--- title: "10 Want Quotes By Alan Alda" description: "10 Want quotes by Alan Alda. Plus more from Alan Alda and more Want sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/alan-alda-1859_character_it-makes-it-fun-when-an-actor-plays-a-ch_1988690.png" --- > [It makes it fun. When an actor plays a character, you want what that character wants. Otherwise it doesn't look authentic. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-makes-it-fun-when-an-actor-plays-a-character-you-want-what-that/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/alan-alda-1859_character_it-makes-it-fun-when-an-actor-plays-a-ch_1988690.png) > [I would like to know that when I read the paper in the morning, it's telling me something that actually happened, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-would-like-to-know-that-when-i-read-the-paper-in-the-morning-it-s/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d68/alan-alda-1859_actually_i-would-like-to-know-that-when-i-read-th_2183358.jpg) > [I had never really wanted to be famous. Everyone is supposed to want to be rich and famous, but as a boy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-had-never-really-wanted-to-be-famous-everyone-is-supposed-to-want/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8d/alan-alda-1859_everyone_i-had-never-really-wanted-to-be-famous-e_667888.png) > [What I always wanted to get seen as was as a good actor, when it was the acting I was doing. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/what-i-always-wanted-to-get-seen-as-was-as-a-good-actor-when-it-was-2/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31f/alan-alda-1859_acting_what-i-always-wanted-to-get-seen-as-was_2426593.png) > [What I always wanted to get seen as was as a good actor, when it was the acting I was doing. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/what-i-always-wanted-to-get-seen-as-was-as-a-good-actor-when-it-was/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/alan-alda-1859_acting_what-i-always-wanted-to-get-seen-as-was_535563.png) > [I used to not want to die in any way but in my sleep when I was a young man. I'd like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-used-to-not-want-to-die-in-any-way-but-in-my-sleep-when-i-was-a/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/alan-alda-1859_any_i-used-to-not-want-to-die-in-any-way-but_2816238.png) > [What then are doing if not creating a better place together? I think, for me the key has to be, what do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-better-place-together-i-think/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/alan-alda-1859_behinds_what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-be_1234583.png) > [You wouldn't want to be called a sell-out by selling a product. Selling out was frowned on, whereas now you can major…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/you-wouldn-t-want-to-be-called-a-sell-out-by-selling-a-product/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/alan-alda-1859_business_you-wouldn-t-want-to-be-called-a-sell-ou_1832067.png) > [The thing is when you're... well-enough known, you get asked to speak places, and they don't really think about whether or not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/the-thing-is-when-you-re-well-enough-known-you-get-asked-to-speak/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/alan-alda-1859_about_the-thing-is-when-you-re-well-enough-kno_453540.jpg) > [I dont see we can have a separation of church and state in this government if you have to pass a religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-dont-see-we-can-have-a-separation-of-church-and-state-in-this/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/505/alan-alda-1859_answers_i-dont-see-we-can-have-a-separation-of-c_614634.jpg) ## Other authors on Want ## More by Alan Alda > [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [We need to be more conversant with it because science is in our lives. It's in everything. It's in the food we eat. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/we-need-to-be-more-conversant-with-it-because-science-is-in-our-lives/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [When I studied how to think in school, I was taught that the first rule of logic was that a thing cannot both be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/when-i-studied-how-to-think-in-school-i-was-taught-that-the-first/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [I was brought up as a Catholic, and I'm no longer a Catholic. I don't talk about my beliefs too much in public probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-was-brought-up-as-a-catholic-and-i-m-no-longer-a-catholic-i-don-t/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [life is meaningless unless you bring meaning to it; ... it is up to us to create our own existence. Unless you do something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/life-is-meaningless-unless-you-bring-meaning-to-it-it-is-up-to-us-to/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“My mother didn't try to stab my father until I was six.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/my-mother-didn-t-try-to-stab-my-father-until-i-was-six/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [Originality is unexplored territory. You get there by carrying a canoe - you can't take a taxi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/originality-is-unexplored-territory-you-get-there-by-carrying-a-canoe/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [It's always better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-always-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [M\*A\*S\*H' was a collection of people, in front of and behind the cameras, that really clicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/m-a-s-h-was-a-collection-of-people-in-front-of-and-behind-the-cameras/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/be-brave-enough-to-live-creatively-the-creative-is-the-place-where-no/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [To do a musical takes a tremendous amount of energy because you have to act and sing at the same time. And everything has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/to-do-a-musical-takes-a-tremendous-amount-of-energy-because-you-have/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [Be brave enough to live creatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/be-brave-enough-to-live-creatively/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [It's better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“You can't get there by bus, only by hard work, risking, and by not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/you-can-t-get-there-by-bus-only-by-hard-work-risking-and-by-not-quite/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [I used to read science fiction a lot, and I still like science fiction when it is a model of how we really are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-used-to-read-science-fiction-a-lot-and-i-still-like-science-fiction/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/alan-alda/#itemlist", "name": "10 Want Quotes By Alan Alda", "numberOfItems": 10, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It makes it fun. When an actor plays a character, you want what that character wants. Otherwise it doesn't look authentic. 