--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm so hard on myself and a really harsh…" description: "\"I'm so hard on myself and a really harsh critic of my work.\" — Allison Janney" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11c/allison-janney-5406_critic_i-m-so-hard-on-myself-and-a-really-harsh_1827094.jpg" --- # I'm so hard on myself and a really harsh critic of my work. ![“I'm so hard on myself and a really harsh critic of my work.” quote by Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11c/allison-janney-5406_critic_i-m-so-hard-on-myself-and-a-really-harsh_1827094.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11c/allison-janney-5406_critic_i-m-so-hard-on-myself-and-a-really-harsh_1827094.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11c/allison-janney-5406_critic_i-m-so-hard-on-myself-and-a-really-harsh_1827094.jpg) > “I'm so hard on myself and a really harsh critic of my work.” [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑criticism can be harsh, leading to negative self‑talk and reduced confidence. **In simple terms:** Hard on yourself hurts confidence. Key Takeaway Practice self‑compassion. Themes self‑criticism confidence mental health Mood introspective motivational Type psychological self‑help When to use this quote - journalaling - therapy - mindfulness exercises - feedback loops Key Concepts negative self‑talk perfectionism self‑esteem Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports your harsh self‑assessment? - How can you reframe criticism constructively? A Different Perspective May ignore external factors causing performance issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Critic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critic/) [Critic Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critic-work-849940/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-really/) [Harsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harsh/) [Harsh Critic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harsh-critic-527898/) [Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myself/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Really Harsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-harsh-1884959/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [The novelist must be his own most harsh critic and also his own most loving admirer and about both he must say nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-wilson/the-novelist-must-be-his-own-most-harsh-critic-and-also-his-own-most/) [Angus Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-wilson/) > [Be a harsh critic of your own wins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasilios-kotronias/be-a-harsh-critic-of-your-own-wins/) [Vasilios Kotronias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vasilios-kotronias/) > [I'm a pretty harsh critic when it comes to my own stuff or things that come from my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/i-m-a-pretty-harsh-critic-when-it-comes-to-my-own-stuff-or-things/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [“A social critic is someone whose work revolves around where and how our successes are failing us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-social-critic-is-someone-whose-work-revolves-around-where-and-how/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I'm the greatest critic of my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keerthy-suresh/i-m-the-greatest-critic-of-my-work/) [Keerthy Suresh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keerthy-suresh/) > [It's hard when you read an article saying bad things about you. It is as if someone is sticking a knife on your heart.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/it-s-hard-when-you-read-an-article-saying-bad-things-about-you-it-is/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [I'll probably never put out another album because I'm a tough critic of my work, and I don't think I could come up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-stafford/i-ll-probably-never-put-out-another-album-because-i-m-a-tough-critic/) [Jo Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-stafford/) > [I can really harsh on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanya-malhotra/i-can-really-harsh-on-myself/) [Sanya Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanya-malhotra/) > [I was always really harsh on myself, and I think that's probably why people had to try to keep me positive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-bellingham/i-was-always-really-harsh-on-myself-and-i-think-that-s-probably-why/) [Jude Bellingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-bellingham/) > [Both of my marriages have taught me the same lesson twice over really harsh: listen to your instincts. Don't be a people pleaser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/both-of-my-marriages-have-taught-me-the-same-lesson-twice-over-really/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [All of those Shield guys, who came in protected, have done nothing but deliver, in my opinion, and I am a harsh critic of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolph-ziggler/all-of-those-shield-guys-who-came-in-protected-have-done-nothing-but/) [Dolph Ziggler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolph-ziggler/) > [CAVILER, n. A critic of our own work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/caviler-n-a-critic-of-our-own-work/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [The hardest thing in the world is being a critic of your own work. For me time has always been the best critic. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-kuskin/the-hardest-thing-in-the-world-is-being-a-critic-of-your-own-work-for/) [Karla Kuskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-kuskin/) > [I DJ and I'm a harsh critic of DJs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-peters/i-dj-and-i-m-a-harsh-critic-of-djs/) [Russell Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-peters/) > [I'm a harsh critic of the status quo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cuomo/i-m-a-harsh-critic-of-the-status-quo/) [Andrew Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cuomo/) ## More by Allison Janney > [I definitely paid my dues, and I'm grateful for everything and for my good friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/i-definitely-paid-my-dues-and-i-m-grateful-for-everything-and-for-my/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) > [Birthdays are getting harder as I get older.