Stephen Daldry Quotes

I feel like I was born to do this... I started working professionally as soon as I could, doing weddings and things like that in high school, while everyone else was having keg parties. I just felt destined to do it and really committed and driven; it was something that just felt right all my life.

I was never really sure what I wanted to do - I'm in awe of these people who knew at age 10 or 12 they wanted to be a brain surgeon, and they did it, and they still are.

I wouldn't change my life for anything. I am exactly where I want to be and have no plans to ever retire.

I've spent my life following my passion.

I was nine years old when I made up my mind that that was what I definitely wanted to do.

It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction.

I never had an existential moment when I asked myself what I was going to do. I always wanted to be a lawyer, and I knew exactly the kind of lawyer I wanted to be.

Later in my life, I'm going to look back and smile and be very fulfilled. I know that if I don't give it my all right now I'll regret it later. That's very important to me, because I've worked all my life to have this.

I had this rare privilege of being able to pursue in my adult life, what had been my childhood dream.

My dad wanted me to be a businessman, but I felt that wasn't for me.

Success isn't always going to be a huge contract; success is going to be if you just live out your purpose in life.

It would be the ultimate dream for me to win an Academy Award, be in love and have kids. Then I would say, 'Life is great! I have done everything I wanted.'

I don't really know if I want to do acting as a career. I really don't know what I want to do yet.

When I started travelling, I would go to a city and be on television and I used to get the question, 'Why do you work? If I were you, I'd just go and lie on a beach somewhere.' And I'd answer, 'Well, I wanted to make something of my life.'

I'm 23, so I'm not done with my life. But acting, definitely, out of what I've done so far, makes me feel the most alive and is very invigorating and thrilling. So I figured I might as well try it for a while.

I figured out early on what I wanted to do.

When I got into college, I found what ultimately became my life's work. I couldn't sleep at night, I was so excited about it. So I'm attracted to people who play at that level. They actually want to play in their professional life.

Early in my investment-banking career, I realized I was on a path that others had set out for me.

It dawned on me that acting was what I wanted to do with my life. Nothing had ever touched my heart like acting did.

Even as a young boy, my passion was to design, and I have been very lucky to be able to do what I have loved all my life. There can be few greater gifts than that.

I couldn't think of anything else I'd rather be doing.

I've been on television since I was about 17. I had opportunities - one major opportunity I blew in my 20s. Once I started down this pathway, it was a case of not letting anyone stop me. Not my wife, not my family. It was getting too late to give it a small percentage. I had to give it one hundred percent.

Despite my mother saying I have been destined to be an actress my whole life, I remember being the kid who grew up not knowing what I wanted to do with my life.

I know from experience that careers do not always arise from a deep sense of destiny.

As a kid, I certainly never thought I would get to spend my life doing something fun.