I get nervous when I don’t get nervous. If I’m nervous I know I’m going to have a good show.
Beyonce KnowlesFrom the moment I started writing raps, I was always aware of the pressure. I always wanted to live up to how huge Snoop got, how huge Dre got, how huge Pac got. I was always aware.
Kendrick LamarI’ve said this time and again: My greatest concern coming into the White House was making sure my girls came out whole and normal, and decent and kind, just like I would expect them to if we were living on the South Side of Chicago. And it takes work to keep White House life normal for the kids.
Michelle ObamaThere are too many people that depend on me. I’m too obligated. I’m in too far to get out.
Elvis PresleyEvery normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
H. L. MenckenWe were the first generation to have to deal with the modern stardom of football. Some handled it better than others.
George BestAs a kid, I used to see how Sachin Tendulkar used to win matches under pressure for India in Sharjah or other places. So I was always keen to repeat the same in similar situations. I don’t take pressure on myself when I am in the middle. I love pressure, and I always believe that pressure makes you more focused.
Virat KohliIf you ever see young artists, and they’re not sounding good, they sound good. They’re good singers. They wouldn’t be where they are if they didn’t sound good. It’s their nerves. Any time you see your favorite artist, and he’s or she’s screwing up or not hitting those notes, it’s not because she can’t hit it or she can’t sing; he or she is scared.
The WeekndThere’s a lot of pressure putting an album out all over the world and hoping people everywhere like it.
Taylor SwiftThere’s strong data that, within companies, the No. 1 reason for ethical violations is the pressure to meet expectations, sometimes unrealistic expectations.
Stephen CoveyThe basic thing nobody asks is why do people take drugs of any sort? Why do we have these accessories to normal living to live? I mean, is there something wrong with society that’s making us so pressurized, that we cannot live without guarding ourselves against it?
John LennonNo matter how much you rehearse on that stage, once you add 30,000 screaming people with flashing cameras into the equation, it’s pretty intense.
Lady GagaI think every entertainer’s had nights when things go wrong. I mean you can’t remember everything all the time, and especially if you’re having hard times personally, things going on that you – you know, and then people make it worse. And that makes you feel worse.
Dolly PartonEveryone loves a win in India. No one wants to lose a match. It is the cricketer who absorbs all the pressure.
Virat KohliI don’t ever make moves under pressure.
Nipsey HussleAt the start of the season, there are 16 teams in the top division looking behind them, making sure they avoid relegation. The fear starts in the boardroom, comes down to managers and through to players. The fans sense it.
George BestIn my opinion, the only way to conquer stage fright is to get up on stage and play. Every time you play another show, it gets better and better.
Taylor SwiftNobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.
Albert CamusIt undoubtedly feels nice when you are being appreciated and you get complimented by girls. Who doesn’t like that? Having said that, I don’t take it as any pressure.
Virat KohliThe pressure on young chefs today is far greater than ever before in terms of social skills, marketing skills, cooking skills, personality and, more importantly, delivering on the plate. So you need to be strong. Physically fit. So my chefs get weighed every time they come into the kitchen.
Gordon RamsayAll over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume.
Noam ChomskyWhen I was younger, I felt pressure to become someone else once I became successful.
Lady GagaI heard that when Christina Aguilera went back to her prom, people, like, booed her. I can’t imagine going through that. If you know that’s going to happen, why put yourself in that situation? I’d rather play for 20,000 screaming people, you know?
Taylor SwiftI’m a super-duper over-analyzer. You mix that with self-doubt and pressure, and that’s never healthy.
J. ColeDoing Saturday Night Live definitely affects my relationship with my girlfriend and with my family, because you feel so much pressure to do well that night. But I think everyone’s grown to accept that and so they give me my space at the show.
Adam SandlerThe first two games for Churchill, I was so jittery that I didn’t know what to do. I was running more but didn’t know what to do. I’ve no bones accepting the fact that I didn’t know what was happening in the game.
Sunil ChhetriI wanna thank MTV and the VMAs for choosing me to be a part of the show because, on this show, if you not an icon or upcomin‘ icon, you’re not on the show, you know?
DJ KhaledShrinking away from death is something unhealthy and abnormal which robs the second half of life of its purpose.
Carl JungThere is a lot of pressure put on me, but I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel if I play my game, it will take care of itself.
