Jean Rhys Quotes

I don't care about the money. I just need, as an actor, to do as many different things that I can to make me feel good about myself.

It is enough that we set out to mold the motley stuff of life into some form of our own choosing; when we do, the performance is itself the wage.

I decided to write books, just to prove to myself that I was still alive, if nothing else.

From an early age, I knew I would be unhappy if I wasn't doing something creative.

I jumped off the wheel of fortune because I wanted to simplify things. Now I've fulfilled my obligations to myself by making my new record. I'd like it to sell millions of copies, but my self - worth is not based on chart positions.

I want to struggle and make films. It's not a financial thing, it's more of a who-I-am thing.

Getting ahead cannot be the only motive that motivates people. You have to imagine what a good life is.

I've spent most of my life writing and developing everything that I've wanted to be in - which is why I started writing in the first place.

For me, I already fought some of the best people there are. I already did, you know, what I need to do for me.

Real happiness comes from discovering a sense of importance in one's actions and in one's life.

I had fame and wealth and things that are supposed to make you happy, but I wasn't happy, because there's no importance on having a fulfilling life. So in my mid-40s, that was my pursuit - making films that interested me, films that I would like to go see.

Surely it is an odd way to spend your life - sitting alone in a room with a pen in your hand, hour after hour, day after day, year after year, struggling to put words on pieces of paper in order to give birth to what does not exist - except in your head. Why on earth would anyone want to do such a thing? The only answer I have ever been able to come up with is: because you have to, because you have no choice.

And there will be a time, not for long, a month is enough, or a week, when every single person will be able to completely fulfill what they were meant to be—everything their bodies and souls have offered them, not what other people have dumped on them.

In seeking success you must also seek fulfillment. Ask yourself not only what you want to be but who you want to be.

Would you rather live your life according to the approval of others or aligned with your truth and your dreams?

I think success is about purpose. People ask about success at different points in your life. As I look back, I think people that are successful feel good about what they are doing, and they can look back at what they've done and they feel good about it. People sometimes ask about success and they say, "What's your legacy?" and I say, "I think it's really a dumb question." I think the question is: What am I doing now? Do I feel good about myself? Am I proud of myself? Whatever purpose there is in life, I think success is about purpose. It's not about material things.

In matters like writing and painting, a man does what he has to do - if he has to write, why then, he writes; and if he doesn't feel the urgent need of writing, there are dozens of professions in which it is easier to earn a comfortable living.

The main thing you can change is how you perceive yourself. Stop looking in the mirror and realize that youre living for yourself, not other people.

Most of us are taught from an early age to pay far more attention to signals coming from other people than from within. We are encouraged to ignore our own needs and wants and to concentrate on living up to others expectations.

Every story I've written was written because I had to write it. Writing stories is like breathing for me; it is my life.

Instead of seeking success we should look for fulfillment. And fulfillment is giving total attention to the process of living.

Self-esteem is something you have to earn! The only way to achieve self-esteem is to work hard. People have an obligation to live up to their potential.

If you spend your life trying to please people or letting them control you, you may make them happy, but you'll miss your destiny.

Most people achieve their goals and are like, "Is this all there is?" We are supposed to keep growing so we have something to get. What we get never makes us happy. You play yourself when you forget that.

Most people feel best about themselves when they have given their very best.