Faith & Spirit Quote by Laura Linney

Linney’s line has the backstage candor of someone who’s spent decades watching applause behave like weather: flattering, fickle, and never guaranteed. She frames success not as proof of greatness but as a temporary condition you’re lucky to experience. The quick pivot from “always nice” to “God knows happens to everybody” is doing a lot of work. It quietly punctures the myth of the perpetually celebrated actor without sliding into self-pity. In her world, rejection isn’t a personal indictment; it’s a standard operating hazard.

The subtext is both protective and ethical. Protective, because treating praise as a verdict is how you let a good review rewrite your self-concept - and how a bad one can crater it. Ethical, because “not take it too seriously” is also a gentle warning against becoming insufferable when the spotlight swings your way. Linney isn’t denying the thrill; she’s insisting on proportion. “Take a deep breath” reads like an actor’s literal tool (breath control) repurposed as a life strategy: regulate your nervous system, stay present, don’t spin out.

Context matters: an actress known for precision and restraint, often working in projects where acclaim comes in waves (festival buzz, awards seasons, prestige TV cycles). She’s speaking from inside an economy that monetizes validation, where your value can feel publicly negotiated in real time. Her intent is less Zen platitude than professional survival tactic: enjoy the highs, remember the lows are normal, and keep your ego from becoming the worst part of your next performance.