Claire Messud Quotes

I'm always looking for a new challenge. There are a lot of mountains to climb out there. When I run out of mountains, I'll build a new one.

I came to Flatanger with a plan in my mind to bolt a really, really hard thing that would be beautiful and keep me motivated to try it for a long time, in some underdeveloped area.

I've always been quite careful about what I wanted to do. I've just never wanted to revisit old ground or do something that's easy. I want to do something that I would look at and go, "I don't know what to do!" The most exciting thing is when you're a bit scared, so I'm looking to find something that's really terrifying.

I like to challenge myself and give myself a timeline. It pushes me to be more creative and actually do these things, not just dream about them.

Danger, the spur of all great minds.

I have ideas every day, and if I'm not carrying a pad of paper, I'm typing it into the notes thing on my iPhone, and it's just ridiculous - idle hands are the devil's plaything, and I can't be the devil's plaything. I got to be the devil; I got to be the guy making it all happen.

I have new ideas every day, and I always want to take on new challenges.

If you want something bad enough, and you're having enough fun doing it, you can accomplish it. You just got to get creative and find a way.

Often, I work out of my work. One work takes me to the next thing.

Golf without bunkers and hazards would be tame and monotonous. So would life.

If your work isn't exciting, doesn't stir the emotions, where's the challenge? Where's the progress if you always play it safe?

I think I've always been slightly addicted to not repeating myself. When you're doing something the first time around, it's often the best time. I think 'Blank Project' is about carrying on. Its that thing where you're making something because you have to, but you don't know how or why.

I don't know if I'm so much fueled by trying to one-up myself so much as passionate about coming up with new and greater challenges. I don't see it as a contest, but as a natural progression.

I realized I really liked the screen. I knew it was a challenge, but I wasn't afraid of risk.

As far as expectations go, you can never work for expectations. You have to work against them.

For me, competition is good; that is what keeps me on my toes and keeps me going. I am always trying to better my own work, do better than my earlier films... do films that are challenging and exciting for me.

If you don't have a mountain, build one and then climb it. And after you climb it, build another one; otherwise you start to flatline in your life.

When I get on a course that's not very good, that's not tough, I fall asleep. Mentally I must be lazy, like a little kid, but I always seem to do well when there's a tough situation.

Why do I want to be challenged or have challenges? That's why I don't go climb mountains.

I like challenges that test your ingenuity.

I have always strived to do something different, to push myself.

'LazyTown' is basically about motivation. So what do I call motivation? I call it 'go.' The show is going to inspire kids to go. Go fishing. Go dancing. Go live.

I'm more focused and have a greater sense of challenge, because I constantly feel the weight of time.

Stand at the base and look up at 3,000 feet of blankness. It just looks like there's no way you can climb it. That's what you seek as a climber. You want to find something that looks absurd and figure out how to do it.

'Whiplash' scared me. I feel you should only do projects that scare you to some degree. I get motivated by those sorts of feelings.