Kevin Costner Quotes

I can get motivated seeing a kid at my son's school overcome a learning disability.

In fact, people think you have to be stressed to be successful. They think if you are not stressed, something is wrong with you.

You think my kids just popped out of the ground?

Sometimes [people] say the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. In my case, I am pretty fortunate. [ My kids]'re pretty balanced, cool kids, going through pretty much the same thing all the other kids go through. There's nothing unique about me as a parent. I am a parent. My kids are kids. We do the best we can do. I don't think they know a lot about what I do, other than that I am in this crazy band, Mötley Crüe.

I can't go to sleep at night if I didn't accomplish at least something. That's the one thing that keeps me up.

It is only through raising expectations and striving for excellence that our children can reach their full potential.

I did regret not graduating high school, but I made a point of going back and getting my GED later. It was important for my kids.

I want to keep doing as much work as I can, and I want to keep the level high. I'm wondering if something is going to happen to me to screw it up.

Our children can achieve great things when we set high expectations for them.

I always have the fear that, if I don't commit 100 percent to my work, then it's gonna suffer.

There are two kinds of students: those who study and work to survive, while others who want to be achievers.

Parents have a very natural reaction if their kid makes such a choice because it takes a lot of hard work, both on the kid's part as well as on the part of the parents.

I think when you have children, it just changes your worldview.

One thing I noticed when I was young was I was impatient for success. I think everybody is impatient for success. It will come. But don't - you shouldn't let that impatience drive you crazy.

Fear drives you and makes you better.

The thing I like the best, especially being a parent of so many kids, Is that they're all so different. You love them all equally, but they're all so different from each other and that's the cool thing, to see their personalities start to develop and see how unique and different they all are and to be able to love them in their own unique ways. It's really, really, really special.

My grade point average went from a 2.2 to a 4.0 over the summer. I wanted to get straight A's. I decided to get straight A's. I didn't want people to think I was dumb. And when you get straight A's once, its easier.

I think that what my parents taught me about hard work, optimism and education still holds true.

Thinking first of money instead of work brings fear.

I think a lot of people feel like they still have something to prove, because when you get in and you're chasing success, you always feel like you have something to prove. But at this point, I feel like an underdog, and I actually like being in that position.

When I was 15 or 16 and I started climbing up the ladder of success in amateur boxing, a reporter asked me, "What do you want to be?" I think he was expecting me to say, "A champion." I said, "I want to be special." I don't know why I said that, but I didn't just want to be a fighter. I wanted to have an impact with people, particularly kids.

You always want your kids to step up at the moment of truth.

I think I overcame every single one of my personal shortcomings by the sheer passion I brought to my work. I don't know if you're born with this kind of passion, or if you can learn it. But I do know you need it.

None of you has ever failed. School may have failed you. Goodbye to failure, children. Welcome to success.

I think parenting is a huge responsibility. It was in my time when I was growing up and there still continues to be that responsibility.