I've had to wean myself away to MAKE SURE that any choices I make are GROUNDED in myself rather than the seeking of approval.

I didn't grow up thinking to myself, 'Someday, if I PLAY all my cards right, I can END up in a public institution with a lower approval RATING than attorneys.'

This weird thing that MUSICIANS have... it's GOT SOMETHING to do with approval, and not feeling good enough, and therefore GOING out and being GREAT somehow makes your life valid.

No MATTER how old you are, you ALWAYS WANT your PARENTS' APPROVAL.

When one is trying to do something beyond his KNOWN powers it is USELESS to seek the approval of FRIENDS. Friends are at their BEST in MOMENTS of defeat.

We all WANT APPROVAL.

I HATE BAD REVIEWS, so yeah, every now and then I think, 'Boy I hope everybody really likes this and thinks this theme is good.' You can't HELP but do that. I think we all are, or at least I am, reduced to a schoolboy SEEKING approval.

I've searched all of my LIFE for approval from my DAD who is not around. So if I can get approval by his fans or from PEERS and CRITICS, it helps me.

But I always reassure them that as far as my contractual RIGHTS can go, I will PROTECT them and make sure that they have approval over every bit of it so that they know I won't SHOW something that's embarrassing.

We cannot watch another family lose everything - risking their lives and the lives of the first responders SENT to rescue them - because the FLOOD insurance program's seal of government approval fooled them into thinking they were safe. That's more than WRONG: it's IMMORAL.

Even though I don't feel I NEED APPROVAL, it's still IMPORTANT to me to GIVE a GOOD performance. I'm hard on myself.

I live my life and play my MUSIC, and I don't REALLY seek out other PEOPLE's APPROVAL or accolades or things like that. I try to do what's TRUE to me, and how it all comes out is fine.

Am I trying to win the approval of HUMAN beings or God? If I were still trying to please PEOPLE I WOULD not be a SERVANT of CHRIST.

It's true that Americans are less than thrilled with PRESIDENT Obama and congressional Democrats. Their APPROVAL ratings are nothing to celebrate. But electoral politics is a zero-sum game. If one side LOSES, then the other side WINS. Success depends on being just slightly less odious than your OPPONENT.

I don't NEED ANYONE's APPROVAL for GOING to ELECTIONS.