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5 inspiring quotes from Jeff Bridges that will change your life

January 04, 2019 09:00 IST

'Always maintain a joyful mind. Appreciate the struggles as opportunities to wake up,' Jeff advises.

Jeff Bridges is winner of Cecil B deMille award at Golden Globes this year

Actor Jeffrey Leon Bridges, best known for his role in The Big Lebowski, Crazy Heart and True Grit will receive the Cecil B DeMille award at the 76th Golden Globes on Sunday, January 6.

 "The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is delighted to bestow the 2019 Cecil B deMille Award on Jeff Bridges. Bridges' brilliant body of work across diverse genres has captured the hearts and minds of audiences worldwide for more than six decades.

"We look forward to celebrating 'the Dude' and his remarkable career and philanthropic achievements at the upcoming Golden Globe Awards," HFPA President Meher Tatna said in a statement.

Chosen by the HFPA Board of Directors, the Cecil B deMille Award is given annually to a talented individual who has made a lasting impact on the world of entertainment. 

Previous winners include George Clooney, Robert De Niro, Audrey Hepburn, Harrison Ford, Jodie Foster, Sophia Loren, Sidney Poitier, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand, Denzel Washington, Robin Williams, Oprah Winfrey and many more.

As we congratulate the 69-year-old for the award, here's looking at just some of his best and inspiring quotes:

1. Be positive

Jeff is an optimist and never loses the opportunity to cheer someone up.

In the book The Dude and Zen Master, which he co-authored with Bernie Glassman he explains how to treat your daily struggles.

'Always maintain a joyful mind. Appreciate the struggles as opportunities to wake up.'

2. Find a career you love

Jeff also has advice on how to pick your career.

'You don't want to do what your parents want you to do. You got your own things. And the whole idea of getting a job because of who your father is -- that just isn't right.'

'I'd done about 10 movies before I decided I wanted to make acting the main thrust of my career.'

3. Be anxious

In his interview to The AV Club in 2010, Jeff mentioned how he gets anxious before a film and why it is good to be fearful.

'I find I'm most challenged by things I really care about, because I really want to do them well. It causes quite a bit of anxiety. But that very thing you're afraid of is kind of like a blessing in disguise. If you didn't have that fear, you wouldn't have the other side -- courage and bravery, positive emotions,' he said.

4. Don't search for happiness

The word happiness comes from 'to happen' he reminds us.

5. Treat women well

In a column he wrote for TIME magazine in June 2014, Jeff spoke about the need for men to respect and treat women as equal.

'It's not enough just to treat women well. We have to work to make sure all men treat women well.'

 Lead image: A still from Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

Rediff Get Ahead Bureau