Dan O'Brien Quotes

I could be winning the decathlon in high school, which I've won twice, yet, if my dad is in the audience, 'Oh look! It's Anthony Quinn.' And I'm like, 'Hello? Kid just got a gold medal. Hello? I'm over here.'

I never felt like I had made it.

Achievement brings its own anticlimax.

All your youth you want to have your greatness taken for granted; when you find it taken for granted, you are unnerved.

I don't measure my success anymore by the Grammys. I can't because I'll just end up crushed.

Everyone was thinking it was going to be a bust. I felt redeemed.

My literary success meant nothing to me.

A lot of people say this honor validates my career, but I didn't work hard for validation.

For me, I find that even though I've accomplished a few things in my life, looking back on accomplishments doesn't give me a sense of satisfaction.

I didn't change the world.

Now that I've had a book published, it is quite validating, but a bit embarrassing.

If I bring back only one gold people are going to say it's a disappointment. But not too many of them own an Olympic gold medal so if I get one I'm going to be happy.

Once the travel guide came out and won an award, once I got an MFA in creative writing, once I sold my next novel, I finally started telling people that I was a writer. I remember how special that year felt.

When you get a trophy, why go jumping and crying? Winning's a great feeling, but everything else is an anti-climax.

All these years, when someone praised my work, I would feel lucky.

Success is easy to take for granted.

It's tough to lose, but it's a lot tougher to lose knowing how good it is to win, how good it feels to win.

I don't like setting goals - I don't like to be disappointed.

The more you succeed, the more you want people to love your efforts.

Success - To rise from the illusion of pursuit to the disillusion of possession.

Expectation brings frustration. Private ambitions bring failures.

Leave your ego at the door every morning, and just do some truly great work. Few things will make you feel better than a job brilliantly done.

I will never feel successful.

I'm certainly not thrilled with everything the Eagles did, but there are some things I'm quite proud of.

My performances have finally caught up with my ego.