--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was a waitress years ago when I was…" description: "\"I was a waitress years ago when I was first trying to become an actress, waiting tables in New York City.\" — Kim Dickens" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/872/kim-dickens-34971_actress_i-was-a-waitress-years-ago-when-i-was-fi_975050.jpg" --- # I was a waitress years ago when I was first trying to… ![“I was a waitress years ago when I was first trying to become an actress, waiting tables in New York City.” quote by Kim Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/872/kim-dickens-34971_actress_i-was-a-waitress-years-ago-when-i-was-fi_975050.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/872/kim-dickens-34971_actress_i-was-a-waitress-years-ago-when-i-was-fi_975050.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/872/kim-dickens-34971_actress_i-was-a-waitress-years-ago-when-i-was-fi_975050.jpg) > “I was a waitress years ago when I was first trying to become an actress, waiting tables in New York City.” [Kim Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dickens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She recounts her early acting career, highlighting the challenges of balancing work as a waitress with pursuing acting in New York. **In simple terms:** Actress worked as waitress while chasing acting dreams. Key Takeaway Persistence and hard work are essential for artistic goals. Themes career perseverance art struggle Mood inspirational realistic Type career motivational When to use this quote - audition prep - time management - financial planning - networking Key Concepts working class dream pursuit urban life Questions to Reflect On - What strategies helped her manage both roles? - How can aspiring artists sustain themselves? A Different Perspective Balancing survival jobs with creative ambitions can cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actress/) [Actress Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actress-waiting-1899279/) [Actresses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actresses/) [Become](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/become/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [New york city](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york-city/) [Tables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tables/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Waiting tables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting-tables/) [Waitress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waitress/) [Waitress Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waitress-years-835579/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) [York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york/) [York City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york-city/) ## Related quotes > [I was a waitress for nine years, which I don't regret at all. It taught me about discipline. I was always writing; it took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/i-was-a-waitress-for-nine-years-which-i-don-t-regret-at-all-it-taught/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [I really believe waiting tables, and service industry jobs in general, make you a better person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-greer/i-really-believe-waiting-tables-and-service-industry-jobs-in-general/) [Judy Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-greer/) > [My ambition was to stop waiting tables. That was how I measured success: finally, I was able to stop waiting tables, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-norton/my-ambition-was-to-stop-waiting-tables-that-was-how-i-measured/) [Graham Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-norton/) > [I was happy to wait tables so I could do my cabaret act. Did I love waiting tables? No. Did I love being 42…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridget-everett/i-was-happy-to-wait-tables-so-i-could-do-my-cabaret-act-did-i-love/) [Bridget Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridget-everett/) > [“But waiting tables, in some ways, still goes down as the hardest. Certainly the most thankless. Which”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-faris/but-waiting-tables-in-some-ways-still-goes-down-as-the-hardest/) [Anna Faris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-faris/) > [When I was a struggling actress in New York in my 20s I worked in a burger joint called Diane's Uptown. I actually loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bullock/when-i-was-a-struggling-actress-in-new-york-in-my-20s-i-worked-in-a/) [Sandra Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bullock/) > [Before I quit waiting tables, I never had more than like three days off in a row really for many, many years. I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridget-everett/before-i-quit-waiting-tables-i-never-had-more-than-like-three-days/) [Bridget Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridget-everett/) > [I can always go back to waiting tables, but I won't be very good at it. I'll never be good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/i-can-always-go-back-to-waiting-tables-but-i-won-t-be-very-good-at-it/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [I have to say, doing theater, that's what you're trained to do. Doing film, when I first started doing it, felt like something else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-have-to-say-doing-theater-that-s-what-you-re-trained-to-do-doing/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [Waiting tables has never paid my bills, a fact