--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm making it up as I go along, like…" description: "\"I'm making it up as I go along, like everyone else. There probably are some actors who are quite methodical or at least take their time about what part..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/jamie-parker-20830_actor_i-m-making-it-up-as-i-go-along-like-ever_2469978.jpg" --- # I'm making it up as I go along, like everyone else. There… ![“I'm making it up as I go along, like everyone else. There probably are some actors who are quite methodical or at least take their time about what particular footholds to find on the rocks next. There are always choices, even when you're not getting seen, for how to spend your time. It's only…” quote by Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/jamie-parker-20830_actor_i-m-making-it-up-as-i-go-along-like-ever_2469978.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/jamie-parker-20830_actor_i-m-making-it-up-as-i-go-along-like-ever_2469978.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/jamie-parker-20830_actor_i-m-making-it-up-as-i-go-along-like-ever_2469978.jpg) > “I'm making it up as I go along, like everyone else. There probably are some actors who are quite methodical or at least take their time about what particular footholds to find on the rocks next. There are always choices, even when you're not getting seen, for how to spend your time. It's only after 10 years that I got any kind of traction at all.” [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker admits improvising life, acknowledging that many people, including actors, face uncertainty and must make choices despite limited visibility, eventually gaining traction after years of effort. **In simple terms:** Improvising life, making choices, gaining traction over time. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty and keep choosing actions. Themes uncertainty career perseverance choice growth Mood reflective determined hopeful Type advice personal When to use this quote - career decisions - creative projects - personal development - long‑term goals Key Concepts improvisation career development patience Questions to Reflect On - What choices can you make today despite uncertainty? - How do you measure traction in your life? A Different Perspective Progress may be slow and invisible, requiring patience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Actors Quite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors-quite-750904/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Find](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/find/) [Getting Seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-seen-750903/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Probably Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/probably-actors-750902/) [Quite Methodical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quite-methodical-695863/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [When I was young, I played a style of golf that was quite methodical - hit fairways and greens, over and over - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-casey/when-i-was-young-i-played-a-style-of-golf-that-was-quite-methodical/) [Paul Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-casey/) > [I found American actors quite scary because they're brilliant actors and brilliantly funny, and they never stopped once you wound them up... off they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/i-found-american-actors-quite-scary-because-they-re-brilliant-actors/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [From a very young age, I wanted to get up on stage whenever I went to the theatre - the actors just seemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-williams/from-a-very-young-age-i-wanted-to-get-up-on-stage-whenever-i-went-to/) [Olivia Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-williams/) > [Each of the actors is quite different, but they're all living in the same world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/each-of-the-actors-is-quite-different-but-they-re-all-living-in-the/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > ['Friends' is easy to dismiss, but it's really good television - the art with which those actors play with comedy shouldn't be denigrated. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-elliott/friends-is-easy-to-dismiss-but-it-s-really-good-television-the-art/) [Marianne Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-elliott/) > [I am quite an easy going person so I get along with my co-actors quite easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmin-bhasin/i-am-quite-an-easy-going-person-so-i-get-along-with-my-co-actors/) [Jasmin Bhasin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmin-bhasin/) > [ With that incredible voice that he \[Alan Rickman\] could play like a sort of wonderful instrument, like a cello or something. He played his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/with-that-incredible-voice-that-he-alan-rickman-could-play-like-a/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [Like most actors, I'm quite shy, so I liked being other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-front/like-most-actors-i-m-quite-shy-so-i-liked-being-other-people/) [Rebecca Front](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-front/) > [I thought his performance was absolutely wonderful and had said so, but he seemed, as actors quite often are when they first see something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-schlesinger/i-thought-his-performance-was-absolutely-wonderful-and-had-said-so/) [John Schlesinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-schlesinger/) > [I was banging seven-gram rocks, because that’s how I roll. I have one speed, I have one gear: Go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sheen/i-was-banging-seven-gram-rocks-because-that-s-how-i-roll-i-have-one/) [Charlie Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sheen/) > [My father was the role model I looked up. My dad was an entertainer, too. I patterned my life after him. He wanted me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/my-father-was-the-role-model-i-looked-up-my-dad-was-an-entertainer/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) > [Every time I finish a song... most of the time it's in my own head, like this sounds too much