--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When a director can give you a word that…" description: "\"When a director can give you a word that allows you to feel less tense about yourself, to make you feel like you indeed are good enough before you even..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/viola-davis-1174_about-yourself_when-a-director-can-give-you-a-word-that_690837.png" --- # When a director can give you a word that allows you to… ![“When a director can give you a word that allows you to feel less tense about yourself, to make you feel like you indeed are good enough before you even get to the work, you can't ask for anything more than that.” quote by Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/viola-davis-1174_about-yourself_when-a-director-can-give-you-a-word-that_690837.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/viola-davis-1174_about-yourself_when-a-director-can-give-you-a-word-that_690837.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/viola-davis-1174_about-yourself_when-a-director-can-give-you-a-word-that_690837.png) > “When a director can give you a word that allows you to feel less tense about yourself, to make you feel like you indeed are good enough before you even get to the work, you can't ask for anything more than that.” [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A director’s encouraging word can ease self‑doubt and affirm worth before work begins. **In simple terms:** Supportive words boost confidence. Key Takeaway Seek affirmation early. Themes confidence validation self‑esteem Mood encouraging reflective Type inspirational motivational When to use this quote - creative projects - public speaking - job interviews - performance anxiety Key Concepts psychology leadership communication Questions to Reflect On - How does praise affect your motivation? - What if you doubt the praise? A Different Perspective Words alone may not sustain long‑term confidence without skill. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about-yourself/) [Allows Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allows-feel-494830/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Director Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/director-word-5489553/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Feel Tense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-tense-1340840/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Good enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-enough/) [Like you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-you/) [Make Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-feel-237611/) [Tense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tense/) ## Related quotes > [I do feel a wave come over me when I hear those two words, 'Star' and 'Wars,' said together. I feel tense, shut up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domhnall-gleeson/i-do-feel-a-wave-come-over-me-when-i-hear-those-two-words-star-and/) [Domhnall Gleeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domhnall-gleeson/) > [Try to relax, and you will find out that you feel more tense than ever. Try harder and you will feel more tense and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/try-to-relax-and-you-will-find-out-that-you-feel-more-tense-than-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When the light is right and everything is working for me, I feel as tense as when making a difficult maneuver high on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galen-rowell/when-the-light-is-right-and-everything-is-working-for-me-i-feel-as/) [Galen Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galen-rowell/) > [When i feel tense, I remember to relax all of the muscles and organs in my body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/when-i-feel-tense-i-remember-to-relax-all-of-the-muscles-and-organs/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [One of my personal indulgences is getting a weekly massage - it helps to re-align my body. I usually feel so much less tense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noureen-dewulf/one-of-my-personal-indulgences-is-getting-a-weekly-massage-it-helps/) [Noureen DeWulf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noureen-dewulf/) > [You cannot look at a sleeping cat and feel tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/you-cannot-look-at-a-sleeping-cat-and-feel-tense/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [When I step into a character's shoes, I don't judge them. I make a conscious effort not to look from the outside in but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbie-cornish/when-i-step-into-a-character-s-shoes-i-don-t-judge-them-i-make-a/) [Abbie Cornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbie-cornish/) > [Whatever it is that allows her to feel like her life and her work at home is valued, give it to her and spark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola-http-wwwamoreloveforlifecom/whatever-it-is-that-allows-her-to-feel-like-her-life-and-her-work-at/) [Kemmy Nola Http://wwwamoreloveforlifecom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola-http-wwwamoreloveforlifecom/) > [Faith allows me to feel that as long as I'm in line with God everything will be O.K. and that I'll make it through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-banner/faith-allows-me-to-feel-that-as-long-as-i-m-in-line-with-god/) [David Banner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-banner/) > [For me, the most luxurious place is somewhere that allows you to feel emotions and pleasures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-ducasse/for-me-the-most-luxurious-place-is-somewhere-that-allows-you-to-feel/) [Alain Ducasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-ducasse/) > [“Just looking at him made Andrew feel tense and irritated. It was wonder perfect strangers didn't go up to the guy and punch him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-davitt/just-looking-at-him-made-andrew-feel-tense-and-irritated-it-was/) [Jane Davitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-davitt/) > [“You see that life will become a thing made of holes. Absences. Losses. Things that were there and are no longer. And you realise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-macdonald/you-see-that-life-will-become-a-thing-made-of-holes-absences-losses/) [Helen Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-macdonald/) > [When you meet up with England, you can feel tense and think to yourself: 'Where's that goal going to come from?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-bent/when-you-meet-up-with-england-you-can-feel-tense-and-think-to/) [Darren Bent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-bent/) > [A bully can only make you feel bad about yourself if you let them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walliams/a-bully-can-only-make-you-feel-bad-about-yourself-if-you-let-them/) [David Walliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walliams/) > [You can't make someone feel good about themselves until you feel good about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-make-someone-feel-good-about-themselves-until-you-feel-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Viola Davis > [I look back at pictures of myself and I remember thinking, "I was so fat when I was growing up. I was 165 pounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-look-back-at-pictures-of-myself-and-i-remember-thinking-i-was-so/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am not a glam woman - this definitely is a mask I put on for the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-not-a-glam-woman-this-definitely-is-a-mask-i-put-on-for-the/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I was bullied at school. The black girl in Central Falls, Rhode Island, in 1973. There'd be 8 or 10 boys; I would count…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-was-bullied-at-school-the-black-girl-in-central-falls-rhode-island/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's why there's so much bad acting out there, because you could see actors watching themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-why-there-s-so-much-bad-acting-out-there-because-you-could-see/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I want my work to reflect my level of gifts and talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-want-my-work-to-reflect-my-level-of-gifts-and-talent/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I don’t want anyone putting any limits on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-don-t-want-anyone-putting-any-limits-on-me/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ I think that's why August \[Wilson\] named her Rose \[in "Fences"\]; I really do. She's a rose in her sweetness and her kindness and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-think-that-s-why-august-wilson-named-her-rose-in-fences-i-really-do/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I suffered from low self-esteem for much of my life. And now to feel like maybe something that I'm projecting or saying could mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-suffered-from-low-self-esteem-for-much-of-my-life-and-now-to-feel/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I tell my daughter every morning, 'Now, what are the two most important parts of you?' And she says, 'My head and my heart.