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/birthdays-are-getting-harder-as-i-get-older/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) > [I guess my height has hurt me as much as it's helped me. In comedy people don't mind casting tall women next to shorter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/i-guess-my-height-has-hurt-me-as-much-as-it-s-helped-me-in-comedy/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) > [I never think of a project as just being comedy or just being drama - even with 'Masters of Sex.' I like being sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/i-never-think-of-a-project-as-just-being-comedy-or-just-being-drama/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) > [I was a late bloomer in a lot of areas in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/i-was-a-late-bloomer-in-a-lot-of-areas-in-life/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) > [I do like ensemble work. I would like to do a lead role, though. I didn't shy away from that. I'm desperately looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/i-do-like-ensemble-work-i-would-like-to-do-a-lead-role-though-i-didn/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) > [Aaron Sorkin uses a lot of the same people again and again - the people he likes. I think if there's ever a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/aaron-sorkin-uses-a-lot-of-the-same-people-again-and-again-the-people/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) > [I love arts and crafts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/i-love-arts-and-crafts/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) > [I always feel like a doctor who loses a patient on the operating table or something where I felt just devastated and I beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/i-always-feel-like-a-doctor-who-loses-a-patient-on-the-operating/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) > [The real trick to auditioning is just letting go of trying to please them. Make it your own. That took me a long time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/the-real-trick-to-auditioning-is-just-letting-go-of-trying-to-please/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) > [It's hard to describe to people how terrible it was when you could only watch cartoons at a certain time in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/it-s-hard-to-describe-to-people-how-terrible-it-was-when-you-could-2/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) > [I can't imagine trying to be in recovery. I mean it would be hard enough with just life going along in a nice way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/i-can-t-imagine-trying-to-be-in-recovery-i-mean-it-would-be-hard/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) > [I hate auditioning so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/i-hate-auditioning-so-much/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) > [Growing up, everybody told me I was good. I was playing ping-pong with my father, and he'd say, 'That's a good shot,' but I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/growing-up-everybody-told-me-i-was-good-i-was-playing-ping-pong-with/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) > [I am lucky enough to have Aaron Sorkin write what I have to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/i-am-lucky-enough-to-have-aaron-sorkin-write-what-i-have-to-say/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) [Explore all 101 Allison Janney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) ## More Critic quotes > [I am absolutely my own biggest critic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lando-norris/i-am-absolutely-my-own-biggest-critic/) [Lando Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lando-norris/) > [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) [Whitney Balliett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-balliett/) > [I am my biggest critic. Even in films where people said they liked me, I have disliked myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-akkineni/i-am-my-biggest-critic-even-in-films-where-people-said-they-liked-me/) [Samantha Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-akkineni/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [If I weren't an actor, I'd either be a teacher or a critic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/if-i-weren-t-an-actor-i-d-either-be-a-teacher-or-a-critic/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [When a critic sets himself up as an arbiter of morality, a judge of the matter and not the manner of a work, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/when-a-critic-sets-himself-up-as-an-arbiter-of-morality-a-judge-of/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [I remember the early 1980s, when I first got one of these fabulous film critic jobs. The downside was sitting through 'Splatteria III: The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunter/i-remember-the-early-1980s-when-i-first-got-one-of-these-fabulous/) [Stephen Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunter/) > [The television critic, whatever his pretensions, does not labour in the same vineyard as those he criticizes; his grapes are all sour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-raphael/the-television-critic-whatever-his-pretensions-does-not-labour-in-the/) [Frederic Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-raphael/) > [To be a critic, you have to have maybe three percent education, five percent intelligence, two percent style, and 90 percent gall and egomania…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-crist/to-be-a-critic-you-have-to-have-maybe-three-percent-education-five/) [Judith Crist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-crist/) > [The critic is the only independent source of information. The rest is advertising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/the-critic-is-the-only-independent-source-of-information-the-rest-is/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [The critic is a man who prefers the indolence of opinion to the trials of action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mason-brown/the-critic-is-a-man-who-prefers-the-indolence-of-opinion-to-the/) [John Mason Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mason-brown/) > [“A good judge is not one who is impartial, but one who has prejudice for good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/a-good-judge-is-not-one-who-is-impartial-but-one-who-has-prejudice/) [Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/) > [A critic who uses new quotations is making important changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/a-critic-who-uses-new-quotations-is-making-important-changes/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [My mother and my grandmother are pioneers of Mexican cuisine in this country, so I grew up in the kitchen. My mom, Zarela Martinez,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sanchez/my-mother-and-my-grandmother-are-pioneers-of-mexican-cuisine-in-this/) [Aaron Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sanchez/) [Browse all 758 Critic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm so hard on myself and a really harsh critic of my work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Allison Janney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/i-m-so-hard-on-myself-and-a-really-harsh-critic-of-my-work/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Critic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/i-m-so-hard-on-myself-and-a-really-harsh-critic-of-my-work/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11c/allison-janney-5406_critic_i-m-so-hard-on-myself-and-a-really-harsh_1827094.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11c/allison-janney-5406_critic_i-m-so-hard-on-myself-and-a-really-harsh_1827094.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11c/allison-janney-5406_critic_i-m-so-hard-on-myself-and-a-really-harsh_1827094.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm so hard on myself and a really harsh critic of my work.” — Allison Janney", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Allison Janney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm so hard on myself and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/i-m-so-hard-on-myself-and-a-really-harsh-critic-of-my-work/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/i-m-so-hard-on-myself-and-a-really-harsh-critic-of-my-work/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```