Free, only want to be free, we huddle close, hang on to a dream.
Neil DiamondRead
I have a lot of confidence, but little Self-Esteem. This has given me a tremendous creative spark because it forced me to keep proving myself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Confidence can drive creativity while low self-esteem can motivate one to continuously improve.
In this quote, Neil Diamond reflects on the duality of having confidence yet lacking self-esteem. He suggests that while his confidence provides a foundation for his pursuits, it is his struggle with self-esteem that fuels his creativity, pushing him to consistently prove himself and innovate in his work.
Themes
ConfidenceSelf-EsteemCreativityMotivation
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational talk about overcoming challenges.
More from Neil Diamond
All quotes βBut you make me sing like a guitar humming . . .
Neil DiamondRead
My voice is unadorned. I don't try for perfection. I try to be honest and truthful and soulful with the voice I have. If I make mistakes in notes, or there are cracks in notes, I don't fix them. That's the way it is.
Neil DiamondRead
You have to go out there and give a piece of yourself -- your life, your soul. And you better give the audience everything you can -- physically, emotionally, musically. Then maybe they'll accept you and give you a standing ovation at the end.
Neil DiamondRead
I didn't want to repeat my mistakes so I stopped, took some time out and started having therapy. My songs were bringing up feelings inside of me I didn't really understand, so I wanted to understand where they were coming from to help me be a better person and a better songwriter.
Neil DiamondRead
If it can affect me, if it has meaning to me, if I feel I can do it well, I will do it and record it and thats why I recorded these songs.
Neil DiamondRead
Similar quotes
Sometimes ideas are coming so fast that I have to stop doing one song to get another. But I don't forget the first one. If it works, it will always be there. It's like the truth: it will find you and lift you up. And if it ain't right, it will dissolve like sand on the beach.
PrinceRead
Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things.
Steve JobsRead
If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play.
John CleeseRead
In any creative industry, the fact that others are moving in a certain direction is always proof positive, at least to me, that a new direction is the only direction.
George LoisRead
I was in a taxi the other night, and we started talking about life and the taxi driver goes, 'Chaos and creativity go together. If you lose one per cent of your chaos, you lose your creativity.' I said that's the most brilliant thing I've heard. I needed to hear that years ago.
Woody HarrelsonRead
Solitude is an unavoidable part of creativity. Self-reliance is a happy by-product.
Twyla TharpRead