--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I find that I'm fighting to keep my…" description: "\"I find that I'm fighting to keep my energy and my passion centered on the work and not on \"Will this get me an Oscar?\" - which is the way people are st..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/kathy-bates-8711_energy_i-find-that-i-m-fighting-to-keep-my-ener_2271507.jpg" --- # I find that I'm fighting to keep my energy and my passion… ![“I find that I'm fighting to keep my energy and my passion centered on the work and not on "Will this get me an Oscar?" - which is the way people are starting to talk to me. I'm not interested in the way people are starting to talk to me. I'm not interested in looking at a role that way. That's not…” quote by Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/kathy-bates-8711_energy_i-find-that-i-m-fighting-to-keep-my-ener_2271507.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/kathy-bates-8711_energy_i-find-that-i-m-fighting-to-keep-my-ener_2271507.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/kathy-bates-8711_energy_i-find-that-i-m-fighting-to-keep-my-ener_2271507.jpg) > “I find that I'm fighting to keep my energy and my passion centered on the work and not on "Will this get me an Oscar?" - which is the way people are starting to talk to me. I'm not interested in the way people are starting to talk to me. I'm not interested in looking at a role that way. That's not what I ever did, and it's not how I can continue to do my work.” [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker warns against letting external validation, like awards, dominate creative focus, urging intrinsic motivation instead. **In simple terms:** Don't let awards dictate your work. Key Takeaway Prioritize passion over praise. Themes creativity motivation authenticity Mood determined reflective Type advice personal. When to use this quote - acting - career decisions - project selection - self‑assessment Key Concepts intrinsic vs extrinsic reward artistic integrity Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay true to your craft amid hype? - What metrics define success for you? A Different Perspective External pressure can still influence decisions despite intentions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Oscars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oscars/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I was offered more work after the Oscar. When I was younger, I would take whatever I was offered because it was money and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-was-offered-more-work-after-the-oscar-when-i-was-younger-i-would/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [It doesn't matter if you work with an Oscar winner or if you work with an unknown actor. There is always a collaboration between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baran-odar/it-doesn-t-matter-if-you-work-with-an-oscar-winner-or-if-you-work/) [Baran Odar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baran-odar/) > [The word music is a convenient way to talk about what I'm interested in, but actually, in some ways, it's a limitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-braxton/the-word-music-is-a-convenient-way-to-talk-about-what-i-m-interested/) [Anthony Braxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-braxton/) > [Whatever I talk about is what I'm interested in at the time. Politics are big with me. But right now being a mom is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wanda-sykes/whatever-i-talk-about-is-what-i-m-interested-in-at-the-time-politics/) [Wanda Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wanda-sykes/) > [I guess I talk about her because I'm interested; I'm listening. Taylor Swift's words are so valuable to so many young people, not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-ryan/i-guess-i-talk-about-her-because-i-m-interested-i-m-listening-taylor/) [Katherine Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-ryan/) > [What made me a comedian was staying on the stage and starting to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bishop/what-made-me-a-comedian-was-staying-on-the-stage-and-starting-to-talk/) [John Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bishop/) > [“I'm thinking of starting my own talk radio show. I'll spout simplistic opinions for hours on end, ridicule anyone who disagrees with me, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-m-thinking-of-starting-my-own-talk-radio-show-i-ll-spout-simplistic/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [I am starting to talk fast now, and I have to remember to slow down because when I get excited, I start to sound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/i-am-starting-to-talk-fast-now-and-i-have-to-remember-to-slow-down/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [Certainly I'm always willing to talk to anyone who's interested in talking to me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-r-ferguson/certainly-i-m-always-willing-to-talk-to-anyone-who-s-interested-in/) [Jay R. Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-r-ferguson/) > [When you ask people questions about what they've done, not only do you get knowledge, but they like you because people like to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maverick-carter/when-you-ask-people-questions-about-what-they-ve-done-not-only-do-you/) [Maverick Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maverick-carter/) > [Oh, good. You're starting to talk about yourself in the third person. That's not a sign of impending megalomania or anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/oh-good-you-re-starting-to-talk-about-yourself-in-the-third-person/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I think at the point when they were first starting to talk about a movie, it was a little bit different back then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-judge/i-think-at-the-point-when-they-were-first-starting-to-talk-about-a/) [Mike Judge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-judge/) > [If I continue to work as a coach, it is because my passion and love for football, for the players, is still there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudio-ranieri/if-i-continue-to-work-as-a-coach-it-is-because-my-passion-and-love/) [Claudio Ranieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudio-ranieri/) > [I just want to continue to do work that challenges me and that I get to surround myself with thoughtful, intelligent, compassionate, and brilliant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-reid/i-just-want-to-continue-to-do-work-that-challenges-me-and-that-i-get/) [Noah Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-reid/) > [Push yourself every single day to continue to work at yourself. And I feel like that's the reason why I made it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-scherzer/push-yourself-every-single-day-to-continue-to-work-at-yourself-and-i/) [Max Scherzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-scherzer/) ## More by Kathy Bates > ['Misery' left a lasting mark on me. When I die, it will be 'Kathy 'Misery' Bates Is Dead.