Eric Hoffer Quotes

One of the marks of excellent people is that they never compare themselves with others. They only compare themselves with themselves and with their past accomplishments and future potential.

Instead of wanting to be better than other people, let's channel that energy to be better than we were yesterday and then again to be the best we can be tomorrow.

One of the first things I learned about acting was, the only person you compete against is yourself.

Although in skating you compete with other people, anyone who achieves a certain level of success is first and foremost competing against themselves. And for me, the idea that I could always do better, learn more, learn faster, is something that came from skating.

I am not in competition with my peers; I am in competition with myself.

I don't feel competitive toward other actors. I'm competitive with myself.

I am very self-critical and always will be. I think this makes me want to improve, always. But just because I'm self-critical and say what I thought of my performance in a game, it doesn't mean I will bring myself down, ever.

Since I'm a highly self-critical person, I try to become better every day. I don't see the point of competing with anyone.

In reality, I am not in competition with any other actor except myself.

If you're looking for self-help, why would you read a book written by somebody else?

When you're younger, you think you're in competition with everyone. You think everyone's success is a threat to you, and this is a thing you grow out of. You get older and you suddenly realize the only person you're in competition with is yourself.

Men want to be reminded, who do not want to be taught; because those original ideas of rectitude to which the mind is compelled to assent when they are proposed, are not always as present to us as they ought to be.

The only one you should compare yourself to is you. Your mission is to become better today than you were yesterday.

You're your first best audience, long before anybody else hears you. So don't be an easy audience. Keep asking for more.

The most important person on this earth is you. What are you doing to help the most important person in this world: you? To live right, you have to exercise, have goals and challenges.

I sometimes give myself excellent advice. Occasionally, I even listen to it.

If you think you can do better, then do better. Don't compete with anyone; just yourself.

Improvement begins with I.

So I don't really focus too much on that, and I think it's dangerous if your goal in life is to get the other guy, then you're not going to be doing a really quality job yourself.

I really don't feel like I'm in any kind of contest. Except, maybe, with myself. Just want to learn and create and grow. Get better all the time with these filmmaking tools. I don't expect perfection from myself. Just progress.

If your inner life is not producing what you would like on the outside, don't be discouraged... just be willing to change.

Everybody doesn't get to do each and every film. I don't compete with others; I compete with myself. I have been an athlete, a sportsperson; so I know how to be competitive in a healthy way.

I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.

The only one who can beat me is me.

The key thing is you can be the only person, your own critic.