Ben Kingsley Quotes

Over the years, I discovered over and over again that once you lose control, you have a chance of getting good at it. And once you're controlling the work, it's not going to be very good, or it won't be as good as it should be.

You will recognize your own path when you come upon it, because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need.

Somehow, people get very nervous about leaving the comfortable life of rules behind and never take the chance to develop their own internal voice, to listen to their own consciousness.

To some extent I happily don't know what I'm doing. I feel that it's an artist's responsibility to trust that.

I don't plan a career. That doesn't work for me. I just have to go with my gut.

The artist discards all theories, both his own and those of others. He forgets everything when he is in front of his canvas.

I'm one of those people that is up for most things. When I was offered to sing at the Oscars I was like, 'Yeah, I want to know what that's like!' I'm always curious to know what things are like - as long as you're not compromising who you are.

I've enjoyed the process of understanding who I am through my work and who I am in relation to others: the intense collaboration that acting requires and thrives in.

Obviously, after 'The Matrix,' it was a case of, 'OK, I did that. What's next?' I mean, it's always like that, but more so this time. How do I change it up? How do I keep it interesting for myself?

I'm of the belief that you pursue your interests, you pull it all in, and you sort it out later.

Sometimes I've made mistakes and not really listened to my instincts, and I've done a project, and I've been disappointed with the consequence, I think, as a consequence of not listening to whatever part of me it is that, at its base, is interested in telling interesting stories.

You can't ever create defensively. You just have to create the next thing that really speaks to you.

I meet so many young people who want to plan out their lives and want a recipe. They want me to tell them how to succeed. I didn't follow a recipe. I followed my instincts.

I completely follow my gut and do what I like doing. I have become impulsive in a good way. I am taking creative risks as an actor.

There is something transformative about the act of finding your own way without a to-do list.

I basically expect anything. Isn't that wild? I used to surprise myself a lot: certain moves, how I'd get out of trouble. But at some point, you accept the talent that you have, you accept your creativity.

We all have within us a deep sense of what we need, and what is right and true for us. To access this we need to pay attention to our feelings and our intuition. We need to learn to listen deeply to ourselves and to trust what we hear. And we need to risk acting on what we feel to be true. Even if we make mistakes, we must do this in order to learn and grow.

The key is within each of us. No instructions come with it.

The main thing in making art often is letting go of your expectation and your idea.

When you're little, you're open to things. It's not like you get into this rehearsed zone when you're a child. At first you play different sides of yourself. And I think it will be really exciting one day to have a character to go into that's not anything like me whatsoever.

I don't want to be labeled one thing. My main thing I care about is being able to create the things I want to do with my friends, whatever platform that is.

I learned I'm not a good executive, I'm an entrepreneur and I'm creative. I have to go with my gut and do what I want to do.

As you become more clear about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what is best for you - the first time around.

If you don't feel you're reaching something new, then don't do it.

I don't have any regrets, because I think life is like a creek. It kind of meanders along, and you instinctively do the things you are meant to do. There's no great plan except doing really good scripts, meeting great filmmakers. And I have to have something that I can bring to the role.