Tom Petty Quotes

I'm not really a competitive person, and I'm not naturally comfortable in front of people.

I don't think that just because you go on stage you are an exhibitionist.

I haven't always been the guy that walks into a room and automatically the attention is on me. I'm normally the guy that stands off in the corner.

I've never been uncomfortable being a frontman.

I'm not an 'out there' person if it's not on stage or if I'm not around people I'm most comfortable with.

If I was going onstage, of course I would talk about it. How could I not?

I've never been interested in the event when I'm the center of attention.

I'm actually pretty shy in real life. But I guess in front of the camera, I focus.

I was always the front man for what I was doing from when I was 6.

I've always thought of myself as so unsuited to be a frontman.

I'm really conflicted about my role as a front-person. I hate the attention.

Even though I was very shy, I found I could get onstage if I had a new identity.

When I'm on stage, that's me. It's blown up, but that's me.

Well, a lot of people don't know this about me, but I'm actually shy around people I don't know. I would just say with my first concert, my first tour, I didn't really talk onstage. I was like, 'Thank you, I love you guys,' or whatever. But now I've just kind of learned to work a crowd.

I'm very quiet off stage.

I've never been the kind of person who would get up and wave my arms and scream and shout and say, 'Hey, listen to this, listen to this.'

You're gonna have to learn to get out there in front of those cameras and hold your head up. Take charge when you're singing.

I've always been pretty reserved, but after taking drama classes in middle school to get more comfortable performing in front of people, I thought I should try out for television.

It would be nonsense to try to suggest that somebody who tried to rouse 2,000 people to their feet - which is what I used to do at conference - doesn't have any element of exhibitionism about them.

I started by doing a little funny story, and then I started going to open mics. I realized I had a lot of work to do - you have to get over the stage fright and get your stage presence up. It took me some time, but I finally feel that I'm at a point where I feel comfortable on stage and giving my point of view.

I meet so many business women who shy away from the limelight or hesitate to put themselves forward for promotion, despite the fact they are brilliant at their jobs.

If someone put a camera in my face now, when I am in student mode, I would get embarrassed, but when I am modelling, I play characters.

I would want to start. I want to run out there in front of 20,000 people and get my name announced. I get it. I get that.

You put a microphone in my hand on live TV, and that's just an opportunity for me to get ahead in life. That's the way I look at it.

As a kid, I was really shy. Technically I am still, but when I'm performing I want everybody to listen.