Either you're growing or you're decaying; there's no middle ground. If you're standing still, you're decaying.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that one must always strive for growth, as stagnation leads to decline.
Alan Arkin's quote emphasizes the necessity of continual personal growth and development. It warns that remaining stagnant in life will inevitably lead to decay or deterioration, whether in personal skills, relationships, or overall well-being. Therefore, one should always seek to improve and evolve, as there is no neutral position; one is either advancing or regressing.
In practice
This quote would be suitable for a personal development seminar to inspire attendees.
I used to watch the world as if it was a performance and I would realize that certain things that people did moved me, and certain things didn't move me, and I tried to analyze, even at that age, six and seven and eight, why I was moved by certain things they did
If you want to be an actor and you love acting, you can do it whether you're doing something else or not. You can be connected with community theater or make your own little movies. But if you want to be a movie star, you've got a tough road ahead of you.
Everybody's career has ups and downs. I like to take chances; I don't like to stand still. And I don't give a damn what the market is interested in; I want to try things.
I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?
Every physicist knows that things connect with each other. To isolate things is not the way the universe works - winning best actor is arbitrary.
I love working if it's with people who are capable of having a good time. People with a little bit of enjoyment of what they do. If it's enormous pressure, and people feel that their lives are at stake, then it's agony. So I try to pick projects where I feel like I'm going to avoid those traps.
Many people come to self-help material because they feel like something is wrong with them or the way they are. The problem is that anything that tells you how to improve your life is also implying that there is something inherently wrong with you the way you are.
To rush into explanations is always a sign of weakness.
Goe and catche a falling starre, Get with child a mandrake root, Tell me, where all past yeares are, Or who cleft the Divel's foot. Teach me to hear Mermaides' singing, Or to keep of envies stinging, And finde What winde Serves to advance an honest minde.
Don't be afraid to trust your own common sense.
For young women, I would say don't worry so much about your weight. Girls spend way too much time thinking about that, and there are better things. For young men, and women, too, what makes you different or weird-that's your strength. Everyone tries to look a cookie-cutter kind of way, and actually the people who look different are the ones who get picked up. I used to hate my nose. Now I don't. It's OK.
Always remember, joy is not incidental to spiritual quest. It is vital.
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