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/misery-left-a-lasting-mark-on-me-when-i-die-it-will-be-kathy-misery/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [Cancer and its aftermath changed my outlook in a profound way. I've become less of a hermit, and I travel more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/cancer-and-its-aftermath-changed-my-outlook-in-a-profound-way-i-ve/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [When I was in New Orleans, I was in a grocery store and a woman came up to me and she said, "Oh, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/when-i-was-in-new-orleans-i-was-in-a-grocery-store-and-a-woman-came/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [I can sit here on the couch and hear you say, "You're very feminine and very attractive," but I have always struggled with that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/i-can-sit-here-on-the-couch-and-hear-you-say-you-re-very-feminine-and/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [I want to see women onscreen the way I see them in society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/i-want-to-see-women-onscreen-the-way-i-see-them-in-society/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [I have really focused on mindfulness. That helps me make better choices both physically, psychologically, and emotionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/i-have-really-focused-on-mindfulness-that-helps-me-make-better/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [I didn't go out on one date in high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/i-didn-t-go-out-on-one-date-in-high-school/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [People will come up, and they'll talk about 'Misery.' But a lot of people will talk about 'Waterboy.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/people-will-come-up-and-they-ll-talk-about-misery-but-a-lot-of-people/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [I love everything. I love being the empathetic characters. I love being the villains. I think it's like when we're kids, we like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/i-love-everything-i-love-being-the-empathetic-characters-i-love-being/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [I didn't go out on one date in high school. I played guitar and sang and wrote my own music and poetry and stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/i-didn-t-go-out-on-one-date-in-high-school-i-played-guitar-and-sang/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [The problem I have these days is that women are often cast in a role - as a police officer, for example - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/the-problem-i-have-these-days-is-that-women-are-often-cast-in-a-role/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [I have had periods of depression in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/i-have-had-periods-of-depression-in-my-life/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [I kind of grew up on horror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/i-kind-of-grew-up-on-horror/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [Now if I go through it again, I think I would be a lot more open about it. I admire people who have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/now-if-i-go-through-it-again-i-think-i-would-be-a-lot-more-open-about/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [I was never an ingenue. I've always just been a character actor. When I was younger, it was a real problem, because I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/i-was-never-an-ingenue-i-ve-always-just-been-a-character-actor-when-i/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) [Explore all 78 Kathy Bates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) ## More Energy quotes > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [Performance matters because games are built on great performance, but form factor and energy efficiency matter incredibly because they want to build something that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jensen-huang/performance-matters-because-games-are-built-on-great-performance-but/) [Jensen Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jensen-huang/) > [Energy rests upon love; and come as it will, there's no forcing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/energy-rests-upon-love-and-come-as-it-will-there-s-no-forcing-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Behind every word flows energy. If you use your words to gossip or babble about what you are going to do before you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/behind-every-word-flows-energy-if-you-use-your-words-to-gossip-or/) [Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/) > [If you ask another competitor, they may tell you they felt very competitive towards me. But I can tell you that my biggest competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-kwan/if-you-ask-another-competitor-they-may-tell-you-they-felt-very/) [Michelle Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-kwan/) > [I'm a vegetarian - I think there's a strong possibility, had I not become a vegetarian, I would not be working now. I became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barker/i-m-a-vegetarian-i-think-there-s-a-strong-possibility-had-i-not/) [Bob Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barker/) > [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/) [Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/) > [Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/enthusiasm-is-the-yeast-that-makes-your-hopes-shine-to-the-stars/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [I've never even been into those supplements or any of that. I don't even drink energy shakes. I'm not into that kind of stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pierce/i-ve-never-even-been-into-those-supplements-or-any-of-that-i-don-t/) [Paul Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pierce/) > [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [I have lived in countries that were coming out of conflict: Ireland, South Africa, the Czech republic. People there are overflowing with energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-have-lived-in-countries-that-were-coming-out-of-conflict-ireland/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-know-by-the-time-you-reach-my-age-you-ve-made-plenty-of-mistakes/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > ['The Choirboys' is very much a product of its mid-1970s time, especially in its two-dimensional portrayals of cop groupies Ora Lee and Carolina Moon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-choirboys-is-very-much-a-product-of-its-mid-1970s-time-especially/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) [Browse all 12,866 Energy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I find that I'm fighting to keep my energy and my passion centered on the work and not on \"Will this get me an Oscar?\" - which is the way people are starting to talk to me. I'm not interested in the way people are starting to talk to me. I'm not interested in looking at a role that way. 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