Maria Bamford Quotes

I'm most scared of failing, of disappointing people.

I lack confidence as an actor.

I have seen many successful people fail after they start fearing they might lose what they have built.

My biggest enemy for the longest time was my head. When I first became successful, it made me anxious because I was overthinking everything, and you hear so many 'fail' stories.

When it comes time to sit down and write the next book, you're deathly afraid that you're not up to the task. That was certainly the case with me after Snow Falling on Cedars.

Success is so fleeting; even if you get a good book deal, or your book is a huge success, there's always the fear: 'What about the next one?'

Everybody in the entertainment industry is insecure.

I just don't want to fail, to be honest.

Being the headliner is only more pressure if you're not very good.

I've always hated rejection; I only want to go out there when I know I've got it right.

You already feel unsure of yourself, and then you see your worst fears in print. It really knocked me - which is why, I think, I was working, working, working, because I was trying to run away from the fact that I thought I couldn't do it.

I'm always thinking 'Don't mess this up.'

In a way, I'm always trying to do something I'm not qualified to do. So I feel that lack of qualification. And I'm scared. And I have a tendency to think things may not/probably won't work out. That's my basic mindset.

I never think about any of my accomplishments and I always get butterflies in my stomach and I never get too comfortable with the status.

Writing on assignment, with lots of money handed to you before you even began, got very scary for me. My dread of not being perfect, something I got from a childhood surrounded by powerful, successful people, began to infect everything I wrote.

Even when I had a run of successful prime-time shows, I couldn't sit down and enjoy my success. I would beat myself up and scrutinise everything. I'm a natural-born worrier.

I've always been a bit of a self-doubter. I think a lot of actors are.

I'm not trying to steal the show. I tend to shy away from - I don't want to say the spotlight - how about responsibility? It's just very daunting. These movies are very intimidating. 'Captain America.' This is the stuff I struggle with.

You're constantly trying to prove yourself, even after you've made it.

I'm usually convinced that what I'm working on is a total disaster.

I just feel like I have a lot to prove.

I have two books that were published quite some time ago. I start to read about three sentences. I have to close it. I am so self-conscious. Who did I think I was?

Self-doubt kills talent.

I'm so loud, as if I know what I'm on about, but deep inside, I'm so insecure. Just a little girl.

Sometimes I panic and think I can't really write.