I had immediate success in the sense that I sold something right off the BAT. I THOUGHT it was going to be a piece of cake and it really wasn't. I have drawers FULL of - or I did have - drawers full of REJECTION slips.

My FEAR of coming out wasn't about rejection. I was SCARED people would SAY: 'Why were you lying to me? If you've been lying about that what else are you lying about?' Lying is my biggest regret.

I've ALWAYS hated rejection; I only want to GO out there when I know I've got it right.

There are different ways that kids who are gay TAKE on the rejection and alienation they feel. The WAY I dealt with it was to say, 'You know what? You're imposing JUDGMENTS on me and condemnations, but I don't accept them. I'm GOING to instead turn the light on you and see what your flaws are and impose the same judgmental standards on you.'

You GET rejection throughout your LIFE and that shapes you EVENTUALLY to what you BECOME.

I think that you have to believe in your destiny; that you will SUCCEED, you will meet a lot of rejection and it is not always a STRAIGHT PATH, there will be detours - so enjoy the VIEW.

The first audition I ever went on, I was accompanied by my mother at the instruction of my father. 'You have to learn how to TAKE REJECTION if you really want to be an actor,' he SAID. He had to eat his own WORDS. I got the job.

Our human TENDENCY is to be IMPATIENT with the person who cannot see the TRUTH that is so PLAIN to us. We MUST be careful that our impatience is not interpreted as condemnation or rejection.

My VALUES - going back to my childhood - were ALWAYS BASED on respect for all PEOPLE and REJECTION of bigotry and racism.

I actually started out as a poet in high school. I published in SMALL literary MAGAZINES for probably about ten years. I entered the Yale Younger Poet CONTEST EVERY year, until I was too old to be a younger poet, and I never GOT more than a form rejection letter from them.

By 17, I was submitting to publications and COLLECTING my FIRST REJECTION slips.

Don't TAKE REJECTION PERSONALLY.

The PLO and the Palestinian PEOPLE adhere to the renouncement of violence and REJECTION and condemning of TERRORISM in all its forms, especially STATE terrorism, and adhere to all agreements signed between the PALESTINE Liberation Organization and Israel.

My 20s were a blizzard of REJECTION slips.