I think the most insulting thing you can do to a director is to challenge when he or she is satisfied with your interpretation.
Dustin HoffmanRead
I wanted to find my limitations so I decided to do Shylock. And if I fail? I've never been afraid of that. I have other fears - doing bad work knowingly is the worst fear.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the courage to confront one's limitations and the fear of not performing to one's own standards.
Dustin Hoffman expresses the importance of pushing oneself to explore personal boundaries and limitations through the challenge of taking on the role of Shylock. He acknowledges the possibility of failure but emphasizes that his true fear lies in knowingly doing poor quality work, which speaks to a commitment to excellence and personal integrity.
Themes
LimitationsCourageFearExcellencePerformance
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a motivational speech to encourage artists to embrace challenges.
More from Dustin Hoffman
All quotes →There's a rebirth that goes on with us continuously as human beings. I don't understand, personally, how you can be bored. I can understand how you can be depressed, but I just don't understand boredom.
Dustin HoffmanRead
Similar quotes
I was afraid of being a failure, of not having the best time or of being chicken. But every year I get older I think, What was I fearing last year?' You forget. And then you move on.
Sandra BullockRead
Three hundred years of humiliation, abuse and deprivation cannot be expected to find voice in a whisper.
Martin Luther King, Jr.Read
At the core, the American citizen soldiers knew the difference between right and wrong, and they didn't want to live in a world in which wrong prevailed. So they fought, and won, and we all of us, living and yet to be born, must be forever profoundly grateful.
Stephen AmbroseRead
Insurrection is the most sacred of rights and the most indispensable of duties.
Marquis De LafayetteRead
In working to end violence against women and children, we need to ensure that men are centrally involved. Men need to organise themselves in a sustained campaign against gender-based violence.
Cyril RamaphosaRead
Every time guns fall into the wrong hands and are used to intimidate, injure, or murder women, it erodes the rights of responsible gun owners everywhere.
Gabrielle GiffordsRead