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I’m greedy for that satisfaction of doing something hard and knowing that, even though I was afraid I couldn’t do it, that somehow I can deliver.

Alan Alda

I play tennis non-obsessively. I seem to beat people I play a lot or half the time, so I guess I gravitate to people who are as bad as I am.
ALAN ALDA

Bad Beat Gravitate Half Non-obsessively People Play Seem Tennis Time
I’ll carry on, carry over, carry forward, Cary Grant, cash and carry, carry me back to Old Virginia, I’ll even ‘hari-kari’ if you show me how, but I will not carry a gun!
ALAN ALDA

Back Carry Cash Forward Gun Over Show
I was always interested in figuring things out. I’d do experiments, like combining things I found around the house to see what would happen if I put them together.
ALAN ALDA

Always Combine Experiment Figure Found Happen House Interest Thing Together
It makes it fun. When an actor plays a character, you want what that character wants. Otherwise it doesn’t look authentic. So I really want to defeat Jimmy – I mean Jimmy as the character.
ALAN ALDA

Actor Authentic Character Defeat Fun Make Play Want
Being mystified is a good beginning, because you won’t do what you’ve done before.
ALAN ALDA

Before Beginning Being Done Good Mystify
But often it’s a mechanical transformation, which isn’t as interesting, and you’ve got to be careful how you go about something like that, I think.
ALAN ALDA

Careful Internet Like Mechanical Often Something Transformation
Awards can give you a tremendous amount of encouragement to keep getting better, no matter how young or old you are.
ALAN ALDA

Amount Award Better Encourage Get Keep Matter Old Tremendous Young
I have a final word of advice to our students. If you work very, very hard, this is the kind of actor, writer and director you may turn out to be, and if you work extra hard, this is the kind of person you may turn out to be.
ALAN ALDA

Advice Director Extra Final Kind Person Student Word Writer
I would box them into a corner with a badly formed question, and they didn’t know how to get out of it. Now, I let them take me through it step by step, and I listen.
ALAN ALDA

Badly Box Corner Form Get Listen Out Question Step
Nothing important was ever accomplished without chutzpah. Columbus had chutzpah. The signers of the Declaration of Independence had chutzpah.
ALAN ALDA

Accomplish Chutzpah Country Ever Important Nothing
The difference between listening and pretending to listen, I discovered, is enormous. One is fluid, the other is rigid. One is alive, the other is stuffed.
ALAN ALDA

Between Difference Fluid Listen Live Pretend Rigid Stuff
Here’s my Golden Rule for a tarnished age: Be fair with others, but keep after them until they’re fair with you.
ALAN ALDA

Age Fair Golden Other Rule Tarnish Until
Why do ordinary people become the target of this curiosity simply by virtue of the fact that other people recognize their names and faces but know nothing else about them? Why do we care what they think, what they wear, what they eat?
ALAN ALDA

Act Care Curiosity Eat Face Name Nothing Ordinary People Recognize Simply Target Virtue Wear
When I’m willing to let them change me, something happens between us that’s more interesting than a pair of dueling monologues.
ALAN ALDA

Change Duet Happen Interest More Pair Something Willing
Laugh at yourself, but don’t ever aim your doubt at yourself.
ALAN ALDA

Aim Doubt Laugh Yourself
If you don’t listen deeply, the connection won’t take place.
ALAN ALDA

Connections Listening Waiting

I’m greedy for that satisfaction of doing something hard and knowing that, even though I was afraid I couldn’t do it, that somehow I can deliver.

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I’m greedy for that satisfaction of doing something hard and knowing that, even though I was afraid I couldn’t do it, that somehow I can deliver.

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Popular Authors

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