Quotes About Self-doubt

Whole areas of my mind, I have come to realize, distrust other areas.

What does it take to be a writer? 1) Foolhardily believing that someone might actually be interested in reading what you've written. 2) Spending an enormous amount of time writing it as well as you can. 3) Accepting that, at best, you'll probably be paid something around 25 cents an hour for your efforts.

The reason we get angry when someone makes fun of you is cause you doubt your ability to do something

It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse.

It is the feeling of inferiority, inadequacy and insecurity that determines the goal of an individual's existence.

I'm not saying it never occurred to me to want to write a masterpiece, but I really doubt I could.

I definitely thought the first book was going to be a one-off. I never thought I'd even write a book, not ever having aspired to be a writer. It's something that never occurred to me - a bit like it never occurred to me to play guitar when I was young. I just thought it was out of my league.

I'm too small and too short. I thought that was odd; that should be a non-issue to me.

The only problem that I had in my younger years and in college was not knowing if I had the confidence on the offensive side to just take over.

If you're offered something, you're not really sure exactly what is that they saw in you that they think is the character so it's a little scary, I feel.

I've definitely read stuff that I've been offered where I've been like, 'I can't do this. I think somebody would be better in this than me.' I don't want to do something if I don't feel like I can do a good job serving the material.

Every time I've been offered a new job, I've automatically said, 'Oh, I don't think you want me for that job.' It's sort of a weird female - or, at least, it is in me - a weird female defense, when, in fact, what you want to do is scream, 'Hooray, I want to do this!'

As an actor, when you are called upon to do a job, you are oftentimes convinced you can't do it. You say to yourself 'I don't have the talent for this; they are going to figure out I'm a fraud.' And then you watch how the others do it, and fake your confidence.

Oh god, I'm a rubbish cook.

I wanted to act when I was young. When I was 12, I asked the head of English at my school, 'Can I audition?' and he said, 'What would we want you for?' And I remember going, 'Oh yeah. Why would they want me?'

As a filmmaker, you put the film out there, and you just want it to be okay. You don't want to let people down; you don't want to embarrass yourself.

I grew up in a household where I learned five things from my old man. You know what they were? You're no good. You're a failure. You're not going to amount to anything. Don't trust nobody, and don't tell nobody your business. When I lost to Larry Holmes in 1982, I felt all five of those things smacked me right across the face.

I'm just concerned that if I get older, people aren't going to enjoy me as much as when I was younger, because I had a great voice for a little girl, but I mean, my voice can't get any bigger when I'm older.

I was scared of failure, of being a one-hit wonder, never being able to write another song again, never being able to sing again. Maybe everything that I think I am and who I want to be never will happen.

Belief in oneself is incredibly infectious. It generates momentum, the collective force of which far outweighs any kernel of self-doubt that may creep in.

I never went to concerts when I was a kid, so I never knew if what I was doing onstage was right.

What I learned is that acting is to a large extent about trying to stave off self-doubt long enough to be natural and real onstage.

There are a bunch of talented bands out there... So yeah, I often think, 'Why aren't these people onstage and why do I have a microphone?'

The main thing going through my head when I step out onto any show is: 'Don't mess it up, Emma, don't mess it up.'