Career Persistence Quotes

When I left Cambridge, I applied to regional repertory theaters in the U.K. and got accepted by one of them... And here I am, still at it.

Motivation has always been a fascinating factor when considering a touring artist, especially when the years stack up. What keeps one out there year after year?

Given that Chiru also comes from a family which is closely associated with the film industry, I know I will get more support from them to pursue my acting career. I won't stop acting. As long as we live, we will continue to act in films.

Don't you think it astonishing that, at 58, I am still working at improving my career?

When you are a beginning film maker you are desperate to survive. The most important thing in the end is survival and being able to get to your next picture.

If it wasn't for 'Kill Bill' I probably would have been back in New Zealand three months after I left, and if it wasn't for 'Death Proof' I don't think I would be pursuing an acting career right now.

I don't want to be famous per se, but I want to write books for as long as I can. And I plan on writing a lot.

Playing heroine was never an aspiration. If I had been particular about it, I would have faded out of the scene long ago.

When it comes up with my age, I'm like, let's just end the conversation there. That's irrelevant to me. I'll pitch until I'm 40.

I never really thought that I was going to get out of coaching ever. In my fifth year, I thought I might get out. You have those thoughts in any job. But I never really, really thought I was going to get out.

Whatever is said about roles drying up, I intend to keep working. Certainly now the roles couldn't be more interesting - playing mothers, divorcees. I think it's going to be exciting to play a mother of teenagers. The longer your life, the deeper it gets.

I want to do this for a long time; I want people to be saying, 'What is he doing still playing in clubs?'

I've had a long career and I want to continue to have a long career. The way to do that is not to go away.

All my life I've worked and I was so lucky to go from a radio station in Washington to the Dodgers and of course, it never stopped. For me to suddenly put the key in the ignition and turn the engine off, it's kind of a frightening thought. I put the key in and left it there, God willing, for another year.

I've been in the business 60 years, and it's taken me this long to play a scene with a monkey. That's what happens if you stick around.

When I got out of college, I booked a movie called 'Go for It!' with Lionsgate, came out here, and I've been acting ever since - or trying, constantly trying.

After a two-year stint at Cheek by Jowl theatre company in London, I put all my energies into breaking into New York's theatre scene. It took me eight years to build enough to play lead roles.

Well, once you've resigned yourself to the fact that you are the more mature pop performer and you're past the age you ever thought you would do it, you might as well do it as long as you can. As long as I can still lift a microphone, then I'll do it, you know.

Figure skaters are usually young and then just fade away. But I'm not a fade-away kind of person.

I suppose that by being absent from the music business, it appeared that I just dropped out, but really I never did. I was continuously working and doing various things.

I know I'm not a hotly in-demand movie star, but I'm good at my job. And I want to keep working for the next 40 years.

I know it takes more than one album to stay around.

When I finished my degree at Oxford, I went and acted for a bit. And I was appalling. And with each part, I thought, 'Well, that's embarrassing. I'd better do one more to show people I'm not that bad.' And, in fact, instead of a taking a year, that's gone on for 35 years.

If I see an audition for a show or a movie, I'll send a tape in. I attack it. The whole time, I'm booking comedy, so no matter what, I always got that coming in. I'm always working on my craft.

I'd just like to carry on acting.