LeBron JamesIt would be my guess that Madonna is not a very happy woman. From my own experience, having gone through persona changes like that, that kind of clawing need to be the center of attention is not a pleasant place to be.
David BowieTo be clear: we have fights and problems like any other couple.
Angelina JolieI just want to be just as everyone else. I want to educate myself and be just like a normal teenager.
Greta ThunbergIt’s terrifying to play your favorite band’s song in front of your favorite band.
Dave GrohlI think that when you are famous every weakness is exaggerated.
Marilyn MonroeAt first, I wasn’t really keen on the idea of me being on stage having to sing in front of people.
AuroraWhen I was younger and did a stand-up gig, it would take me two weeks to recover. Sometimes I’d get so panicked that I would stutter.
Adam SandlerBeing a sex symbol is a heavy load to carry, especially when one is tired, hurt and bewildered.
Marilyn MonroeI think in many ways that we autistic are the normal ones and the rest of the people are pretty strange. They keep saying that climate change is an existential threat and the most important issue of all. And yet they just carry on like before.
Greta ThunbergI’ve made money, and I’ve been ripped off. I’ve had creative freedom, and I’ve been pressured to make hits. I have dealt with diva behavior from crazy musicians, and I have seen genius records by wonderful artists get completely ignored. I love music. I always will.
David ByrneI don’t really believe in the type of pressure that people are wanting to put on the type of music that I make.
Kendrick LamarMany people feel so pressured by the expectations of others that it causes them to be frustrated, miserable and confused about what they should do. But there is a way to live a simple, joy-filled, peaceful life, and the key is learning how to be led by the Holy Spirit, not the traditions or expectations of man.
Joyce MeyerWhen you are nominated for the best player in Europe, the Ballon d’Or, playing in the Champions League, there is so much pressure. You don’t know what will happen. This pressure is inside you – you always have it.
Cristiano RonaldoI sang a song at my sister’s wedding. My mother forced me into that, too. But that one felt all right.
Adam SandlerBecoming famous was never what I wanted to do. There’s a lot of things that come with fame – it’s what people in the limelight have to do.
Bruno MarsMaybe I’ll give Broadway a try. But you know what would be great? Hosting the Oscars. I promise you, that would be a show no one forgot.
Dwayne JohnsonI love playing under pressure. In fact, if there’s no pressure, then I’m not in the perfect zone.
Virat KohliIt’s what counts, isn’t it, on the Sunday, rather than pre-season testing. If you lock up, you do a little mistake, it’s nothing, but if you do it on Sunday, you lose a place or you have to box for a flat spot or something like that. It’s a much bigger problem.
Lando NorrisI’m mortified to be on the stage, but then again, it’s the only place where I’m happy.
Bob DylanIf you’re always under the pressure of real identity, I think that is somewhat of a burden.
Mark ZuckerbergI write because writing is something that I have to do. And it doesn’t matter whether people like it or not. When I write, I feel the pressure and anxiety that come with taking an empty piece of paper and trying to fill it with something from your own consciousness.
Wayne DyerI get naturally uncomfortable when I’m put under a magnifying glass.
The WeekndAs a soccer player, I wanted an FA Cup winner’s medal. As an actor you want an Oscar. As a chef it’s three-Michelin’s stars, there’s no greater than that. So pushing yourself to the extreme creates a lot of pressure and a lot of excitement, and more importantly, it shows on the plate.
Gordon RamsayJoining McLaren didn’t add a lot of pressure but of course you want to make sure you can impress them.
Lando NorrisNo pressure, no diamonds.
Thomas CarlyleI still get very scared when I step in front of a live audience.
Adam SandlerCourage is grace under pressure.
Ernest HemingwayCelebrity life and media culture are probably the most overbearing pop-cultural conditions that we as young people have to deal with, because it forces us to judge ourselves.
Lady GagaI don’t feel pressure in a negative way. I like pressure. I feel excitement and calm at the same time. No pressure, no diamonds. I want pressure: pressure creates drama, creates emotion.
Conor McGregorIn this knowledge-worker age, it’s now increasingly tied to doing well in school so you can get into better grad schools so you can get better jobs – so the pressure to do well is really high.
Stephen CoveyI’m much more comfortable and confident running out on the field in front of 70,000 people instead of standing in front of a camera trying to say some lines. The people who do that as a profession are very talented because it’s certainly not easy.
Tom Brady