Every actor has his or her unique pathway while pursuing acting. Some start their journey to being a professional actor in their early childhood dressing up in costumes and performing before family members. Others discover the passion later in life, sometimes after years of working in a different field before learning to develop the craft of acting.

However, when it comes to a career in acting, one thing is for certain: if you want to become a successful actor, there will be obstacles along the way. Here is a collection of inspirational quotes from famous actors giving us a glimpse at their thought processes, acting process and acting theory as they navigated various hurdles during their pilgrimage of bringing characters to life.

Confidence is Key

“You’ve gotta believe in yourself, and you just have to work harder at it than you’ve ever worked at anything before in your life. And if you keep doing that and keep believing in yourself, great things do happen.”
— Kate McKinnon

“The most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence.”
— Blake Lively

“The only failure is not to try.”
— George Clooney

“If you risk nothing, then you risk everything.”
— Geena Davis

“Normal is nothing more than a cycle on a washing machine.” —Whoopi Goldberg

“I live my life through fear. If I’m afraid of it, I’ll do it just so I’m not afraid of it anymore.”
— Jeremy Renner

Accept Nothing Less than your Dreams

“Nothing is impossible; the word itself says, ‘I’m possible!’”
— Audrey Hepburn

“I think that there’s a certain delusional quality that all successful people have to have: You have to believe that something different than what has happened for the past 50 million years can happen. Being realistic is the most commonly travelled road to mediocrity. What’s the point of being realistic?”
— Will Smith

“Even as far back as when I started acting at 14, I know I’ve never considered failure.”
—Jennifer Lawrence

“I’ve learned it’s important not to limit yourself. You can do whatever you really love to do, no matter what it is”
— Ryan Gosling

“It’s amazing what you can get if you quietly, clearly, and authoritatively demand it.”
— Meryl Streep

“Be so good they can’t ignore you.”
— Steve Martin

It’s All About Growth

“Don’t take yourself too seriously. Know when to laugh at yourself, and find a way to laugh at obstacles that inevitably present themselves.”
— Halle Berry

“I think there was something in me at a young age that was not worried about success but was worried about becoming a better actor.”
— Paul Dano

“Wanting to be a good actor is not good enough. You must want to be a great actor. You just have to have that.”
— Gary Oldman

“One thing I’ve learned is be comfortable in your skin, and more importantly, be comfortable in your shoes.”
— Octavia Spencer

“I’m continually trying to make choices that put me against my own comfort zone. As long as you’re uncomfortable, it means you’re growing.”
— Ashton Kutcher

Learn the Lessons Life Presents

“You often meet your fate on the road you take to avoid it.”
— Goldie Hawn

“The struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose.”
— Chadwick Boseman

“There are no regrets in life—just lessons.”
— Jennifer Aniston

“Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.”
— Suzanne Somers

“If you are broken, you do not have to stay broken.”
— Selena Gomez

“If you know you’re going to fail, then fail gloriously!”
— Cate Blanchett

“It’s so cheesy to say this, but it’s the journey, not the end goal, that’s important.”
— Emma Watson

Stay Positive

“I don’t believe in pessimism. If something doesn’t come up the way you want, forge ahead. If you think it’s going to rain, it will.”
— Clint Eastwood

“I’m not sure what the future holds, but I do know that I’m going to be positive and not wake up feeling desperate. As my dad said, ‘Nic, it is what it is; it’s not what it should have been, not what it could have been; it is what it is.’”
— Nicole Kidman

“Don’t be afraid to fail. It’s not the end of the world, and in many ways, it’s the first step toward learning something and getting better at it.”
— Jon Hamm

Follow your Path

“Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.”
— Maggie Smith

“The river is constantly turning and bending and you never know where it’s going to go and where you’ll wind up. Following the bend in the river and staying on your own path means that you are on the right track. Don’t let anyone deter you from that.”
— Eartha Kitt

“I’ve never been able to plan my life. I just lurch from indecision to indecision.”
— Alan Rickman

“That’s another great thing about getting older—your life is written on your face.”
— Frances McDormand

“Life is very interesting … in the end, some of your greatest pains become your greatest strengths.”
— Drew Barrymore

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”
— Judy Garland

“Don’t aspire to make a living; aspire to make a difference.”
— Denzel Washington

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