--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I decided I was going to play Cleopatra…" description: "\"I decided I was going to play Cleopatra as someone with a brain. She's kept Egypt, this tiny country, in a balance of power with the almighty Roman emp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/harriet-walter-16626_balance_i-decided-i-was-going-to-play-cleopatra_1509340.jpg" --- # I decided I was going to play Cleopatra as someone with a… ![“I decided I was going to play Cleopatra as someone with a brain. She's kept Egypt, this tiny country, in a balance of power with the almighty Roman empire, and she's done it through force of personality.” quote by Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/harriet-walter-16626_balance_i-decided-i-was-going-to-play-cleopatra_1509340.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/harriet-walter-16626_balance_i-decided-i-was-going-to-play-cleopatra_1509340.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/harriet-walter-16626_balance_i-decided-i-was-going-to-play-cleopatra_1509340.jpg) > “I decided I was going to play Cleopatra as someone with a brain. She's kept Egypt, this tiny country, in a balance of power with the almighty Roman empire, and she's done it through force of personality.” [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She portrays Cleopatra as a strategic leader who balanced Egypt against Rome through personal charisma and political skill. **In simple terms:** Cleopatra used personality to keep Egypt strong against Rome. Key Takeaway Recognize the power of personal influence in leadership. Themes leadership politics history gender strategy Mood inspirational reflective Type historical character study When to use this quote - political negotiations - historical analysis - leadership training - public speaking Key Concepts charisma balance of power statecraft Questions to Reflect On - How can personal charisma be complemented by structural policies? - What modern leaders rely on personality over policy? A Different Perspective Charisma alone may not sustain long‑term political stability without institutional support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Balance of power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance-of-power/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Cleopatra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleopatra/) [Cleopatra Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleopatra-brain-5552470/) [Force Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force-personality-2556990/) [Kept Egypt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kept-egypt-5552472/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Cleopatra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-cleopatra-5552471/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) ## Related quotes > [To play Cleopatra on Broadway would just be incredible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gugu-mbatha-raw/to-play-cleopatra-on-broadway-would-just-be-incredible/) [Gugu Mbatha-Raw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gugu-mbatha-raw/) > [I think if you try to force a personality on a world then I think you're destined to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-molyneux/i-think-if-you-try-to-force-a-personality-on-a-world-then-i-think-you/) [Peter Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-molyneux/) > [It's not the armband that makes a good captain - it's the force of personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-savage/it-s-not-the-armband-that-makes-a-good-captain-it-s-the-force-of/) [Robbie Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-savage/) > [I'm very aware that after you've played Cleopatra, there's not a lot that can top that in this sphere, so it means that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/i-m-very-aware-that-after-you-ve-played-cleopatra-there-s-not-a-lot/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [Cleopatra was exhausting to play, but also completely exhilarating. She creates her own energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/cleopatra-was-exhausting-to-play-but-also-completely-exhilarating-she/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [Where does an actress go after playing Cleopatra's magnificent death? Why didn't Shakespeare write more - and more powerful - roles for mature women?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/where-does-an-actress-go-after-playing-cleopatra-s-magnificent-death/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [“Against a powerful enchantress there is no contest. Against a woman who ensnares a man in the coils of her serpentine intelligence - in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/against-a-powerful-enchantress-there-is-no-contest-against-a-woman/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [“O, whither hast thou led me, Egypt? See How I convey my shame out of thine eyes By looking back what I have left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-whither-hast-thou-led-me-egypt-see-how-i-convey-my-shame-out-of/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Her passions are made of nothing but the finest part of pure love; we cannot call her winds and waters, sighs and tears; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/her-passions-are-made-of-nothing-but-the-finest-part-of-pure-love-we/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Girls have always wanted to be pretty, even in Egyptian times. Cleopatra wore all that eyeliner, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-ora/girls-have-always-wanted-to-be-pretty-even-in-egyptian-times/) [Rita Ora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-ora/) > [No one in the modern world controls the wealth or territory that Cleopatra did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/no-one-in-the-modern-world-controls-the-wealth-or-territory-that/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [What we know about Cleopatra's looks is based purely on her coin portraits. Engraving was imperfect, and that when you are a ruler and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/what-we-know-about-cleopatra-s-looks-is-based-purely-on-her-coin/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [Vanity is illustrated in the cause and effect of love, as in the case of Cleopatra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/vanity-is-illustrated-in-the-cause-and-effect-of-love-as-in-the-case/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [I'm certainly no Cleopatra. I have legs like a schoolgirl and I don't know how I acquired the knack of attracting producers with very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-tushingham/i-m-certainly-no-cleopatra-i-have-legs-like-a-schoolgirl-and-i-don-t/) [Rita Tushingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-tushingham/) > [“There's beggary in the love that can be reckoned. (Anthony and Cleopatra - William Shakespeare.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stuart/there-s-beggary-in-the-love-that-can-be-reckoned-anthony-and/) [Sarah Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stuart/) ## More by Harriet Walter > [Acting is what I do with who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/acting-is-what-i-do-with-who-i-am/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [My strangest experience was my six words in 'Star Wars.' I've had more fanmail from that than anything I've ever done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/my-strangest-experience-was-my-six-words-in-star-wars-i-ve-had-more/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [I'm childish and silly. Most people tease me because I'm a bit daft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/i-m-childish-and-silly-most-people-tease-me-because-i-m-a-bit-daft/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [My centre of who I thought I was was never very consciously about being beautiful or attractive - I think I'm one of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/my-centre-of-who-i-thought-i-was-was-never-very-consciously-about/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [I'm not very good at going to sleep, and that's probably my worst problem. I don't need much more than seven and a half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/i-m-not-very-good-at-going-to-sleep-and-that-s-probably-my-worst/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [I just like watching people who really are not self-conscious, who aren't aware, because I fear that one could become too self-conscious, too artful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/i-just-like-watching-people-who-really-are-not-self-conscious-who/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [I'm an oversharer but selective about who I share with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/i-m-an-oversharer-but-selective-about-who-i-share-with/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [I do think that there are certain parts, if you are lucky enough to play them, that are bigger than you, and they stretch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/i-do-think-that-there-are-certain-parts-if-you-are-lucky-enough-to/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [Where does an actress go after playing Cleopatra's magnificent death? Why didn't Shakespeare write more - and more powerful - roles for mature women?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/where-does-an-actress-go-after-playing-cleopatra-s-magnificent-death/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [The language is always powerful in Shakespeare, but with 'Antony and Cleopatra,' the speeches are so big and muscular and rich - exhausting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/the-language-is-always-powerful-in-shakespeare-but-with-antony-and/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [Cleopatra was exhausting to play, but also completely exhilarating. She creates her own energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/cleopatra-was-exhausting-to-play-but-also-completely-exhilarating-she/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [Caring less about what people think is a big thing for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/caring-less-about-what-people-think-is-a-big-thing-for-me/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [I'm no longer the young woman I was playing before, and I'm in a profession where that continuum that is me is irrelevant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/i-m-no-longer-the-young-woman-i-was-playing-before-and-i-m-in-a/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [I was not emotionally mature enough to accept any kind of success when I was young. I needed to go that long route.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/i-was-not-emotionally-mature-enough-to-accept-any-kind-of-success/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) > [I've one of those brains that doesn't quieten down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-walter/i-ve-one-of-those-brains-that-doesn-t-quieten-down/) [Harriet Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) [Explore all 39 Harriet Walter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-walter/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [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/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I decided I was going to play Cleopatra as someone with a brain. 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