--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before you go into what is essentially a…" description: "\"Before you go into what is essentially a competition, you have to have that confidence. You have to ask yourself, \"Are they looking for a guy my height..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/tom-hanks-1717_advantage_before-you-go-into-what-is-essentially-a_730173.jpg" --- # Before you go into what is essentially a competition, you… ![“Before you go into what is essentially a competition, you have to have that confidence. You have to ask yourself, "Are they looking for a guy my height? My age? I've got a shot." And if there are nine guys auditioning and they're all gorgeous, I have an advantage, because gorgeous guys are a dime…” quote by Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/tom-hanks-1717_advantage_before-you-go-into-what-is-essentially-a_730173.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/tom-hanks-1717_advantage_before-you-go-into-what-is-essentially-a_730173.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/tom-hanks-1717_advantage_before-you-go-into-what-is-essentially-a_730173.jpg) > “Before you go into what is essentially a competition, you have to have that confidence. You have to ask yourself, "Are they looking for a guy my height? My age? I've got a shot." And if there are nine guys auditioning and they're all gorgeous, I have an advantage, because gorgeous guys are a dime a dozen. But if they need someone else - like a goofy guy with bad hair who is just okay - then that's me. And finally, the other 2 percent who audition are geniuses that I could never touch.” [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Confidence is essential before entering any competitive arena; assess your unique traits against the field and recognize when you fit the role. **In simple terms:** Know your strengths and match them to the opportunity. Key Takeaway Play to your unique advantages. Themes confidence competition self‑assessment identity advantage Mood determined reflective Type motivational practical When to use this quote - job interviews - auditions - sports try - casting calls - team selections Key Concepts psychology role theory impostor syndrome Questions to Reflect On - What unique trait can you highlight in a competitive setting? - How do you handle situations where you feel out of place? A Different Perspective If you lack confidence, you may misjudge opportunities and self‑sabotage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advantage/) [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Ask yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-yourself/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Audition Geniuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audition-geniuses-5051486/) [Auditioning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auditioning/) [Auditioning Gorgeous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auditioning-gorgeous-5051485/) [Auditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auditions/) [Bad hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-hair/) [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Dimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dimes/) [Dozen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dozen/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Goofy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goofy/) [Gorgeous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gorgeous/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [Guys Auditioning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guys-auditioning-5051484/) [Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair/) [Height](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/height/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Nine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nine/) [Okay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/okay/) [Percent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/percent/) [Percent Audition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/percent-audition-249610/) [Shots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shots/) ## Related quotes > [If there are nine guys auditioning and they're all gorgeous, I have an advantage, because gorgeous guys are a dime a dozen. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/if-there-are-nine-guys-auditioning-and-they-re-all-gorgeous-i-have-an/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [I think most actors will tell you the same thing; when you're not working you put 100 percent into every audition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-irvine/i-think-most-actors-will-tell-you-the-same-thing-when-you-re-not/) [Jeremy Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-irvine/) > [But actors with political views are a dime a dozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/but-actors-with-political-views-are-a-dime-a-dozen/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [“3) Saturday night is the official meeting night of Penny Lane's Lonely Hearts Club. Attendance is mandatory. Exceptions are for family emergencies and bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-eulberg/3-saturday-night-is-the-official-meeting-night-of-penny-lane-s-lonely/) [Elizabeth Eulberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-eulberg/) > [Working with Steve Carell because he's such a dick. Can I say that? No, I'm totally kidding. The great challenge working on this show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/working-with-steve-carell-because-he-s-such-a-dick-can-i-say-that-no/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [ \[People say\]'You're always happy' and I'm, like, sometimes I have a huge zit on my face. But if you smile, people won't notice that.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheyenne-kimball/people-say-you-re-always-happy-and-i-m-like-sometimes-i-have-a-huge/) [Cheyenne Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheyenne-kimball/) > [Donald Trump is Donald Trump! He doesn't apologize for who he is. We know he's tacky. We know he's orange. We know he's got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-che/donald-trump-is-donald-trump-he-doesn-t-apologize-for-who-he-is-we/) [Michael Che](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-che/) > [Sometimes you're just regular. Sometimes you wake up, and your breath stinks like everybody else, and you had a bad hair day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-orji/sometimes-you-re-just-regular-sometimes-you-wake-up-and-your-breath/) [Yvonne Orji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-orji/) > [The great challenge working on this show for me is wearing polyester all day long and having the worst haircut known to man at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/the-great-challenge-working-on-this-show-for-me-is-wearing-polyester/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [Let me say it up front: I don't like bad hair or capes. I'm not into witches, warlocks or elves. I would never try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-esler/let-me-say-it-up-front-i-don-t-like-bad-hair-or-capes-i-m-not-into/) [Gavin Esler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-esler/) > [“If you ask why I’m not interested in someone, I might say their nose is too big, or they don’t know how to dress,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caren-lissner/if-you-ask-why-i-m-not-interested-in-someone-i-might-say-their-nose/) [Caren Lissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caren-lissner/) > [I really think that to a lot of people hair is everything. Bad hair takes over everything, it really does. I think if somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldie-hawn/i-really-think-that-to-a-lot-of-people-hair-is-everything-bad-hair/) [Goldie Hawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldie-hawn/) > [“On a second note, though, I have something to say about pain. There are lots of kinds of pain. Pain of smashing your fingers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alysha-speer/on-a-second-note-though-i-have-something-to-say-about-pain-there-are/) [Alysha Speer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alysha-speer/) > [We’re never gonna understand women. They’re way too complex. You’ve got too many variables to consider. PMS, bad hair days, miscellaneous mood swings .