--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You're not going to be able to look like…" description: "\"You're not going to be able to look like anyone else, no matter how hard you try, unless you're a mimic, then you're not acting, you're just mimicking...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/214/morgan-freeman-1202_able_you-re-not-going-to-be-able-to-look-like_2095831.jpg" --- # You're not going to be able to look like anyone else, no… ![“You're not going to be able to look like anyone else, no matter how hard you try, unless you're a mimic, then you're not acting, you're just mimicking. You can't go on being John Wayne, that's John Wayne. So you're not going to steal from John Wayne. I'm not going to steal from John Wayne and…” quote by Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/214/morgan-freeman-1202_able_you-re-not-going-to-be-able-to-look-like_2095831.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/214/morgan-freeman-1202_able_you-re-not-going-to-be-able-to-look-like_2095831.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/214/morgan-freeman-1202_able_you-re-not-going-to-be-able-to-look-like_2095831.jpg) > “You're not going to be able to look like anyone else, no matter how hard you try, unless you're a mimic, then you're not acting, you're just mimicking. You can't go on being John Wayne, that's John Wayne. So you're not going to steal from John Wayne. I'm not going to steal from John Wayne and you're not going to come back and say 'Didn't you get that from the circus?' You know. But he is one of those people who instructs me, whom I look up to - whom I think is one of the masters of his craft that I am so enamoured of.” [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authenticity requires embracing your unique identity rather than imitating others; true mastery comes from original expression. **In simple terms:** Be yourself, not a copy. Key Takeaway Cultivate your own voice. Themes authenticity identity creativity Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - acting auditions - personal branding - creative projects - leadership development Key Concepts philosophy psychology artistic integrity Questions to Reflect On - How can you express your individuality today? - What does originality mean in your field? A Different Perspective Mimicry can limit growth and dilute personal impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Circus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circus/) [Crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) [Goes on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goes-on/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Just Mimicking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-mimicking-4164762/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Look up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-up/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masters/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Mimic Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mimic-acting-4164761/) [Mimicking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mimicking/) [Mimicking John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mimicking-john-4164763/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stealing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stealing/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Unless Mimic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unless-mimic-4164764/) [Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wayne/) ## Related quotes > [If you're very open to watching the world go by, with people's different tics, you absorb it all without realizing it and find ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-blunt/if-you-re-very-open-to-watching-the-world-go-by-with-people-s/) [Emily Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-blunt/) > [When I was a child, I was referred to as the Danny Kaye of the family, because I was always impersonating and mimicking people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mantzoukas/when-i-was-a-child-i-was-referred-to-as-the-danny-kaye-of-the-family/) [Jason Mantzoukas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mantzoukas/) > [Cell death is programmed And so will Man's be I guess, For surely he must damned Mimicking cells, more or less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/cell-death-is-programmed-and-so-will-man-s-be-i-guess-for-surely-he/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [There is an authentic biology of hope. Belief and expectation - the key elements of hope - can block pain by releasing the brain's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-groopman/there-is-an-authentic-biology-of-hope-belief-and-expectation-the-key/) [Jerome Groopman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-groopman/) > [I am tired of the litany of months, September October I am tired of the way the seasons keep changing, mimicking the seasons of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-pastan/i-am-tired-of-the-litany-of-months-september-october-i-am-tired-of/) [Linda Pastan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-pastan/) > [“Bastian and I have an additional ability,” she told him. “It’s called mimicking. Basically, whatever spells we see with our asper, we can instinctively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-marie/bastian-and-i-have-an-additional-ability-she-told-him-it-s-called/) [Annette Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-marie/) > [“ I said, mimicking the Disney World commercials. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-applegate-2/i-said-mimicking-the-disney-world-commercials/) [K.A. Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-applegate-2/) > [When you're a child, and you're growing up, and you're mimicking a certain character, or you're trying to live and breathe a certain character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-sprouse/when-you-re-a-child-and-you-re-growing-up-and-you-re-mimicking-a/) [Cole Sprouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-sprouse/) > [“We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become. If we love things, we become a thing. If we love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-become-what-we-love-and-who-we-love-shapes-what-we-become-if-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think it was something I inherited from my mother, who learned to do it. You know, I, like a baby duckling, was merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-think-it-was-something-i-inherited-from-my-mother-who-learned-to-do/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [Mimicking childbirth on 'Grey's' has taken the mystery out of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camilla-luddington/mimicking-childbirth-on-grey-s-has-taken-the-mystery-out-of-it/) [Camilla Luddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camilla-luddington/) > [I don't like mimicking people. I don't like repeating talking points. I don't like arguing with people just to argue. I like actually coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-cupp/i-don-t-like-mimicking-people-i-don-t-like-repeating-talking-points-i/) [S.E. Cupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-cupp/) > [“Mimicking a poor role model is like eating food past its due date. While it may look good on the surface, it’ll ultimately make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/mimicking-a-poor-role-model-is-like-eating-food-past-its-due-date/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [I used to write songs that mimicked other songs that I would hear as a kid, cos I was 12 years old when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-nozuka/i-used-to-write-songs-that-mimicked-other-songs-that-i-would-hear-as/) [Justin Nozuka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-nozuka/) > [Children are natural mimics who act like their parents despite every effort to teach them good manners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/children-are-natural-mimics-who-act-like-their-parents-despite-every/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## More by Morgan Freeman > [I always wanted to be a fireman, a cop, an Indian chief, a doctor, a lawyer. I always wanted to be all these things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-fireman-a-cop-an-indian-chief-a-doctor-a/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [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/) > [I know people are saying they like you. I'm not being insulted or pushed around or anything. People are coming up because they like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-know-people-are-saying-they-like-you-i-m-not-being-insulted-or/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [Don't be afraid of what you want. This is your time. 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If I weren't getting paid well, I would still be acting in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/acting-means-living-it-s-all-i-do-and-all-i-m-good-at-if-i-weren-t/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [I feel fine, I don't care who the director is. All you have to do is know what your doing - all of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-feel-fine-i-don-t-care-who-the-director-is-all-you-have-to-do-is/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [Literacy could be the ladder out of poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/literacy-could-be-the-ladder-out-of-poverty/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [I hate the word homophobia. It's not a phobia. You are not scared. You are an asshole,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-hate-the-word-homophobia-it-s-not-a-phobia-you-are-not-scared-you/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [I've never had any intimate relationships with a dolphin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-ve-never-had-any-intimate-relationships-with-a-dolphin/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [If you're comfortable on a horse, you're comfortable on a horse. It's like being on a motorbike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/if-you-re-comfortable-on-a-horse-you-re-comfortable-on-a-horse-it-s/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [It's what I learn from the great actors that I work with. Stillness. That's all and that's the hardest thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/it-s-what-i-learn-from-the-great-actors-that-i-work-with-stillness/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [Never let pride be your guiding principle. Let your accomplishments speak for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/never-let-pride-be-your-guiding-principle-let-your-accomplishments/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [You can make anything into a play for the simple reason that the human mind is one of the best writers in the business.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/you-can-make-anything-into-a-play-for-the-simple-reason-that-the/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) [Explore all 274 Morgan Freeman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. 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This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You're not going to be able to look like anyone else, no matter how hard you try, unless you're a mimic, then you're not acting, you're just mimicking. You can't go on being John Wayne, that's John Wayne. So you're not going to steal from John Wayne. I'm not going to steal from John Wayne and you're not going to come back and say 'Didn't you get that from the circus?' You know. 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