--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I read, it is not acted literature…" description: "\"When I read, it is not acted literature; but what I write is written acting.\" — Karl Kraus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/300/karl-kraus-1128_acting_when-i-read-it-is-not-acted-literature-b_1225963.png" --- # When I read, it is not acted literature; but what I write… ![“When I read, it is not acted literature; but what I write is written acting.” quote by Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/300/karl-kraus-1128_acting_when-i-read-it-is-not-acted-literature-b_1225963.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/300/karl-kraus-1128_acting_when-i-read-it-is-not-acted-literature-b_1225963.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/300/karl-kraus-1128_acting_when-i-read-it-is-not-acted-literature-b_1225963.png) > “When I read, it is not acted literature; but what I write is written acting.” [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading is passive while writing is active, turning thoughts into action. **In simple terms:** Writing is active, reading is passive. Key Takeaway Write to act, not just to observe. Themes creativity expression action Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing workshops - creative journaling - academic analysis Key Concepts literary theory performative writing Questions to Reflect On - How does writing change your perception of reading? - Can writing become a form of practice? A Different Perspective Writing may not capture the immediacy of real action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Your obligation as writers is to distinguish yourself. … The ultimate result should be a book that you write that no one else could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrell/your-obligation-as-writers-is-to-distinguish-yourself-the-ultimate/) [David Morrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrell/) > [I can write no more. All that I have written seems like straw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/i-can-write-no-more-all-that-i-have-written-seems-like-straw/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [Poetry, at least the kind I write, is written out of immediate need; it is written out of pain, joy, and experience too great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/poetry-at-least-the-kind-i-write-is-written-out-of-immediate-need-it/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“So I be written in the Book of Love, I have no care about that book above; Erase my name, or write it, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-le-gallienne/so-i-be-written-in-the-book-of-love-i-have-no-care-about-that-book/) [Richard Le Gallienne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-le-gallienne/) > [So I be written in the Book of Love. I do not care about that Book Above. Erase my name, or write it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-khayy-m/so-i-be-written-in-the-book-of-love-i-do-not-care-about-that-book/) [Omar Khayyam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-khayy-m/) > [In a way, there's nothing new under the sun, so anything you write about has been written about by other people. All you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-andrews/in-a-way-there-s-nothing-new-under-the-sun-so-anything-you-write/) [Jesse Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-andrews/) > [“Always write with property, because how you write is who you are and what is written will remain written.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-holm-garibay/always-write-with-property-because-how-you-write-is-who-you-are-and/) [Ingrid Holm-Garibay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-holm-garibay/) > [It's much more important to write than to be written about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/it-s-much-more-important-to-write-than-to-be-written-about/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [To be accurate, write; to remember, write; to know thine own mind, write. And a written prayer is a prayer of faith, special, sure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-farquhar-tupper/to-be-accurate-write-to-remember-write-to-know-thine-own-mind-write/) [Martin Farquhar Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-farquhar-tupper/) > [“Can I show all that I have written to my Beloved, the one for whom all I write is written?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vipul-rikhi/can-i-show-all-that-i-have-written-to-my-beloved-the-one-for-whom-all/) Vipul Rikhi > [Write it down. Written goals have a way of transforming wishes into wants; cant's into cans; dreams into plans; and plans into reality. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/write-it-down-written-goals-have-a-way-of-transforming-wishes-into/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [I never thought I'd write, because I'd never written anything in my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-never-thought-i-d-write-because-i-d-never-written-anything-in-my/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [“The thing is not to write what no one else could have written, but to write what only you could have written.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/the-thing-is-not-to-write-what-no-one-else-could-have-written-but-to/) [Nam Le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/) > [I was learning book-keeping at the age of 12, but it never stopped me from pursuing literature. Over the years, I grew to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/i-was-learning-book-keeping-at-the-age-of-12-but-it-never-stopped-me/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [Great literature has always been written in a like spirit, and is, indeed, the Forgiveness of Sin, and when we find it becoming the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/great-literature-has-always-been-written-in-a-like-spirit-and-is/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) ## More by Karl Kraus > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [I don't like to meddle in my private affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/i-don-t-like-to-meddle-in-my-private-affairs/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [A historian is not always a prophet facing backwards, but a journalist is always someone who afterwards knew everything beforehand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/a-historian-is-not-always-a-prophet-facing-backwards-but-a-journalist/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [When a man is treated like a beast, he says, 'After all, I'm human.' When he behaves like a beast, he says 'After all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/when-a-man-is-treated-like-a-beast-he-says-after-all-i-m-human-when/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [They judge lest they be judged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/they-judge-lest-they-be-judged/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [I and my public understand each other very well: it does not hear what I say, and I don't say what it wants to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/i-and-my-public-understand-each-other-very-well-it-does-not-hear-what/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Satire that the censor understands is rightly censored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/satire-that-the-censor-understands-is-rightly-censored/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Hate must make a man productive. Otherwise one might as well love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/hate-must-make-a-man-productive-otherwise-one-might-as-well-love/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [One must read all writers twice--the good as well as the bad. The one kind will be recognized; the other, unmasked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/one-must-read-all-writers-twice-the-good-as-well-as-the-bad-the-one/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Children today laugh at fathers who tell them about dragons. It is necessary to make fear a required subject; otherwise children will never learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/children-today-laugh-at-fathers-who-tell-them-about-dragons-it-is/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [The little stations are very proud because the expresses have to pass them by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/the-little-stations-are-very-proud-because-the-expresses-have-to-pass/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [The unattractive thing about chauvinism is not so much the aversion to other nations as the love of one's own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/the-unattractive-thing-about-chauvinism-is-not-so-much-the-aversion/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [I have often been asked to be fair and view a matter from all sides. I did so, hoping that something might improve if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/i-have-often-been-asked-to-be-fair-and-view-a-matter-from-all-sides-i/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [In the theater one must sit in such a way that one sees the audience as a dark mass. Then it cannot bother one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/in-the-theater-one-must-sit-in-such-a-way-that-one-sees-the-audience/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Many desire to kill me, and many wish to spend an hour chatting with me. The law protects me from the former.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/many-desire-to-kill-me-and-many-wish-to-spend-an-hour-chatting-with/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) [Explore all 275 Karl Kraus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) ## 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 > [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. 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