Hozier Quotes

I don't hate the music, but I hate the process. When I look at it, I don't see song titles and artwork, I see the fight - I see the emotions, the blood, sweat and tears. There are a couple of songs on there that I love; but 'Lasers' is a little bit of what you love, a little bit of what you like, and a lot of what you had to do.

The necessity to constantly turn in an excellent performance, to be absolutely wedded to this dedication and this ideal means that as a child you're going to pay for it personally.

I was asked to act when I couldn't act. I was asked to sing 'Funny Face' when I couldn't sing, and dance with Fred Astaire when I couldn't dance - and do all kinds of things I wasn't prepared for. Then I tried like mad to cope with it.

In middle school and high school, I had straight A's, and I graduated at the top of my year. On the flip side of that, I struggled with very severe performance anxiety.

When I leave a recording session, there is usually a lot of paranoia or superstition on my part, like I'm afraid to hear what we've done.

The toughest part of my career was at the 2011 World Cup and 2012 Olympics and wanting so much to play and physically contribute - but having to understand and realize that it's just not my time.

No matter how long you play this game, you struggle and your confidence will go here and there at times.

At the combine and at my workouts, I tried to be the perfect player. I tried to promote my strengths and conceal my weaknesses, and on paper, I kind of succeeded: I was the first pick in the draft. And with that, I inherited this big shiny trophy that I carried around, and it had one word engraved on it - anxiety.

It is tough, you don't want to lose games.

I struggled with the pressure of having the successful record after the first record. Second album syndrome. I'm living proof; it's very real.

Entering politics would be like donning a crown of thorns.

I really personalized the pressure to make a good 'Toy Story' film. It made me physically sick at the beginning. Literally, I wanted to throw up in the morning because I was just so racked with stress.

Artists tend to get this thing called demo-itis, and I'm extremely guilty of that.

When I walk out on to the court and everyone is staring, sometimes I wonder how my legs will carry me out there. That's forgotten as soon as I start playing.

I try not to focus too much on the expectations there are of me.

I think anytime you put the weight of the world on yourself saying, 'I have to perform,' or, 'I have to get a completion. I have to throw a touchdown,' nine times out of 10, I think you're going to fail.

I think I didn't win a match for one, one-and-a-half years.

I still feel pressure - I'm sure everyone who plays feels pressure - but I don't feel it as much now as when I was younger.

Experimenting is part of the process. I remember when I was younger, I spent a whole year just writing on straight trap beats because I just wanted to be able to do that at a high level. So it's about perfecting your craft in every way.

I feel like I didn't really know how to cope with not playing well.

I struggle with perfection.

However much I try, I can't shake off the effects of the yips.

I might be nervous off the court, being booed. But being on the court, it's my comfort zone. It's basketball. It's what I do. I'm not losing sleep over it.

It stresses me out if I mess up.

When you are in the big competition for the first time, you grow, and then you lose something when you go back into your own competition.