"I just want to make a point that it's not just great teachers that sometimes shape your life. Sometimes it's the absence of great teachers that shapes your life and being ignored can be just as good for a person as being lauded"
About this Quote
Roberts suggests that formation is not only a story of inspiration and praise but also of quiet rooms, empty seats, and doors that do not open. Applause can validate, but indifference can provoke a deeper reckoning: Who am I when no one is watching, and what do I want when no one is telling me? The absence of a great teacher becomes a different kind of teacher, forcing improvisation, self-reliance, and the stubborn pursuit of a personal standard.
Being ignored can free a person from the gravitational pull of others expectations. Praise often shapes behavior toward what is already approved; neglect pushes the mind toward experimentation and self-definition. That silence demands internal motivation instead of borrowed confidence, and it builds the muscle of attention to ones own instincts. Many artists and professionals discover their voice not under a spotlight but in the long, unglamorous stretches where they must coach themselves.
Roberts speaks from a world where attention is currency and rejection is routine. Early auditions, uncertain roles, and the volatile judgments of Hollywood can make affirmation feel scarce. In such terrain, the lack of mentorship or notice can harden resolve and clarify craft. The lessons learned there are durable: patience over immediacy, process over applause, and authenticity over quick validation.
There is a caution tucked inside the praise of neglect. Not all silence is supportive, and structural barriers are real. But when indifference is met with curiosity rather than defeat, it can become a crucible. The overlooked develop strategies, grit, and a private standard of excellence that is less fragile because it is self-issued.
The paradox is that being lauded can narrow the imagination, while being ignored can enlarge it. Distance from constant approval creates space to hear the quieter signal of vocation. In that space, the work becomes its own teacher, and a person learns to be shaped by what they seek, not only by who applauds.
Being ignored can free a person from the gravitational pull of others expectations. Praise often shapes behavior toward what is already approved; neglect pushes the mind toward experimentation and self-definition. That silence demands internal motivation instead of borrowed confidence, and it builds the muscle of attention to ones own instincts. Many artists and professionals discover their voice not under a spotlight but in the long, unglamorous stretches where they must coach themselves.
Roberts speaks from a world where attention is currency and rejection is routine. Early auditions, uncertain roles, and the volatile judgments of Hollywood can make affirmation feel scarce. In such terrain, the lack of mentorship or notice can harden resolve and clarify craft. The lessons learned there are durable: patience over immediacy, process over applause, and authenticity over quick validation.
There is a caution tucked inside the praise of neglect. Not all silence is supportive, and structural barriers are real. But when indifference is met with curiosity rather than defeat, it can become a crucible. The overlooked develop strategies, grit, and a private standard of excellence that is less fragile because it is self-issued.
The paradox is that being lauded can narrow the imagination, while being ignored can enlarge it. Distance from constant approval creates space to hear the quieter signal of vocation. In that space, the work becomes its own teacher, and a person learns to be shaped by what they seek, not only by who applauds.
Quote Details
| Topic | Teaching |
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