Self-doubt Quotes - Page 4

• All that I have said and done,
  Now that I am old and ill,
  Turns into a question till
  I lie awake night after night
  And never get the answers right.

  William Butler Yeats

  Lying, Night, Done

  William Butler Yeats (2000). “The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats”, p.298, Wordsworth Editions

  62 Copy quote

  Show source

• Whether we live together in confidence and cohesion; with more faith and pride in ourselves and less self-doubt and hesitation; strong in the conviction that the destiny of Canada is to unite, not divide; sharing in cooperation, not in separation or in conflict; respecting our past and welcoming our future.

  Lester B. Pearson

  Strong, Pride, Past

  97 Copy quote

• People speak of the fear of the blank canvas as though it is a temporary hesitation, a trembling moment of self-doubt. For me it was more like being abducted from my bed by a clown, thrust into a circus arena with a wicker chair, and told to tame a pissed-off lion in front of an expectant crowd.

  Hannah Kent

  Self, People, Doubt

  Hannah Kent (2013). “Burial Rites”, p.234, Pan Macmillan

  5 Copy quote

  Show source

• It's very difficult to judge yourself. Extreme self-doubt is only attractive when it's fictionalized. Which is why people love the movies. They are so reassuring.

  Claire Danes

  Self, People, Judging

  "Biography/ Personal Quotes". www.imdb.com.

  4 Copy quote

  Show source

• I keep going because I doubt myself. It drives me to be better. I've learned that the mastery of self-doubt is the key to success. It's like being animated by the love of a woman - the need to be worthy of her.

  Will Smith

  Self, Keys, Doubt

  7 Copy quote

• By some fluke, my folks forgot to ask me the question most crucial to ensuring a lifetime of self-doubt: 'What if you fail?

  Lizz Winstead

  Confidence, Self, What If

  Lizz Winstead (2012). “Lizz Free or Die: Essays”, p.46, Penguin

  7 Copy quote

  Show source

• I had self-doubt about whether my story was interesting to people. I didn't want to write something that was anecdotal. It was important to me that people would get something out of my book. I want people to read it and say, "Now I don't feel so alone," or "I'm going to remember that next time I'm being an asshole."

  Lizz Winstead

  Book, Writing, Self

  "Lizz Winstead, Freely Speaking". Interview with Lianne Stokes, www.interviewmagazine.com. May 9, 2012.

  4 Copy quote

  Show source

• At the level at which I work with people, their great talent is paired with great insecurity. Self-doubt is literally the twin of self-confidence. And I have to be there for both.

  William Ivey Long

  Self Confidence, People, Insecurity

  8 Copy quote

• The easiest way to separate yourself from the unformed blobby mass of "aspiring" writers is to a) actually write and b) actually finish. That's how easy it is to clamber up the ladder to the second echelon. Write. And finish what you write. That's how you break away from the pack and leave the rest of the sickly herd for the hungry wolves of shame and self-doubt. And for all I know, actual wolves.

  Chuck Wendig

  Writing, Self, Doubt

  4 Copy quote

• Seeing a photograph of myself is often pretty jarring. Why is it that the vision I see of myself in a photo is so different than the one I see in a mirror - not to mention the "self" that I see in my mind's eye? Pondering it can pretty easily cast me into a vortex of self-doubt, wondering how the me that people experience - my voice, my personality, my creative expression - is regarded without my knowledge.

  Keith Murray

  Eye, Mirrors, Self

  10 Copy quote

• I found my first novel difficult. I don't want to make it sound like it's any more difficult than driving a cab or going to any other job, but there are so many opportunities for self-doubt, that you just kind of need to soldier on.

  Anthony Doerr

  Jobs, Writing, Opportunity

  "Off the Page: Anthony Doerr". Live chat, www.washingtonpost.com. October 14, 2004.

  7 Copy quote

  Show source

• I make myself suffer with a lot of self doubt.

  Joan Osborne

  Self, Doubt, Suffering

  4 Copy quote

• Profound, bottomless self-doubt - it has no value - what's the point? In a way, it takes up as much time as anything else.

  Jonathan Safran Foer

  Self, Profound, Doubt

  7 Copy quote

• The writing itself is no big deal. The editing, and even more than that, the self-doubt, is excruciatingly impossible.

  Jonathan Safran Foer

  Writing, Editing, Self

  "Foer play" by Clark Collis, www.theguardian.com. June 1, 2002.

  7 Copy quote

  Show source

• This is not a time to quail, it is not a crisis, nor should we see it as an excuse for wobbling or self-doubt. But it is a moment for hope...

  Boris Johnson

  Self, Doubt, Moments

  "Boris Johnson is NOT running to be the next British prime minister — here are the candidates still in the running" by Adam Payne, uk.businessinsider.com. June 30, 2016.

  4 Copy quote

  Show source

• The only thing that keeps us going back to one another is that we're all filled with such enormous self-doubt. We have doubts about our ability to be alone, to self-actualize.

  Stephen Colbert

  Self, Doubt, Enormous

  4 Copy quote

• Writing is the perfect balance between self-confidence and self-doubt, with a bit of self-delusion thrown in.

  Judith Kelman

  Writing, Self Confidence, Perfect

  7 Copy quote

• I will only ever be drawn to people who suffer from that special and fertile anguish called self-doubt, or the thirst for the ideal, and desire for the soul's mystical fire. Self-satisfaction because of some material accomplishment will never be for me. The truly great are those who quest for better spiritual selves.

  Isabelle Eberhardt

  Spiritual, Fire, Self

  Isabelle Eberhardt (2003). “The Nomad: The Diaries of Isabelle Eberhardt”, Interlink Publishing Group Incorporated

  15 Copy quote

  Show source

• [My novels] introduce levels of intelligence ... moral doubt [and] self-doubt, which may not pertain [to real-world espionage].

  John le Carre

  Real, Self, Doubt

  5 Copy quote

• I see that women still have self-doubt, and at the same time I feel like I see all these fantastic young women, and they all have ambition and are so focused on their futures. I don't think that's an anomaly anymore.

  Mary Harron

  Ambition, Thinking, Self

  "An Interview with Mary Harron". The Believer Magazine, Issue One Hundred Six, believermag.com. March 1, 2014.

  4 Copy quote

  Show source

• I'm trying to educate people about things that I believe are right, and some of the things that I believe are right might not be right, so I live in constant self-doubt. I think that creates a kind of search that you have to have, and it prevents you from doing a lot of stuff that you would normally do.

  James McBride

  Believe, Thinking, Self

  Source: www.pbs.org

  4 Copy quote

  Show source

• When you are free from self-doubt, you fail better. You accept criticism and listen.

  Jennifer Lee

  Self, Doubt, Criticism

  "Super Inspiring Graduation Advice From Frozen Director, Jennifer Lee" by Kristin Harris, www.seventeen.com. May 20, 2014.

  14 Copy quote

  Show source

• Many of us believe that 'real artists' do not experience self-doubt. In truth, artists are people who have learned to live with doubt and do the work anyway.

  Julia Cameron

  Real, Believe, Artist

  Julia Cameron (2002). “The Artist's Way: 25th Anniversary Edition”, p.255, Penguin

  4 Copy quote

  Show source

• You know, whenever I was presented with a challenge that brought up feelings of fear or self-doubt, I almost always said, 'Yes'.

  Saul Bass

  Self, Challenges, Feelings

  84 Copy quote

• We should exhibit no self doubt to our friends, ... Credibility is a strategic asset.

  John McCain

  Self, Doubt, Assets

  4 Copy quote