Lindsay Pearce

I can't shoot myself in the foot before I get in the chorus line.

Really, who's the best at what they do? There's always room for improvement.

What I've learned is you don't have to strive for perfection, but you do have to strive to be a very hard worker.

I always believed I was an ugly duckling in a family of swans, you know? I was such a black sheep, and it was the same way in high school... I was just kind of that awkward theater kid with a bunch of athletes... it was very 'Glee.'

I'm not an idiot: I know that I can sing and I know that I can act.

I would never dispute that I've been given a gift by God. That's something I've been raised to believe. I'm not an idiot: I know that I can sing, and I know that I can act.

I understand why it's hard to pin me down because I really relate to so many things. Like, for example, when people ask me what's my favorite music, I can't tell them. I love everything.

Whatever you want me to play, I'll just do it.

I was shy and didn't believe in myself, and I only bloomed when I was in theater during rehearsal. And that's how my family found out that that's where I needed to be, because that's where I felt the most comfortable.

The funny thing is I'm actually really insecure. I have a lot of girl issues - 'I'm not pretty enough,' 'I'm not skinny enough' - but there is a confidence I have in what I can do. I did tend to overcompensate to cover up other insecurities that I have.

I was born deaf, and I gained my hearing back when I was six months old - it was a miraculous event.

Before it was decided that I was going to be adopted, my mother was going to abort me. I was born with tangled legs; they never thought I'd be able to dance... without knowing it, as a child I overcame a lot thanks to really doting, loving parents and a great family and a hard work ethic on my part.

All generations of teens have it hard, I think. Each society and century has its struggles that the others can't compare to.

The stage is home, and there's no place like it.

I like to go to the gym with my girls, practice yoga, try new recipes, bake, have slumber parties, go to the beach, have adventures, book hunt, shop for new records, or road trip somewhere... anything that keeps me laughing and excited about the day, really. I like feeling free to do what I or my friends want to do on our days off.