--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On the stage . . . masks are assumed with…" description: "\"On the stage . . . masks are assumed with some regard to procedure; in everyday life, the participants act their parts without consideration either for..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/anthony-powell-2659_actor_on-the-stage-masks-are-assumed-with-some_2915102.jpg" --- # On the stage . . . masks are assumed with some regard to… ![“On the stage . . . masks are assumed with some regard to procedure; in everyday life, the participants act their parts without consideration either for suitability of scene or for the words spoken by the rest of the cast: the result is a general tendency for things to be brought to the level of…” quote by Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/anthony-powell-2659_actor_on-the-stage-masks-are-assumed-with-some_2915102.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/anthony-powell-2659_actor_on-the-stage-masks-are-assumed-with-some_2915102.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/anthony-powell-2659_actor_on-the-stage-masks-are-assumed-with-some_2915102.jpg) > “On the stage . . . masks are assumed with some regard to procedure; in everyday life, the participants act their parts without consideration either for suitability of scene or for the words spoken by the rest of the cast: the result is a general tendency for things to be brought to the level of farce even when the theme is serious enough.” [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often follow social scripts blindly, turning serious matters into farcical performances. **In simple terms:** Blindly following roles makes serious topics seem comic. Key Takeaway Question the roles you play. Themes social performance authenticity farce seriousness Mood irritated reflective Type observational critical When to use this quote - political debates - work meetings - family gatherings - online discussions Key Concepts role theory social scripts dramaturgy Questions to Reflect On - What roles are you playing without thought? - How can you bring authenticity to serious conversations? A Different Perspective May overlook genuine concerns in pursuit of conformity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Assumed Regard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumed-regard-4217783/) [Assumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) [Casts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/casts/) [Consideration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consideration/) [Day life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-life/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Everyday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday/) [Everyday life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday-life/) [Farce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farce/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mask/) [Masks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masks/) [Masks Assumed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masks-assumed-4217782/) [Participants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/participants/) [Procedures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procedures/) [Regard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regard/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Scene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scene/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Stage Masks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage-masks-4217781/) [Tendencies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tendencies/) [Theme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theme/) ## Related quotes > [Dinner at the Huntercombes possessed only two dramatic features: the wine was a farce and the food a tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/dinner-at-the-huntercombes-possessed-only-two-dramatic-features-the/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [I knew nothing about farce until I read Puce a l'Oreille, and had no idea what a deadly serious business it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mortimer/i-knew-nothing-about-farce-until-i-read-puce-a-l-oreille-and-had-no/) [John Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mortimer/) > [“Meaning, yes -- I don't really exist except on the page or in the back of your brain. But if you think it's weird…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-michel-sullivan/meaning-yes-i-don-t-really-exist-except-on-the-page-or-in-the-back-of/) [Kyle Michel Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-michel-sullivan/) > [Parliament is the longest running farce in the West End.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-smith/parliament-is-the-longest-running-farce-in-the-west-end/) [Cyril Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-smith/) > [The EU report speaks for itself. The statement in my view shows that the mission has turned out to be something worse than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meles-zenawi/the-eu-report-speaks-for-itself-the-statement-in-my-view-shows-that/) [Meles Zenawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meles-zenawi/) > [The biggest farce of man's history has been the argument that wars are fought to save civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-e-mckenzie/the-biggest-farce-of-man-s-history-has-been-the-argument-that-wars/) [Charles E. McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-e-mckenzie/) > [A farce, or slapstick humor, does well universally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ratzenberger/a-farce-or-slapstick-humor-does-well-universally/) [John Ratzenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ratzenberger/) > [Life is a farce, and should not end with a mourning scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-walpole/life-is-a-farce-and-should-not-end-with-a-mourning-scene/) [Horace Walpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-walpole/) > [History that repeats itself turns to farce. Farce that repeats itself turns to history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/history-that-repeats-itself-turns-to-farce-farce-that-repeats-itself/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [Keep in mind that the Iraqis are not telling us anything we don't already know or can't prove. This is what makes this whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/keep-in-mind-that-the-iraqis-are-not-telling-us-anything-we-don-t/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I have observed that in comedies the best actor plays the droll, while some scrub rogue is made the fine gentleman or hero. Thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/i-have-observed-that-in-comedies-the-best-actor-plays-the-droll-while/) [Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/) > [One of the great problems of philosophy, is the relationship between the realm of knowledge and the realm of values. Knowledge is what