You know him for sure. I featured him as a Daily Inspiration a couple of times, and more recently I praised his performance in the movie The Discovery. Robert Redford is, among many other things (actor, director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, and philanthropist), the founder of Sundance Film Festival, where the coolest independent films get awarded.
He’s also starred as Jay Gatsby in my favorite version of the movie. His career is impressive (his second Oscar was a Lifetime Achievement Award) but apart from that, he represents to me a very iconic and inspiring character. Great talent, handsome man, cool style.
“Part of me is drawn to the nature of sadness because I think life is sad, and sadness is not something that should be avoided or denied. It’s a fact of life, like contradictions are.”
(Victor Blackman/Getty Images)
Robert Redford: “I’m interested in that thing that happens where there’s a breaking point for some people and not for others. You go through such hardship, things that are almost impossibly difficult, and there’s no sign that it’s going to get any better, and that’s the point when people quit. But some don’t.”
“I have the freedom to take chances, to say no. I have the freedom to be who I really want to be, rather than have to conform to this or that just to stay alive.”
“For me, personally, skiing holds everything. I used to race cars, but skiing is a step beyond that. It removes the machinery and puts you one step closer to the elements. And it’s a complete physical expression of freedom.”
“It felt to me like America was always wanting to resolve things too quickly, without thinking through what the costs and consequences would be and how that affects an individual living in that world. Then as I grew up and went about my life, I think I just got more and more interested in that gray area where things are not so easily quantified.”
“I have no regrets, because I’ve done everything I could to the best of my ability.”
