Laurel Van Ness Quotes

When I find a role I want to play, I just go after it.

When it comes down to it, at the end of the day, I need more out of my life and I need to push myself harder. And if at the end of the day I don't have it, then I don't have it, but at least I'm going to put myself out there. If I fail, I'm going to fail terrifically.

I don't see how people are comfortable with seeing other people be great. You can be happy for anybody, but what is your excuse to not want to be great? These people are great because they just say, 'I'ma do that,' and they do it. That's it. There's no scientifical process.

Oh, I must be ambitious, mustn't I? I'm sure I always have been. I think you can only get away with pretending you're not for so long. After that, it becomes ridiculous.

The only things that haven't worked for me are when I've held back. There's no reason to sell an idea short. The only risk would be to not fulfill the dream.

Mediocrity scares me. It's the fear of not being as good as you want to be. If you give over to that fear, it will sabotage you. As much as I can, I try to use that fear to guide me.

The will to challenge myself is strong, but I think that's growing, the desire to stretch myself and make it hard.

My advice is don't keep asking yourself if you can do something. Just get out there and do it. You can really surprise yourself.

Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.

I never had the chutzpah to just come to L.A. and make it. I didn't have that confidence. I'm always surprised when I get a job.

If I were to listen to people all the time when they say, 'Hey, this is a really high challenge, this is a high climb, the bar is pretty steep,' then I wouldn't have gone to the academy. I wouldn't have become an aircraft carrier pilot. I wouldn't have become a Navy SEAL for sure. And I probably wouldn't have applied to Harvard.

From Italy, I'd get calls from cousins and aunts saying, 'I don't think you should act. It's really tough. What are the chances?' This was around the time 'Flashdance' came out, and I was like, 'What about your dreams? I'm a maniac.'

Every job I take, within minutes I'm thinking, 'I can't do this.' I think it's what makes me work. People think I just swagger in and do it. But I doubt myself all the time. It's what pushes me, what makes me work harder. The older I get, the less I take for granted.

I'd rather attempt something I'm not sure I can do.

I've always known what I've wanted, but I used to be shy about expressing that in regards to my career. So I've become a lioness. If something's happening that I don't necessarily feel comfortable about, I will speak my mind. Or if I want to do something, I go for it.

I've really fought to get into rooms, and I'm a big believer in auditioning. It's hard, because I'm insecure, but I have an intense desire to prove myself to people.

I want to push myself. I'm always up for a challenge.

You gotta go after your dreams and do it. Go and do it.

My main advice is, if it's something you really want to do, then just go for it.

I remember all the stages in my career where I almost didn't have enough confidence to try for something, almost didn't have the guts to follow something I was excited about doing, because I didn't know anyone else who'd done it, or other people made me question it.

Don't be afraid to step through some of that uncertainty that you might feel when you're passionate about doing something.

You can become a winner only if you are willing to walk over the edge.

You can't let fear paralyze you. The worse that can happen is you fail, but guess what: You get up and try again. Feel that pain, get over it, get up, dust yourself off and keep it moving.

I feel like I'm indirectly showing people, not that there's another way, but just that if you really have a dream, you should try and give it a go.

My father instilled in me the attitude of prevailing. If there's a challenge, go for it. If there's a wall to break down, break it down.