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-tell-my-daughter-every-morning-now-what-are-the-two-most-important/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I started a production company out of necessity, the need for great narratives for actors of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-started-a-production-company-out-of-necessity-the-need-for-great/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's always the biggest surprise when people meet me: how buoyant I am and how fun and light I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-always-the-biggest-surprise-when-people-meet-me-how-buoyant-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out-2/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ It was hard, that confrontation scene \[in "Fences"\], that was a hard one. I felt like it was relentless, I never felt like I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/it-was-hard-that-confrontation-scene-in-fences-that-was-a-hard-one-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am addicted to any facial product that's anti-aging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-addicted-to-any-facial-product-that-s-anti-aging/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) [Explore all 279 Viola Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## More About yourself quotes > [“they all have always loved you Will Herondale, for you cannot hide what is good about yourself, however har you try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/they-all-have-always-loved-you-will-herondale-for-you-cannot-hide/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/if-you-can-t-love-yourself-how-in-the-hell-you-gonna-love-somebody/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [People are in denial all the time, hiding things. If I tell you a racist or dirty joke and you laugh, you're telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/people-are-in-denial-all-the-time-hiding-things-if-i-tell-you-a/) [Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/) > [Change your thoughts, change your life. —LAO TZU When I was fighting depression, I remember hearing this expression and not understanding it at first.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/change-your-thoughts-change-your-life-lao-tzu-when-i-was-fighting/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [Dreams really tell you about yourself more than anything else in this world could ever tell you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-browne/dreams-really-tell-you-about-yourself-more-than-anything-else-in-this/) [Sylvia Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-browne/) > [Celebrate all the things you don't like about yourself. love yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/celebrate-all-the-things-you-don-t-like-about-yourself-love-yourself/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [Start enjoying the things you like about yourself, and if there are things you want to change, either get to work on it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/start-enjoying-the-things-you-like-about-yourself-and-if-there-are/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [Always be yourself. There's only one you. You should embrace anything that you don't like about yourself because that's individual and that's you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesy-nelson/always-be-yourself-there-s-only-one-you-you-should-embrace-anything/) [Jesy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesy-nelson/) > [It's too distracting to read about yourself. You want to be perfect and you want everyone to love you, and that's never going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/it-s-too-distracting-to-read-about-yourself-you-want-to-be-perfect/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [If you want to know how to make people shun you and laugh at you behind your back and even despise you, here is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-want-to-know-how-to-make-people-shun-you-and-laugh-at-you/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [The only thing a master can teach is how to learn about yourself. There are no secrets. They are only techniques to waken yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/the-only-thing-a-master-can-teach-is-how-to-learn-about-yourself/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [I don't want to sell myself short. You hurt your spouse, not so much by the infidelity, but by the negative feelings about yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zaslow/i-don-t-want-to-sell-myself-short-you-hurt-your-spouse-not-so-much-by/) [Michael Zaslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zaslow/) > [A stranger can see in an instant something in you that you might spend years learning about yourself. How awful we all are when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-elliott/a-stranger-can-see-in-an-instant-something-in-you-that-you-might/) [Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/) > [Knowing is the most profound kind of love, giving someone the gift of knowledge about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-norman/knowing-is-the-most-profound-kind-of-love-giving-someone-the-gift-of/) [Marsha Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsha-norman/) > [Start telling the truth now and never stop. Begin by telling the truth to yourself about yourself. Then tell the truth to yourself about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/start-telling-the-truth-now-and-never-stop-begin-by-telling-the-truth/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) [Browse all 770 About yourself quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about-yourself/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When a director can give you a word that allows you to feel less tense about yourself, to make you feel like you indeed are good enough before you even get to the work, you can't ask for anything more than that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Viola Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-a-director-can-give-you-a-word-that-allows-you-to-feel-less/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About yourself" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-a-director-can-give-you-a-word-that-allows-you-to-feel-less/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/viola-davis-1174_about-yourself_when-a-director-can-give-you-a-word-that_690837.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/viola-davis-1174_about-yourself_when-a-director-can-give-you-a-word-that_690837.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/viola-davis-1174_about-yourself_when-a-director-can-give-you-a-word-that_690837.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When a director can give you a word that allows you to feel less tense about yourself, to make you feel like…” — Viola Davis", "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": "Viola Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When a director can give you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-a-director-can-give-you-a-word-that-allows-you-to-feel-less/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-a-director-can-give-you-a-word-that-allows-you-to-feel-less/#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 } } ] } ```