David Geffen

No one’s asked me. If somebody felt there was a job I could actually do I would consider it — not out of any ambition to be in Washington, but I do want to rise to the occasion of serving there if warranted.

[In 1990 on the president of MCA calling and saying ‘We’re going to make you the biggest offer this company has ever made, and I’m going to send it to you by messenger right now.’] It’s 1990. Send me a fax.

Starting a new studio was a thrilling challenge, but it was more stressful than fun. I never took a salary, a bonus or expenses. I learned never to do anything you’re not passionate about.

[On urging Nyro to tell Barbara Streisand that ‘Wedding Bell Blues’ had been personally written for her] It’s not a big lie.

The opportunity for an entrepreneur to start a company from scratch today is abysmal.

You have an idea of the way you think it is, and it’s not that way at all, it’s something else.

Man cannot possess anything as long as he fears death. But to him who does not fear it, everything belongs. If there was no suffering, man would not know his limits, would not know himself.

I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do

What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.

There’s an old German proverb to the effect that fear makes the wolf bigger than he is,and that is true.

There is only one universal passion fear.

Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.

Fear is a useless emotion. Don’t ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility.

Fear is implanted in us as a preservative from evil; but its duty, like that of other passions, is not to overbear reason, but to assist it. It should not be suffered to tyrannize

The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.

I am pretty fearless. You know why? Because I don’t handle fear very well; I’m not a good terrified person.

Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.

I fear chiefly lest my expression may not be extravagant enough, may not wander far enough beyond the narrow limit of my daily experience, so as to be adequate to the truth of which I have been convinced. Extravagance! it depends on how you are yarded.

Fear came in so much in my life that it did everything but completely stop me.

Don’t let your fears overwhelm your desire. Let the barriers you face, and there will be barriers, be external, not internal. Fortune does favor the bold, and I promise that you will never know what you’re capable of unless you try.

Fear is static that prevents me from hearing myself.