--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a long time, I debated about whether…" description: "\"For a long time, I debated about whether I would make movies or join the circus and work as a clown.\" — Denis Lavant" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab1/denis-lavant-59643_circus_for-a-long-time-i-debated-about-whether_2671831.jpg" --- # For a long time, I debated about whether I would make… ![“For a long time, I debated about whether I would make movies or join the circus and work as a clown.” quote by Denis Lavant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab1/denis-lavant-59643_circus_for-a-long-time-i-debated-about-whether_2671831.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab1/denis-lavant-59643_circus_for-a-long-time-i-debated-about-whether_2671831.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab1/denis-lavant-59643_circus_for-a-long-time-i-debated-about-whether_2671831.jpg) > “For a long time, I debated about whether I would make movies or join the circus and work as a clown.” [Denis Lavant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-lavant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He contemplated between filmmaking and circus performance, reflecting on unconventional career paths. **In simple terms:** He was unsure whether to become a filmmaker or a circus clown. Key Takeaway Explore diverse creative possibilities. Themes career creativity identity Mood reflective inspirational Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - film schools - circus troupes - freelance projects - workshops Key Concepts artistic expression risk taking Questions to Reflect On - What passions could you pursue beyond traditional jobs? - How does fear influence career decisions? A Different Perspective Societal expectations may limit unconventional choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Circus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circus/) [Clown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clown/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [When I was a kid, I wanted to be a clown. I didn't want to be an actor, I wanted to join the circus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-stonestreet/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a-clown-i-didn-t-want-to-be-an-actor/) [Eric Stonestreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-stonestreet/) > [I'm not sure how a world leader reacts to the work of a clown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/i-m-not-sure-how-a-world-leader-reacts-to-the-work-of-a-clown/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) > [When I was a little boy, I wanted to be a baseball player and also join the circus. With the Yankees, I've accomplished both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graig-nettles/when-i-was-a-little-boy-i-wanted-to-be-a-baseball-player-and-also/) [Graig Nettles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graig-nettles/) > [It's like running away to join the circus, everyone wants to do it when they're young but then you grow up and get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgrath/it-s-like-running-away-to-join-the-circus-everyone-wants-to-do-it/) [Katie McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgrath/) > [“I know what I'll do. I'll run away. I'll join the circus. I'll juggle cats. I have experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-leon/i-know-what-i-ll-do-i-ll-run-away-i-ll-join-the-circus-i-ll-juggle/) Peggy Leon > [As a kid, the theatre always felt a bit like running away to join the circus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sean-leonard/as-a-kid-the-theatre-always-felt-a-bit-like-running-away-to-join-the/) [Robert Sean Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sean-leonard/) > [You run away to join \*another\* circus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king-aka-the-covert-comic/you-run-away-to-join-another-circus/) [John Alejandro King Aka The Covert Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king-aka-the-covert-comic/) > [You start in April and cross to the time of May One has you as it leaves, one as it comes Since the edges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/you-start-in-april-and-cross-to-the-time-of-may-one-has-you-as-it/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [“Hell - you'll be lucky to join the circus!" "I don't need to join the circus." Ethan stretches his arms to the sky, bored…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/addison-moore/hell-you-ll-be-lucky-to-join-the-circus-i-don-t-need-to-join-the/) [Addison Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/addison-moore/) > [“If you don't want to be a gawker, you've gotta join the circus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-califa/if-you-don-t-want-to-be-a-gawker-you-ve-gotta-join-the-circus/) Patrick Califa > [“What, no balloons?' Billi asked drily. 'You want balloons, join the circus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarwat-chadda/what-no-balloons-billi-asked-drily-you-want-balloons-join-the-circus/) [Sarwat Chadda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarwat-chadda/) > [“Just a few more years and then we'll join the circus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-s-jones/just-a-few-more-years-and-then-we-ll-join-the-circus/) [Ray S. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-s-jones/) > [I've said it from the very beginning: Fighting the best guys in the world doesn't pay as good as the circus. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-alvarez/i-ve-said-it-from-the-very-beginning-fighting-the-best-guys-in-the/) [Eddie Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-alvarez/) > [I think I'll be a clown when I get grown… There ain't one thing in this world I can do about folks except laugh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-think-i-ll-be-a-clown-when-i-get-grown-there-ain-t-one-thing-in/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I write because I want more than one life; I insist on a wider selection. It’s greed, plain and simple. When my characters join…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/i-write-because-i-want-more-than-one-life-i-insist-on-a-wider-2/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) ## More by Denis Lavant > [It's something that I learned even before I started acting: the movement, the dance of the body, is very important, and it comes before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lavant/it-s-something-that-i-learned-even-before-i-started-acting-the/) [Denis Lavant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-lavant/) > [Physical expression was my first language: Before I was an