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Not as somebody with a particular idea to sell, or something like that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Alda" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/what-i-always-wanted-to-get-seen-as-was-as-a-good-actor-when-it-was/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/alan-alda-1859_acting_what-i-always-wanted-to-get-seen-as-was_535563.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/alan-alda-1859_acting_what-i-always-wanted-to-get-seen-as-was_535563.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f21/alan-alda-1859_acting_what-i-always-wanted-to-get-seen-as-was_535563.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What I always wanted to get seen as was as a good actor, when it was the acting I was doing. 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I'd like to die awake now, if possible, with people around me who love me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Alda" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-used-to-not-want-to-die-in-any-way-but-in-my-sleep-when-i-was-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/alan-alda-1859_any_i-used-to-not-want-to-die-in-any-way-but_2816238.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/alan-alda-1859_any_i-used-to-not-want-to-die-in-any-way-but_2816238.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d67/alan-alda-1859_any_i-used-to-not-want-to-die-in-any-way-but_2816238.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I used to not want to die in any way but in my sleep when I was a young man. 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What is it I want to leave behind?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Alda" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-better-place-together-i-think/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/alan-alda-1859_behinds_what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-be_1234583.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/alan-alda-1859_behinds_what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-be_1234583.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/alan-alda-1859_behinds_what-then-are-doing-if-not-creating-a-be_1234583.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What then are doing if not creating a better place together? 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Selling out was frowned on, whereas now you can major in it at business school.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Alda" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/you-wouldn-t-want-to-be-called-a-sell-out-by-selling-a-product/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/alan-alda-1859_business_you-wouldn-t-want-to-be-called-a-sell-ou_1832067.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/alan-alda-1859_business_you-wouldn-t-want-to-be-called-a-sell-ou_1832067.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62c/alan-alda-1859_business_you-wouldn-t-want-to-be-called-a-sell-ou_1832067.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You wouldn't want to be called a sell-out by selling a product. Selling out was frowned on, whereas now you…” — Alan Alda", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The thing is when you're... well-enough known, you get asked to speak places, and they don't really think about whether or not you're qualified. They just want somebody that will be a drawing card for the audience. So it's up to you to decide whether or not it's foolish to get up and speak to these people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Alda" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/the-thing-is-when-you-re-well-enough-known-you-get-asked-to-speak/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/alan-alda-1859_about_the-thing-is-when-you-re-well-enough-kno_453540.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/alan-alda-1859_about_the-thing-is-when-you-re-well-enough-kno_453540.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/028/alan-alda-1859_about_the-thing-is-when-you-re-well-enough-kno_453540.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The thing is when you're... well-enough known, you get asked to speak places, and they don't really think…” — Alan Alda", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I dont see we can have a separation of church and state in this government if you have to pass a religious test to get in this government. And I want to warn everyone in the press and all the voters out there: if you demand expressions of religious faith from politicians, you are just begging to be lied to. They wont all lie to you but a lot of them will. And itll be the easiest lie they ever had to tell to get your votes. So every day till the end of this campaign, Ill answer any question anyone has on government, but if you have a question on religion, please, go to church.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Alda" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-dont-see-we-can-have-a-separation-of-church-and-state-in-this/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/505/alan-alda-1859_answers_i-dont-see-we-can-have-a-separation-of-c_614634.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/505/alan-alda-1859_answers_i-dont-see-we-can-have-a-separation-of-c_614634.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/505/alan-alda-1859_answers_i-dont-see-we-can-have-a-separation-of-c_614634.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I dont see we can have a separation of church and state in this government if you have to pass a religious…” — Alan Alda", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/alan-alda/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/alan-alda/", "name": "Want Quotes by Alan Alda", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/alan-alda/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ed/alan-alda-1859_character_it-makes-it-fun-when-an-actor-plays-a-ch_1988690.png" }, "description": "10 Want quotes by Alan Alda. 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