--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's a rule in acting called, 'Don't…" description: "\"There's a rule in acting called, 'Don't play the result.' If you have a character who's going to end up in a certain place, don't play that until you g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/michael-j-fox-1653_acting_there-s-a-rule-in-acting-called-don-t-pl_1880155.jpg" --- # There's a rule in acting called, 'Don't play the result.'… ![“There's a rule in acting called, 'Don't play the result.' If you have a character who's going to end up in a certain place, don't play that until you get there. Play each scene and each beat as it comes. And that's what you do in life: You don't play the result.” quote by Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/michael-j-fox-1653_acting_there-s-a-rule-in-acting-called-don-t-pl_1880155.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/michael-j-fox-1653_acting_there-s-a-rule-in-acting-called-don-t-pl_1880155.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/michael-j-fox-1653_acting_there-s-a-rule-in-acting-called-don-t-pl_1880155.jpg) > “There's a rule in acting called, 'Don't play the result.' If you have a character who's going to end up in a certain place, don't play that until you get there. Play each scene and each beat as it comes. And that's what you do in life: You don't play the result.” [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. Focus on present moment in performance and life, avoiding premature conclusions about outcomes. **In simple terms:** Live in the now, don’t assume the ending. Key Takeaway Act and act without pre‑judging results. Themes acting mindfulness process patience Mood reflective motivational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - theatre rehearsals - project planning - personal decision making - sports competition Key Concepts improvisation presence psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does staying present affect long‑term goals? - When is it useful to anticipate outcomes? A Different Perspective May limit strategic foresight if over‑relied on. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) ## Related quotes > [Leave me to the thing I love. I love acting. But being called 'the greatest living actress' - a designation not even my mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/leave-me-to-the-thing-i-love-i-love-acting-but-being-called-the/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [I always have a rule that acting is acting and truth is truth and you just go out there and you do it. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/i-always-have-a-rule-that-acting-is-acting-and-truth-is-truth-and-you/) [James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/) > [First Rule of Acting: Whatever happens, look as if it were intended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-bloch/first-rule-of-acting-whatever-happens-look-as-if-it-were-intended/) [Arthur Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-bloch/) > [I have only one rule in acting - trust the director and give him heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/i-have-only-one-rule-in-acting-trust-the-director-and-give-him-heart/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [Shooting in New York can be a problem... I had to walk through a crowd, come in the front door, and play the scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/shooting-in-new-york-can-be-a-problem-i-had-to-walk-through-a-crowd/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > ['City Is Mine' was a real big video for me and a good opportunity to learn how to play out a scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carr/city-is-mine-was-a-real-big-video-for-me-and-a-good-opportunity-to/) [Steve Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carr/) > [I don't personally look to my own life experiences for answers about how to play a scene. For me, that's some kind of bastardization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-bale/i-don-t-personally-look-to-my-own-life-experiences-for-answers-about-2/) [Christian Bale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-bale/) > [I don't personally look to my own life experiences for answers about how to play a scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-bale/i-don-t-personally-look-to-my-own-life-experiences-for-answers-about/) [Christian Bale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-bale/) > [My one big regret was that there were no scenes that I could play with Eva Marie Saint. I hounded them. I said figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-lange/my-one-big-regret-was-that-there-were-no-scenes-that-i-could-play/) [Jessica Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-lange/) > [If I can play a scene in a master shot, I always prefer it. And the actors always prefer it. It's fun to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/if-i-can-play-a-scene-in-a-master-shot-i-always-prefer-it-and-the/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [What I find sometimes that is tricky is if actors are using too much of their own life in a picture, in a scene,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cruise/what-i-find-sometimes-that-is-tricky-is-if-actors-are-using-too-much/) [Tom Cruise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cruise/) > [You are preparing yourself for a scene, and the most important thing is to remain emotionally available and remain in the moment with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-harold/you-are-preparing-yourself-for-a-scene-and-the-most-important-thing/) [Gale Harold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-harold/) > [When I was 13, I kind of got into the punk scene. I realized it was easier to wear a pair of combat boots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/when-i-was-13-i-kind-of-got-into-the-punk-scene-i-realized-it-was/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [So many things beat upon us in a lifetime that simply enduring may seem almost beyond us… But the test a loving God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/so-many-things-beat-upon-us-in-a-lifetime-that-simply-enduring-may/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) ## 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/) > [I had all the usual ambition growing up. I wanted to be a writer, a musician, a hockey player. I wanted to do something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-had-all-the-usual-ambition-growing-up-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-a/) [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. 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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. 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