"One of the things that was introduced to me at an early stage in life was to try to make stuff happen. But nothing ever worked that way for me. What I learned on my own was that to try and play God with your life will wreck your brain and your nervous system, and mess up your natural direction in the course that's already there...But look, I just don't want to read about me being made into a basket case because of my work. It's self-pity that I hate. I mean, it comes with the territory. An actor with any conviction goes the extra mile."
React to this quote
More by River Phoenix
See allResonant Thoughts
"If you consider the great journalists in history, you don't see too many objective journalists on that list. H. L. Mencken was not objective. Mike Royko, who just died. I. F. Stone was not objective. …"
Explore Further
Related Quotes
"Swami Vivekananda: The genuine orator exercises a sort of hypnotism over his audience. I have listened to m…"
— Keshub Chunder Sen"They came to me and said, 'Would you want to do the U.S., talk to an American audience?' Yeah, of course. S…"
— Ian Darke"Psychology is the science of psychic states both as to content and form, regarded from an objective standpo…"
— Boris Sidis"How important can it be that I suffer and think? My presence in this world will disturb a few tranquil live…"
— Emil Cioran"Life, when fully lived under a variety of cultural conditions, can be euphoric and optimistic; it can be a …"
— Paul Kurtz"The death clock is ticking slowly in our breast, and each drop of blood measures its time, and our life is …"
— Georg Büchner