like a Townes Van…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/every-time-i-finish-a-song-most-of-the-time-it-s-in-my-own-head-like/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [Once ye made up yer mind to do somethin', 'tis better t'stumble o'er the small hillock of jump-ahead than t'bash yer head on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/once-ye-made-up-yer-mind-to-do-somethin-tis-better-t-stumble-o-er-the/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) ## More by Jamie Parker > [Spoilers are inevitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/spoilers-are-inevitable/) [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) > [In real life, I wish I could do a Scourgify. That would just be incredible helpful, when I know the rest of the family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/in-real-life-i-wish-i-could-do-a-scourgify-that-would-just-be/) [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) > [I've done a lot of shows over a long time, and I've lost my voice on plays before, and it's because I've been thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/i-ve-done-a-lot-of-shows-over-a-long-time-and-i-ve-lost-my-voice-on/) [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) > [J. K. Rowling has already got a whole generation reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/j-k-rowling-has-already-got-a-whole-generation-reading/) [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) > [Isn't it a rare thing, telling hopeful stories now? I think we need more of that, to be honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/isn-t-it-a-rare-thing-telling-hopeful-stories-now-i-think-we-need/) [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) > [Trust is front and center in the working of this production, and it's conceivable there is a harder-working team of theater practitioners than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/trust-is-front-and-center-in-the-working-of-this-production-and-it-s/) [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) > [I think what I have to offer is more useful in theatre than on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/i-think-what-i-have-to-offer-is-more-useful-in-theatre-than-on-screen/) [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) > [I like Monoloco in Petersfield, Hampshire, and Little Dorrit in London's Borough Market. Everything's delicious, healthy, and inexpensive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/i-like-monoloco-in-petersfield-hampshire-and-little-dorrit-in-london/) [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) > [I know I'm only as good as the material I've got to work with. I'm not an alchemist, not when it comes to writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/i-know-i-m-only-as-good-as-the-material-i-ve-got-to-work-with-i-m-not/) [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) > [For my money, all theatre should be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/for-my-money-all-theatre-should-be-free/) [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) > [You can't go into parenthood as a battle wearing armour. It doesn't work that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/you-can-t-go-into-parenthood-as-a-battle-wearing-armour-it-doesn-t/) [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) > [I miss the generation of actors such as John Mills, where it doesn't surprise you at all when he crops up in a film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/i-miss-the-generation-of-actors-such-as-john-mills-where-it-doesn-t/) [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) > [It can be painful leaving parts of yourself behind. Change and shuffling off your previous skin is traumatic, but it can be done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/it-can-be-painful-leaving-parts-of-yourself-behind-change-and/) [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) > [Generally in the theatre, you spend some portion of the performance convincing people they have done the right thing in buying the ticket, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/generally-in-the-theatre-you-spend-some-portion-of-the-performance/) [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) > [I think it's harder to write about joy than pain, isn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/i-think-it-s-harder-to-write-about-joy-than-pain-isn-t-it/) [Jamie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) [Explore all 30 Jamie Parker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [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/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm making it up as I go along, like everyone else. There probably are some actors who are quite methodical or at least take their time about what particular footholds to find on the rocks next. There are always choices, even when you're not getting seen, for how to spend your time. It's only after 10 years that I got any kind of traction at all.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jamie Parker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/i-m-making-it-up-as-i-go-along-like-everyone-else-there-probably-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/i-m-making-it-up-as-i-go-along-like-everyone-else-there-probably-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/jamie-parker-20830_actor_i-m-making-it-up-as-i-go-along-like-ever_2469978.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/jamie-parker-20830_actor_i-m-making-it-up-as-i-go-along-like-ever_2469978.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/jamie-parker-20830_actor_i-m-making-it-up-as-i-go-along-like-ever_2469978.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm making it up as I go along, like everyone else. There probably are some actors who are quite methodical…” — Jamie Parker", "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": "Jamie Parker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-parker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm making it up as I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/i-m-making-it-up-as-i-go-along-like-everyone-else-there-probably-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-parker/i-m-making-it-up-as-i-go-along-like-everyone-else-there-probably-are/#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 } } ] } ```