--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: College football, acting, opera singing…" description: "\"College football, acting, opera singing - I approached them all in the same obsessive way.\" — Forest Whitaker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/forest-whitaker-3022_acting_college-football-acting-opera-singing-i_2101907.jpg" --- # College football, acting, opera singing - I approached… ![“College football, acting, opera singing - I approached them all in the same obsessive way.” quote by Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/forest-whitaker-3022_acting_college-football-acting-opera-singing-i_2101907.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/forest-whitaker-3022_acting_college-football-acting-opera-singing-i_2101907.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c3/forest-whitaker-3022_acting_college-football-acting-opera-singing-i_2101907.jpg) > “College football, acting, opera singing - I approached them all in the same obsessive way.” [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He treats diverse pursuits with the same intense dedication, seeing them as a single passion applied across fields. **In simple terms:** Obsessive focus across activities. Key Takeaway Apply consistent passion. Themes dedication passion discipline Mood intense focused Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - acting - opera singing - college football - training routines Key Concepts obsessive drive cross‑disciplinary focus Questions to Reflect On - How does obsessive focus affect balance? - Can intensity be sustained long‑term? A Different Perspective Obsessive approach may cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Approached Obsessive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approached-obsessive-4201549/) [College football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college-football/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Football Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football-acting-1478099/) [Obsessive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsessive/) [Obsessive Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsessive-way-2492395/) [Opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opera/) [Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing/) [Singing Approached](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing-approached-4201550/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“For a long time, I was in love with her in that diffuse, ambiguous, and obsessive way that can never be explained to strangers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/for-a-long-time-i-was-in-love-with-her-in-that-diffuse-ambiguous-and/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [That's what I try to do as a writer and as the editor of HuffPost: cover important stories in an obsessive way that enables…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/that-s-what-i-try-to-do-as-a-writer-and-as-the-editor-of-huffpost/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [If I gave up writing, I'd have to find an equally obsessive way to fill my time. Yarn-bombing skyscrapers or making houses out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eden-robinson/if-i-gave-up-writing-i-d-have-to-find-an-equally-obsessive-way-to/) [Eden Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eden-robinson/) > [I don't have a Jersey dialect. So when I approached the singing, I approached it the same way as an actor I approach a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lloyd-young/i-don-t-have-a-jersey-dialect-so-when-i-approached-the-singing-i/) [John Lloyd Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd-young/) > [I don't regret giving up football for acting. I love football and am very proud I played for Morton. But the truth is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-compston/i-don-t-regret-giving-up-football-for-acting-i-love-football-and-am/) [Martin Compston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-compston/) > [Beyond people, it's every detail, every little thing matters almost in an obsessive way. All of those details matter inside the framework of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-payton/beyond-people-it-s-every-detail-every-little-thing-matters-almost-in/) [Sean Payton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-payton/) > [By the time I could have played football, I was already into acting and that's what I wanted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morse/by-the-time-i-could-have-played-football-i-was-already-into-acting/) [David Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morse/) > [It took a while to find a passion for another career that was as strong as the passion that I had for football. Once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-hall/it-took-a-while-to-find-a-passion-for-another-career-that-was-as/) [Maurice Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-hall/) > [People don't understand the analogy of football and acting, but there's a great deal of it that's the same. You get dressed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-reynolds/people-don-t-understand-the-analogy-of-football-and-acting-but-there/) [Burt Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-reynolds/) > [I'm constantly talking and texting with other NFL guys about the Tide during college football season.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ingram-ii/i-m-constantly-talking-and-texting-with-other-nfl-guys-about-the-tide/) [Mark Ingram II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ingram-ii/) > [They say it doesn't get any more Jersey than 24-hour diners. Of course, they say the same thing about women with big hair, hapless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-kornacki/they-say-it-doesn-t-get-any-more-jersey-than-24-hour-diners-of-course/) [Steve Kornacki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-kornacki/) > [I still carry it with me that I'm a I-AA guy and I had to go down to the minor leagues in college football…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-flacco/i-still-carry-it-with-me-that-i-m-a-i-aa-guy-and-i-had-to-go-down-to/) [Joe Flacco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-flacco/) > [There is no question that Notre Dame has the best, biggest and finest name in college football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-corso/there-is-no-question-that-notre-dame-has-the-best-biggest-and-finest/) [Lee Corso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-corso/) > [I put college football on the tv at the gym and secretly listen to Justin Bieber so that I can trick men into talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-put-college-football-on-the-tv-at-the-gym-and-secretly-listen-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You’ll never have a 16-team playoff in college football. The most that could happen would be four teams in the next century. But after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beano-cook/you-ll-never-have-a-16-team-playoff-in-college-football-the-most-that/) [Beano Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beano-cook/) ## More by Forest Whitaker > [To try and act like we haven't had great progress is not true. Obama didn't fail - he changed the psyche of the nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/to-try-and-act-like-we-haven-t-had-great-progress-is-not-true-obama/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [In high school, I did some musicals, but I never took acting until college. I was studying opera, classical voice, and a speech teacher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/in-high-school-i-did-some-musicals-but-i-never-took-acting-until/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I'm really excited that people are receiving my performance like this. It makes me feel good, because I've been working really hard. And this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-m-really-excited-that-people-are-receiving-my-performance-like-this/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [If I go to a reunion in east Texas, my mother's side or my father's, one out of ten is a preacher or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/if-i-go-to-a-reunion-in-east-texas-my-mother-s-side-or-my-father-s/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [ As an artist, it's a great opportunity to play a character like this \[Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland\]. And… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/as-an-artist-it-s-a-great-opportunity-to-play-a-character-like-this/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I can play a man who's despicable. But I'll still look inside him to find a point of connection. If I can find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-can-play-a-man-who-s-despicable-but-i-ll-still-look-inside-him-to/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [It's all about destiny. That's why people look at the zodiac or the I Ching - because there's a certain order to life, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/it-s-all-about-destiny-that-s-why-people-look-at-the-zodiac-or-the-i/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [My wife is completely different from me: she's good with everyone, whereas I'm good at directed conversation when I have a purpose for it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/my-wife-is-completely-different-from-me-she-s-good-with-everyone/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I was a curious child. I'd debate with anyone who came to the door - people from the Islamic community... Jehovah's Witnesses... anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-was-a-curious-child-i-d-debate-with-anyone-who-came-to-the-door/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [There was a time in my acting career, where I was trying to figure out if acting was the thing to do. You know?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/there-was-a-time-in-my-acting-career-where-i-was-trying-to-figure-out/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [The first time I ever went out of the country, it was to London. I was with the choir from my college, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/the-first-time-i-ever-went-out-of-the-country-it-was-to-london-i-was/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [If I were to mark three, I'd mark Bird, because I grew immensely as an artist, I learned a lot, and also, I think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/if-i-were-to-mark-three-i-d-mark-bird-because-i-grew-immensely-as-an/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I try to be like a forest: revitalizing and constantly growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-try-to-be-like-a-forest-revitalizing-and-constantly-growing/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I stay true, because whatever the project is, I'm still looking for inside of that character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-stay-true-because-whatever-the-project-is-i-m-still-looking-for/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [It's a contract of connection to be in the same space and watch and listen to stories and be caught in them. When you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/it-s-a-contract-of-connection-to-be-in-the-same-space-and-watch-and/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) [Explore all 142 Forest Whitaker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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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