--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To go into acting is like asking for…" description: "\"To go into acting is like asking for admission to an insane asylum. Anyone may apply, but only the certifiably insane are admitted.\" — Michael Shurtleff" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d0/michael-shurtleff-19554_acting_to-go-into-acting-is-like-asking-for-adm_2368660.png" --- # To go into acting is like asking for admission to an… ![“To go into acting is like asking for admission to an insane asylum. Anyone may apply, but only the certifiably insane are admitted.” quote by Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d0/michael-shurtleff-19554_acting_to-go-into-acting-is-like-asking-for-adm_2368660.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d0/michael-shurtleff-19554_acting_to-go-into-acting-is-like-asking-for-adm_2368660.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d0/michael-shurtleff-19554_acting_to-go-into-acting-is-like-asking-for-adm_2368660.png) > “To go into acting is like asking for admission to an insane asylum. Anyone may apply, but only the certifiably insane are admitted.” [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting is likened to an asylum: many seek entry, but only those truly committed and willing to embrace chaos succeed. **In simple terms:** Acting demands deep commitment and willingness to face chaos. Key Takeaway Embrace the madness to thrive in acting. Themes creativity commitment mental health industry reality Mood candid serious Type motivational cautionary When to use this quote - audition preparation - role immersion - stress coping - professional networking - self‑care Key Concepts psychology performance art career risk Questions to Reflect On - Are you prepared for the emotional demands of acting? - How can you maintain mental health in a chaotic field? A Different Perspective The metaphor may discourage newcomers or ignore supportive aspects of the community. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Acting Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting-like/) [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Admission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admission/) [Admission Insane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admission-insane-4524668/) [Admitted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admitted/) [Admitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admitting/) [Application](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/application/) [Asking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking/) [Asylum Apply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asylum-apply-5825883/) [Asylums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asylums/) [Comparison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comparison/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Humorous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorous/) [Insane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insane/) [Insane asylum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insane-asylum/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Theater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theater/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [“Today the world belongs only to the stupid, the insensitive and the agitated. Today the right to live and triumph is awarded on virtually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/today-the-world-belongs-only-to-the-stupid-the-insensitive-and-the/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [The employment of children is doing more to fill prisons, insane asylums, almshouses, reformatories, slums, and gin shops than all the efforts of reformers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-jones/the-employment-of-children-is-doing-more-to-fill-prisons-insane/) [Mother Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-jones/) > [Live in robust sanity, in holy obedience to the ordinary." (The Message) "In an insane asylum like the world, simple sanity can be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/live-in-robust-sanity-in-holy-obedience-to-the-ordinary-the-message/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [This planet is obviously being used as an insane asylum by other planets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/this-planet-is-obviously-being-used-as-an-insane-asylum-by-other/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island is a human rat-trap. It is easy to get in, but once there it is impossible to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/the-insane-asylum-on-blackwell-s-island-is-a-human-rat-trap-it-is/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [Erroneous views and presumptuousness send a talent to the insane asylum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/erroneous-views-and-presumptuousness-send-a-talent-to-the-insane/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [I chose the name "Padded Room," because, when I'm in the booth, it would be the padded room. When I'm in the booth, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-budden/i-chose-the-name-padded-room-because-when-i-m-in-the-booth-it-would/) [Joe Budden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-budden/) > [The world sometimes feels like an insane asylum. You can decide whether you want to be an inmate or pick up your visitor's badge.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-world-sometimes-feels-like-an-insane-asylum-you-can-decide/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [...it seemed to me I was living in an insane asylum of my own making. I wnt about with all these fantastic figures: centaurs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-seemed-to-me-i-was-living-in-an-insane-asylum-of-my-own-making-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If there’s life on other planets, then the earth is the Universe’s insane asylum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/if-there-s-life-on-other-planets-then-the-earth-is-the-universe-s/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“Insane asylums are deliberate and premeditated receptacles of black magic, and it is not only that doctors encourage magic with their untimely and hybrid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/insane-asylums-are-deliberate-and-premeditated-receptacles-of-black/) [Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/) > [By the tons it is coming into this country - the deadly, dreadful poison that racks and tears not only the body, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-j-anslinger/by-the-tons-it-is-coming-into-this-country-the-deadly-dreadful-poison/) [Harry J. Anslinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-j-anslinger/) > [South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-petigru/south-carolina-is-too-small-for-a-republic-and-too-large-for-an/) [James L. Petigru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-petigru/) > [Hollywood is a cross between a health farm, a recreation center and an insane asylum. It's a company town, and I happen to like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/hollywood-is-a-cross-between-a-health-farm-a-recreation-center-and-an/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [Earth is the insane asylum of the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/earth-is-the-insane-asylum-of-the-universe/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) ## More by Michael Shurtleff > [Often actors ask me if I think they should go on trying to be an actor. I have the same answer for everyone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/often-actors-ask-me-if-i-think-they-should-go-on-trying-to-be-an/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) > [That's why there's so little romance in our world now: everyone thinks romance is weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/that-s-why-there-s-so-little-romance-in-our-world-now-everyone-thinks/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) > [There's only one reason why a character drinks: to seek confrontation. To fight for what they want in ways normally denied them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/there-s-only-one-reason-why-a-character-drinks-to-seek-confrontation/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) > [“Conflict is drama.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/conflict-is-drama/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) > [Consistency is the death of good acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/consistency-is-the-death-of-good-acting/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) > [Conflict is what creates drama. The more conflict actors find, the more interesting the performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/conflict-is-what-creates-drama-the-more-conflict-actors-find-the-more/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) > [If we lived for reality, we'd be dead, every last one of us. Only dreams keep us going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/if-we-lived-for-reality-we-d-be-dead-every-last-one-of-us-only-dreams/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) > [We don't live for realities, but for the fantasies, the dreams of what might be. If we lived for reality, we'd be dead, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/we-don-t-live-for-realities-but-for-the-fantasies-the-dreams-of-what/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) > [Everyone thinks romance is weak. Yet romance is everyone's secret dream-it's why we're alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/everyone-thinks-romance-is-weak-yet-romance-is-everyone-s-secret/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) > [ Humor \[in a scene\] is not jokes. It is that attitude toward being alive without which you would long ago have jumped off the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/humor-in-a-scene-is-not-jokes-it-is-that-attitude-toward-being-alive/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) > [Every scene is a love scene. The actor should ask the question: 'Where is the love?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/every-scene-is-a-love-scene-the-actor-should-ask-the-question-where/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) > [Every scene you will ever act begins in the middle, and it is up to you, the actor, to provide what comes before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/every-scene-you-will-ever-act-begins-in-the-middle-and-it-is-up-to/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) > [An actor must make his needs (goals, wants, objectives) so strong that he is willing to interfere with the other actor in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/an-actor-must-make-his-needs-goals-wants-objectives-so-strong-that-he/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) > [ Competition \[in a scene\] is healthy. Competition is life. Yet most actors refuse to acknowledge this. They don't want to compete. They want to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/competition-in-a-scene-is-healthy-competition-is-life-yet-most-actors/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) > [Competition is healthy. Competition is life. Yet most actors refuse to acknowledge this. They don't want to compete. They want to get along. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/competition-is-healthy-competition-is-life-yet-most-actors-refuse-to/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) [Explore all 32 Michael Shurtleff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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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