which I prefer to hide from my colleagues with deep sighs about the price of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/waiting-tables-has-never-paid-my-bills-a-fact-which-i-prefer-to-hide/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [I want to quit. Not performing, but being a woman altogether. I want to throw my hands in the air, after reading a mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-schumer/i-want-to-quit-not-performing-but-being-a-woman-altogether-i-want-to/) [Amy Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-schumer/) > [I stopped waiting tables in my 40s, and I think that's the story of a lot of people around me. We're all in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridget-everett/i-stopped-waiting-tables-in-my-40s-and-i-think-that-s-the-story-of-a/) [Bridget Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridget-everett/) > [“When Marino's needs us, we chip in.I just hate when chipping involves waiting tables. I have to write down orders so I don't forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/when-marino-s-needs-us-we-chip-in-i-just-hate-when-chipping-involves/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [In the creative arts you draw a special power. The discipline required is awesome to be an actor or an actress, to be really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/in-the-creative-arts-you-draw-a-special-power-the-discipline-required/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [My worst job would have to be waiting tables at a restaurant in N.Y. My boss was evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inbar-lavi/my-worst-job-would-have-to-be-waiting-tables-at-a-restaurant-in-n-y/) [Inbar Lavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inbar-lavi/) ## More by Kim Dickens > [Pilot season tends to be grueling, because you can be thrown all of these auditions at once - last-minute, always - and you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/pilot-season-tends-to-be-grueling-because-you-can-be-thrown-all-of/) [Kim Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dickens/) > [I have to say, not a day goes by when I don't think fondly about 'Deadwood' and miss things about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/i-have-to-say-not-a-day-goes-by-when-i-don-t-think-fondly-about/) [Kim Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dickens/) > [I'm a country girl. I like country music. I'm not going to lie. I'm from the South, and I grew up on it. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/i-m-a-country-girl-i-like-country-music-i-m-not-going-to-lie-i-m-from/) [Kim Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dickens/) > [If you went to school in Nashville, you were aware of all those '60s rockabilly people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/if-you-went-to-school-in-nashville-you-were-aware-of-all-those-60s/) [Kim Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dickens/) > [I wish I was more of a song-and-dance girl. I sang in a show once. I wish I could be in 'Hair.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/i-wish-i-was-more-of-a-song-and-dance-girl-i-sang-in-a-show-once-i/) [Kim Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dickens/) > [I love football movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/i-love-football-movies/) [Kim Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dickens/) > [I don't like all of the contemporary country. I like some of it, but I'm mostly into the traditional style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/i-don-t-like-all-of-the-contemporary-country-i-like-some-of-it-but-i/) [Kim Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dickens/) > [I'm a country girl; I like country music. That's what my car radio is on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/i-m-a-country-girl-i-like-country-music-that-s-what-my-car-radio-is-on/) [Kim Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dickens/) > [Steve Zahn and I like to go to dinner, and we love to go to Chef Donald Link's Herb Saint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/steve-zahn-and-i-like-to-go-to-dinner-and-we-love-to-go-to-chef/) [Kim Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dickens/) > [I like country music. I'm not going to lie. I'm from the South, and I grew up on it. My dad was a country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/i-like-country-music-i-m-not-going-to-lie-i-m-from-the-south-and-i/) [Kim Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dickens/) > [When you're guest-starring on another show, it really requires you to jump through hoops in a way, because you're servicing the stories of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/when-you-re-guest-starring-on-another-show-it-really-requires-you-to/) [Kim Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dickens/) > [I started out in New York, and New York has a way of countering a Southern accent, naturally; when I moved to Los Angeles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/i-started-out-in-new-york-and-new-york-has-a-way-of-countering-a/) [Kim Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dickens/) [Explore all 13 Kim Dickens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dickens/) ## More Actress quotes > [Sigourney Weaver is a wonderful person. I was so lucky to have the opportunity to meet and work with such an amazing actress. