--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think you learn how to act. You…" description: "\"I don't think you learn how to act. You learn how to use your emotions and feelings.\" — Marion Cotillard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/696/marion-cotillard-2955_actor_i-don-t-think-you-learn-how-to-act-you-l_3156409.jpg" --- # I don't think you learn how to act. You learn how to use… ![“I don't think you learn how to act. You learn how to use your emotions and feelings.” quote by Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/696/marion-cotillard-2955_actor_i-don-t-think-you-learn-how-to-act-you-l_3156409.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/696/marion-cotillard-2955_actor_i-don-t-think-you-learn-how-to-act-you-l_3156409.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/696/marion-cotillard-2955_actor_i-don-t-think-you-learn-how-to-act-you-l_3156409.jpg) > “I don't think you learn how to act. You learn how to use your emotions and feelings.” [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting skill lies in managing emotions, not in learning fixed behaviors. **In simple terms:** Acting is about using feelings, not just actions. Key Takeaway Focus on emotional authenticity in performance. Themes acting emotion skill Mood introspective motivational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - theatre - film auditions - personal growth Key Concepts method acting emotional regulation character development Questions to Reflect On - How can actors balance emotion with technique? - What role do feelings play in everyday interactions? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on emotion can neglect technical craft. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions/) [Emotions And Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions-and-feelings/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think you learn how to act. You learn how to use your emotions and feelings, and my first teacher was my mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/i-don-t-think-you-learn-how-to-act-you-learn-how-to-use-your-emotions/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [Learn to use your emotions to think, not think with your emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/learn-to-use-your-emotions-to-think-not-think-with-your-emotions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is a time to deliberate... and a time to act. Learn to recognize which is which, and act accordingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-merrill/there-is-a-time-to-deliberate-and-a-time-to-act-learn-to-recognize/) [Douglas Merrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-merrill/) > [“Faith is an act whereby they learn their God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/faith-is-an-act-whereby-they-learn-their-god/) [Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/) > [I think that you always learn something from working with good actors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/i-think-that-you-always-learn-something-from-working-with-good-actors/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [I did not think I would be able to do myself justice if I had to speak to the players in English. I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottmar-hitzfeld/i-did-not-think-i-would-be-able-to-do-myself-justice-if-i-had-to/) [Ottmar Hitzfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottmar-hitzfeld/) > [“ USE EMOTIONS AS INFORMATION. Horses use emotion as information to engage surprisingly agile responses to environmental stimuli and relationship challenges: (a) Feel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-kohanov/use-emotions-as-information-horses-use-emotion-as-information-to/) Linda Kohanov > [“What would your user want to achieve by using your solution? Where and when will they use it? What emotions influence their use and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/what-would-your-user-want-to-achieve-by-using-your-solution-where-and/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [I would have done something else in life. Something more calming, in a different area where I did not have to use my emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-pesci/i-would-have-done-something-else-in-life-something-more-calming-in-a/) [Joe Pesci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-pesci/) > [On stage, you can use your emotions. It's the place where you can channel them. They have a purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-welch/on-stage-you-can-use-your-emotions-it-s-the-place-where-you-can/) [Florence Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-welch/) > [Emotional Mastery, then, is the capacity to recognize and use your emotions effectively. It helps you embrace and rise above what you don't like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-elkin/emotional-mastery-then-is-the-capacity-to-recognize-and-use-your/) Bruce Elkin > [The children of the lie use emotions to manipulate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-lee-peterson/the-children-of-the-lie-use-emotions-to-manipulate/) [Jesse Lee Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-lee-peterson/) > [“If you are mad right now, good. Use your emotions as fuel to write down everything now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-piper/if-you-are-mad-right-now-good-use-your-emotions-as-fuel-to-write-down/) Christy Piper > [I think that every decision I make in my life is based off of an emotion - and it definitely hurts me in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-martinez/i-think-that-every-decision-i-make-in-my-life-is-based-off-of-an/) [Melanie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-martinez/) > [If you're trying to learn how to act from a class, you're analyzing the teachers' movements and their intricacies, and it becomes like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/if-you-re-trying-to-learn-how-to-act-from-a-class-you-re-analyzing/) [Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/) ## More by Marion Cotillard > [I have a tendency to often share the point of view of the conspiracy theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/i-have-a-tendency-to-often-share-the-point-of-view-of-the-conspiracy/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [There is something strange about me. I don't ever feel at ease in a group of people. I have to fight hard to overcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/there-is-something-strange-about-me-i-don-t-ever-feel-at-ease-in-a/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [I think that you always learn something from working with good actors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/i-think-that-you-always-learn-something-from-working-with-good-actors/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [I couldn't identify with anyone. At school, I was considered very strange. I didn't understand the relationships between people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/i-couldn-t-identify-with-anyone-at-school-i-was-considered-very/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [I always thought that I was a terrible writer. And I started to write songs. And I started to like what I was writing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/i-always-thought-that-i-was-a-terrible-writer-and-i-started-to-write/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [I started to write songs. And I started to like what I was writing. I think it's a new way for me to express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/i-started-to-write-songs-and-i-started-to-like-what-i-was-writing-i/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [For me, what Macbeth is about is people who cannot face their fears and pain and instead of facing them and going beyond, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/for-me-what-macbeth-is-about-is-people-who-cannot-face-their-fears/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [I love to work this way - I love the time of preparation. If you feed yourself with all the information and you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/i-love-to-work-this-way-i-love-the-time-of-preparation-if-you-feed/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [When someone would come up to me in the street, I would either run away or burst into tears. I didn't know what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/when-someone-would-come-up-to-me-in-the-street-i-would-either-run/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [I would love to go into an animal's dream - like a lion's or a cat's. I'm sure that's pretty awesome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/i-would-love-to-go-into-an-animal-s-dream-like-a-lion-s-or-a-cat-s-i/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [I was shy. I was more than shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/i-was-shy-i-was-more-than-shy/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [Im very happy with whats happening now and how the awareness is spreading. Because 10 years ago my mind-set wasnt really normal for most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/im-very-happy-with-whats-happening-now-and-how-the-awareness-is/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [There are so many actresses that I love. I think Jennifer Lawrence is a prodigy. I think Elle Fanning is absolutely amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/there-are-so-many-actresses-that-i-love-i-think-jennifer-lawrence-is/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [I think in friendship, you want to be there for your friend, and sometimes you just don't know what to do or the relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/i-think-in-friendship-you-want-to-be-there-for-your-friend-and/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [It's pretty refreshing to be in a situation where the spotlight is on someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/it-s-pretty-refreshing-to-be-in-a-situation-where-the-spotlight-is-on/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) [Explore all 144 Marion Cotillard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) ## More Actor 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/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [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/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [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/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think you learn how to act. 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