--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was the classic killer. I always played…" description: "\"I was the classic killer. I always played an angry man. I think it was because I used to really be like that - I was hostile. And because I had a good ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/harry-dean-stanton-4043_anger_i-was-the-classic-killer-i-always-played_269100.jpg" --- # I was the classic killer. I always played an angry man. I… ![“I was the classic killer. I always played an angry man. I think it was because I used to really be like that - I was hostile. And because I had a good sense of theatrical truth, I used my anger and rebelliousness and just went with it. Anger was just a part of me.” quote by Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/harry-dean-stanton-4043_anger_i-was-the-classic-killer-i-always-played_269100.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/harry-dean-stanton-4043_anger_i-was-the-classic-killer-i-always-played_269100.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/harry-dean-stanton-4043_anger_i-was-the-classic-killer-i-always-played_269100.jpg) > “I was the classic killer. I always played an angry man. I think it was because I used to really be like that - I was hostile. And because I had a good sense of theatrical truth, I used my anger and rebelliousness and just went with it. Anger was just a part of me.” [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He embraced his anger, using it as a tool for authentic performance and personal expression. **In simple terms:** Anger can fuel creativity when channeled. Key Takeaway Channel strong emotions into art. Themes self‑expression authenticity anger Mood introspective raw Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - acting - writing - public speaking - personal growth Key Concepts theatre psychology identity Questions to Reflect On - How can you transform anger into art? - When does anger become harmful? A Different Perspective Uncontrolled anger may damage relationships and health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Angry man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry-man/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [I had no epiphany, no singular revelation, no moment of truth, but a steady accumulation of a thousand slights, a thousand indignities and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-had-no-epiphany-no-singular-revelation-no-moment-of-truth-but-a/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“While I fielded holiday news requests and worked on my end of year expense reports, the Angel of Death sat opposite my desk and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elicia-hyder/while-i-fielded-holiday-news-requests-and-worked-on-my-end-of-year/) [Elicia Hyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elicia-hyder/) > [“Never before had I raced in an angry mood and I couldn't believe how powerful it was. Now I understood why Lance used anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-millar/never-before-had-i-raced-in-an-angry-mood-and-i-couldn-t-believe-how/) [David Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-millar/) > [I used anger like a fuel, a propellant, to turn in to performances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-barton/i-used-anger-like-a-fuel-a-propellant-to-turn-in-to-performances/) [Joey Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-barton/) > [I was how I was in college because I had to be. I played angry. I played hard. I stepped on guys' chests, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-laettner/i-was-how-i-was-in-college-because-i-had-to-be-i-played-angry-i/) [Christian Laettner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-laettner/) > [I have grown more forgiving. I accept that not everything is for me. I'm not as in love with my own opinions as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-kaplan/i-have-grown-more-forgiving-i-accept-that-not-everything-is-for-me-i/) [Ira Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-kaplan/) > [I played 'Angry Birds' and tried to see what the hoopla was about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lanegan/i-played-angry-birds-and-tried-to-see-what-the-hoopla-was-about/) [Mark Lanegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lanegan/) > [How often it is that the angry man rages denial of what his inner self is telling him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/how-often-it-is-that-the-angry-man-rages-denial-of-what-his-inner/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [I don't have the patience... an angry man cannot get into politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahesh-manjrekar/i-don-t-have-the-patience-an-angry-man-cannot-get-into-politics/) [Mahesh Manjrekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahesh-manjrekar/) > [“Do not rescue an angry man, lest you have to do it again tomorrow” (Proverbs 19:19, my paraphrase). In other words, if you give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cloud/do-not-rescue-an-angry-man-lest-you-have-to-do-it-again-tomorrow/) [Henry Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cloud/) > [“An angry man will find himself in an angry world, and a swindler will find himself in a world of thieves whom he dare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-m-forester/an-angry-man-will-find-himself-in-an-angry-world-and-a-swindler-will/) [H.M. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-m-forester/) > [If I am an angry man, it is my duty to pray for charity, which suffereth long and is kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-q-cannon/if-i-am-an-angry-man-it-is-my-duty-to-pray-for-charity-which/) [George Q. Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-q-cannon/) > [“AN HUNGRY MAN IS ALWAYS AN ANGRY MAN”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sekou-konneh/an-hungry-man-is-always-an-angry-man/) Sekou Konneh > [When anger is not trampling roughshod through our nervous system, it is sitting sullenly in some unspecified internal organ. "She's got a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-tavris/when-anger-is-not-trampling-roughshod-through-our-nervous-system-it/) [Carol Tavris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-tavris/) > [There were angry men confronting me and I caught the flashing of defiant eyes, but above me and within me, there was a spirit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoinette-brown-blackwell/there-were-angry-men-confronting-me-and-i-caught-the-flashing-of/) [Antoinette Brown Blackwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoinette-brown-blackwell/) ## More by Harry Dean Stanton > [Fame in itself is, you know... It involves a whole discussion on just that word, 'fame.' It's a power; it's another degree of power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/fame-in-itself-is-you-know-it-involves-a-whole-discussion-on-just/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) > [I watch television. Game shows - I hate the hosts and the people on them, and I love the questions and the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/i-watch-television-game-shows-i-hate-the-hosts-and-the-people-on-them/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) > [I was singing the blues when I was six. Kind of sad, eh?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/i-was-singing-the-blues-when-i-was-six-kind-of-sad-eh/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) > [I never liked being ordered around - which, of course, was an overreaction. I eventually found out that I didn't mind being ordered around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/i-never-liked-being-ordered-around-which-of-course-was-an/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) > [I've never been ambitious about recording](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/i-ve-never-been-ambitious-about-recording/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) > [I know little stories that happen to people around me, and I can repeat that in a way that has some color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/i-know-little-stories-that-happen-to-people-around-me-and-i-can/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) > [I worked with the best directors - Martin Scorsese, John Huston, David Lynch, Alfred Hitchcock. Alfred Hitchcock was great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/i-worked-with-the-best-directors-martin-scorsese-john-huston-david/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) > [The first film I ever remember - I think my mother took me to it - was called 'She Married Her Boss' with Melvyn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/the-first-film-i-ever-remember-i-think-my-mother-took-me-to-it-was/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) > [The band I've played with for 10 or 12 years now, we've been all over, but we mostly play in LA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/the-band-i-ve-played-with-for-10-or-12-years-now-we-ve-been-all-over/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) > [When man began to think he was a separate person with a separate soul, it created a violent situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/when-man-began-to-think-he-was-a-separate-person-with-a-separate-soul/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) > [I like to watch 'Paris, Texas,' but I have no desire to see it. I did it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/i-like-to-watch-paris-texas-but-i-have-no-desire-to-see-it-i-did-it/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) > [I would've preferred to blossom earlier in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/i-would-ve-preferred-to-blossom-earlier-in-life/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) > [I do the same series of five exercises 21 times each day - an ancient Tibetan practice that stimulates your chakras.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/i-do-the-same-series-of-five-exercises-21-times-each-day-an-ancient/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) > [I've never seen a Western that was really truthful. Most are just morality plays. Good guys and bad guys - and the good guys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/i-ve-never-seen-a-western-that-was-really-truthful-most-are-just/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) > [I know I've got the ability to bring a sense of menace to the screen. I have that specific competence, and it's generally kept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-dean-stanton/i-know-i-ve-got-the-ability-to-bring-a-sense-of-menace-to-the-screen/) [Harry Dean Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) [Explore all 116 Harry Dean Stanton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-dean-stanton/) ## More Anger quotes > [“If I let myself think of it the pain and anger were still fresh, adrenalin racing down my limbs to pool, hot and itchy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/if-i-let-myself-think-of-it-the-pain-and-anger-were-still-fresh/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [My care will be in the heart n not in words My anger will be in Words n not in the Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/my-care-will-be-in-the-heart-n-not-in-words-my-anger-will-be-in-words/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-present-contains-nothing-more-than-the-past-and-what-is-found-in/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) [Browse all 7,469 Anger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was the classic killer. I always played an angry man. I think it was because I used to really be like that - I was hostile. And because I had a good sense of theatrical truth, I used my anger and rebelliousness and just went with it. 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