Authenticity

We show off and have a vision of success as a ladder to climb. But there is no ladder, and it has no top, and eventually we have to decide what we want to do, what we want to be, what we want to stand for.

Even if greed were good, greed is not enough.

Keep in mind what Victor Hugo said: 'Popularity is the crumbs of greatness.'

Silence is the vital precursor to voice. Gather your voice in your silence. Listen to it in your own head before you give it away.

We're all going to get cancelled one day. So do the show you want to do.

For kids like me who couldn't articulate what they needed to do, the arts were my way of speaking. For people who may not be able to say exactly what they mean, they can draw it. It's a way of communicating, and if we cut it off then we are more than barbarians, because we know better.

Stand up for what you believe in. It's okay to be wrong. It's okay to know stuff in your heart and discover that you're wrong, and cop to it. Say, 'You know what, I changed my mind.' This has become a terrible thing to do in this country, and only art can bring it back.

Be you. Be unique. Be prepared to be alone sometimes when you're unique. It's not a bad thing. You could travel with the sheep, follow everybody else's stuff, but then you're not you.

Sometimes I'd save them the trouble and raise the questions myself, in my own head, lying awake at night, doubting whether I had what it took to succeed.

They know 'vision' — but they don't see it. They know 'passion' — but they don't feel it. They know 'integrity' — but they don't live by it. They know the words — but they don't know the music.

It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique.

Wealth and fame are an illusion. The only times I've been truly miserable is when I was lying to myself or to others.