Lucy Dacus Quotes

Whether at work, at home or in public, we have been trained to believe that who we are at the core of our being is often unacceptable. As a result, we work diligently to live up to - and sometimes down to - what others have made us out to be, whether or not it is an accurate reflection of who we are.

I'm always interested in how people, myself included, have ideas of themselves, of how they thought they would be, or of how they want to be seen. And the older you get, the world keeps telling you different things about yourself. And how people either adjust to those things and let go of adolescent notions. Or they dig in deeper.

How you define yourself is a major issue for young people and adults alike.

If I don't measure up as an American writer, at least leave me to my delusion.

I always wanted to be more validated as a human being, as a person, than I was as a player. I think that was a really hard balance for me.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I'd give you is: Don't let someone else's opinion of you become your reality. If you're in high school, there are definitely things being said about you. Don't let them determine who you are.

I complained to my mother about wanting to look less like myself and more like my friends. My mother then gave me a lesson in embracing my differences and loving them despite what others said.

I have no issues with my identity.

I had to go to a mirror and look at it. I couldn't picture myself in my own head. I had no image beyond a stick figure. I wasn't a mean person as a kid, or dumb, and something has to be said to justify excluding you.

I wanted to be like my friends. I hung out with girls who had blue eyes and blond hair and I thought, 'I want to look like them!'

Many people identify their sense of self with the problems they have, or think they have.

People's perceptions of me have nothing to do with reality. I'm basically just your average dork.

We're all just trying to fit in and find ourselves, particularly when we're growing up.

Very early on, you figure out that you put your self-esteem in the hands of strangers. There's a different commodity. There's the Helena Bonham Carter that everyone thinks they know, who really has nothing to do with me. But you just have to let that go.

In real life, I'm not super-posh but if that's the stereotype, I really don't care. It could be worse.

I don't like myself without a beard.

Cartoonist was the weirdest name I finally let myself have. I would never say it. When I heard it I silently thought, what an awful word.

So many people define themselves by what they've accomplished or not accomplished.

At some point, the pride has to be a part of the whole day-to-day oeuvre. It's part of who you are and doesn't need to be discussed anymore.

I wanted people not to look at me as a little girl, but I was a little girl so how could I ask the world not to?

When you become a slave to a public persona and don't feel comfortable without it, it becomes a shield, and it shouldn't come at the expense of your self-worth.

Many people have this image of me. For a long time, I cared about that.

MS doesn't define who I am.

If I am not grotesque, I am nothing.

One thing you have to give up is attaching importance to what people see in you.