I think the most important thing about playing is to walk out with confidence, look the people right in the eye and say 'Here I am,' and go and do your thing. As soon as they know you're confident, they're confident. As long as you adjust to them you're not in trouble. You should eyeball them, find out what they want, and give it to them. They didn't pay to come out and look at the tapestries.
Interpretation
Confidence in one's abilities influences how others perceive you.
This quote by Les Paul emphasizes the critical role of confidence in performance and interaction. It asserts that projecting confidence not only helps in asserting oneself but also encourages the same confidence in others, thereby enhancing the overall experience and connection in any performance, whether it be artistic, professional, or personal. By understanding the audience's needs and adjusting accordingly, one can create a more impactful and engaging moment.
In practice
Use this quote before giving a presentation to boost your confidence.
Now I need to take a piece of wood and make it sound like the railroad track, but I also had to make it beautiful and lovable so that a person playing it would think of it in terms of his mistress, a bartender, his wife, a good psychiatrist - whatever.
My chops were not as fast... [but] I just learned more on what was in my mind than what was in my chops. I learned a long time ago that one note can go a long way if it's the right one, and it will probably whip the guy with twenty notes
..I wanted to create music that was so different that my mother could tell me from anyone else
I am a great admirer of other actors, but I never compete with other actors. I always compete with what I did last, and I'm my own most vicious critic. So I'm always trying to do it better.
It is not a question of starting. The start has been made. It's a question of what's to be done from now on.
If I'm on a roll, and I finish a script at 3:00, I'll start another at 3:02.
In the end, a vision without the ability to execute it is probably a hallucination.
I believe that constant effort, tireless effort, pursuing clear goals with sincere effort is the only way
Nobody can motivate himself in a positive direction by continually using negative words.
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