--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do one accent - my own. I can make it…" description: "\"I do one accent - my own. I can make it louder or quieter. That is the sum total of my vocal range. I thought I could do an American accent until I tri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/john-oliver-2975_accent_i-do-one-accent-my-own-i-can-make-it-lou_171585.png" --- # I do one accent - my own. I can make it louder or quieter… ![“I do one accent - my own. I can make it louder or quieter. That is the sum total of my vocal range. I thought I could do an American accent until I tried it in front of an American - the expression of horror is still burnt onto my retinas.” quote by John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/john-oliver-2975_accent_i-do-one-accent-my-own-i-can-make-it-lou_171585.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/john-oliver-2975_accent_i-do-one-accent-my-own-i-can-make-it-lou_171585.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/john-oliver-2975_accent_i-do-one-accent-my-own-i-can-make-it-lou_171585.png) > “I do one accent - my own. I can make it louder or quieter. That is the sum total of my vocal range. I thought I could do an American accent until I tried it in front of an American - the expression of horror is still burnt onto my retinas.” [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) ## 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 describes his unique vocal style, noting attempts to mimic an American accent failed, leaving a lasting negative impression. **In simple terms:** Own your personal voice. Key Takeaway Embrace your natural accent. Themes self‑expression authenticity communication Mood humorous insightful Type observational satirical When to use this quote - public speaking - acting - language learning Key Concepts accent adaptation cultural perception Questions to Reflect On - What does your voice say about your identity? - How can you communicate effectively without changing your accent? A Different Perspective Mimicking accents can reinforce stereotypes or cause discomfort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accents/) [American accent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-accent/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) ## Related quotes > [When I first tried the American accent, for a moment I thought I could never be an actor because I just could not do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/when-i-first-tried-the-american-accent-for-a-moment-i-thought-i-could/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [I had more of a vocal range. If you wanted to play a keyboard song, like "Love Walks In," I can do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-hagar/i-had-more-of-a-vocal-range-if-you-wanted-to-play-a-keyboard-song/) [Sammy Hagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-hagar/) > [Doing a northern English accent... I tried my best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lee-o-donnell/doing-a-northern-english-accent-i-tried-my-best/) [Jamie-Lee O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lee-o-donnell/) > [My parents - they tried to become American, they tried to become British, they tried to become Scandinavian - nobody wanted them, anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/my-parents-they-tried-to-become-american-they-tried-to-become-british/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Hearing loss has not affected my vocal range. I can still pitch perfectly, but without the hearing aids, I don't hear the intricate high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-taylor/hearing-loss-has-not-affected-my-vocal-range-i-can-still-pitch/) [Roger Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-taylor/) > [I loved Hollywood musicals and would dance around in the living room to 'Top Hat' when I was a child. I was shattered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-fitzgerald/i-loved-hollywood-musicals-and-would-dance-around-in-the-living-room/) [Tara Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-fitzgerald/) > [“Question for your life: If love existed an octave above where your vocal range ended, would you buy a dog whistle to get my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/question-for-your-life-if-love-existed-an-octave-above-where-your/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I think most British people who say they can do an American accent are so bad at it. I find it excruciating. I find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-atkins/i-think-most-british-people-who-say-they-can-do-an-american-accent/) [Eileen Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-atkins/) > [I've played American characters so many times now, it's so natural to me. But when I play American, I stay in the American accent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-sulkin/i-ve-played-american-characters-so-many-times-now-it-s-so-natural-to/) [Gregg Sulkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-sulkin/) > [Most of the roles that I go for are Americans, so the first thing I had to do was pin down the American accent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-jackson/most-of-the-roles-that-i-go-for-are-americans-so-the-first-thing-i/) [Sasha Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-jackson/) > [I could do an American accent, if I were immersed in the accent, meaning if I were living back in Los Angeles and rehearsing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioan-gruffudd/i-could-do-an-american-accent-if-i-were-immersed-in-the-accent/) [Ioan Gruffudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ioan-gruffudd/) > [I guess I'd always mocked the American accent. I didn't consider it a respectable dialect, but I was told that it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callan-mcauliffe/i-guess-i-d-always-mocked-the-american-accent-i-didn-t-consider-it-a/) [Callan McAuliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callan-mcauliffe/) > [I live in L.A. so I worry my kids aren't that connected to Britain, I suppose I don't want them to become American kids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mckidd/i-live-in-l-a-so-i-worry-my-kids-aren-t-that-connected-to-britain-i/) [Kevin McKidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mckidd/) > [I think it's sort of a rite of passage for a British actor to try and get the American accent and have a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orlando-bloom/i-think-it-s-sort-of-a-rite-of-passage-for-a-british-actor-to-try-and/) [Orlando Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orlando-bloom/) > [American accents often sound much more confident than British ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-front/american-accents-often-sound-much-more-confident-than-british-ones/) [Rebecca Front](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-front/) ## More by John Oliver > [I've always been interested in socially political, or overtly political, comedy. And I guess I've always liked to channel some kind of personal element…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-socially-political-or-overtly/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I knew I was going to go into the field and make fun of people to their faces. I knew what I was getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-knew-i-was-going-to-go-into-the-field-and-make-fun-of-people-to/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [Once you learn how to make people laugh, then you get to choose exactly how you want to make them laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/once-you-learn-how-to-make-people-laugh-then-you-get-to-choose/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [When