As an actor I am always waiting for my luck to run out.
Tom HanksRead
I love what I do for a living, it's the greatest job in the world, but you have to survive an awful lot of attention that you don't truly deserve and you have to live up to your professional responsibilities and I'm always trying to balance that with what is really important.
Interpretation
Doing what you love can bring immense joy, but it also comes with pressures and responsibilities.
In this quote, Tom Hanks reflects on the dual nature of pursuing a passionate career. While he expresses great love for his profession and acknowledges it as a fulfilling 'job in the world', he also highlights the burdens of public scrutiny and the need to meet professional expectations. This balance between personal fulfillment and external pressures is a common challenge faced by many who seek success in their fields.
In practice
In a motivational speech about pursuing passions in one's career.
As an actor I am always waiting for my luck to run out.
Even the simplest choice can make a jaw-dropping difference in our world.
My kid could get a bad X-ray and I could get a call from the doctor saying I have something growing in my bum and that would change my perspective on everything instantaneously, on what is and what is not important.
Back in World War II, we viewed the Japanese as 'yellow, slant-eyed dogs' that believed in different gods. They were out to kill us because our way of living was different. We, in turn, wanted to annihilate them because they were different. Does that sound familiar, by any chance, to what's going on today?
I think it's better to feel good than to look good.
If you look at romantic comedies as pieces of commerce, the audience is looking for wish fulfillment.
Greatness and nearsightedness are incompatible. Meaningful achievement depends on lifting one's sights and pushing toward the horizon.
There's a long history of people who spent that $300,000 on their first film and weren't quite ready, and then they never did it again 'cause they were out of synch with where they were, and they would never raise that money again.
You can wish to have an Oscar someday or some other award, but Life Achievement? You don't see yourself that way.
The measure of achievement is not winning awards. It's doing something that you appreciate, something you believe is worthwhile.
If you start today to do the right thing, you are already a success even if it doesn’t show yet.
The guys that improve every year are those that are always adding something to their game.
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