Grace Paley Quotes

I did my best. I guess my best wasn't good enough.

I reached a point where I didn't think I was that great. I'm not being humble. I was looking at things and thinking: 'You're not really good in that'. I think I was becoming boring as well as bored. It was nobody's fault except mine - probably - and it might not even be my fault.

I was not really as good as I should have been.

I'm not good at watching myself.

My mum has always said I am too hard on myself. But I have always been like that and it has always helped me. After matches I focus only on what I did wrong. Never what I did well.

Even I don't always come up to my own standards of perfection.

I'm always my hardest critic.

I'll never give myself an A since I ask a lot from myself.

I've criticized myself over the years.

I am my own biggest critic.

Although I'm very competitive, I'm also very critical of myself.

It's hard to be at your best and to know exactly what is your best at all times because even when you do see yourself, you think you could be better, and you often feel that there is something you could have done differently.

I hope I can improve. I'm far from perfect. Sometimes, I wonder what would happen if I fought myself. I think it would be a one-round KO. But if I was fighting myself, I know I could take my best punch. No, make that two rounds. I would knock myself out in two rounds.

Either still I find Some imperfection in the chosen theme, Or see of absolute accomplishment Much wanting, so much wanting, in myself, That I recoil and droop, and seek repose In listlessness from vain perplexity, Unprofitably travelling towards the grave.

Sometimes I even amaze myself, and sometimes I do things that make me want to punch myself in the face.

I must congratulate myself, in passing, for never having lost the ability to examine my conscience, never having lost the gift of finding myself wanting & defective. Why fear the criticism of others when you, yourself, are first out of the critical gate? If self-denigration is the race I am the winner, even before the starting gun. Collect the bets.

I criticize my own work pretty harshly.

It is a most mortifying reflection for a man to consider what he has done, compared to what he might have done.

It's more important to know your weaknesses than your strengths.

I have never gauged myself against anyone else.

You're always going to be more judgmental about your own performance than anyone else.

But let's face it, I still have to look at my self and look at the things I've done down the stretch.

But I think it is always difficult to have high expectations of yourself or anyone else.

I'm my own worst critic and I think everyone in the band is a perfectionist.

Your harshest critic is always going to be yourself. Don't ignore that critic but don't give it more attention than it deserves.