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-henn/sigourney-weaver-is-a-wonderful-person-i-was-so-lucky-to-have-the/) [Carrie Henn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-henn/) > [People forget I'm an actress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-heatherton/people-forget-i-m-an-actress/) [Joey Heatherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-heatherton/) > [I adore Kelly Bishop as a human being and as an actress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-gunn/i-adore-kelly-bishop-as-a-human-being-and-as-an-actress/) [Sean Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-gunn/) > [I've been told before, and I tend to believe it, I'm not like most actresses out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moira-kelly/i-ve-been-told-before-and-i-tend-to-believe-it-i-m-not-like-most/) [Moira Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moira-kelly/) > [Marilyn was a great actress, not a dumb blond bombshell. She was very smart, very astute and a good businesswoman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-schiller/marilyn-was-a-great-actress-not-a-dumb-blond-bombshell-she-was-very/) [Lawrence Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-schiller/) > [I'm an actress, not a pin-up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-annis/i-m-an-actress-not-a-pin-up/) [Francesca Annis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-annis/) > [My father was a GP; my mother was a teacher and amateur actress. My father was a bit of a storyteller, but the acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciaran-hinds/my-father-was-a-gp-my-mother-was-a-teacher-and-amateur-actress-my/) [Ciaran Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciaran-hinds/) > [I never wished that I was a superstar. Hell, I never even wished that I was an actress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/i-never-wished-that-i-was-a-superstar-hell-i-never-even-wished-that-i/) [Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/) > [Many of the heroines from outside Karnataka have worked in my films, but the attitude and adjusting nature of top South Indian actress Nayantara…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rockline-venkatesh/many-of-the-heroines-from-outside-karnataka-have-worked-in-my-films/) [Rockline Venkatesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rockline-venkatesh/) > [There are a lot of great actresses out there. You learn to appreciate each one for what they offer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-pratt/there-are-a-lot-of-great-actresses-out-there-you-learn-to-appreciate/) [Victoria Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-pratt/) > [There's certain things I try to avoid, as an actress, just to keep my world from being as narrow as it could be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/famke-janssen/there-s-certain-things-i-try-to-avoid-as-an-actress-just-to-keep-my/) [Famke Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/famke-janssen/) > [I never wanted to be an opera singer. I wanted to be an actress, maybe a rock singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristine-opolais/i-never-wanted-to-be-an-opera-singer-i-wanted-to-be-an-actress-maybe/) [Kristine Opolais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristine-opolais/) > [When an actor charges high fees, nobody says anything. But when an actress does the same, it becomes news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijayashanti/when-an-actor-charges-high-fees-nobody-says-anything-but-when-an/) [Vijayashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijayashanti/) > [I am going to be a great actress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivien-leigh/i-am-going-to-be-a-great-actress/) [Vivien Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivien-leigh/) > [As a black actress you've got to work doubly hard. But it doesn't ever get me to the point where I give up on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naturi-naughton/as-a-black-actress-you-ve-got-to-work-doubly-hard-but-it-doesn-t-ever/) [Naturi Naughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naturi-naughton/) [Browse all 2,244 Actress quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actress/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was a waitress years ago when I was first trying to become an actress, waiting tables in New York City.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kim Dickens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/i-was-a-waitress-years-ago-when-i-was-first-trying-to-become-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actress" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/i-was-a-waitress-years-ago-when-i-was-first-trying-to-become-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/872/kim-dickens-34971_actress_i-was-a-waitress-years-ago-when-i-was-fi_975050.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/872/kim-dickens-34971_actress_i-was-a-waitress-years-ago-when-i-was-fi_975050.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/872/kim-dickens-34971_actress_i-was-a-waitress-years-ago-when-i-was-fi_975050.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was a waitress years ago when I was first trying to become an actress, waiting tables in New York City.” — Kim Dickens", "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": "Kim Dickens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dickens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was a waitress years ago...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/i-was-a-waitress-years-ago-when-i-was-first-trying-to-become-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dickens/i-was-a-waitress-years-ago-when-i-was-first-trying-to-become-an/#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 } } ] } ```