--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had all the usual ambition growing up…" description: "\"I had all the usual ambition growing up. I wanted to be a writer, a musician, a hockey player. I wanted to do something that wasn't nine to five. Actin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b6/michael-j-fox-1653_acting_i-had-all-the-usual-ambition-growing-up_229293.jpg" --- # I had all the usual ambition growing up. I wanted to be a… ![“I had all the usual ambition growing up. I wanted to be a writer, a musician, a hockey player. I wanted to do something that wasn't nine to five. Acting was the first thing I tried that clicked.” quote by Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b6/michael-j-fox-1653_acting_i-had-all-the-usual-ambition-growing-up_229293.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b6/michael-j-fox-1653_acting_i-had-all-the-usual-ambition-growing-up_229293.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b6/michael-j-fox-1653_acting_i-had-all-the-usual-ambition-growing-up_229293.jpg) > “I had all the usual ambition growing up. I wanted to be a writer, a musician, a hockey player. I wanted to do something that wasn't nine to five. Acting was the first thing I tried that clicked.” [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pursuing passions beyond conventional paths leads to fulfillment and success. **In simple terms:** Follow your true interests, not the norm. Key Takeaway Seek work that aligns with personal passions. Themes ambition career nontraditional paths Mood motivational pragmatic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - career change - creative industries - sports - entrepreneurship - life planning Key Concepts self‑actualization risk‑taking Questions to Reflect On - What passion could you turn into a career? - How do you balance risk and security? A Different Perspective Passion may not guarantee stability; financial uncertainty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Hockey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hockey/) [Hockey player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hockey-player/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Musician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musician/) [Nine To Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nine-to-five/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [If I wasn't acting, I have no clue what I'd be doing 'cause I have no other talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/if-i-wasn-t-acting-i-have-no-clue-what-i-d-be-doing-cause-i-have-no/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [If I wasn't acting, I'd be teaching acting. That would be my easiest thing to fall back on is teaching it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamorne-morris/if-i-wasn-t-acting-i-d-be-teaching-acting-that-would-be-my-easiest/) [Lamorne Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamorne-morris/) > [If I wasn't acting, I would probably be working with children. I was a camp counselor growing up and I loved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-nicholson/if-i-wasn-t-acting-i-would-probably-be-working-with-children-i-was-a/) [Julianne Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-nicholson/) > [I've been in L.A., but I wasn't acting. I didn't know that I wanted to act, so I was in L.A. but working at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mircea-monroe/i-ve-been-in-l-a-but-i-wasn-t-acting-i-didn-t-know-that-i-wanted-to/) [Mircea Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mircea-monroe/) > [There is one scene where he is kissing up my back. It is really sexy and I didn't know he was going to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-arterton/there-is-one-scene-where-he-is-kissing-up-my-back-it-is-really-sexy/) [Gemma Arterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-arterton/) > [If I wasn't acting, I'd try and be a footballer. I wouldn't be a musician because I can't write my own music. Realistically, I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-blackley/if-i-wasn-t-acting-i-d-try-and-be-a-footballer-i-wouldn-t-be-a/) [Jamie Blackley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-blackley/) > ['How the West was Won' was very hard, because it was a three cameras technique, meaning three cameras wide. Therefore I wasn't speaking to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/how-the-west-was-won-was-very-hard-because-it-was-a-three-cameras/) [Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/) > [I can only live my life in this way. I don't think I would be living it a different way if I wasn't acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dakota-fanning/i-can-only-live-my-life-in-this-way-i-don-t-think-i-would-be-living/) [Dakota Fanning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dakota-fanning/) > [If I wasn't acting, I would be trying to break into acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colletti/if-i-wasn-t-acting-i-would-be-trying-to-break-into-acting/) [Stephen Colletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colletti/) > [I can't remember a time when I wasn't acting, so I can't imagine what I would do if I stopped now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/i-can-t-remember-a-time-when-i-wasn-t-acting-so-i-can-t-imagine-what/) [Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/) > [I wasn't acting on passion. I was simply acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/i-wasn-t-acting-on-passion-i-was-simply-acting/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [He wasn't into one-night stands, he wasn't into scoring just to see if he could, he wasn't into acting just charming enough to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/he-wasn-t-into-one-night-stands-he-wasn-t-into-scoring-just-to-see-if/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [I