Mireille Mathieu Quotes

For many years my acting came from a place of surmounting some enormous obstacle, confronting some stern and faceless judge who would condemn me to a pit of hell if I didn't achieve the "zone," if even for a moment. Not a particularly happy place to work from.

It's tough, acting. You have to walk two lines of a tightrope. There's the all-consuming fear of failure: I'm about to fall flat on my face. There's that and there's also confidence - you have to be confident in order to try things - and they fight each other all the time.

I was this kid, and I was scared to death of all these pros around me... My head would shake, and my hands would shake, and I discovered if I kept my head down and looked up, my head would not shake, so I started to do that when I could, when it was appropriate in a scene.

The hardest role that I've ever tried to play was Clara Johnson in 'Light in the Piazza' at Lincoln Center. It was the least fun I've ever had, but the most beautiful experience I've ever had. I could not understand her. I could not put my feet in her shoes. I came home every night, and I was depressed.

I've been making music since I was 14, but for a while, I was afraid to perform.

I had a hard-scrabble childhood with my parents. I have a lot of baggage. To come down to the footlights and accept the audience's affection inside a Broadway theater - that didn't come easily to me.

There's just a total boatload of crazy that goes with singing live for the first time when you're 60 years old.

You could put me on a stage in front of 100 people, and I could do a tap dance, but one-on-one was really difficult for me. And it took me most of my life to learn how to work with that anxiety, to embrace and be comfortable with it.

I was never super comfortable playing music in front of people anyway. Now I enjoy it, but it wasn't the easiest thing to get past.

Shame is hard to confront. Even if you know it's baseless, it's still hard to come face-to-face with.

It took me forever to get comfortable. When I first started NXT, we had promo classes, and I used to get so upset because I couldn't get in front of a crowd and talk. I was terrified.

I used to be really nervous to perform in front of people. I would cry.

I always wanted to solo at the church and they didn't ever give it to me. But eventually they did and I froze. But then I killed it.

I'm starting to understand that fear is like cancer - you can beat it back, but if it returns, it can be worse than ever.

Fear urged him to go back, but growth drove him on.

It's hard to be strong and be weak at the same time. So I spent a lot of time sitting still. Sitting still for hours, not moving a muscle. Really concentrated work, so I'm ready. I'm ready for my performance.

When I'm scared - and I'm always scared when I have to face an audience, when I have to read a review, when I publish a book...then, I think of my grandfather. My grandfather was this strong, tough Basque who would never bend....What would he do? Well, he would go ahead, close his eyes, and drive forward. You do it and the spirit that is within you....is there.

It takes a lot of courage to be a performer.

I seek strength, not to be greater than other, but to fight my greatest enemy, the doubts within myself

The will to overcome an emotion, is ultimately only the will of another, or of several other, emotions.

I had to hold my head up high and put a bold face on things, but the thoughts keep coming anyways.

Because of what I've chosen to do for my work in the world, almost every time that there's something that I'm afraid to do that I need to do, I have to do it in front of other people. It makes me feel exposed.

Every audition, I still get nervous. I still get sweaty palms. I don't think that ever goes away. You just get accustomed to it.

Pea was aware suddenly of how fragile her heart was, how much darkness was inside it, fighting, always, with the light. She did not like the rat. She would neverlike the rat, but she knew what she must do to save her own heart.

Nicole's world had fallen to pieces, but it was only a flimsy and scarcely created world; beneath it her emotions and instincts fought on.