---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This directing thing just sort of fell my…"
description: "\"This directing thing just sort of fell my way and landed in my lap.\" — Charles S. Dutton"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/charles-s-dutton-32208_fell_this-directing-thing-just-sort-of-fell-m_437811.png"
---

#  This directing thing just sort of fell my way and landed…

![“This directing thing just sort of fell my way and landed in my lap.” quote by Charles S. Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/charles-s-dutton-32208_fell_this-directing-thing-just-sort-of-fell-m_437811.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/charles-s-dutton-32208_fell_this-directing-thing-just-sort-of-fell-m_437811.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/charles-s-dutton-32208_fell_this-directing-thing-just-sort-of-fell-m_437811.png)

> “This directing thing just sort of fell my way and landed in my lap.”

[Charles S. Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Unexpected opportunities can appear without effort, landing in one’s lap

**In simple terms:** Luck can bring opportunities without planning

Key Takeaway

Stay open to chance and be ready to act

Themes

luck opportunity career

Mood

optimistic thoughtful

Type

motivational inspirational

When to use this quote

- job offers
- networking
- creative projects

Key Concepts

serendipity agency

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you prepare for unexpected chances?
- Do you welcome luck or seek control?

A Different Perspective

Relying solely on luck ignores preparation

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [I've been interested in the writing/directing thing and really fell into acting by complete accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domhnall-gleeson/i-ve-been-interested-in-the-writing-directing-thing-and-really-fell/)

[Domhnall Gleeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domhnall-gleeson/)

> [I think the only directing I'd be any good at is theatre directing. It's the only thing I can see myself doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-think-the-only-directing-i-d-be-any-good-at-is-theatre-directing-it/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [Much more than wanting to be cast as the skinny Jew in something, I'd rather be the guy who is directing the thing he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-amstell/much-more-than-wanting-to-be-cast-as-the-skinny-jew-in-something-i-d/)

[Simon Amstell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-amstell/)

> [Elia Kazan. He wrote my favorite book about filmmaking, 'Elia Kazan: On Directing.' There is a thing in the book that I do every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/elia-kazan-he-wrote-my-favorite-book-about-filmmaking-elia-kazan-on/)

[Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/)

> [While my megalomania knows no bounds, directing is one thing I have never really done. I directed a couple of plays. That was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-earl-brown/while-my-megalomania-knows-no-bounds-directing-is-one-thing-i-have/)

[W. Earl Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-earl-brown/)

> [I'm always writing, but directing takes priority over everything, unless the acting is a job that lifts that whole brand. If I get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-clarke/i-m-always-writing-but-directing-takes-priority-over-everything/)

[Noel Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-clarke/)

> [I've done all the other kind of production work on films than directing really badly. That is the truth. It's made me a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azazel-jacobs/i-ve-done-all-the-other-kind-of-production-work-on-films-than/)

[Azazel Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azazel-jacobs/)

> [Definitely directing is the thing I like the most because this is where everything you know can be used. It's the most personal process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-luna/definitely-directing-is-the-thing-i-like-the-most-because-this-is/)

[Diego Luna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-luna/)

> [Every now and then I have to teach directing. The thing about the theatre is that the most important thing you can do as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/every-now-and-then-i-have-to-teach-directing-the-thing-about-the/)

[Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/)

> [The directing thing, to do it well, I think you have to have a hell of a lot more discipline than I do, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/the-directing-thing-to-do-it-well-i-think-you-have-to-have-a-hell-of/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [I had been doing all my school plays, elementary school, middle school, and high school, and then summer. I'd wanted to act for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mintz-plasse/i-had-been-doing-all-my-school-plays-elementary-school-middle-school/)

[Christopher Mintz-Plasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mintz-plasse/)

> [Malayalam films just fell into my lap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padmapriya-janakiraman/malayalam-films-just-fell-into-my-lap/)

[Padmapriya Janakiraman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padmapriya-janakiraman/)

> [I enjoy the acting, but I didn't plan on that. It fell into my lap, and I'm having a lot of fun with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-labrava/i-enjoy-the-acting-but-i-didn-t-plan-on-that-it-fell-into-my-lap-and/)

[David Labrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-labrava/)

> [I never went after fame. It fell into my lap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlyn-jenner/i-never-went-after-fame-it-fell-into-my-lap/)

[Caitlyn Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlyn-jenner/)

> [By the gift of God, WWE fell into my lap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-brooke/by-the-gift-of-god-wwe-fell-into-my-lap/)

[Dana Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-brooke/)

## More by Charles S. Dutton

> [First of all, you look at Rocky films now, and if that isn't a cartoon series there isn't any cartoon series. I mean there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/first-of-all-you-look-at-rocky-films-now-and-if-that-isn-t-a-cartoon/)

[Charles S. Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/)

> [I don't even know if I can call myself a director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/i-don-t-even-know-if-i-can-call-myself-a-director/)

[Charles S. Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/)

> [I didn't go to film school, I went to acting school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/i-didn-t-go-to-film-school-i-went-to-acting-school/)

[Charles S. Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/)

> [Because I killed a guy in real life, and because my character kills a guy onstage, they said I could never do anything this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/because-i-killed-a-guy-in-real-life-and-because-my-character-kills-a/)

[Charles S. Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/)

> [Acting is the easiest money you'll ever make in your life, and directing is probably the hardest money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/acting-is-the-easiest-money-you-ll-ever-make-in-your-life-and/)

[Charles S. Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/)

