--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Acting for me is not a bad habit like…" description: "\"Acting for me is not a bad habit like smoking that I must make an effort to quit. I love acting; I love directing.\" — Joan Chen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/joan-chen-13493_acting_acting-for-me-is-not-a-bad-habit-like-sm_3104456.png" --- # Acting for me is not a bad habit like smoking that I must… ![“Acting for me is not a bad habit like smoking that I must make an effort to quit. I love acting; I love directing.” quote by Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/joan-chen-13493_acting_acting-for-me-is-not-a-bad-habit-like-sm_3104456.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/joan-chen-13493_acting_acting-for-me-is-not-a-bad-habit-like-sm_3104456.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/joan-chen-13493_acting_acting-for-me-is-not-a-bad-habit-like-sm_3104456.png) > “Acting for me is not a bad habit like smoking that I must make an effort to quit. I love acting; I love directing.” [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting is portrayed as a positive passion rather than a harmful habit, emphasizing love for performance and direction. **In simple terms:** Acting is a rewarding passion, not a bad habit. Key Takeaway Pursue creative passions fully. Themes creativity career self‑discipline Mood inspirational thoughtful Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - career choice - skill development - work‑life balance Key Concepts passion vs. habit artistic fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - How do you keep creative pursuits healthy? - What boundaries help maintain balance? A Different Perspective Creative work can become an unhealthy obsession. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Bad habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-habit/) [Bad habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-habits/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Like Smoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-smoking-423614/) [Love Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-acting/) [Love Directing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-directing/) [Quit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quit/) [Quitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quitting/) [Smoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoking/) ## Related quotes > [At some point, being angry is just another bad habit, like smoking, and you keep poisoning yourself without thinking about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/at-some-point-being-angry-is-just-another-bad-habit-like-smoking-and/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [“And I just want to tell you, at some point it doesn’t matter who was right and who was wrong. At some point, being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/and-i-just-want-to-tell-you-at-some-point-it-doesn-t-matter-who-was/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [I've always wanted to have the ability to do what I want to do. And there are so many things that I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jada-pinkett-smith/i-ve-always-wanted-to-have-the-ability-to-do-what-i-want-to-do-and/) [Jada Pinkett Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jada-pinkett-smith/) > [I fell out of love with acting and in love with directing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-burke/i-fell-out-of-love-with-acting-and-in-love-with-directing/) [Kathy Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-burke/) > [I love being creative. I love acting, but I also love directing because you get to have a vision for the whole and bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-landau/i-love-being-creative-i-love-acting-but-i-also-love-directing-because/) [Juliet Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-landau/) > [I love acting, I love directing, I love writing, I love producing, I love creating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joivan-wade/i-love-acting-i-love-directing-i-love-writing-i-love-producing-i-love/) [Joivan Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joivan-wade/) > [Quoting, like smoking, ... is a dirty habit to which I am devoted. But then ... I am a professor of English literature; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-heilbrun/quoting-like-smoking-is-a-dirty-habit-to-which-i-am-devoted-but-then/) [Carolyn Heilbrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-heilbrun/) > [I like smoking pot, but I'm not the kind of guy who smokes every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/i-like-smoking-pot-but-i-m-not-the-kind-of-guy-who-smokes-every-day/) [Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/) > [Quoting, like smoking, is a dirty habit to which I am devoted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/quoting-like-smoking-is-a-dirty-habit-to-which-i-am-devoted/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As a child I was a good boy. Even if I wasn't playing tennis I don't think I'd have done things like smoking or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/as-a-child-i-was-a-good-boy-even-if-i-wasn-t-playing-tennis-i-don-t/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [I have the same friends and the same bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/i-have-the-same-friends-and-the-same-bad-habits/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [Sometimes it doesn't take much to slip back into bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/didier-deschamps/sometimes-it-doesn-t-take-much-to-slip-back-into-bad-habits/) [Didier Deschamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/didier-deschamps/) > [“It's a very bad habit to put off disagreeable things...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/it-s-a-very-bad-habit-to-put-off-disagreeable-things/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [Even the most fickle are faithful to a few bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-fickle-are-faithful-to-a-few-bad-habits/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Working at home is hard. It tends to give you bad habits. It feels more like you're going to work when you get up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beaton/working-at-home-is-hard-it-tends-to-give-you-bad-habits-it-feels-more/) [Kate Beaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beaton/) ## More by Joan Chen > [Acting is actually private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/acting-is-actually-private/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [There are a lot of stereotypes to be broken which I think a lot of us are doing. What I do is, as soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/there-are-a-lot-of-stereotypes-to-be-broken-which-i-think-a-lot-of-us/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [There is no theoretical study of motherhood. You know, before I became a mother, I did play a mother, but I was like -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/there-is-no-theoretical-study-of-motherhood-you-know-before-i-became/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [In order to dance professionally, you have to start at a young age. No matter what, your muscle structure and your bones have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/in-order-to-dance-professionally-you-have-to-start-at-a-young-age-no/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [Physical hunger and physical poverty is something I could only imagine. I've been poor when I was in China... As kids we never had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/physical-hunger-and-physical-poverty-is-something-i-could-only/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [I remember watching Swan Lake and everybody looking exactly the same, but being able to relate because they were the only company I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/i-remember-watching-swan-lake-and-everybody-looking-exactly-the-same/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [Since my mom is the President of Ballet Hawaii, I'm always in touch with stuff going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/since-my-mom-is-the-president-of-ballet-hawaii-i-m-always-in-touch/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [I miss directing. I see stories in images and music more so than in dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/i-miss-directing-i-see-stories-in-images-and-music-more-so-than-in/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [How I was raised is what I am today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/how-i-was-raised-is-what-i-am-today/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [The young people, they don't knock on the door politely and say "May I come in?" They barge in, they take your seat, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/the-young-people-they-don-t-knock-on-the-door-politely-and-say-may-i/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [Since age 14, I know what actors fear, what they like; I know how to get things out of them and I listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/since-age-14-i-know-what-actors-fear-what-they-like-i-know-how-to-get/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [It's a very obsessive profession that you need to stay obsessed to get anywhere, and it's very easy for us to get obsessed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/it-s-a-very-obsessive-profession-that-you-need-to-stay-obsessed-to/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [I will always have a career. I believe in working. I don't believe that taking care of your house and children is enough for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/i-will-always-have-a-career-i-believe-in-working-i-don-t-believe-that/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [I grew up in Honolulu. It's not the ballet cultural mecca by any stretch of the imagination. People are much more familiar with hula…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/i-grew-up-in-honolulu-it-s-not-the-ballet-cultural-mecca-by-any/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) > [When you feel so strongly about something and other people feel equally strongly, you have to feel stronger about it in order to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/when-you-feel-so-strongly-about-something-and-other-people-feel/) [Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) [Explore all 50 Joan Chen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/) ## More Acting 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/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) [Ryan Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-newman/) > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) [Browse all 12,062 Acting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Acting for me is not a bad habit like smoking that I must make an effort to quit. 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