--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I figured that to be a writer I would…" description: "\"I figured that to be a writer I would need to have been born in the nineteenth century, be British, or have three names. So I turned my sights elsewher..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/debra-dean-17204_acting_i-figured-that-to-be-a-writer-i-would-ne_1688988.jpg" --- # I figured that to be a writer I would need to have been… ![“I figured that to be a writer I would need to have been born in the nineteenth century, be British, or have three names. So I turned my sights elsewhere . . . to acting.” quote by Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/debra-dean-17204_acting_i-figured-that-to-be-a-writer-i-would-ne_1688988.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/debra-dean-17204_acting_i-figured-that-to-be-a-writer-i-would-ne_1688988.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/254/debra-dean-17204_acting_i-figured-that-to-be-a-writer-i-would-ne_1688988.jpg) > “I figured that to be a writer I would need to have been born in the nineteenth century, be British, or have three names. So I turned my sights elsewhere . . . to acting.” [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She feels that being a writer requires a specific era, nationality, or name, so she redirects her ambition to acting. **In simple terms:** She believes writing needs a certain background, so she chooses acting instead. Key Takeaway Adapt your path when constraints feel limiting. Themes identity career creativity self‑belief adaptation Mood reflective determined Type inspirational personal When to use this quote - publishing - theatre auditions - creative workshops - self‑reflection Key Concepts cultural expectations personal narrative career pivot Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your identity shape your creative choices? - Can you thrive without fitting a stereotype? A Different Perspective Success may still depend on talent, not just background. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [British](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/) [Nineteenth century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nineteenth-century/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [...One reason I became a writer was that I figured out that if you call yourself a writer, you can read all you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/one-reason-i-became-a-writer-was-that-i-figured-out-that-if-you-call/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [My sights have always been on acting, on the creative process, never the lifestyle. Growing up in Northern Ireland when I did, everything was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-morgan/my-sights-have-always-been-on-acting-on-the-creative-process-never/) [Colin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-morgan/) > [“It’s not enough to say it; you would need to take it out of your mouth, you would need to become it. You would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-campanioni/it-s-not-enough-to-say-it-you-would-need-to-take-it-out-of-your-mouth-2/) [Chris Campanioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-campanioni/) > [We do need to be born again, since Jesus said that to a guy named Nicodemus. But if you tell me I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/we-do-need-to-be-born-again-since-jesus-said-that-to-a-guy-named/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [Every person born into the world represents something new, something that never existed before, something original and unique…If there had been someone like her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/every-person-born-into-the-world-represents-something-new-something/) [Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/) > [I don't need to be born again. I got it right the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/i-don-t-need-to-be-born-again-i-got-it-right-the-first-time/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) > [But, someone, please give me—who is born again but still so much in need of being born anew—give me the details of how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/but-someone-please-give-me-who-is-born-again-but-still-so-much-in/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [I think a lot of people assume you need to be born into a special creative family to have a career as a writer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fallon/i-think-a-lot-of-people-assume-you-need-to-be-born-into-a-special/) [Jane Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fallon/) > [It's not enough to say it; you would need to take it out of your mouth, you would need to become it. You would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-campanioni/it-s-not-enough-to-say-it-you-would-need-to-take-it-out-of-your-mouth/) [Chris Campanioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-campanioni/) > [To build a twenty-first-century economy, America must revive a nineteenth-century habit--investing in the common, national economic resources that enable every person and every firm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/to-build-a-twenty-first-century-economy-america-must-revive-a/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [“As such, the usual pattern of interaction between a critical juncture and existing institutional differences leading to further institutional and economic divergence played out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daron-acemo-lu/as-such-the-usual-pattern-of-interaction-between-a-critical-juncture/) [Daron Acemoğlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daron-acemo-lu/) > [“One third of all Scots in the mid-nineteenth century moved from one county to another”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/one-third-of-all-scots-in-the-mid-nineteenth-century-moved-from-one/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Nineteenth-century English literature I know; 19th-century sewage systems, not so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/nineteenth-century-english-literature-i-know-19th-century-sewage/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) ## More by Debra Dean > [“Whatever we know as children, this is the world, eaten whole and without question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/whatever-we-know-as-children-this-is-the-world-eaten-whole-and/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“What is heartbreaking is that there is still beauty in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/what-is-heartbreaking-is-that-there-is-still-beauty-in-the-world/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [I kept writing short stories and sending out my manuscript, and it kept coming back like a bad penny. It was rejected all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/i-kept-writing-short-stories-and-sending-out-my-manuscript-and-it/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [That requires quite an imaginative leap because it's hard for me to imagine that my biography would be of much interest to anyone, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/that-requires-quite-an-imaginative-leap-because-it-s-hard-for-me-to/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“Whatever is eating her brain consumes only the fresher memories, the unripe moments”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/whatever-is-eating-her-brain-consumes-only-the-fresher-memories-the/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [With the historical fictions, I was already doing so much research, and so much of the stories was anchored by historical truth that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/with-the-historical-fictions-i-was-already-doing-so-much-research-and/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Whatever one may say about the perils of workshops, they help writers internalize an awareness of audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/whatever-one-may-say-about-the-perils-of-workshops-they-help-writers/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Peculiar as I was, and remain, I was trained to be practical. I'm still amazed at the radical temerity of my friends, you included,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/peculiar-as-i-was-and-remain-i-was-trained-to-be-practical-i-m-still/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Unless you're Stephen King or Joyce Carol Oates, no one's going to recognize you on the street, and you're promoting your book, not yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/unless-you-re-stephen-king-or-joyce-carol-oates-no-one-s-going-to/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [I tell my students, if you're interested in marine biology or llama farming, follow that string. Yes, it will probably take you a longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/i-tell-my-students-if-you-re-interested-in-marine-biology-or-llama/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Along the way, I've worked as a waitress, I've done phone surveys, and worked as a receptionist, and for the last twenty years I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/along-the-way-i-ve-worked-as-a-waitress-i-ve-done-phone-surveys-and/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“He nods solemnly and repeats the stock response of the Housing Committee whenever they address the perpetual shortage of apartments in Leningrad. “Privacy is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/he-nods-solemnly-and-repeats-the-stock-response-of-the-housing/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“Each day, the world is made fresh again, holy, and she takes it in, in all its raw intensity, like a young child. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/each-day-the-world-is-made-fresh-again-holy-and-she-takes-it-in-in/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Practicality continues to be a challenge for me - it's at odds with being an artist. I actually had a career on stage in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/practicality-continues-to-be-a-challenge-for-me-it-s-at-odds-with/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“is eating her brain consumes only the fresher memories, the unripe moments. Her distant past is preserved, better than preserved. Moments that occurred in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/is-eating-her-brain-consumes-only-the-fresher-memories-the-unripe/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) [Explore all 37 Debra Dean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) ## More Acting 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/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [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/) > [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/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. 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