---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My father fell really chronically ill…"
description: "\"My father fell really chronically ill when I was 13 and that's when I phoned up an agent and started to act.\" — Helena Bonham Carter"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/helena-bonham-carter-3451_act_my-father-fell-really-chronically-ill-wh_1533041.png"
---

#  My father fell really chronically ill when I was 13 and…

![“My father fell really chronically ill when I was 13 and that's when I phoned up an agent and started to act.” quote by Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/helena-bonham-carter-3451_act_my-father-fell-really-chronically-ill-wh_1533041.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/helena-bonham-carter-3451_act_my-father-fell-really-chronically-ill-wh_1533041.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/helena-bonham-carter-3451_act_my-father-fell-really-chronically-ill-wh_1533041.png)

> “My father fell really chronically ill when I was 13 and that's when I phoned up an agent and started to act.”

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Facing a family health crisis prompted a career shift, showing how personal challenges can trigger bold actions.

**In simple terms:** Crisis spurred career change.

Key Takeaway

Use personal challenges as catalysts for action.

Themes

career change family crisis resilience

Mood

motivational reflective

Type

inspirational practical

When to use this quote

- career planning
- support groups
- creative projects
- entrepreneurship

Key Concepts

adversity decision making personal growth

Questions to Reflect On

- What personal challenge could inspire your next move?
- How can you prepare for unexpected life events?

A Different Perspective

Not all crises lead to positive change.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chronically Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chronically-ill/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/)

## Related quotes

> [At first, we lived in very, very small places... with my mom cleaning houses and scrounging up just enough to keep us in town…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-coogan/at-first-we-lived-in-very-very-small-places-with-my-mom-cleaning/)

[Keith Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-coogan/)

> [Before stand-up, I didn't even have an agent. Once I started doing stand-up - boom. I got an agent. In fact, I got three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-murphy/before-stand-up-i-didn-t-even-have-an-agent-once-i-started-doing/)

[Charlie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-murphy/)

> [I moved out to LA, got an agent, started auditioning. I didn't know anything about how it worked. And since I was really bad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/i-moved-out-to-la-got-an-agent-started-auditioning-i-didn-t-know/)

[Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/)

> [I have lunch with my friend who works for a theatrical agent and her and I were sitting there eating lunch on Sunset Boulevard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stults/i-have-lunch-with-my-friend-who-works-for-a-theatrical-agent-and-her/)

[George Stults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stults/)

> [“The nicest thing about being chronically ill were all of the good people that I met that were having similar experiences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-nicest-thing-about-being-chronically-ill-were-all-of-the-good/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [We know well and we know chronically ill, but there is a whole bunch of gray in between where I think we can heal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-osmond/we-know-well-and-we-know-chronically-ill-but-there-is-a-whole-bunch/)

[Marie Osmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-osmond/)

> [ “Historically in the literature CBT \[Cognitive Behavioral Therapy\] was inappropriately touted as a cure for patients with ME/CFS if they changed their “belief system”.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-c-bested/historically-in-the-literature-cbt-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-was/)

[Alison C. Bested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-c-bested/)

> [The chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives are accounting for potentially 80% of the total health care bill out there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-berwick/the-chronically-ill-and-those-toward-the-end-of-their-lives-are/)

[Donald Berwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-berwick/)

> [Each of these lines attempts to serve a portion of our population for which we extend our sympathy and encouragement. But nevertheless, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-haley/each-of-these-lines-attempts-to-serve-a-portion-of-our-population-for/)

[Nikki Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-haley/)

> [The life of any chronically ill person becomes extremely isolating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yolanda-hadid/the-life-of-any-chronically-ill-person-becomes-extremely-isolating/)

[Yolanda Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yolanda-hadid/)

> [If you look upon chronic diseases as an epidemic, and you see that the chronically ill are the poor, then you see that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-soon-shiong/if-you-look-upon-chronic-diseases-as-an-epidemic-and-you-see-that-the/)

[Patrick Soon-Shiong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-soon-shiong/)

> [When I considered how friends responded to me when I became chronically ill, I saw only two possibilities: those who stuck around cared about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumar-anupam/when-i-considered-how-friends-responded-to-me-when-i-became/)

[Kumar Anupam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumar-anupam/)

> [“Most people live in fear of some terrible event changing their lives, the death of a loved one or a serious illness. For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-weisman/most-people-live-in-fear-of-some-terrible-event-changing-their-lives/)

Jamie Weisman

> [There is very little magic in the world of the chronically ill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yolanda-hadid/there-is-very-little-magic-in-the-world-of-the-chronically-ill/)

[Yolanda Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yolanda-hadid/)

> [Becoming chronically ill has definitely given me a greater understanding of human nature, and I've learned to accept people's lack of long-term compassion for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yolanda-hadid/becoming-chronically-ill-has-definitely-given-me-a-greater/)

[Yolanda Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yolanda-hadid/)

## More by Helena Bonham Carter

> [I don't think kids have a problem with death. It's us older ones who are nearer to it, that start being frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/i-don-t-think-kids-have-a-problem-with-death-it-s-us-older-ones-who/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

> [J.K. Rowling said Bellatrix's role was going to be significant in the last one, when I showed some reluctance in playing a tiny bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/j-k-rowling-said-bellatrix-s-role-was-going-to-be-significant-in-the/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

> [Sometimes I get it right and I sometimes I get it wrong. But fashion is all about having fun. I think fashion has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/sometimes-i-get-it-right-and-i-sometimes-i-get-it-wrong-but-fashion/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