actor, I was a dancer, an acrobat, a mime and a street performer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lavant/physical-expression-was-my-first-language-before-i-was-an-actor-i-was/) [Denis Lavant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-lavant/) > [I have 30 years of experience working with Leos Carax, so all the films of Leos Carax are unusual or unique. I look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lavant/i-have-30-years-of-experience-working-with-leos-carax-so-all-the/) [Denis Lavant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-lavant/) > [There's no doubt that I owe a lot to my training of stage acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lavant/there-s-no-doubt-that-i-owe-a-lot-to-my-training-of-stage-acting/) [Denis Lavant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-lavant/) [Explore all 5 Denis Lavant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-lavant/) ## More Circus quotes > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [Blind with love, my daughter has cried nightly for horses, those long-necked marchers and churners that she has mastered, any and all, reigning them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/blind-with-love-my-daughter-has-cried-nightly-for-horses-those-long/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [In Roslyn, Pennsylvania, we started our real-life family circus. They provided the inspiration for my cartoons. I provided the perspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/in-roslyn-pennsylvania-we-started-our-real-life-family-circus-they/) [Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/) > [Circus clown. That's a new one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/circus-clown-that-s-a-new-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Funerals and weddings were commonplace, and nothing could have been so interesting to them as the coming of the end of the world ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-eggleston/funerals-and-weddings-were-commonplace-and-nothing-could-have-been-so/) [Edward Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-eggleston/) > [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. They seek each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-are-enthusiasts-devotees-addicts-something-about-the-circus/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [When I was 18 I worked with the Ringling Brothers circus, taking care of menagerie animals. I used to rather deliberately risk my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/when-i-was-18-i-worked-with-the-ringling-brothers-circus-taking-care/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [So what if I'm ninety-three? So what if I'm ancient and cranky and my body's a wreck? If they're willing to accept me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/so-what-if-i-m-ninety-three-so-what-if-i-m-ancient-and-cranky-and-my/) [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) > [Writing is for men who can think and feel, not mindless sensation seekers out of nightclubs and bars. But these are bad times. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/writing-is-for-men-who-can-think-and-feel-not-mindless-sensation/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [“If i'm gonna be described as a clown for my actions, I might aswell be a whole circus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bee/if-i-m-gonna-be-described-as-a-clown-for-my-actions-i-might-aswell-be/) [Bee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bee/) > [I've had 79 to 80 years of show business. I started when I was 5 with a man called Tom Mix. I didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sidney/i-ve-had-79-to-80-years-of-show-business-i-started-when-i-was-5-with/) George Sidney > [When I'm on stage, it's really intense. My mind is going a million miles an hour, trying to remember my act, trying to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/when-i-m-on-stage-it-s-really-intense-my-mind-is-going-a-million/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I unconsciously decided that, even if it wasn't an ideal world, it should be. So I painted only the ideal aspects of it -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-rockwell/i-unconsciously-decided-that-even-if-it-wasn-t-an-ideal-world-it/) [Norman Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-rockwell/) > [The circus tent was flowing pale in the rain like a fleshy flower lit from within. It seemed to bloom in the downpour. Drops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/the-circus-tent-was-flowing-pale-in-the-rain-like-a-fleshy-flower-lit/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [My father used to describe how he'd love going, early in the morning, out on a location and waiting for the trucks to arrive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-broccoli/my-father-used-to-describe-how-he-d-love-going-early-in-the-morning/) [Barbara Broccoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-broccoli/) [Browse all 606 Circus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circus/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For a long time, I debated about whether I would make movies or join the circus and work as a clown.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Denis Lavant" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lavant/for-a-long-time-i-debated-about-whether-i-would-make-movies-or-join/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Circus" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lavant/for-a-long-time-i-debated-about-whether-i-would-make-movies-or-join/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab1/denis-lavant-59643_circus_for-a-long-time-i-debated-about-whether_2671831.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab1/denis-lavant-59643_circus_for-a-long-time-i-debated-about-whether_2671831.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab1/denis-lavant-59643_circus_for-a-long-time-i-debated-about-whether_2671831.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For a long time, I debated about whether I would make movies or join the circus and work as a clown.” — Denis Lavant", "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": "Denis Lavant", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-lavant/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For a long time, I debated...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lavant/for-a-long-time-i-debated-about-whether-i-would-make-movies-or-join/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lavant/for-a-long-time-i-debated-about-whether-i-would-make-movies-or-join/#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 } } ] } ```