Cindy Sherman Quotes

Every time I do something or release something or announce a new project, there's always that fear that it won't go well.

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

I think everyone shares a fear of failure - that you're only as good as your most recent collection. That's definitely a fear, but it's a fear that fuels me, that makes me want to work harder, that makes me take on more challenges.

Writing on assignment, with lots of money handed to you before you even began, got very scary for me. My dread of not being perfect, something I got from a childhood surrounded by powerful, successful people, began to infect everything I wrote.

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

Every time you work is a challenge. There's a constant worry about it, and it's a side of acting I don't like.

I feel as much pressure as anyone does about their work, really. You just want to be productive; only difference is that the work is seen and judged by a few more people.

My biggest worry is that we have to keep making good music, and I want to do well, but I wonder if I will be able to.

When shots are going for six and you're playing well, everyone is trying to big you up. Mis=hit one, get out, all the negative people come out.

There's loads of eyes and expectations. People are almost waiting for you to make a mistake so they can say, 'Oh, she's a one-hit wonder!'

I think all actors get scared because we're frightened to disappoint.

The pressure of success is suffocating.

There's a big difference in doing a play or doing any project that not a lot of people see and then a project that you know everyone will see. There is more pressure, performance anxiety per se. And then when you do and what you love is really put to test.

I get nervous every time, for every single performance, before getting up on that stage.

I'm my own most merciless critic onstage.

What's the worst thing that can happen to a quarterback? He loses his confidence.

My biggest enemy for the longest time was my head. When I first became successful, it made me anxious because I was overthinking everything, and you hear so many 'fail' stories.

Auditioning for 'Philomena' was such a traumatic experience because I had three callbacks, and I was absolutely positive that I was just an option.

I thought that when you have more success that you'd feel more buoyed or feel more confident. But in fact my brain has the gift of switching it around and saying, 'Now people are expecting something. Now you're really going to let people down.'

I think it's one of the main negative emotional ingredients that fuels show business, because there's so much at stake and the fear of failure looms large.

I still remember the first gig where I got people going, it was Rascals in New Jersey, and the place was packed. I was scared. People were expecting me to be funny. I gotta be honest, every time I walk into a club, it's that same fear.

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.

Drama if I sing, drama if I don't sing. What do you do?

If I stop to think about fans, or best-selling, or not best-selling, or good reviews, or not-good reviews, it just becomes too much. It's like staring at the mirror all day.

You're only as good as your last collection, which is an enormous pressure.