decided I'm gonna make my living from this, or I'm not doing it. The last time I had a job that wasn't an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-taylor/i-decided-i-m-gonna-make-my-living-from-this-or-i-m-not-doing-it-the/) [Robert Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-taylor/) > [“The point was - he wasn't acting . It was as if he'd forgotten how! Jack still knew his lines, but he was out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/the-point-was-he-wasn-t-acting-it-was-as-if-he-d-forgotten-how-jack/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I wasn't into acting when I was a kid. Maybe because I was shy or it didn't occur to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcdonell/i-wasn-t-into-acting-when-i-was-a-kid-maybe-because-i-was-shy-or-it/) [Thomas McDonell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcdonell/) ## More by Michael J. Fox > [If you allow for the possibilities of something better, you move toward it instinctively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/if-you-allow-for-the-possibilities-of-something-better-you-move/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [After all that I'd been through, after all that I'd learned and all that I'd been given, I was going to do what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/after-all-that-i-d-been-through-after-all-that-i-d-learned-and-all/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [If you asked my kids to describe me, they'd go through a whole list of words before even thinking about Parkinson's. And honestly, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/if-you-asked-my-kids-to-describe-me-they-d-go-through-a-whole-list-of/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [Zoos are becoming facsimiles - or perhaps caricatures - of how animals once were in their natural habitat. If the right policies toward nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/zoos-are-becoming-facsimiles-or-perhaps-caricatures-of-how-animals/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [“I saw, during the midterm campaign of 2006, how difficult it was for opponents of stem cell research to run against hope. And so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-saw-during-the-midterm-campaign-of-2006-how-difficult-it-was-for/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [I urge you to be challenged and inspired by what you do not know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-urge-you-to-be-challenged-and-inspired-by-what-you-do-not-know/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but cannot be taken away unless it is surrendered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/one-s-dignity-may-be-assaulted-vandalized-and-cruelly-mocked-but/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [“It seems to me that the quality of a moment in time is not always a reflection of the moment in and of itself—what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/it-seems-to-me-that-the-quality-of-a-moment-in-time-is-not-always-a/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [When I was younger, I was always described as happy-go-lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/when-i-was-younger-i-was-always-described-as-happy-go-lucky/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [With Parkinson's, it's like you're in the middle of the street and you're stuck there in cement shoes and you know a bus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/with-parkinson-s-it-s-like-you-re-in-the-middle-of-the-street-and-you/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [“They have hopes and dreams that may echo or overlap your own. And there's no reason why you can't make room for them. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/they-have-hopes-and-dreams-that-may-echo-or-overlap-your-own-and/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [I have no choice about whether or not I have Parkinson's. I have nothing but choices about how I react to it. In those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-have-no-choice-about-whether-or-not-i-have-parkinson-s-i-have/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [So what I say about Tracy is this: Tracy's big challenge is not having a Parkinson's patient for a husband. It's having me for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/so-what-i-say-about-tracy-is-this-tracy-s-big-challenge-is-not-having/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [I'm kind of private and I keep things inside a lot, but it's been so wonderful to realize that people care about you in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-m-kind-of-private-and-i-keep-things-inside-a-lot-but-it-s-been-so/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [When something enters your life that is so big and so non-negotiable as catastrophic illness, you either go in denial for a while or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/when-something-enters-your-life-that-is-so-big-and-so-non-negotiable/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) [Explore all 219 Michael J. Fox quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) ## More Acting 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/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [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/) > [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/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) [Browse all 12,062 Acting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had all the usual ambition growing up. I wanted to be a writer, a musician, a hockey player. I wanted to do something that wasn't nine to five. Acting was the first thing I tried that clicked.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael J. 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