--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Growing up, I wasn't as comfortable…" description: "\"Growing up, I wasn't as comfortable expressing myself as I am now, and I think that's why I chose acting: because it's acceptable to have your feelings..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/148/leslie-mann-8943_acceptable_growing-up-i-wasn-t-as-comfortable-expre_3146020.jpg" --- # Growing up, I wasn't as comfortable expressing myself as I… ![“Growing up, I wasn't as comfortable expressing myself as I am now, and I think that's why I chose acting: because it's acceptable to have your feelings. It's a place that they want you to feel. Whereas in life, growing up, it was 'Be quiet!' and 'Keep it to yourself.'” quote by Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/148/leslie-mann-8943_acceptable_growing-up-i-wasn-t-as-comfortable-expre_3146020.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/148/leslie-mann-8943_acceptable_growing-up-i-wasn-t-as-comfortable-expre_3146020.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/148/leslie-mann-8943_acceptable_growing-up-i-wasn-t-as-comfortable-expre_3146020.jpg) > “Growing up, I wasn't as comfortable expressing myself as I am now, and I think that's why I chose acting: because it's acceptable to have your feelings. It's a place that they want you to feel. Whereas in life, growing up, it was 'Be quiet!' and 'Keep it to yourself.'” [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting provides a safe space to express emotions, contrasting with societal expectations to suppress feelings. **In simple terms:** Acting lets you show feelings openly. Key Takeaway Use creative outlets to explore emotions. Themes self‑expression artistic freedom emotional honesty Mood introspective encouraging Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - theatre workshops - acting classes - personal journaling - support groups Key Concepts psychology performance art social norms Questions to Reflect On - How can we create more inclusive creative spaces? - What other mediums allow emotional expression? A Different Perspective Not everyone can access acting opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Expressing Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expressing-myself/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [Tattoos are my way of expressing myself without the need for words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-park/tattoos-are-my-way-of-expressing-myself-without-the-need-for-words/) [Jay Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-park/) > [I have no desire to prove anything by my work. I have never used it as an outlet or as a means of expressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-astaire/i-have-no-desire-to-prove-anything-by-my-work-i-have-never-used-it-as/) [Fred Astaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-astaire/) > [I have no fears or inhibitions while composing. It's a way of expressing myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santhosh-narayanan/i-have-no-fears-or-inhibitions-while-composing-it-s-a-way-of/) [Santhosh Narayanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santhosh-narayanan/) > [I'm expressing myself by acting. I'm learning about myself and making a living. I hope to do much more of it, so I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-remar/i-m-expressing-myself-by-acting-i-m-learning-about-myself-and-making/) [James Remar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-remar/) > [I love being in the studio. Expressing myself that way is really cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keke-palmer/i-love-being-in-the-studio-expressing-myself-that-way-is-really-cool/) [Keke Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keke-palmer/) > [Most of me expressing myself comes through my music more than what I wear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorja-smith/most-of-me-expressing-myself-comes-through-my-music-more-than-what-i/) [Jorja Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorja-smith/) > [Aren’t we all animals at the end of the day? I like to show that side of me, but in a respectful way. I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fefe-dobson/aren-t-we-all-animals-at-the-end-of-the-day-i-like-to-show-that-side/) [Fefe Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fefe-dobson/) > [At the Brooklyn Ethical Culture School, we learned to express ourselves, and I've been expressing myself ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-comden/at-the-brooklyn-ethical-culture-school-we-learned-to-express/) [Betty Comden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-comden/) > [My puppets are far more liberated than I am. Ventriloquism is a useful way of expressing myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-conti/my-puppets-are-far-more-liberated-than-i-am-ventriloquism-is-a-useful/) [Nina Conti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-conti/) > [Quiet! I'm expressing myself!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-stiles/quiet-i-m-expressing-myself/) [Ryan Stiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-stiles/) > [“I’m not expressing myself very well—’ ‘Dexter, I understand you perfectly, that’s the problem—”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/i-m-not-expressing-myself-very-well-dexter-i-understand-you-perfectly/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Expressing myself through language was always something that I had had to learn to do more so than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/expressing-myself-through-language-was-always-something-that-i-had/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [I'm just being who I am and expressing myself as everyone else does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erykah-badu/i-m-just-being-who-i-am-and-expressing-myself-as-everyone-else-does/) [Erykah Badu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erykah-badu/) > [Though I've spent years working with and creating images, I feel most comfortable expressing myself through writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salu/though-i-ve-spent-years-working-with-and-creating-images-i-feel-most/) [Michael Salu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salu/) > [If I were to give myself a pat on the back, it would be for sticking with bookmaking as my primary way of expressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pinkney/if-i-were-to-give-myself-a-pat-on-the-back-it-would-be-for-sticking/) [Jerry Pinkney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pinkney/) ## More by Leslie Mann > [I'm not willing to spend too much time away from my kids, so I usually don't work that much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-mann/i-m-not-willing-to-spend-too-much-time-away-from-my-kids-so-i-usually/) [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) > [I'm pretty much game for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-mann/i-m-pretty-much-game-for-anything/) [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) > [Written by a woman automatically is better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-mann/written-by-a-woman-automatically-is-better/) [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) > [I