"It's an addictive thing. It's not so much I like to go win, but it's a rush"
About this Quote
Addiction is a convenient word for an actor to grab when talking about competition because it carries both glamour and a warning label. Corbin Bernsen isn’t praising victory as a moral achievement; he’s describing it as a chemical event. The slip in the phrasing, "go win", makes it sound less like a noble quest than an errand you run to get your fix. Winning isn’t the destination, it’s the dosage.
The intent is disarmingly candid: he’s reframing ambition as sensation. "It’s not so much I like to go win" quietly rejects the respectable story people tell about themselves (discipline, grit, excellence) and replaces it with something messier and more honest: the body wants what it wants. That’s the subtext that gives the line its bite. Bernsen is acknowledging that the chasing matters more than the trophy, and that the pleasure is immediate, not reflective. He’s describing a loop: desire, pursuit, spike, repeat.
Contextually, it also reads like a show-business confession. Acting is a career built on intermittent reinforcement - auditions, callbacks, reviews, ratings, the sudden yes after a long stretch of no. That slot-machine rhythm trains people to crave the moment of payoff. Bernsen’s line fits a broader culture where "winning" is less an endpoint than a lifestyle brand, a way to keep your nervous system humming. It’s an unromantic take on success: not virtue, just voltage.
The intent is disarmingly candid: he’s reframing ambition as sensation. "It’s not so much I like to go win" quietly rejects the respectable story people tell about themselves (discipline, grit, excellence) and replaces it with something messier and more honest: the body wants what it wants. That’s the subtext that gives the line its bite. Bernsen is acknowledging that the chasing matters more than the trophy, and that the pleasure is immediate, not reflective. He’s describing a loop: desire, pursuit, spike, repeat.
Contextually, it also reads like a show-business confession. Acting is a career built on intermittent reinforcement - auditions, callbacks, reviews, ratings, the sudden yes after a long stretch of no. That slot-machine rhythm trains people to crave the moment of payoff. Bernsen’s line fits a broader culture where "winning" is less an endpoint than a lifestyle brand, a way to keep your nervous system humming. It’s an unromantic take on success: not virtue, just voltage.
Quote Details
| Topic | Victory |
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