--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I were to mark three, I'd mark Bird…" description: "\"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, it was when people started to take m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/forest-whitaker-3022_art_if-i-were-to-mark-three-i-d-mark-bird-be_437541.jpg" --- # If I were to mark three, I'd mark Bird, because I grew… ![“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, it was when people started to take me more seriously. I'd also mark Ghost Dog, because I started to understand something about myself in silence, how I'm capable of communicating…” quote by Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/forest-whitaker-3022_art_if-i-were-to-mark-three-i-d-mark-bird-be_437541.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/forest-whitaker-3022_art_if-i-were-to-mark-three-i-d-mark-bird-be_437541.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bd/forest-whitaker-3022_art_if-i-were-to-mark-three-i-d-mark-bird-be_437541.jpg) > “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, it was when people started to take me more seriously. I'd also mark Ghost Dog, because I started to understand something about myself in silence, how I'm capable of communicating certain things without doing much. And then I'd probably mark The Last King of Scotland, which marries the internal and the external in a strong way and brings together all of the things I've learned about my work into one character.” [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 reflects on three films that shaped his artistic growth and self‑understanding, highlighting personal and professional milestones. **In simple terms:** Three movies taught him about art, silence, and merging inner‑external themes. Key Takeaway Recognize works that reveal personal evolution. Themes artistic growth self‑discovery career milestones Mood reflective introspective Type analytical personal When to use this quote - career reflection - creative inspiration - character study Key Concepts film analysis personal narrative Questions to Reflect On - Which work has most changed your self‑view? - How do you translate film lessons into life? A Different Perspective May overlook other influences beyond these three. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Ghost Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost-dog-227551/) [Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mark/) [Mark Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mark-ghost-3844047/) [Probably Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/probably-mark-3844046/) [Seriously Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seriously-mark-3844048/) [Things i've learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-i-ve-learned/) ## Related quotes > [I had been playing really interesting roles before I got great roles. Little ones - 'The Crying Game' I loved working on, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-had-been-playing-really-interesting-roles-before-i-got-great-roles/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [“I just inherited a ghost dog.” Duke was in the back seat, his head hanging out the window.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-chase/i-just-inherited-a-ghost-dog-duke-was-in-the-back-seat-his-head/) [Deanna Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-chase/) > [Ghost Dog: In the words of the ancients, one should make his decision within the space of seven breaths. It is a matter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jarmusch/ghost-dog-in-the-words-of-the-ancients-one-should-make-his-decision/) [Jim Jarmusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jarmusch/) > [I didn't discover how music and film could work together until Jim Jarmusch had me do 'Ghost Dog.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/i-didn-t-discover-how-music-and-film-could-work-together-until-jim/) [Rza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [“Boo fell in at my side. He is the only ghost dog I have ever seen. Animals always move on. For some reason he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/boo-fell-in-at-my-side-he-is-the-only-ghost-dog-i-have-ever-seen/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [One of the things I've learned as I've studied the principles in God's Word is this, that God wants us to prosper. But, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-gorman/one-of-the-things-i-ve-learned-as-i-ve-studied-the-principles-in-god/) [Mark Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-gorman/) > [The thing I've learned is it's good to restrict your palette somewhat. I will try and, say, use two or three instruments on one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thighpaulsandra/the-thing-i-ve-learned-is-it-s-good-to-restrict-your-palette-somewhat/) [Thighpaulsandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thighpaulsandra/) > [One of the things I've learned over the years is that you only do what you can do as an actor. You do the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-dillon/one-of-the-things-i-ve-learned-over-the-years-is-that-you-only-do/) [Matt Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-dillon/) > [One thing I've learned is that I'm not the owner of my talent; I'm the manager of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/one-thing-i-ve-learned-is-that-i-m-not-the-owner-of-my-talent-i-m-the/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [That is one thing I've learned, that it is possible to really understand things at certain points, and not be able to retain them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/that-is-one-thing-i-ve-learned-that-it-is-possible-to-really/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [There's a perception that if an artist produces another artist, they're going to imprint on them. But I'm the opposite. I want to hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beck/there-s-a-perception-that-if-an-artist-produces-another-artist-they/) [Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beck/) > [If there is one thing I’ve learned in my years on this planet, it’s that the happiest and most fulfilled people I’ve known are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-glenn/if-there-is-one-thing-i-ve-learned-in-my-years-on-this-planet-it-s/) [John Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-glenn/) > [I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-ve-learned-that-you-can-tell-a-lot-about-a-person-by-the-way-he-she/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Perhaps the hardest thing I've learned, and still struggle with, is that I don't have to be finished in order to be whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/perhaps-the-hardest-thing-i-ve-learned-and-still-struggle-with-is/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [My dear young cousin, if there's one thing I've learned over the eons, it's that you can't give up on your family, no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/my-dear-young-cousin-if-there-s-one-thing-i-ve-learned-over-the-eons/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) ## 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/) > [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/) > [I try to be like a forest, revitalizing and constantly growing... Kids would tease me, calling me 'Little Bush.' But... I thought being called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-try-to-be-like-a-forest-revitalizing-and-constantly-growing-kids/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) [Explore all 142 Forest Whitaker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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, it was when people started to take me more seriously. 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