don't understand why people think it's harder to do drama than it is to do comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-mann/i-don-t-understand-why-people-think-it-s-harder-to-do-drama-than-it/) [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) > [My mother married three times. My dad is... I don't really have one. I mean, he does exist, but I have zero relationship with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-mann/my-mother-married-three-times-my-dad-is-i-don-t-really-have-one-i/) [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) > [I've always been intrigued by the supernatural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-mann/i-ve-always-been-intrigued-by-the-supernatural/) [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) > [Judd and Adam worked together when they first moved to Los Angeles in 1993, so I met Adam when I started dating Judd in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-mann/judd-and-adam-worked-together-when-they-first-moved-to-los-angeles-in/) [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) > [Perfect people are the scariest people to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-mann/perfect-people-are-the-scariest-people-to-me/) [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) > [I dont like watching couples in movies where the man is caressing the womans hair while theyre lying on the couch. Thats a fake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-mann/i-dont-like-watching-couples-in-movies-where-the-man-is-caressing-the/) [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) > [When you have little kids, you lose friends because you're so busy, but as they get older, you realise how important it is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-mann/when-you-have-little-kids-you-lose-friends-because-you-re-so-busy-but/) [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) > [I don't take anything at face value. I always look for the reasons people are the way they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-mann/i-don-t-take-anything-at-face-value-i-always-look-for-the-reasons/) [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) > [Women love hairy men. Cavemen were the sexiest men in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-mann/women-love-hairy-men-cavemen-were-the-sexiest-men-in-history/) [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) > [Sixteen is a hard time. A lot of kids are experimenting with things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-mann/sixteen-is-a-hard-time-a-lot-of-kids-are-experimenting-with-things/) [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) > [I don't quite fit in in like a pure dramatic thing, but I still think of myself sometimes as sort of a dramatic actress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-mann/i-don-t-quite-fit-in-in-like-a-pure-dramatic-thing-but-i-still-think/) [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) > [All the things you put off, like learning to play the piano or leaning a different language? You're like, what's the point? I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-mann/all-the-things-you-put-off-like-learning-to-play-the-piano-or-leaning/) [Leslie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) [Explore all 76 Leslie Mann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-mann/) ## More Acceptable quotes > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I remember being a kid and seeing the 'National Inquirer' at the grocery store checkout line. When somebody actually picked up a copy, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/i-remember-being-a-kid-and-seeing-the-national-inquirer-at-the/) [Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/) > [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [You cannot have 300-some million Americans - and really, right, the global citizenry be at risk of having their phone conversations intercepted with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/you-cannot-have-300-some-million-americans-and-really-right-the/) [Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/) > [THE REAL PURPOSE OF HOLOCAUST REVISIONISM IS TO MAKE NATIONAL SOCIALISM AN ACCEPTABLE POLITICAL ALTERNATIVE AGAIN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-covington/the-real-purpose-of-holocaust-revisionism-is-to-make-national/) Harold Covington > [The government has once again made the right socially acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elfriede-jelinek/the-government-has-once-again-made-the-right-socially-acceptable/) [Elfriede Jelinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elfriede-jelinek/) > [The study of Freemasonry is the study of man as a candidate for a blessed eternity. It furnishes examples of holy living, and displays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-howard-taft/the-study-of-freemasonry-is-the-study-of-man-as-a-candidate-for-a/) [William Howard Taft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-howard-taft/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [If a man is pictured chopping off a woman's breast, it only gets an R rating; but if, God forbid, a man is pictured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-struthers/if-a-man-is-pictured-chopping-off-a-woman-s-breast-it-only-gets-an-r/) Sally Struthers > [We cannot guess the outcome of our actions... Which is why our actions must always be acceptable in themselves, and not as strategies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-heilbrun/we-cannot-guess-the-outcome-of-our-actions-which-is-why-our-actions/) [Carolyn Heilbrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-heilbrun/) > [In any case, open-seat presidential elections like 2008 just are different in character from incumbent reelects, and I think that's the most important thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/in-any-case-open-seat-presidential-elections-like-2008-just-are/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [It's horrible how money and fame can make you acceptable while, if you're not famous or rich, you're not acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-tonioli/it-s-horrible-how-money-and-fame-can-make-you-acceptable-while-if-you/) [Bruno Tonioli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-tonioli/) > [I disagree with the prevailing point of view of some black leaders that special treatment for blacks is acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/i-disagree-with-the-prevailing-point-of-view-of-some-black-leaders/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [We get used to a certain kind of colour of form or format, and it's acceptable. And to puncture that is sticking your neck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-krasner/we-get-used-to-a-certain-kind-of-colour-of-form-or-format-and-it-s/) [Lee Krasner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-krasner/) Browse all 750 Acceptable quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Growing up, I wasn't as comfortable expressing myself as I am now, and I think that's why I chose acting: because it's acceptable to have your feelings. It's a place that they want you to feel. 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