is;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-monod/one-of-the-great-problems-of-philosophy-is-the-relationship-between/) [Jacques Monod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-monod/) > [As so often, a political event involving Donald Trump looks like swinging wildly between melodrama and farce. The Republican National Convention in Cleveland has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-colvin/as-so-often-a-political-event-involving-donald-trump-looks-like/) [Mark Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-colvin/) > [“After a tragedy, a farce. Philosophy enters into her power, and the earth returns under one's feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/after-a-tragedy-a-farce-philosophy-enters-into-her-power-and-the/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [In the best farce today we start with some absurd premise as to character or situation, but if the premises be once granted we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-best-farce-today-we-start-with-some-absurd-premise-as-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anthony Powell > [I was impressed for the ten thousandth time by the fact that literature illuminates life only for those to whom books are a necessity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/i-was-impressed-for-the-ten-thousandth-time-by-the-fact-that/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [“Like everything that's any good, it has about twenty different meanings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/like-everything-that-s-any-good-it-has-about-twenty-different-meanings/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [“I have absolutely no histrionic talent, none at all, a constitutional handicap in almost all undertakings of life;but then, after all, plenty of actors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/i-have-absolutely-no-histrionic-talent-none-at-all-a-constitutional/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [“The crematorium was a blaze of sunshine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/the-crematorium-was-a-blaze-of-sunshine/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [Parents. . . are sometimes a bit of a disappointment to their children. They don't fulfil the promise of their early years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/parents-are-sometimes-a-bit-of-a-disappointment-to-their-children/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [“Her expression was oafish, but it was on the whole this quality that gave her face a certain retentive efficacy. She had the look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/her-expression-was-oafish-but-it-was-on-the-whole-this-quality-that/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [“Enormous simplifications were possibly necessary to carry a deeper truth than lay on the surface of a mass of unsorted detail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/enormous-simplifications-were-possibly-necessary-to-carry-a-deeper/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [“I hate anything superficial. But I will take the book and look at it, and tell you what I think of the writing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/i-hate-anything-superficial-but-i-will-take-the-book-and-look-at-it/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [“It is rather an occasion, darling,’ said Moreland, vexed at these objections. ‘After all, I am noted among composers for the smallness of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/it-is-rather-an-occasion-darling-said-moreland-vexed-at-these/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [“There seemed no particular object in avoiding banality from the start, as the evening showed every sign of developing into a banal one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/there-seemed-no-particular-object-in-avoiding-banality-from-the-start/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [Dinner at the Huntercombes possessed only two dramatic features: the wine was a farce and the food a tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/dinner-at-the-huntercombes-possessed-only-two-dramatic-features-the/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [“Even then I did not recognise the quest for power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/even-then-i-did-not-recognise-the-quest-for-power/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [“Some of the best of us are quite unambitious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/some-of-the-best-of-us-are-quite-unambitious/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [One passes through the world knowing few, if any, of the important things about even the people with whom one has been from time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/one-passes-through-the-world-knowing-few-if-any-of-the-important/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [“He stood pondering this flat, forthright declaration of anti-simianism on Miss Weedon’s part. The notion that some people might not like monkeys was evidently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/he-stood-pondering-this-flat-forthright-declaration-of-anti-simianism/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) [Explore all 156 Anthony Powell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) ## 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": "On the stage . . . masks are assumed with some regard to procedure; in everyday life, the participants act their parts without consideration either for suitability of scene or for the words spoken by the rest of the cast: the result is a general tendency for things to be brought to the level of farce even when the theme is serious enough.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anthony Powell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/on-the-stage-masks-are-assumed-with-some-regard-to-procedure-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/on-the-stage-masks-are-assumed-with-some-regard-to-procedure-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/anthony-powell-2659_actor_on-the-stage-masks-are-assumed-with-some_2915102.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/anthony-powell-2659_actor_on-the-stage-masks-are-assumed-with-some_2915102.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/anthony-powell-2659_actor_on-the-stage-masks-are-assumed-with-some_2915102.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“On the stage . . . masks are assumed with some regard to procedure; in everyday life, the participants act…” — Anthony Powell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anthony Powell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "On the stage . . ....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/on-the-stage-masks-are-assumed-with-some-regard-to-procedure-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/on-the-stage-masks-are-assumed-with-some-regard-to-procedure-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```