Richard Pryor Quotes

You'd think I'd have been happiest in my life playing music in front of 50,000 people at Gillette Stadium. But let me tell you, it's an odd feeling to feel alone in the spotlight.

For whatever reason, it's easier to perform in front of a massive crowd than in front of a small one, but again, that's how we came up.

Being the headliner is only more pressure if you're not very good.

I was scared every time I put on a uniform and stepped on the field. I’m scared every day I go into the studio and I come on stage because I fear that I will not live up to what is expected. I fear that somebody who spent a lot of money to come into our studio, to come to New York and they’ll walk away and go, ‘I could have stayed at home.’ I feared that as a player a fan would come to the stands and I wouldn’t perform well. Just the way I’m built. I’m more scared of failure than I am excited about the accolades that come with success.

I enjoy performing, always, but when you're taping a gig, you've got to blank out this mass apparatus of self-consciousness that's surrounding you, this invitation to drown in self-consciousness. Otherwise you just won't be able to do anything.

I always think the second worst thing in the world is to go on stage at night, and the first worst thing in the world is sitting at home at night. For me, it's scarier to not be doing it than doing it.

I do have the odd dream where I'm on stage and I've completely forgotten what I'm meant to be performing - so they are more nightmares than dreams.

The red carpet is really the only thing that makes me nervous.

Auditioning is the worst.

I normally feel relief that I didn't die onstage or forget all my lines. Then I start remembering that I have to do it again sometime, and it'll probably not go as well.

We don't get too nervous for too may things, but on television a few million people are sitting there watching. Definitely a lot more nerves.

I definitely get nervous about if I'm going to forget the words to the songs or something. And I don't enjoy being the center of attention for an hour straight - I think that's really stressful.

I know really, really famous people who are terrified every time they walk on to a stage.

I'm not saying I look cool, but every single time I go onstage, it is a fail if I don't feel like I'm going to pass out at least twice.

I go through insanity before a show. It's not really a process but it's like absolute mortal fear.

Sometimes I get butterflies before I get up on stage.

There's a ton of nerves for every fight I've been in; it doesn't matter if it was my debut.

Your nerves can get the better of you, especially when it's your first film.

When you walk out onstage in front of 65,000 people, it can bring you to tears.

I get nervous as hell when it's time for the songs to come out.

When I was younger I used to get really nervous before games, so much so, you are almost throwing up before games.

I think people are always nervous for your first game.

I still get nervous before every performance.

For me, the scariest moment is walking on set before we shoot the first shot, and I am so anxious. It's a lot of pressure, and it's scary, and I don't think that fear ever goes away.

For my TakeOver matches, I was always just a huge mess, a huge ball of nerves.