--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because 98 percent of our ideas are not…" description: "\"Because 98 percent of our ideas are not great ideas, or everyone would be a billionaire. So yeah. That's something people have had a lot of experience ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48b/dax-shepard-15581_actors_because-98-percent-of-our-ideas-are-not_942596.jpg" --- # Because 98 percent of our ideas are not great ideas, or… ![“Because 98 percent of our ideas are not great ideas, or everyone would be a billionaire. So yeah. That's something people have had a lot of experience in: being told our idea is bad or our performance is bad. I think that's the one common thread between all working actors is that they have a…” quote by Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48b/dax-shepard-15581_actors_because-98-percent-of-our-ideas-are-not_942596.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48b/dax-shepard-15581_actors_because-98-percent-of-our-ideas-are-not_942596.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48b/dax-shepard-15581_actors_because-98-percent-of-our-ideas-are-not_942596.jpg) > “Because 98 percent of our ideas are not great ideas, or everyone would be a billionaire. So yeah. That's something people have had a lot of experience in: being told our idea is bad or our performance is bad. I think that's the one common thread between all working actors is that they have a pretty thick skin - or you'd like to hope. You're used to rejection, that's for sure.” [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Most ideas fail, so rejection is normal; resilience and thick skin are essential for success. **In simple terms:** Ideas often fail; you need thick skin. Key Takeaway Embrace rejection, keep trying. Themes resilience failure confidence creativity Mood determined realistic Type motivational practical When to use this quote - startup pitches - creative projects - job applications - performance reviews Key Concepts mindset growth risk tolerance Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay motivated after repeated rejections? - What strategies build thick skin? A Different Perspective Rejection can also demotivate and cause burnout if not managed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Billionaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billionaire/) [Common threads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-threads/) [Great idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-idea/) [Great ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-ideas/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Performances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performances/) [Rejection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rejection/) [Thick skin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thick-skin/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Forty percent of my ideas came from my wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royer/forty-percent-of-my-ideas-came-from-my-wife/) [Mike Royer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royer/) > [Ninety percent of my ideas come to me either when I'm reading or watching a show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zara-cox/ninety-percent-of-my-ideas-come-to-me-either-when-i-m-reading-or/) [Zara Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zara-cox/) > [ “I told you that my idea was great." "They usually are." "Holy \[crap\]. Did you just admit that?" "Maybe I did." "Uh-huh, you've always… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-lynn/i-told-you-that-my-idea-was-great-they-usually-are-holy-crap-did-you/) [J. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-lynn/) > [If it's something I feel I can do alright, I like being in those, and some that I think Rob Schneider and David Spade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sandler/if-it-s-something-i-feel-i-can-do-alright-i-like-being-in-those-and/) [Adam Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sandler/) > [ I met \[my editor\] in a bar where alcoholic beverages are served and I bought her one and I told her the idea. And… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-met-my-editor-in-a-bar-where-alcoholic-beverages-are-served-and-i/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) > [“do NOT go pulling things you like out of your novel because some forum person told you your idea "won't sell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/do-not-go-pulling-things-you-like-out-of-your-novel-because-some/) [Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/) > [For me, I was given a great gift by my father and my mother in that I was never told any idea was bad.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lynch/for-me-i-was-given-a-great-gift-by-my-father-and-my-mother-in-that-i/) [Jennifer Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lynch/) > [I first told the idea to an editor I had met who, after reading one of my novels for adults that was set in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-first-told-the-idea-to-an-editor-i-had-met-who-after-reading-one-of/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) > [“A brick could be used to float a good idea at work—especially if it’s a good idea that would be bad for you personally. