--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I played guitar. I've always considered…" description: "\"I played guitar. I've always considered myself an actor, but I wasn't making a living as an actor. So I was in a couple of folk groups that managed to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/alan-arkin-5379_actor_i-played-guitar-i-ve-always-considered-m_1302707.png" --- # I played guitar. I've always considered myself an actor… ![“I played guitar. I've always considered myself an actor, but I wasn't making a living as an actor. So I was in a couple of folk groups that managed to keep me in underwear and burritos.” quote by Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/alan-arkin-5379_actor_i-played-guitar-i-ve-always-considered-m_1302707.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/alan-arkin-5379_actor_i-played-guitar-i-ve-always-considered-m_1302707.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/alan-arkin-5379_actor_i-played-guitar-i-ve-always-considered-m_1302707.png) > “I played guitar. I've always considered myself an actor, but I wasn't making a living as an actor. So I was in a couple of folk groups that managed to keep me in underwear and burritos.” [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote humorously recounts early struggles as a musician and actor, highlighting perseverance despite modest means. **In simple terms:** He survived on minimal earnings while pursuing art. Key Takeaway Persist through hardship while chasing creative goals. Themes art career humor perseverance identity Mood lighthearted inspirational Type personal narrative When to use this quote - musician gigs - acting auditions - budget living - networking - portfolio building Key Concepts Creative identity formation gig economy artistic resilience Questions to Reflect On - How do you sustain creativity during lean periods? - What resources help emerging artists survive? A Different Perspective Financial instability can limit artistic opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Burritos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burritos/) [Couple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple/) [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Making a living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-a-living/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [I've always considered myself an actor, but I wasn't making a living as an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-ve-always-considered-myself-an-actor-but-i-wasn-t-making-a-living/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I've always considered myself an actor first and foremost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-tucci/i-ve-always-considered-myself-an-actor-first-and-foremost/) [Stanley Tucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-tucci/) > [In order to be an actor you really have to be one of those types of people who are risk-takers and have what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-cranston/in-order-to-be-an-actor-you-really-have-to-be-one-of-those-types-of/) [Bryan Cranston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-cranston/) > [My drama instructor suggested I try comedy. I was resistant at first because I considered myself a serious actor, but of course I fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-strong/my-drama-instructor-suggested-i-try-comedy-i-was-resistant-at-first/) [Cecily Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-strong/) > [I honestly never considered myself an actor. An actor would be someone like Paul Muni or Spencer Tracy. I was more of a personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-autry/i-honestly-never-considered-myself-an-actor-an-actor-would-be-someone/) [Gene Autry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-autry/) > [I've never considered myself an actor; I get much more immediate satisfaction singing. If you sing good, people clap. On television, you never know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-nabors/i-ve-never-considered-myself-an-actor-i-get-much-more-immediate/) [Jim Nabors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-nabors/) > [I never really considered myself an actor because I never pursued it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coppola-schwartzman/i-never-really-considered-myself-an-actor-because-i-never-pursued-it/) [Robert Coppola Schwartzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coppola-schwartzman/) > [If I was just considered a looker and wasn't considered an actor, where would I be in 10 or 20 years from now?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-matarazzo/if-i-was-just-considered-a-looker-and-wasn-t-considered-an-actor/) [Heather Matarazzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-matarazzo/) > [I'm afraid to be considered an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iko-uwais/i-m-afraid-to-be-considered-an-actor/) [Iko Uwais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iko-uwais/) > [It wasn't until 'Hamilton' that I began to be considered an actor of color, and I really don't know what to make of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillipa-soo/it-wasn-t-until-hamilton-that-i-began-to-be-considered-an-actor-of/) [Phillipa Soo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillipa-soo/) > [Gene Wilder often said that his job as an actor wasn't to make something funny but to make it real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/gene-wilder-often-said-that-his-job-as-an-actor-wasn-t-to-make/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I wasn't classically trained as an actor; I wasn't pursuing standup comedy. I really came into it through the back door. And there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jon-benjamin/i-wasn-t-classically-trained-as-an-actor-i-wasn-t-pursuing-standup/) [H. Jon Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jon-benjamin/) > [Ronald Reagan had a kind of shallow movie-star charisma - a combination of makeup and the skill of a good actor - but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/ronald-reagan-had-a-kind-of-shallow-movie-star-charisma-a-combination/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [On 'Old School,' I was not an actor, I was Snoop Dogg, so I came to the set with a whole different vibe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/on-old-school-i-was-not-an-actor-i-was-snoop-dogg-so-i-came-to-the/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [I wasn't a class clown, I never developed this comedic flair as a kid. Even when I decided to become an actor, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carell/i-wasn-t-a-class-clown-i-never-developed-this-comedic-flair-as-a-kid/) [Steve Carell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carell/) ## More by Alan Arkin > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [If I'm going to make a fake movie, it's going to be a fake hit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/if-i-m-going-to-make-a-fake-movie-it-s-going-to-be-a-fake-hit/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I don't mind watching plays once in a while, but as long as I don't have to be in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-mind-watching-plays-once-in-a-while-but-as-long-as-i-don-t/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I had a hard time treating my field as if it's horse racing, putting actors in competition against each other. I see how the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-had-a-hard-time-treating-my-field-as-if-it-s-horse-racing-putting/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [Creativity means learning where the rules exist, and then breaking them! Saying, "It's better this way." But you have to know the rules in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/creativity-means-learning-where-the-rules-exist-and-then-breaking/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [Things have got to add up to 100 points. The script is part of it, the character is part of it, the people I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/things-have-got-to-add-up-to-100-points-the-script-is-part-of-it-the/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I don't sense that I am someone's hero, though I'm happy when people like my work. I've learned how to be gracious about it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-sense-that-i-am-someone-s-hero-though-i-m-happy-when-people/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [It's - everybody's looking at the bottom line all the time, and failure doesn't look good on the bottom line, and yet you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/it-s-everybody-s-looking-at-the-bottom-line-all-the-time-and-failure/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [That's the privilege of old age: You don't have to remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/that-s-the-privilege-of-old-age-you-don-t-have-to-remember/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [Every physicist knows that things connect with each other. To isolate things is not the way the universe works - winning best actor is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/every-physicist-knows-that-things-connect-with-each-other-to-isolate/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I don't know why we have to put things in boxes of superlatives. That isolates them. Life is fluid, and the minute you start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-know-why-we-have-to-put-things-in-boxes-of-superlatives-that/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [People think that the people in Hollywood have some master plan. They just make the movies that people go to see. I think it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/people-think-that-the-people-in-hollywood-have-some-master-plan-they/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I'm very old. I haven't got time to be charming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-m-very-old-i-haven-t-got-time-to-be-charming/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I'm an actor. My life as an actor depends on who sends me what. I'm just taking the best stuff that I can find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-m-an-actor-my-life-as-an-actor-depends-on-who-sends-me-what-i-m/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [Education does not mean jamming information into somebody's head. Rather, it's that ancient idea that all knowledge is within us; to teach is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/education-does-not-mean-jamming-information-into-somebody-s-head/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) [Explore all 101 Alan Arkin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I played guitar. I've always considered myself an actor, but I wasn't making a living as an actor. 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