--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For the longest time, I still tried to…" description: "\"For the longest time, I still tried to hold up this act - this nice-guy, superhero, role-model persona - that wasn't really me and wasn't serving me.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec9/neville-9224_actor_for-the-longest-time-i-still-tried-to-ho_670014.jpg" --- # For the longest time, I still tried to hold up this act… ![“For the longest time, I still tried to hold up this act - this nice-guy, superhero, role-model persona - that wasn't really me and wasn't serving me.” quote by Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec9/neville-9224_actor_for-the-longest-time-i-still-tried-to-ho_670014.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec9/neville-9224_actor_for-the-longest-time-i-still-tried-to-ho_670014.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec9/neville-9224_actor_for-the-longest-time-i-still-tried-to-ho_670014.jpg) > “For the longest time, I still tried to hold up this act - this nice-guy, superhero, role-model persona - that wasn't really me and wasn't serving me.” [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) ## 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 realized they were maintaining a false heroic persona that didn't reflect their true self and was harmful. **In simple terms:** They stopped pretending to be a perfect hero. Key Takeaway Be authentic, drop the mask. Themes identity self‑acceptance growth Mood reflective determined Type advice self‑help When to use this quote - personal relationships - career - social media - therapy Key Concepts psychology social masks Questions to Reflect On - What parts of your persona feel forced? - How can you gradually reveal your true self? A Different Perspective Authenticity may cause conflict with existing expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Nice guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice-guy/) [Superhero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superhero/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Two people, Chinese civilians, were heading toward me. Shit. I averted my eyes and changed my posture, dropping my shoulders, adopting a more rolling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/two-people-chinese-civilians-were-heading-toward-me-shit-i-averted-my/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [I must say, I wouldn't turn down a superhero role, although there do seem to be a lot of British actors out there doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/i-must-say-i-wouldn-t-turn-down-a-superhero-role-although-there-do/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) > [Most of the female 'superhero' role models of my childhood came from novels, and they rarely had powers. Take Dorothy, for example, from 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-liu/most-of-the-female-superhero-role-models-of-my-childhood-came-from/) [Marjorie Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-liu/) > [I tried to hold onto what we had, but you didn't even make an effort. You lied, you cheated, and left me to cry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-tried-to-hold-onto-what-we-had-but-you-didn-t-even-make-an-effort/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I tried to hold myself apart, showing only what I wanted, doling out bits and pieces of who I was. But that only works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-tried-to-hold-myself-apart-showing-only-what-i-wanted-doling-out/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“Forgive me my friend, I tried to hold on, but you fell, you fell”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-galgut/forgive-me-my-friend-i-tried-to-hold-on-but-you-fell-you-fell/) [Damon Galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) > [“It wasn't my intention to love you that much. I did everything to show how much I care for you. But I guess, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aser-alas-jr/it-wasn-t-my-intention-to-love-you-that-much-i-did-everything-to-show/) Aser Alas Jr > [I tried to hold on to this compassion, sensing its preciousness, but even as I reached to grasp it, it dissipated into wisps. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/i-tried-to-hold-on-to-this-compassion-sensing-its-preciousness-but/) [Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/) > [Guys all have that one girl that tried to hold you down but you wanted to take your time. Now she no longer on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/guys-all-have-that-one-girl-that-tried-to-hold-you-down-but-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Now that I've lost you it kills me to say, 've tried to hold on as you've slowly slipped away. I'm losing the fight.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avenged-sevenfold/now-that-i-ve-lost-you-it-kills-me-to-say-ve-tried-to-hold-on-as-you/) [Avenged Sevenfold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avenged-sevenfold/) > [“He tried to hold on, tried to hold back, but it was too late. He was lost. Lost, and yet somehow found. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/he-tried-to-hold-on-tried-to-hold-back-but-it-was-too-late-he-was/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [300 was the biggest hurdle. They tried to hold us against our will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/offset/300-was-the-biggest-hurdle-they-tried-to-hold-us-against-our-will/) Offset > [I've let go, I moved on. I tried to hold onto what I though we had. But life is short. I didn't stop loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-let-go-i-moved-on-i-tried-to-hold-onto-what-i-though-we-had-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“loving you was like throwing a lasso around a tornado i tried to hold on to you took a ride on a tilt-a-whirl that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-band-perry/loving-you-was-like-throwing-a-lasso-around-a-tornado-i-tried-to-hold/) [The Band Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-band-perry/) > [“Life never stood still, no matter how hard you tried to hold onto