--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I feel personally and what I can act…" description: "\"What I feel personally and what I can act are two different things. Maybe one of the great pleasures of my job is being able to inhabit worlds that you..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d10/helen-mirren-1937_able_what-i-feel-personally-and-what-i-can-ac_1468909.png" --- # What I feel personally and what I can act are two… ![“What I feel personally and what I can act are two different things. Maybe one of the great pleasures of my job is being able to inhabit worlds that you are never going to inhabit personally.” quote by Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d10/helen-mirren-1937_able_what-i-feel-personally-and-what-i-can-ac_1468909.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d10/helen-mirren-1937_able_what-i-feel-personally-and-what-i-can-ac_1468909.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d10/helen-mirren-1937_able_what-i-feel-personally-and-what-i-can-ac_1468909.png) > “What I feel personally and what I can act are two different things. Maybe one of the great pleasures of my job is being able to inhabit worlds that you are never going to inhabit personally.” [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting lets us experience lives we cannot live, highlighting the gap between feeling and doing. **In simple terms:** Acting lets us inhabit others' lives. Key Takeaway Use imagination to bridge feeling and action. Themes empathy creativity role-play Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - theatre workshops - virtual reality training - creative writing - team building exercises Key Concepts psychology of imagination method acting Questions to Reflect On - How can imagined experiences inform real actions? - What limits exist when living through another’s perspective? A Different Perspective Acting cannot replace real-world experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Two different things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-different-things/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“First, women must come across as being nice, concerned about others, and “appropriately” female. When women take a more instrumental approach (“This is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/first-women-must-come-across-as-being-nice-concerned-about-others-and/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Since God exists outside of time, He also has all of the time He needs to personally act in each of our lives. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillon-burroughs/since-god-exists-outside-of-time-he-also-has-all-of-the-time-he-needs/) [Dillon Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillon-burroughs/) > [The truth is, I hadn't grown up really wanting to be a writer. The whole thing was a weird aberration in some ways, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-garland/the-truth-is-i-hadn-t-grown-up-really-wanting-to-be-a-writer-the/) [Alex Garland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-garland/) > [I feel real ownership in this show. I feel very invested in it. I care very much about it. I don't feel any more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-graham/i-feel-real-ownership-in-this-show-i-feel-very-invested-in-it-i-care/) [Lauren Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-graham/) > [I used so much hairspray that I feel personally responsible for global warming!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dusty-springfield/i-used-so-much-hairspray-that-i-feel-personally-responsible-for/) [Dusty Springfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dusty-springfield/) > [I've got an eye for off-kilter projects, probably because I feel personally quite off-kilter as a human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-ackie/i-ve-got-an-eye-for-off-kilter-projects-probably-because-i-feel/) [Naomi Ackie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-ackie/) > [I relate to those characters - and any character I play - in as much as I put myself in their positions and feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/i-relate-to-those-characters-and-any-character-i-play-in-as-much-as-i/) [Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/) > [I guess that in a lot of ways, my writing is more of a character to me than something that I feel personally attached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-olsen/i-guess-that-in-a-lot-of-ways-my-writing-is-more-of-a-character-to-me/) [Angel Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-olsen/) > [People feel personally slighted if you don't respond to them in 30 seconds and treat email as instant messenger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/people-feel-personally-slighted-if-you-don-t-respond-to-them-in-30/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [The movies that are really big, at least in my experience, oftentimes don't have characters that I feel as personally connected to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/the-movies-that-are-really-big-at-least-in-my-experience-oftentimes/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [My favorite art, or whatever you want to call it, is art that makes you feel personally addressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/my-favorite-art-or-whatever-you-want-to-call-it-is-art-that-makes-you/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [“As the Daoists pointed out, we often identify with our ideas so strongly that we feel personally assaulted if these are criticized or corrected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/as-the-daoists-pointed-out-we-often-identify-with-our-ideas-so/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [I realise that sometimes things go well and sometimes they don't. But it is very important for me I feel personally, even selfishly, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cahill/i-realise-that-sometimes-things-go-well-and-sometimes-they-don-t-but/) [Gary Cahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cahill/) > [I never put my heart into anything I don't believe in, or can't feel personally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-thomas/i-never-put-my-heart-into-anything-i-don-t-believe-in-or-can-t-feel/) [B. J. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-thomas/) > [When I shoot at the range, I don't feel personally powerful but like the custodian of something powerful. I feel like a successful disciplinarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/when-i-shoot-at-the-range-i-don-t-feel-personally-powerful-but-like/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) ## More by Helen Mirren > [When you do a voice in an animated film, you don't see the finished product at all. You're not animating. You're not doing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/when-you-do-a-voice-in-an-animated-film-you-don-t-see-the-finished/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [I'm not strong-willed, actually. I'm a complete pushover. I love to be told what to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/i-m-not-strong-willed-actually-i-m-a-complete-pushover-i-love-to-be/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [I think of myself as being a bit of a wimp deep down - a bourgeois wimp - and I'm fighting that. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/i-think-of-myself-as-being-a-bit-of-a-wimp-deep-down-a-bourgeois-wimp/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [It's never been confirmed that Elizabeth I was a virgin. It's like the Virgin Mary - it's about branding, a logo. To use a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/it-s-never-been-confirmed-that-elizabeth-i-was-a-virgin-it-s-like-the/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [When I was doing Shakespeare and I had spent a lot of time and effort in trying to become a great Shakespearean actress. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/when-i-was-doing-shakespeare-and-i-had-spent-a-lot-of-time-and-effort/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [I always tell my husband, That's it, I quit, I've done all I wanted, and he's just like, Yeah, yeah. Sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/i-always-tell-my-husband-that-s-it-i-quit-i-ve-done-all-i-wanted-and/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [Patience can be a good thing - but not necessarily. Sometimes it's not so bad to be impatient. I'm a little bit too polite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/patience-can-be-a-good-thing-but-not-necessarily-sometimes-it-s-not/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [A war film can be propaganda and they're very valuable as propaganda, as we realized in Britain in the Second World War. Film as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/a-war-film-can-be-propaganda-and-they-re-very-valuable-as-propaganda/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [It was never my intention to marry anybody. Economics are basically the only reason to get married, but I'm very glad I did it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/it-was-never-my-intention-to-marry-anybody-economics-are-basically/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [You can't control how other people see you or think of you. But you have to be comfortable with that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/you-can-t-control-how-other-people-see-you-or-think-of-you-but-you/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [When you're young, you wonder what all these old people are droning on about, trying to impart their wisdom. It's not relevant to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/when-you-re-young-you-wonder-what-all-these-old-people-are-droning-on/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [The role of women has always been undervalued in the spy world, always undermined in terms of recognition. Unfairly so. It's a world that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/the-role-of-women-has-always-been-undervalued-in-the-spy-world-always/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [I always love working with young actors, because there's always something to learn. It's always exciting to see the next generation and how they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/i-always-love-working-with-young-actors-because-there-s-always/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [People with Parkinson's are not some weird people on the edge of human experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/people-with-parkinson-s-are-not-some-weird-people-on-the-edge-of/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [My fear of drama school is that the natural extraordinary but eccentric talent sometimes can't find its place in a drama school. And often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/my-fear-of-drama-school-is-that-the-natural-extraordinary-but/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) [Explore all 197 Helen Mirren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I feel personally and what I can act are two different things. 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