marketplace no matter what the air temperature. You must pay the price for success.

I have 16 metal screws in my right arm, from the elbow to the shoulder, and they are extremely painful at the beginning of a training camp and also when the temperature changes. I also had a surgery on my left arm and two on my hips. Those four surgeries were pivotal in my decision to retire.

It's hard to be happy when you are facing 120 to 140 degree temperatures and nothing seems to be moving in a direction that you think or they think or you've been told it's supposed to be moving in.

Most people imagine that resolving particular problems will make them happy. If only one had more money, or love, or success, then life would feel manageable. It can be devastating to realize the falseness of such tempered optimism.

Every day of my life I walk with the idea that I am black, no matter how successful I am. And our success is tempered by that; you're successful in this way given the fact you are black, and most blacks don't get to that point.

When I was at the 'Philadelphia Inquirer,' I was promoted nine times in my first 13 years. I ultimately went from general assignment to beats on St. Joe's and Temple, to backup writer, to NBA writer, to NBA columnist, to, ultimately, in 2003, to general sports columns.

Once I was not allowed to offer prayers in temple and was attacked by my fans.

Ah, who can tell how hard it is to climb the steep where Fame's proud temple shines afar?

There was a solid year and a half, perhaps two years, after making 'Temple Grandin,' when I didn't do anything. I just didn't have much patience for roles that were silly, or light, or inconsequential.

People don't drop me with shots on the temple.

I've been trying my whole life to get to this point, and it's finally here. It's an amazing record, and it happens to be with Stone Temple Pilots. I mean, what could be better than that?

When I was 20, I was the hustler - rubbing my temples, stressed, trying to get out the streets, trying to take my life to another side of the game with something I really loved to do: rap music.