"Then I was working in a store in Newark, New Jersey, and I saw an actor in person, and I got so excited. My whole day changed. That's when I decided to challenge myself to make my dreams become a reality"
About this Quote
The subtext is about access and permission. For a lot of people, ambition stays theoretical until they encounter someone who’s crossed the boundary between wanting and having. Luke’s phrasing suggests the encounter didn’t grant him a plan; it granted him a sense that the door exists. “My whole day changed” captures the psychology of aspiration: one sighting can reorganize your internal hierarchy of what’s possible, pushing survival mode aside long enough for risk to look rational.
Context matters, too. Newark isn’t Hollywood; it’s the kind of place where dreams can feel geographically inappropriate. By anchoring the origin story in a store, Luke highlights the distance he’s traveling - economically, culturally, emotionally. His decision “to challenge myself” is doing quiet work: it reframes the entertainment industry not as a lottery but as a discipline, a self-imposed test. The quote is less about stardom than about the moment an ordinary life stops being the only imaginable one.
Quote Details
| Topic | Motivational |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Luke, Derek. (2026, January 15). Then I was working in a store in Newark, New Jersey, and I saw an actor in person, and I got so excited. My whole day changed. That's when I decided to challenge myself to make my dreams become a reality. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/then-i-was-working-in-a-store-in-newark-new-52733/
Chicago Style
Luke, Derek. "Then I was working in a store in Newark, New Jersey, and I saw an actor in person, and I got so excited. My whole day changed. That's when I decided to challenge myself to make my dreams become a reality." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/then-i-was-working-in-a-store-in-newark-new-52733/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Then I was working in a store in Newark, New Jersey, and I saw an actor in person, and I got so excited. My whole day changed. That's when I decided to challenge myself to make my dreams become a reality." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/then-i-was-working-in-a-store-in-newark-new-52733/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.





