"I don't plan in terms of career ambitions. The only career ambition I have is to work with people who are going to bring you up and elevate your performance. They'll let you know things that you didn't know already and bring you places that you might not have gotten to otherwise"
About this Quote
There’s a shrewd humility baked into the syntax. He doesn’t romanticize inspiration; he treats collaboration as an instrument that exposes your blind spots. "They'll let you know things that you didn't know already" is almost clinical, acknowledging that talent is only partly self-generated. The subtext is that the work is bigger than your self-image, and the fastest way to improve is to put your ego in rooms where it can be corrected.
Context matters: Gleeson’s career has been defined less by celebrity hunger than by a reputation for formidable, grounded performances across Irish film, theater, and prestige projects. He’s often at his best in roles that depend on chemistry and tension with other actors. So the line doubles as a quiet manifesto for longevity: if you measure a career by the quality of your collaborators, you avoid the panic of momentum. You keep moving, but toward depth, not noise.
Quote Details
| Topic | Career |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Gleeson, Brendan. (2026, January 17). I don't plan in terms of career ambitions. The only career ambition I have is to work with people who are going to bring you up and elevate your performance. They'll let you know things that you didn't know already and bring you places that you might not have gotten to otherwise. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-plan-in-terms-of-career-ambitions-the-only-70194/
Chicago Style
Gleeson, Brendan. "I don't plan in terms of career ambitions. The only career ambition I have is to work with people who are going to bring you up and elevate your performance. They'll let you know things that you didn't know already and bring you places that you might not have gotten to otherwise." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-plan-in-terms-of-career-ambitions-the-only-70194/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I don't plan in terms of career ambitions. The only career ambition I have is to work with people who are going to bring you up and elevate your performance. They'll let you know things that you didn't know already and bring you places that you might not have gotten to otherwise." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-plan-in-terms-of-career-ambitions-the-only-70194/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.