it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayne-ann-krentz/life-never-stood-still-no-matter-how-hard-you-tried-to-hold-onto-it/) [Jayne Ann Krentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayne-ann-krentz/) ## More by Neville > [All the territories or places I've wrestled are different. There are different styles. The WWE and TV style is also very different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/all-the-territories-or-places-i-ve-wrestled-are-different-there-are/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) > [“manner, a change of circumstance happens as a result of a change in your state of consciousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/manner-a-change-of-circumstance-happens-as-a-result-of-a-change-in/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) > [I've been very fortunate with injuries: I've had the odd broken bone in my back; when I was starting out here in England, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/i-ve-been-very-fortunate-with-injuries-i-ve-had-the-odd-broken-bone/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) > [Our schedule is intense. We do this for five nights a week, so injuries can happen very easily with the demands of the job.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/our-schedule-is-intense-we-do-this-for-five-nights-a-week-so-injuries/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) > [I'm not concerned with appeasing people with a dream match. What I care about is Neville and my championship. That's all I care about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/i-m-not-concerned-with-appeasing-people-with-a-dream-match-what-i/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) > [“The drama of life is a psychological one in which all the conditions, circumstances, and events of your life are brought to pass by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/the-drama-of-life-is-a-psychological-one-in-which-all-the-conditions/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) > [Obviously, you know, when you talk about dream matches and you talk about the WWE, you can't not mention John Cena.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/obviously-you-know-when-you-talk-about-dream-matches-and-you-talk/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) > [There are so many role models who I watched and idolised growing up, mainly guys with a similar athletic style to myself. I loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/there-are-so-many-role-models-who-i-watched-and-idolised-growing-up/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) > [“This is why you are told “Let the weak man say, ‘I am strong’.” (Joel 3:10), for by his assumption, the cause-substance — ‘I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/this-is-why-you-are-told-let-the-weak-man-say-i-am-strong-joel-3-10/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) > [“There is no real separation or gap in consciousness. ‘I AM’ cannot be divided. I may conceive myself to be a rich man, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/there-is-no-real-separation-or-gap-in-consciousness-i-am-cannot-be/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) > [“To reach a higher level of being, you must assume a higher concept of yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/to-reach-a-higher-level-of-being-you-must-assume-a-higher-concept-of/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) > [A different demographic of people watch NXT compared to Raw and Smackdown; NXT is followed by the real knowledgeable, hardcore internet audience, whereas the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/a-different-demographic-of-people-watch-nxt-compared-to-raw-and/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) > [Growing up, my wildest dream was always to be part of the WWE, and I'd been in NXT by that time for two and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/growing-up-my-wildest-dream-was-always-to-be-part-of-the-wwe-and-i-d/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) > [“The whole of creation exists in you, and it is your destiny to become increasingly aware of its infinite wonders and to experience ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/the-whole-of-creation-exists-in-you-and-it-is-your-destiny-to-become/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) > [“You must be conscious of being healthy if you are to know what health is. You must be conscious of being secure if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/you-must-be-conscious-of-being-healthy-if-you-are-to-know-what-health/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) [Explore all 74 Neville quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) ## 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": "For the longest time, I still tried to hold up this act - this nice-guy, superhero, role-model persona - that wasn't really me and wasn't serving me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neville" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/for-the-longest-time-i-still-tried-to-hold-up-this-act-this-nice-guy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/for-the-longest-time-i-still-tried-to-hold-up-this-act-this-nice-guy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec9/neville-9224_actor_for-the-longest-time-i-still-tried-to-ho_670014.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec9/neville-9224_actor_for-the-longest-time-i-still-tried-to-ho_670014.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec9/neville-9224_actor_for-the-longest-time-i-still-tried-to-ho_670014.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For the longest time, I still tried to hold up this act - this nice-guy, superhero, role-model persona…” — Neville", "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": "Neville", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For the longest time, I still...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/for-the-longest-time-i-still-tried-to-hold-up-this-act-this-nice-guy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/for-the-longest-time-i-still-tried-to-hold-up-this-act-this-nice-guy/#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 } } ] } ```