Margo Jefferson Quotes

I have no control over what people think, and if I were to spend energy on that, I would be a lifeless, deadened human being.

As a journalist, it is so easy to get hardened when you see so many stories that are disturbing. Sometimes it's just your survival mechanism that makes you hardened to some of it.

De Niro was a hero of mine. And Sean Penn. But I've realized I can't operate at that level of intensity. That's okay for movies. On TV, when you live with horror day in and day out, you have to protect yourself.

You really have to try hard to create space and, at least for a time, stop the political world from rushing in. The important thing is to remain sane.

I have a theory that burnout is about resentment. And you beat it by knowing what it is you're giving up that makes you resentful.

Why am I so soft in the middle when the rest of my life is so hard?

I love this profession, but God, it can just destroy people, and I don't want that to happen and become some monster.

I need some time to recover. I'm not a machine.

I may be crazy, but it keeps me from going insane.

The only way I've been able to keep my sanity is to pull back when I feel like it's time to pull back.

Dealing with depression effectively is a mark not of weakness, but of strength.

If I took everything as personally as I possibly could, I wouldn't survive.

I don't have the psychological stamina to last under artistic compromises over a prolonged period of time. I get hostile and vindictive. It wears me down.

There are things that I am doing apart from films to keep me normal. Otherwise, emotionally, it is very draining.

Doing 'Hedwig' was so hard that I kind of burned out on acting.

I invented 'Christine' as a survival technique to deal with many things. I felt it would save me.

Depression seems to be related to fear, anger and frustration. When you're in a bad mood, even if you meet with your friends, you don't take pleasure in their company. But when you're in a good mood, even if things go wrong, you can cope with them without difficulty. This is why putting yourself in a good mood, making a point of developing a sense of loving kindness gives you greater inner strength.

The hardest thing you can do is smile when you are ill, in pain, or depressed. But this no-cost remedy is a necessary first half-step if you are to start on the road to recovery.

Sometimes that´s all you need…, to know it´s not broken. To know you’re still whole and that you’ll heal.

I talk a lot about strength, faith and love, but I don't ever talk about the fact that I am one of the most sensitive people in my family. That might be the most shocking, because you always see me fighting the good fight, with the strong face on, but I am the most emotional.

If something is bothering you, keep it to yourself.

I think there's a danger, for me at least, in retreating and going inward and depression. I have to stay diligent against that tendency.

Most of one's life is one prolonged effort to prevent oneself thinking.

Listening to and understanding our inner sufferings will resolve most of the problems we encounter.

I'm not looking for pity, I'm really not, but I'm constantly uneasy and every day it is pretty much like getting up and going to war. Once I shift into the mindset of 'Yeah, you're alive. It's tough. Let's do what we can today,' it's easier.