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-to-float-a-good-idea-at-work-especially-if-it-s/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [... but the pendulum has swung way out of whack here. A bad idea is still bad, and the pivot happy world we're in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/but-the-pendulum-has-swung-way-out-of-whack-here-a-bad-idea-is-still/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [I think when you go into a room and you're fresh in the songwriting, producing world or going into sessions, no idea is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-flip/i-think-when-you-go-into-a-room-and-you-re-fresh-in-the-songwriting/) [G Flip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-flip/) > [No one knows what's a good idea or a bad idea until you try it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-randolph/no-one-knows-what-s-a-good-idea-or-a-bad-idea-until-you-try-it/) [Marc Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-randolph/) > [My children are 12, 12, 8, and 7, which is bad idea, bad idea, bad idea, bad idea, for mom going inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellyanne-conway/my-children-are-12-12-8-and-7-which-is-bad-idea-bad-idea-bad-idea-bad/) [Kellyanne Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellyanne-conway/) > [“I believe we have this idea that bad things ought to be prevented from happening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bender/i-believe-we-have-this-idea-that-bad-things-ought-to-be-prevented/) [Linda Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bender/) > [“I wanted to call you. See you. You have no idea how bad I wanted to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-reinhardt/i-wanted-to-call-you-see-you-you-have-no-idea-how-bad-i-wanted-to/) [Liz Reinhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-reinhardt/) ## More by Dax Shepard > [The reason I'm drawn to it is - both the off road racing and the motorcycles on the track - it takes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/the-reason-i-m-drawn-to-it-is-both-the-off-road-racing-and-the/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [So if you're on the motorcycle, on the track you're not thinking at all about what's happening next week or tomorrow or anything. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/so-if-you-re-on-the-motorcycle-on-the-track-you-re-not-thinking-at/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [I lived for going down the rabbit hole of meeting weird people. Of course, come Monday I would be tallying up all the different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/i-lived-for-going-down-the-rabbit-hole-of-meeting-weird-people-of/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [All of my free time is made up of motor sports endeavors, be them motorcycles or off-road racing or track days. I just love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/all-of-my-free-time-is-made-up-of-motor-sports-endeavors-be-them/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [When I look at her, it's like when I was in seventh grade and fell in love for the first time, where it's debilitating.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/when-i-look-at-her-it-s-like-when-i-was-in-seventh-grade-and-fell-in/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [It's ironic, really. Guys should be excited that I got Kristen Bell. If Brad Pitt gets Kristen Bell, it's like, 'Well, of course he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/it-s-ironic-really-guys-should-be-excited-that-i-got-kristen-bell-if/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [There was a best-selling book in the late '60s and '70s called 'The Adventurers' by Harold Robbins. The lead character's name was Dax. Anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/there-was-a-best-selling-book-in-the-late-60s-and-70s-called-the/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [We were doing press for this movie that my friends and I made for $5,000 called 'Brothers Justice,' that I also wrote and directed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/we-were-doing-press-for-this-movie-that-my-friends-and-i-made-for-5/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [From 18 to 29 I was a heavy smoker, heavy drinker, drug addict, terrible eater and philanderer. The past eight years, since I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/from-18-to-29-i-was-a-heavy-smoker-heavy-drinker-drug-addict-terrible/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [I thought I never wanted to be on TV. I was dead wrong. I'm almost always dead wrong about the things I think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/i-thought-i-never-wanted-to-be-on-tv-i-was-dead-wrong-i-m-almost/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [What's great about TV, and what I love about being on 'Parenthood,' is you have this family. I'm now going on four years of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/what-s-great-about-tv-and-what-i-love-about-being-on-parenthood-is/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [There's like a shift in the paradigm about every 15 years in movies because one would slip through the cracks. I think if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/there-s-like-a-shift-in-the-paradigm-about-every-15-years-in-movies/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [I think I'm a combination of very simple pleasures and the fact I've read a lot of books. I don't think it's a binary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/i-think-i-m-a-combination-of-very-simple-pleasures-and-the-fact-i-ve/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [A man's main job is to protect his woman from her desire to 'get bangs' every other month.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/a-man-s-main-job-is-to-protect-his-woman-from-her-desire-to-get-bangs/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [I'm an off-road racecar driver. And I think every woman in my life has told me that's not a sensible hobby. But when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/i-m-an-off-road-racecar-driver-and-i-think-every-woman-in-my-life-has/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) [Explore all 42 Dax Shepard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Because 98 percent of our ideas are not great ideas, or everyone would be a billionaire. So yeah. That's something people have had a lot of experience in: being told our idea is bad or our performance is bad. I think that's the one common thread between all working actors is that they have a pretty thick skin - or you'd like to hope. 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