--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would hate to be 65 and think, 'What if…" description: "\"I would hate to be 65 and think, 'What if I had tried to be an actor?\" — Matt Long" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/matt-long-50088_actor_i-would-hate-to-be-65-and-think-what-if_2095641.png" --- # I would hate to be 65 and think, 'What if I had tried to… ![“I would hate to be 65 and think, 'What if I had tried to be an actor?” quote by Matt Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/matt-long-50088_actor_i-would-hate-to-be-65-and-think-what-if_2095641.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/matt-long-50088_actor_i-would-hate-to-be-65-and-think-what-if_2095641.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/matt-long-50088_actor_i-would-hate-to-be-65-and-think-what-if_2095641.png) > “I would hate to be 65 and think, 'What if I had tried to be an actor?” [Matt Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-long/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker fears regret later in life for not pursuing acting earlier, emphasizing the sting of missed opportunities. **In simple terms:** Regret for not trying acting earlier. Key Takeaway Take chances before it's too late. Themes regret age career choices timing opportunity Mood reflective motivational Type inspirational cautionary When to use this quote - career decision making - midlife reflection - creative pursuits Key Concepts life planning fear of missing out personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What would you try now if age wasn't a factor? - How do you balance practicality with passion? A Different Perspective Life circumstances may limit ability to act on dreams. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I came to acting quite late. I tried not to be an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cullen/i-came-to-acting-quite-late-i-tried-not-to-be-an-actor/) [Tom Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cullen/) > [All I have tried to do as an actor is push good story telling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tovino-thomas/all-i-have-tried-to-do-as-an-actor-is-push-good-story-telling/) [Tovino Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tovino-thomas/) > [All I've tried to do as an actor is follow the good writing. That's been my main drive. It's not always possible, so when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cillian-murphy/all-i-ve-tried-to-do-as-an-actor-is-follow-the-good-writing-that-s/) [Cillian Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cillian-murphy/) > [I've always tried to be an actor who... I just plod on and try to keep my mouth shut, mind my own business. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gambon/i-ve-always-tried-to-be-an-actor-who-i-just-plod-on-and-try-to-keep/) [Michael Gambon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gambon/) > [“I tried to make sense of things. Now that I think about it, I have always tried. It could be my epitaph. LEO GURSKY:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-tried-to-make-sense-of-things-now-that-i-think-about-it-i-have/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“I wish that she would have asked for help or told someone what happened, but everyone deals with these things differently, especially when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/i-wish-that-she-would-have-asked-for-help-or-told-someone-what/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [“He's going to think I tried too had." "He's going to be too busy looking at you to think of anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myra-mcentire/he-s-going-to-think-i-tried-too-had-he-s-going-to-be-too-busy-looking/) [Myra McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myra-mcentire/) > [Don't lie - when you are 105 years of age - on your deathbed, thinking, 'I should have done a few things!' I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imelda-may/don-t-lie-when-you-are-105-years-of-age-on-your-deathbed-thinking-i/) [Imelda May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imelda-may/) > [Consult not your fears but your hopes and dreams. Think not about what you have tried and failed, But what is still possible for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-xxii/consult-not-your-fears-but-your-hopes-and-dreams-think-not-about-what/) [Pope John XXII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-xxii/) > [How do I feel when I look back at prior work? Hmmm. I think, 'I tried to do the best I could do. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/how-do-i-feel-when-i-look-back-at-prior-work-hmmm-i-think-i-tried-to/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [I think I have always tried to connect my comedy to my art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-anderson/i-think-i-have-always-tried-to-connect-my-comedy-to-my-art/) [Louie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-anderson/) > [“I was attracted to her from the first time we talked, and soon there was no turning back. For a long time she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-was-attracted-to-her-from-the-first-time-we-talked-and-soon-there/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Can't help of think of you when I'm alone. Tried and failed, I call your cell, you don't pick up your phone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/can-t-help-of-think-of-you-when-i-m-alone-tried-and-failed-i-call/) [Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/) > [Certain writers look down their noses at plot, and I think I might have been one of them until I tried it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/certain-writers-look-down-their-noses-at-plot-and-i-think-i-might/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [I don't think I have ever tried to create things to encourage people to hurt others, or themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-don-t-think-i-have-ever-tried-to-create-things-to-encourage-people/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) ## More by Matt Long > [I wasnt athletic. I played baseball, but I was terrible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-long/i-wasnt-athletic-i-played-baseball-but-i-was-terrible/) [Matt Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-long/) > [There was a time I thought about being a professional guide. I'm a big outdoorsman, but the acting thing has always been there -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-long/there-was-a-time-i-thought-about-being-a-professional-guide-i-m-a-big/) [Matt Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-long/) > [What did I discover during my solo—besides learning to unwrap my energy bar ahead of time? That you ask yourself a lot of questions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-long/what-did-i-discover-during-my-solo-besides-learning-to-unwrap-my/) [Matt Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-long/) > [I was a conservative kid, but I had fun. I was in a fraternity and stuff. I wasn't a player - that's for sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-long/i-was-a-conservative-kid-but-i-had-fun-i-was-in-a-fraternity-and/) [Matt Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-long/) > [I see myself being married to my girlfriend and backpacking all over the world. If I can go out and do a 15-mile hike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-long/i-see-myself-being-married-to-my-girlfriend-and-backpacking-all-over/) [Matt Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-long/) > [I wasn't athletic. I played baseball, but I was terrible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-long/i-wasn-t-athletic-i-played-baseball-but-i-was-terrible/) [Matt Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-long/) [Explore all 7 Matt Long quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-long/) ## 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 would hate to be 65 and think, 'What if I had tried to be an actor?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matt Long" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-long/i-would-hate-to-be-65-and-think-what-if-i-had-tried-to-be-an-actor/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-long/i-would-hate-to-be-65-and-think-what-if-i-had-tried-to-be-an-actor/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/matt-long-50088_actor_i-would-hate-to-be-65-and-think-what-if_2095641.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/matt-long-50088_actor_i-would-hate-to-be-65-and-think-what-if_2095641.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/matt-long-50088_actor_i-would-hate-to-be-65-and-think-what-if_2095641.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I would hate to be 65 and think, 'What if I had tried to be an actor?” — Matt Long", "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": "Matt Long", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-long/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I would hate to be 65...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-long/i-would-hate-to-be-65-and-think-what-if-i-had-tried-to-be-an-actor/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-long/i-would-hate-to-be-65-and-think-what-if-i-had-tried-to-be-an-actor/#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 } } ] } ```