Henry David Thoreau Quotes

You need to be very critical of yourself because MMA is a singular sport. You have to make the changes yourself or nothing will change. You have to be the one making the changes.

Of course I am doing a good job, but you can always improve, and I just leave it up to people outside, around me or whatever, to judge on that.

Throughout my career, I have criticized my every single step and I am open to any criticism.

I look at everything I’ve done critically - but I think that’s the job of an actor. If you ever sit on your laurels or think that you’re good - in a way, I don’t then think you’re pushing yourself.

I take responsibility for my successes as well as my failures. But when I look at my professional mistakes, I'm always left with the feeling that maybe I should have done more.

I think that's the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.

If you don't second-guess yourself, then you are not trying to get better.

I always say I've given 24 insufficient performances and I'm looking forward to the time in my life when I'll do something that I think is good. There's always stuff you can do better, stuff that maybe you didn't uncover enough. But if you do something that you truly believe is perfect, then that's got to be the last movie you do.

I am pretty hard on myself. But I think that's how it has to be if you want to keep growing as an actor.

I can't say I've ever finished a film and been particularly thrilled with myself or patted myself on the back. And maybe that's what keeps me going, and that's a good thing. It speaks volumes about how I perceive myself.

When something's wrong, even though you're the one doing it, you shouldn't feel defensive about it. It's hard because you have to protect yourself as a person in your life, but you can't protect yourself as an actor. You have to just take criticism.

In reality, I am more a professor, one who reflects and mediates on spiritual questions. Practical governance is not my strong point, and this is certainly a weakness. But I do not see myself as a failure. For eight years, I carried out my work.

You've got to get better every single year, it doesn't matter.

When I heard my voice, like listen to myself playing it back-to-back, I just want to always perfect it.

I always consider myself as good as my last film. I tend to analyse my work very critically.

Improving, for me, is quite natural as I'm always critical of myself.

I was always harsh on myself as a player and I am the same as a coach, but it's the only way I know how to improve.

I'm always looking to learn and am never happy with how I am going. I think once you get comfortable with what you are offering it is dangerous territory to be in.

I am very self-critical and always will be. I think this makes me want to improve, always. But just because I'm self-critical and say what I thought of my performance in a game, it doesn't mean I will bring myself down, ever.

The criticism is what I expect, honestly, because I'm criticizing myself every day when I come in here and watch that film. I'm trying to get better.

I do not take to the field to defend myself from certain criticisms. If I do, in this kind of career, it is because I'm very self-critical.

When I watch myself, I see nothing but faults, like, 'This I need to do different, this I need to do different,' and so if there comes a point in time where I'm like, 'Man, this whole thing is just getting really stale,' I am not opposed to being the bad guy again.

Win or lose or draw, you always go back and critique your performance and say you could have done things better. Even if I put the guy away in one round, I can go back and say I made a lot of mistakes and need to tighten up. But that's the type of person I am. Improve. Improve. Improve. When I lose I come back stronger than ever.

Being a former engineer, you learn to always go back, study yourself, see what you could've done differently, see what you could've said.

I don't feel like congratulating myself, because I know there's still a lot of room for improvement.