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Mediocrity is my biggest fear. I'm not afraid of total failure because I don't think that will happen. I'm not afraid of success because that beats the hell out of failure. It's being in the middle that scares me.
Robert Downey, Jr.
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The fear of being average or mediocre drives a desire for excellence and higher achievements.

In this quote, Robert Downey, Jr. expresses a profound fear of mediocrity, suggesting that he is not concerned about failing completely or succeeding greatly. Instead, the idea of remaining in a state of average or complacency is what truly terrifies him. This perspective highlights the importance of striving for greatness and not settling for a life that lacks passion or purpose.

Themes

MediocrityFearSuccessFailureMotivation

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about overcoming obstacles, you might say, 'Mediocrity is my biggest fear, and I strive every day to achieve greatness.'

More from Robert Downey, Jr.

The greatest thing my dad taught me came from when I called him from a phone booth and said, 'Hungry. No bus token. Please. Out of options.' He said, 'Pfft, get a job.
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I have a really interesting political point of view, and its not always something I say too loud at dinner tables here, but you cant go from a $2,000-a-night suite at La Mirage to a penitentiary and really understand it and come out a liberal. You cant. I wouldnt wish that experience on anyone else, but it was very, very, very educational for me and has informed my proclivities and politics every since.
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Growing up is something that you do your whole life. I want to always feel that I can be a kid if I want. Growing up has some negative connotations. Like, you're not supposed to roll around on the ground anymore. You're not supposed to make fun of yourself. You're not supposed to ride a bicycle. But I'm a Toys-R-Us kid.
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I always think part of success is being able to replicate results, taking what is interesting or viable about yourself as a professional person and seeing if you bring it into different situations with similar results.
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It's interesting when you're old enough to take a new, objective approach looking at your parents, frame them in a way where you are actually taking yourself out of the equation and just look at the things that are true about their life.
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All I want, and I think all any parent with a semblance of a moral psychology wants, is for my kid to have his own experience, uninhibited.
Robert Downey, Jr.Read

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