--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I often think that could we creep behind…" description: "\"I often think that could we creep behind the actor's eyes, we would find an attic of forgotten toys and a copy of the Domesday Book.\" — Laurence Olivier" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/laurence-olivier-11163_book_i-often-think-that-could-we-creep-behind_39620.png" --- # I often think that could we creep behind the actor's eyes… ![“I often think that could we creep behind the actor's eyes, we would find an attic of forgotten toys and a copy of the Domesday Book.” quote by Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/laurence-olivier-11163_book_i-often-think-that-could-we-creep-behind_39620.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/laurence-olivier-11163_book_i-often-think-that-could-we-creep-behind_39620.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/laurence-olivier-11163_book_i-often-think-that-could-we-creep-behind_39620.png) > “I often think that could we creep behind the actor's eyes, we would find an attic of forgotten toys and a copy of the Domesday Book.” [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that behind a performer’s façade lies a hidden trove of personal history and forgotten memories, symbolized by an attic of toys and an ancient record. **In simple terms:** Behind the mask lies a secret archive of self. Key Takeaway Public personas conceal private histories. Themes identity memory performance history self‑presentation Mood nostalgic reflective introspective Type aphor observation When to use this quote - actor reflecting on fame - writer exploring character depth - psychologist analyzing self‑image - artist confronting past - historian linking personal and collective memory Key Concepts persona archival metaphor inner child historical record Practical Applications - creative writing character - character development in acting Questions to Reflect On - What does the 'attic' represent in our own lives? - How does fame affect personal memory? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor-eyes-451938/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Creep Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creep-actor-451940/) [Eyes Attic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes-attic-451936/) [Forgotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgotten/) [Forgotten Toys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgotten-toys-451939/) [Think Creep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-creep-451937/) [Toys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toys/) ## Related quotes > [“We used to talk and smile seven days ago when I was wearing a suit. 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McClean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-mcclean/) > [I'm looking into a different actor's eyes every couple days, and I'm learning so much just to see the different processes people go through,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oren-moverman/i-m-looking-into-a-different-actor-s-eyes-every-couple-days-and-i-m/) [Oren Moverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oren-moverman/) > [If you're an actor, you get your eyes put out; you get everything done to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mortimer/if-you-re-an-actor-you-get-your-eyes-put-out-you-get-everything-done/) [John Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mortimer/) > [I feel like, for an actor, eyes are the most important thing. 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When I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-sawaya/lego-is-universal-so-many-people-enjoy-it-from-all-different-walks-of/) [Nathan Sawaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-sawaya/) > [I was one of those kids who took apart their toys to see how they work, just to see what they were made up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hurley/i-was-one-of-those-kids-who-took-apart-their-toys-to-see-how-they/) [Chad Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hurley/) > [I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying, toys not included.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-manning/i-once-bought-my-kids-a-set-of-batteries-for-christmas-with-a-note-on/) [Bernard Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-manning/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. 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You can't just pick them up and drop them whenever you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/girls-are-not-toys-you-can-t-just-pick-them-up-and-drop-them-whenever/) [Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/) ## More by Laurence Olivier > [Autograph-hunting is the most unattractive manifestation of sex-starved curiosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/autograph-hunting-is-the-most-unattractive-manifestation-of-sex/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [Acting is an everlasting search for truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/acting-is-an-everlasting-search-for-truth/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [I believe in the theater; I believe in it as the first glamorizer of thought. 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You have to have extra voltage, some extra temperament to reach certain heights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/if-i-wasn-t-an-actor-i-think-i-d-have-gone-mad-you-have-to-have-extra/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [ \[on whether he harbored any resentment at his forced retirement from the stage after he was fired by Britain's National Theater\] I should be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/on-whether-he-harbored-any-resentment-at-his-forced-retirement-from/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [I have to act to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/i-have-to-act-to-live/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [If he was lost for a moment, he would dive straight back into its honey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/if-he-was-lost-for-a-moment-he-would-dive-straight-back-into-its-honey/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [If you're an artist, you've got to prove it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/if-you-re-an-artist-you-ve-got-to-prove-it/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [Lead the audience by the nose to the thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/lead-the-audience-by-the-nose-to-the-thought/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [A sexual athlete is not likely to find sufficient energy for work of another athletic kind, and the acting of great parts most definitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/a-sexual-athlete-is-not-likely-to-find-sufficient-energy-for-work-of/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [We have all, at one time or another, been performers, and many of us still are - politicians, playboys, cardinals and kings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/we-have-all-at-one-time-or-another-been-performers-and-many-of-us/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) [Explore all 61 Laurence Olivier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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