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susane-colasanti/we-re-never-gonna-understand-women-they-re-way-too-complex-you-ve-got/) [Susane Colasanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susane-colasanti/) > [If you're having a bad hair day, just wear a low cut shirt. No one will notice your hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-re-having-a-bad-hair-day-just-wear-a-low-cut-shirt-no-one-will/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Tom Hanks > [I've worked with people who are much further to the left than I am and much further to the right than I am. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-ve-worked-with-people-who-are-much-further-to-the-left-than-i-am/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [In the 1998 Oscars, I found myself in the bathroom in a stall, next to Tom Selleck. So I leaned over and I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/in-the-1998-oscars-i-found-myself-in-the-bathroom-in-a-stall-next-to/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Mass-market movies have become about one thing. They kind of declare themselves right off the bat. . . . But when I go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/mass-market-movies-have-become-about-one-thing-they-kind-of-declare/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [If you look at romantic comedies as pieces of commerce, the audience is looking for wish fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/if-you-look-at-romantic-comedies-as-pieces-of-commerce-the-audience/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Some people are cowards... I think by and large a third of people are villains, a third are cowards, and a third are heroes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/some-people-are-cowards-i-think-by-and-large-a-third-of-people-are/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [I try to do what I call the three E's - educate, entertain, and enlighten. If you don't entertain, no one will show up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-try-to-do-what-i-call-the-three-e-s-educate-entertain-and-enlighten/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [But actors with political views are a dime a dozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/but-actors-with-political-views-are-a-dime-a-dozen/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [We're part of a greater humanity and we can actually affect the world by the choices we make once we leave the theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/we-re-part-of-a-greater-humanity-and-we-can-actually-affect-the-world/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Saying no to something is actually much more powerful than saying yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/saying-no-to-something-is-actually-much-more-powerful-than-saying-yes/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [If things were easy to find, they wouldn’t be worth finding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/if-things-were-easy-to-find-they-wouldn-t-be-worth-finding/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Reading a script is usually as exciting as reading a boilerplate legal document, so when you read one that makes you feel as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/reading-a-script-is-usually-as-exciting-as-reading-a-boilerplate/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Let's not pretend there isn't a huge industry driven by the choices made by editors and writers who decide what a story is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/let-s-not-pretend-there-isn-t-a-huge-industry-driven-by-the-choices/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [It just so happens that my body type and my lifestyle gives me a preclusion for high blood sugars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/it-just-so-happens-that-my-body-type-and-my-lifestyle-gives-me-a/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Are you crying? There's no crying. There's no crying in baseball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/are-you-crying-there-s-no-crying-there-s-no-crying-in-baseball/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [My son is a gentleman and a professional who is pursuing something difficult. Yet the only thing he has ever asked me for is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/my-son-is-a-gentleman-and-a-professional-who-is-pursuing-something/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) [Explore all 213 Tom Hanks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) ## More Advantage quotes > [Dogmatists have one advantage: they are poor listeners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/dogmatists-have-one-advantage-they-are-poor-listeners/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [All I ever wanted was an unfair advantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-wynn/all-i-ever-wanted-was-an-unfair-advantage/) [Garrison Wynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-wynn/) > [Part of the advantage, and part of the result of trying to be a producer and director, are the practical things, you find. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-scott/part-of-the-advantage-and-part-of-the-result-of-trying-to-be-a/) [Campbell Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-scott/) > [I was born with a silver microphone in my mouth, and that was an advantage. My father wrote books and was also a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dimbleby/i-was-born-with-a-silver-microphone-in-my-mouth-and-that-was-an/) [Jonathan Dimbleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dimbleby/) > [Like funny men, skilled diners are apparently perceived to have an evolutionary advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/like-funny-men-skilled-diners-are-apparently-perceived-to-have-an/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [For some reason when I decide to pursue something, I never have any fear that it won't happen. I think it's just ingrained in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-blatz/for-some-reason-when-i-decide-to-pursue-something-i-never-have-any/) [Kelly Blatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-blatz/) > [I think I have good hands, so I try to use them to my advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-andreescu/i-think-i-have-good-hands-so-i-try-to-use-them-to-my-advantage/) [Bianca Andreescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-andreescu/) > [My influences are jazz, blues, European classical music; they are rock music and pop music. So many kinds of music. 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Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/) > [I always tell women that the fact that you're different and that you're noticed, because there are few of us in the tech industry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padmasree-warrior/i-always-tell-women-that-the-fact-that-you-re-different-and-that-you/) [Padmasree Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padmasree-warrior/) [Browse all 3,503 Advantage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advantage/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Before you go into what is essentially a competition, you have to have that confidence. You have to ask yourself, \"Are they looking for a guy my height? My age? I've got a shot.\" And if there are nine guys auditioning and they're all gorgeous, I have an advantage, because gorgeous guys are a dime a dozen. But if they need someone else - like a goofy guy with bad hair who is just okay - then that's me. 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