Irving Wallace Quotes

You don't build your character by doing what everybody else is doing.

Life is a difficult game. You can win it only by retaining your birthright to be a person. And to retain this right, you will have to be willing to take the social or external risks involved in ignoring pressures to do things the way others say they should be done

I would rather die having spoken in my manner, than speak in your manner and live.

My choices in life have been unconventional, and that's my business. But I do want to live responsibly and truthfully without hiding.

When I was 16, I was doing what was popular. If I could go back, I would tell myself to not be afraid to be alone and not to follow others so much.

The hallmark of courage in our age of conformity is the capacity to stand on one's own convictions - not obstinately or defiantly

Wanted: a man who will not lose his individuality in a crowd, a man who has the courage of his convictions, who is not afraid to say 'No,' though all the world say 'Yes.'

People relate to the spirit of the band, which is to live your way and succeed on your own terms. There's no hypocrisy in being successful and still railing against conformity.

I'm going to be true to what I want to do, because if I care what people think about me, I'm a puppet. Which I have been in my life. And you can't live life that way, man!

If you let society and your peers define who you are, you're the less for it.

But for everyone, I think, there is always a pressure to conform, and I guess as you get older you realize it's less interesting to do that. It starts with you, though, saying, 'I know what I like doing and that's what I'm going to do.'

Being cool is being your own self, not doing something that someone else is telling you to do.

The hardest thing to do is to be true to yourself, especially when everybody is watching.

I'm not a follower. I'm a leader. And anyone who speaks their mind is always criticised.

You can't live your life trying to please people. You be courteous and you be respectful, but you've got to do things in the way that you want to do them.

Just in general, no matter what you're doing, be true to yourself. Never let anyone else dictate how you live your life.

When you follow your heart, you're never supposed to do things because of what you think people might say. You do it for the opposite reasons.

Always take your own path. And do what feels right for you.

Everyone is being told by society to talk this way, to dress that way, to be this person or to be that person, and it's so important to just maintain a sense of self.

I'm not a yes person, whether it's about a tie choice or a joke.

Just do what you want to do, and who cares what people think. That's always been my thing.

Living courageously in your uniqueness is really important: just being completely yourself. I know that sounds really cliche, but just do what you want to do.

What I would tell everyone is don't lose your sense of individuality.

Most people feel like they're out of step, so just have the conviction to go your own way.

I've always done whatever I want and always been exactly who I am.