> [And like everybody else, I like the Rocky movies, but if you look at them again you can see all the misses, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/and-like-everybody-else-i-like-the-rocky-movies-but-if-you-look-at/)

[Charles S. Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/)

> [The thing is, the studio then forget that you're an actor and that you can do other things, and so since they pay you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/the-thing-is-the-studio-then-forget-that-you-re-an-actor-and-that-you/)

[Charles S. Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/)

> [I'm trying my hand at writing. I'm writing a couple of projects for HBO, a half hour comedy and a miniseries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/i-m-trying-my-hand-at-writing-i-m-writing-a-couple-of-projects-for/)

[Charles S. Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/)

> [What I learned as an actor was the only way you could really do August Wilson's work, you had to leave an ounce of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/what-i-learned-as-an-actor-was-the-only-way-you-could-really-do/)

[Charles S. Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/)

> [I just don't want to do a movie because it paid me a lot of money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/i-just-don-t-want-to-do-a-movie-because-it-paid-me-a-lot-of-money/)

[Charles S. Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/)

> [For me, I have to love it and feel something for it because you're going to be stuck with it for two years, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/for-me-i-have-to-love-it-and-feel-something-for-it-because-you-re/)

[Charles S. Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/)

> [I still make more money as I do as an actor than director, however I don't want to be a commercial director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/i-still-make-more-money-as-i-do-as-an-actor-than-director-however-i/)

[Charles S. Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/)

> [You're 5 feet nothing, a hundred and nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/you-re-5-feet-nothing-a-hundred-and-nothing/)

[Charles S. Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/)

> [Juan Hernandez was an actor out of New York, but what made Juan so great and what made Omar so great was that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/juan-hernandez-was-an-actor-out-of-new-york-but-what-made-juan-so/)

[Charles S. Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/)

[Explore all 15 Charles S. Dutton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/)

## More Fell quotes

> [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/)

[Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/)

> [By the gift of God, WWE fell into my lap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-brooke/by-the-gift-of-god-wwe-fell-into-my-lap/)

[Dana Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-brooke/)

> [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/)

Farnaz Fassihi

> [Nationally, the share of mortgages that are underwater fell by about one-half between 2011 and 2014.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/nationally-the-share-of-mortgages-that-are-underwater-fell-by-about/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [I changed my mind because of a scene between Howard Cunningham and Richie. The father-son situation was written so movingly, I fell in love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bosley/i-changed-my-mind-because-of-a-scene-between-howard-cunningham-and/)

[Tom Bosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bosley/)

> [In seventh grade, with some vague sense that I wanted to be a writer, I crouched in the junior high school library stacks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/in-seventh-grade-with-some-vague-sense-that-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-i/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

> [I have lived with passion and in a hurry, trying to accomplish too many things. I never had time to think about my beliefs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-have-lived-with-passion-and-in-a-hurry-trying-to-accomplish-too/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [“Everything fell apart in me. How are things with you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/everything-fell-apart-in-me-how-are-things-with-you/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [We have held forums here at the White House on workplace flexibility, and the first major bill signed into law by President Obama was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-jarrett/we-have-held-forums-here-at-the-white-house-on-workplace-flexibility/)

[Valerie Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-jarrett/)

> [I sort of fell into acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-donnell/i-sort-of-fell-into-acting/)

[Colin Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-donnell/)

> [Somehow, while I wasn't looking, I fell. And I fell hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-leighton/somehow-while-i-wasn-t-looking-i-fell-and-i-fell-hard/)

[M. Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-leighton/)

> [In college, one of my favorite classes was a six-week class watching horror movies. 'The Bad Seed' was one of them and was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-leslie-johnson/in-college-one-of-my-favorite-classes-was-a-six-week-class-watching/)

David Leslie Johnson

> [I’ve been listening to how the Roman Empire fell and all I can say is, it didn’t fall nearly fast enough!”-Iggy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/i-ve-been-listening-to-how-the-roman-empire-fell-and-all-i-can-say-is/)

[James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/)

> [I spent 25 years clearly understanding that I'm not gonna meet Bono or the Edge. But then it happened at the Grammys when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristian-bush/i-spent-25-years-clearly-understanding-that-i-m-not-gonna-meet-bono/)

[Kristian Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristian-bush/)

> [When I was first introduced to CrossFit, I found it to be the hardest workout that I'd ever done. It wiped the floor with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-harper/when-i-was-first-introduced-to-crossfit-i-found-it-to-be-the-hardest/)

[Bob Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-harper/)

Browse all 530 Fell quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "This directing thing just sort of fell my way and landed in my lap.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles S. Dutton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/this-directing-thing-just-sort-of-fell-my-way-and-landed-in-my-lap/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fell"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/this-directing-thing-just-sort-of-fell-my-way-and-landed-in-my-lap/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/charles-s-dutton-32208_fell_this-directing-thing-just-sort-of-fell-m_437811.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/charles-s-dutton-32208_fell_this-directing-thing-just-sort-of-fell-m_437811.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/charles-s-dutton-32208_fell_this-directing-thing-just-sort-of-fell-m_437811.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“This directing thing just sort of fell my way and landed in my lap.” — Charles S. Dutton",
                "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": "Charles S. Dutton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-s-dutton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "This directing thing just sort of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/this-directing-thing-just-sort-of-fell-my-way-and-landed-in-my-lap/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-s-dutton/this-directing-thing-just-sort-of-fell-my-way-and-landed-in-my-lap/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