you see people say crazy things on our show, they mean this stuff,and that's easy to forget: They're not joking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/when-you-see-people-say-crazy-things-on-our-show-they-mean-this-stuff/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I think Americans still can't help but respond to the natural authority of this voice. Deep down they long to be told what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-respond-to-the-natural/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I think I'm just a summer fling that people will soon forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-think-i-m-just-a-summer-fling-that-people-will-soon-forget/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I guess the tone of jokes is often, at best, irreverent, but it always comes from a place of deep love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-guess-the-tone-of-jokes-is-often-at-best-irreverent-but-it-always/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I'm always interested in audience interaction. Not so much aggressive audience interaction - I'm genuinely interested in how people see things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-m-always-interested-in-audience-interaction-not-so-much-aggressive/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [If you work on a comedy show, your basic form of communication is teasing. That's generally how we speak to each other: you communicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/if-you-work-on-a-comedy-show-your-basic-form-of-communication-is/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I know I'd be an absolutely horrendous politician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-know-i-d-be-an-absolutely-horrendous-politician/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [Anybody who claims to be excited for April Fools' Day is probably a sociopath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/anybody-who-claims-to-be-excited-for-april-fools-day-is-probably-a/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [Pumpkin spice lattes are egg nog for morning people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/pumpkin-spice-lattes-are-egg-nog-for-morning-people/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I've made so many people angry that they kind of blur into one unpleasant memory of people staring at you with somewhere between passive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-ve-made-so-many-people-angry-that-they-kind-of-blur-into-one/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [Armando Iannucci is one of my heroes. As I was growing up, he was probably the most influential comic voice that I had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/armando-iannucci-is-one-of-my-heroes-as-i-was-growing-up-he-was/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [If your name is Sepp, at the bare minimum you’ve strangled someone in a bar fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/if-your-name-is-sepp-at-the-bare-minimum-you-ve-strangled-someone-in/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) [Explore all 143 John Oliver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) ## More Accent quotes > [“It's not my accent, but my brevity makes me stylish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/it-s-not-my-accent-but-my-brevity-makes-me-stylish/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“Stop it,” Adrian ordered, his strange accent thicker with his vehemence. “I promise, I’m not going to hurt you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/stop-it-adrian-ordered-his-strange-accent-thicker-with-his-vehemence/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [At first I thought I would have to put on an English accent and try a sort of affected Shakespeare thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/at-first-i-thought-i-would-have-to-put-on-an-english-accent-and-try-a/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [“If you are an alien, how come you sound like you're from the north?' 'Lots of planets have a north!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-t-davies/if-you-are-an-alien-how-come-you-sound-like-you-re-from-the-north/) [Russell T Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-t-davies/) > [I'm a Yente and I have a terrible accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-samuels/i-m-a-yente-and-i-have-a-terrible-accent/) [Lynn Samuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-samuels/) > [My accent gets more pronounced when I've been talking to people from Derry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roma-downey/my-accent-gets-more-pronounced-when-i-ve-been-talking-to-people-from/) [Roma Downey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roma-downey/) > [I definitely am from Australia...you can tell by my accent!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-simpson/i-definitely-am-from-australia-you-can-tell-by-my-accent/) [Cody Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-simpson/) > [They made me use an accent, which I wasn't thrilled about because a lot of us, obviously, don't have them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/they-made-me-use-an-accent-which-i-wasn-t-thrilled-about-because-a/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [Now, I don't know about my peers, but I get nervous - okay, I genuinely freak out - when an actor starts trying on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-lurie/now-i-don-t-know-about-my-peers-but-i-get-nervous-okay-i-genuinely/) [Rod Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-lurie/) > [I had people who said I was a brilliant producer but I wouldn't get on the news because I was too northern. But there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steph-mcgovern/i-had-people-who-said-i-was-a-brilliant-producer-but-i-wouldn-t-get/) [Steph McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steph-mcgovern/) > [I'm a big fan of the Irish accent. After a couple of drinks, I start to get a bit of an Irish lilt, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-ratajkowski/i-m-a-big-fan-of-the-irish-accent-after-a-couple-of-drinks-i-start-to/) [Emily Ratajkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-ratajkowski/) > [“The accent of one's birthplace persists in the mind and heart as much as in speech.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-rouchefoucauld/the-accent-of-one-s-birthplace-persists-in-the-mind-and-heart-as-much/) La Rouchefoucauld > [Years later, when I was working as a trolley wally in a supermarket, I tackled the boredom by talking to the customers in as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romesh-ranganathan/years-later-when-i-was-working-as-a-trolley-wally-in-a-supermarket-i/) [Romesh Ranganathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romesh-ranganathan/) > [Hey, I saw this old British movie, all the people spoke so different, you could hardly understand them. But everyone here speaks American as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/hey-i-saw-this-old-british-movie-all-the-people-spoke-so-different/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [I live in L.A. so I worry my kids aren't that connected to Britain, I suppose I don't want them to become American kids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mckidd/i-live-in-l-a-so-i-worry-my-kids-aren-t-that-connected-to-britain-i/) [Kevin McKidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mckidd/) Browse all 671 Accent quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I do one accent - my own. I can make it louder or quieter. That is the sum total of my vocal range. 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