Nick Tosches Quotes

I didn't tell my kids, 'You have to play viola, and you have to play piano.' They chose these things on their own, and I don't think we have to give kids every choice, but we do have to give them some choice because that autonomy is crucial for fostering passion.

It's only work if somebody makes you do it.

I think I've always had to pick and choose whatever I want to work on. If I'm not happy with what I'm doing, it's probably not going to end up that interesting.

I believe sometimes you have a choice in what inspiration you choose to follow and other times you really don't.

I don't have to act for work anymore; I can act for passion. That's freeing, but it's also a prison of its own. When you can do anything you want, you're really responsible to do something great. And that's scary.

Life obliges me to do something, so I paint.

I live for the blank page.

I've always related music to those moments when someone turns you loose on something and they haven't told you how to do it.

Creative freedom is a huge carrot.

If I don't feel like writing today or for a few days, I don't. And I don't think about it. It is not an obligation-it is the greatest privilege.

I really don't work to a plan, but I just do what interests me and what I like to do.

Now that I'm not a puppet for some director, the Hyneman is free to explore the world at large.

Wherever the wind blows me, I'll go! My eventual goal is to have enough experience to produce something on my own.

As long as what you do reaches out to people, I don't think there's any reason to stop yourself from doing anything.

My advice for climbers or photographers is to really tune into your own passions and not just what other people are doing or aren't doing. Figure out what works for you, what turns you on, what gives you the greatest amount of energy and feeling of satisfaction.

I don't get competitive, really. So I don't know. If I'm excited about something, hopefully someone will think, "Oh right, you should do this." And that's great. I'm not being very articulate about this. I just don't want to do stuff if I'm going to feel bummed out and uninspired.

I'm not really sure if I have anything that inspires me.

Commitment and creativity cannot be captured and handcuffed. Inspiration cannot be jailed. The heart cannot be contained.

We can escape the commonplace only by manipulating it, controlling it, thrusting it into our dreams or surrendering it to the free play of our subjectivity.

I was a loser, a bad kid, I wasn't really into anything, and then someone gave me a camera and I found that this was the thing I wanted to do.

You pursue what you love, and if you find beauty or truth, you go with that.

Music gives us new energy and a stronger sense of purpose.

In climbing, sponsors typically support an athlete but provide very little direction, giving the climber free rein to follow his or her passion toward whatever is inspiring. It's a wonderful freedom, in many ways similar to that of an artist who simply lives his life and creates whatever moves him.

I was scared to do anything in the studio because it felt so claustrophobic. I wanted to be somewhere where things could happen and the subject wasn't just looking back at you.

Today, charting your own course isn't just more necessary than ever before. It's also much easier - and much more fun.