--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I painted from the time I was five years…" description: "\"I painted from the time I was five years old. I was going to be a painter, an actor, a director, and a writer.\" — Dennis Hopper" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/dennis-hopper-8988_actor_i-painted-from-the-time-i-was-five-years_1366560.jpg" --- # I painted from the time I was five years old. I was going… ![“I painted from the time I was five years old. I was going to be a painter, an actor, a director, and a writer.” quote by Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/dennis-hopper-8988_actor_i-painted-from-the-time-i-was-five-years_1366560.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/dennis-hopper-8988_actor_i-painted-from-the-time-i-was-five-years_1366560.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/dennis-hopper-8988_actor_i-painted-from-the-time-i-was-five-years_1366560.jpg) > “I painted from the time I was five years old. I was going to be a painter, an actor, a director, and a writer.” [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early artistic ambition drives lifelong creative pursuits across multiple fields **In simple terms:** Childhood dreams shape adult careers Key Takeaway Nurture early passions into skills Themes ambition creativity multidisciplinary Mood reflective inspirational Type artistic motivational When to use this quote - education choices - career transitions - personal projects - collaborations Key Concepts psychology career development artistic identity Questions to Reflect On - Which early passion still fuels you? - How can you integrate multiple creative roles? A Different Perspective Risk of spreading focus too thin across domains ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/director/) [Five years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five-years/) [Going Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-painter-388840/) [Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old/) [Painted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painted/) [Painted Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painted-time-476577/) [Painter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter/) [Painter Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painter-actor-794286/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I get really tired of getting painted up all the time. Basically, I'm a bum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-fairchild/i-get-really-tired-of-getting-painted-up-all-the-time-basically-i-m-a/) [Morgan Fairchild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-fairchild/) > [You can't say I'm going to become a painter in the same way you say I'm going to become a dentist. Or maybe you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brice-marden/you-can-t-say-i-m-going-to-become-a-painter-in-the-same-way-you-say-i/) [Brice Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brice-marden/) > [I used to think I was going to be a painter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sexyy-red/i-used-to-think-i-was-going-to-be-a-painter/) [Sexyy Red](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sexyy-red/) > [I thought, oh, I'm going to be a painter. And eventually my family had moved near Chicago, and when I graduated from high school,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-thought-oh-i-m-going-to-be-a-painter-and-eventually-my-family-had/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [The difference between the actor and the painter is that the actor would buy somebody a knish in order to have them watch him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-pacino/the-difference-between-the-actor-and-the-painter-is-that-the-actor/) [Al Pacino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-pacino/) > [I think I'm a much better painter than an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/i-think-i-m-a-much-better-painter-than-an-actor/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) > [Painted time is a different zone. This is why I don't believe that a painting - although I've been accused of it many times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-tuymans/painted-time-is-a-different-zone-this-is-why-i-don-t-believe-that-a/) [Luc Tuymans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-tuymans/) > [There's a moment when you say, "Okay, I'm not going to become a dancer. I'm not going to become a painter." So in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roselee-goldberg/there-s-a-moment-when-you-say-okay-i-m-not-going-to-become-a-dancer-i/) [Roselee Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roselee-goldberg/) > [When I was in high school, I was going to be a painter because I had a facility for painting. I could do it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-mclaughlin/when-i-was-in-high-school-i-was-going-to-be-a-painter-because-i-had-a/) [Ellen McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-mclaughlin/) > [I was 100 percent sure when I left university that I was going to be a painter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-miller/i-was-100-percent-sure-when-i-left-university-that-i-was-going-to-be/) [Rebecca Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-miller/) > [I never consciously said, 'I want to be an actor.' It sounds stupid, but it's kind of like being a painter or something. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franka-potente/i-never-consciously-said-i-want-to-be-an-actor-it-sounds-stupid-but/) [Franka Potente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franka-potente/) > [I spent all of my childhood at a performance art camp. Putting on plays, it was more like commedia dell'arte. It wasn't career-oriented in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-garity/i-spent-all-of-my-childhood-at-a-performance-art-camp-putting-on/) [Troy Garity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-garity/) > [I was going to be a painter. I went to art school - but every 16-year-old wants to be a painter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waite/i-was-going-to-be-a-painter-i-went-to-art-school-but-every-16-year/) [John Waite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waite/) > [I'd just sort of gravitated toward the arts, and I had always loved music and really loved theater, even though I didn't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-jenkins/i-d-just-sort-of-gravitated-toward-the-arts-and-i-had-always-loved/) [Patty Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-jenkins/) > [I have painted enough to have a lot of respect for mediocre painters. It's really hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schjeldahl/i-have-painted-enough-to-have-a-lot-of-respect-for-mediocre-painters/) [Peter Schjeldahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schjeldahl/) ## More by Dennis Hopper > [The best and only authentic book written on the sixties underground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/the-best-and-only-authentic-book-written-on-the-sixties-underground/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [When some people were going around being surf bums and tennis bums, I was being a gallery bum. I really liked galleries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/when-some-people-were-going-around-being-surf-bums-and-tennis-bums-i/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [I used to have to wear a gas mask to school when I was a kid because of the dust. I would tell people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-used-to-have-to-wear-a-gas-mask-to-school-when-i-was-a-kid-because/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [I did a video with Mick Jagger down in Rio de Janeiro. But I played a video director, and that's the closest I've gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-did-a-video-with-mick-jagger-down-in-rio-de-janeiro-but-i-played-a/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [Like all artists, I want to cheat death a little and contribute something to the next generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/like-all-artists-i-want-to-cheat-death-a-little-and-contribute/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [I'm just a middle-class farm boy from Dodge City, Kansas. And I always thought that acting was art, writing was art, music was art,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-m-just-a-middle-class-farm-boy-from-dodge-city-kansas-and-i-always/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [You know, this is such a rich time that we've just been involved in, and there's really a job now for historians. Film is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/you-know-this-is-such-a-rich-time-that-we-ve-just-been-involved-in/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [I am just a middle-class farm boy from Dodge City and my grandparents were wheat farmers. I thought painting, acting, directing and photography were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-am-just-a-middle-class-farm-boy-from-dodge-city-and-my-grandparents/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [ The inside of the Pentagon is an incredible place and a dramatic set. We do \[travel\] outside, but the inside workings of the civilian… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/the-inside-of-the-pentagon-is-an-incredible-place-and-a-dramatic-set/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [It's strange: I always try to do the best acting job I can do under the imaginary circumstances of my working position at any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/it-s-strange-i-always-try-to-do-the-best-acting-job-i-can-do-under/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [... I'm sort of a nervous person with the camera, so I will just shoot arbitrarily until I can focus and compose something, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/i-m-sort-of-a-nervous-person-with-the-camera-so-i-will-just-shoot/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [ \[After Easy Rider\] I couldn't get another movie, so I lived in Mexico City for a couple of years. I lived in Paris for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/after-easy-rider-i-couldn-t-get-another-movie-so-i-lived-in-mexico/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [Society loves to put bubbles up there and pop them, and I resent it. I'd rather expose myself myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/society-loves-to-put-bubbles-up-there-and-pop-them-and-i-resent-it-i/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [My whole written history is one big lie! I mean, I can't even believe my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/my-whole-written-history-is-one-big-lie-i-mean-i-can-t-even-believe/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) > [Banks wont even loan each other money, everybody's going broke, and here we are inside here, these people are going to be out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hopper/banks-wont-even-loan-each-other-money-everybody-s-going-broke-and/) [Dennis Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) [Explore all 76 Dennis Hopper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hopper/) ## 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 painted from the time I was five years old. 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