George Carlin Quotes

I have been a part of stage shows, but yes, I do get cold feet when I think that every move of mine will be under scrutiny!

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.

The big challenge for me was just trying to ignore the embarrassment of being an actor. It's a pretty embarrassing thing to do. You've got people pointing cameras at you and hundreds of people watching you, as you're trying to be great. And often, almost every time, you're not.

I still remember the first gig where I got people going, it was Rascals in New Jersey, and the place was packed. I was scared. People were expecting me to be funny. I gotta be honest, every time I walk into a club, it's that same fear.

I was always so scared to sing in front of people. That was kind of my weird thing.

I don't think about people watching me on TV. I think it would stress me out.

If I have to speak in public, I am terrified.

When you're on stage singing, you're naked. Your voice is something very intimate, and that's why I'm scared every time before I perform. It doesn't matter if I'm singing for a king or a queen or the Pope, it's enough to be in front of anybody. I suffer, but I can't do anything about it.

I can't talk on the radio at all. When the red light comes on, my hands go up in the air: I think they're trying to get to my face, to shut me up. I don't talk on stage for the same reason.

A couple of weeks ago, I did karaoke and got nervous in a way I hadn't gotten nervous in 25 years. I'm so used to getting on stage in front of strangers to tell jokes, but singing is a whole different animal.

I remember when I gave my first recital. I thought, 'Oh, my goodness, people are coming to hear me.' I didn't expect anyone to come, and then the whole hall filled up. Of course, it wasn't a big hall, and some of the people were my friends and family.

The biggest problem for people who get really, really nervous when they perform live is that you think everybody's looking at you.

The idea of appearing in front of an audience or on live TV terrifies me.

Very few people know what it's like being onstage looking out at a sea of bodies.

At first, I wasn't really keen on the idea of me being on stage having to sing in front of people.

The fear of public speaking is a primal fear. You can train your body to not be crazy when you're doing it, but it truly is a primal fear.

a struggle with shyness is in every actor more than anyone can imagine.

I get a lot of butterflies at auditions because I get so scared. It's scary because you've never met the people before. You have to meet them, and you have to hurry up and get to know them in five seconds. And then, you have to spill your emotions out to these strangers. It's funny.

If I'm playing music in front of people, I'll lose days to nerves like really wasted days of just like being terrified. And then when I get out there, generally speaking, I enjoy it very much. But it seems to be I have to accept the fact that that's just part of the deal for me. And I can't just run on and do it.

Singing in front of people. It's like having your heart beat outside of you.

My heart goes out to anyone who is making his first appearance before an audience of human beings.

To be honest, when I can feel that a lot of people are watching me, I get a little scared, but at the same time, it inspires me.

Comedy is frightening at first because you're opening yourself up. When it's just you and people hate it, you're like, "Oh God. Do they hate me?"

The weird thing is, I used to skate in front of, like, 5,000 people and I was never nervous, but the first time I got on stage, there were four people there and I vomited.

I think even probably the people we look up to the most, and think are on the Mount Olympus of actors - they're still experiencing nervousness.