> [I love movies where people see the world from a different angle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/i-love-movies-where-people-see-the-world-from-a-different-angle/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

> [Famous people come up to me, but I don't know who they are because my sight is so bad. It's always at the pool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/famous-people-come-up-to-me-but-i-don-t-know-who-they-are-because-my/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

> [Not only was it nearly impossible to hear because of these huge rubber ears we had to wear, but we also had these huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/not-only-was-it-nearly-impossible-to-hear-because-of-these-huge/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

> [When I was young I had so many inferiority complexes. I had an inferiority complex because I didn’t go to university. I had an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/when-i-was-young-i-had-so-many-inferiority-complexes-i-had-an/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

> [His mouth is a no-go area. It's like kissing the Berlin Wall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/his-mouth-is-a-no-go-area-it-s-like-kissing-the-berlin-wall/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

> [I was reading William Shawcross's biography of the Queen Mother, dressed in my witch outfit! And you know what? It was a really good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/i-was-reading-william-shawcross-s-biography-of-the-queen-mother/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

> [You can't ever put your self-definition in the hands of somebody who meets you for 15 minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/you-can-t-ever-put-your-self-definition-in-the-hands-of-somebody-who/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

> [I always feel better after a good scream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/i-always-feel-better-after-a-good-scream/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

> [It's different when you're an actor and playing a part, but when it's just you, you feel immensely vulnerable have strangers prodding and prying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/it-s-different-when-you-re-an-actor-and-playing-a-part-but-when-it-s/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

> [She looks like a warrior. I mean, Bellatrix does mean warrior. And she's also a bit of a fatale. She's the right hand of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/she-looks-like-a-warrior-i-mean-bellatrix-does-mean-warrior-and-she-s/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

> [There is no normality in life. Having two houses means that we can get out of each other's hair - which, let's face it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/there-is-no-normality-in-life-having-two-houses-means-that-we-can-get/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

> [I just want to give you this one piece of advice: if you're standing and you could be sitting, sit. If you're sitting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/i-just-want-to-give-you-this-one-piece-of-advice-if-you-re-standing/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

[Explore all 130 Helena Bonham Carter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

## More Act quotes

> [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/)

[Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/)

> [Teachers' unions don't act in the interest of most teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/teachers-unions-don-t-act-in-the-interest-of-most-teachers/)

[Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/)

> [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [People take years learning how to act; it's a skill, not just a job. If I tried it out and thought I'd be OK,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/people-take-years-learning-how-to-act-it-s-a-skill-not-just-a-job-if/)

[Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/)

> [Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It require you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results. There's a season for sowing a season for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ryan-blair/self-discipline-is-an-act-of-cultivation-it-require-you-to-connect/)

[Gary Ryan Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ryan-blair/)

> [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/)

Vashti Quiroz-Vega

> [I always advise people not to act upon the advice that I give them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/i-always-advise-people-not-to-act-upon-the-advice-that-i-give-them/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [I have no interest in watching myself act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wesley/i-have-no-interest-in-watching-myself-act/)

[Paul Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wesley/)

> [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [I do believe some people can naturally act and don't know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-arnold/i-do-believe-some-people-can-naturally-act-and-don-t-know-it/)

[Andrea Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-arnold/)

> [Regardless of what I do, whether I write a book or whether I act or whether I host, I'll always do stand-up comedy because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-mandel/regardless-of-what-i-do-whether-i-write-a-book-or-whether-i-act-or/)

[Howie Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-mandel/)

> [On 'Workaholics,' I feel like I'm just hanging out with my buddies being filmed, but on 'Mindy,' I'm around professional funny people who act.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-holm/on-workaholics-i-feel-like-i-m-just-hanging-out-with-my-buddies-being/)

[Anders Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-holm/)

> [I'm not an artist, and I want to take risks, and when the possibility of failure occurs, it's because the idea is all exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/i-m-not-an-artist-and-i-want-to-take-risks-and-when-the-possibility/)

[Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/)

> [I don't have a huge amount of gear, but on the software side, I have a number of plug-in chains that act as abstracted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hopkins/i-don-t-have-a-huge-amount-of-gear-but-on-the-software-side-i-have-a/)

[Jon Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hopkins/)

> [I honestly didn't know that I wanted to act until I was probably 12.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-rae-mayo/i-honestly-didn-t-know-that-i-wanted-to-act-until-i-was-probably-12/)

[Miranda Rae Mayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-rae-mayo/)

Browse all 1,802 Act quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My father fell really chronically ill when I was 13 and that's when I phoned up an agent and started to act.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Helena Bonham Carter"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/my-father-fell-really-chronically-ill-when-i-was-13-and-that-s-when-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Act"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/my-father-fell-really-chronically-ill-when-i-was-13-and-that-s-when-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/helena-bonham-carter-3451_act_my-father-fell-really-chronically-ill-wh_1533041.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/helena-bonham-carter-3451_act_my-father-fell-really-chronically-ill-wh_1533041.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/helena-bonham-carter-3451_act_my-father-fell-really-chronically-ill-wh_1533041.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My father fell really chronically ill when I was 13 and that's when I phoned up an agent and started to act.” — Helena Bonham Carter",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Helena Bonham Carter",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My father fell really chronically ill...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/my-father-fell-really-chronically-ill-when-i-was-13-and-that-s-when-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/my-father-fell-really-chronically-ill-when-i-was-13-and-that-s-when-i/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
