--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I really thought that I'd be doing…" description: "\"I really thought that I'd be doing Shakespeare, honest to God. I did not foresee the whole action television thing. That was God's joke.\" — Nick Offerman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c5/nick-offerman-2326_action_i-really-thought-that-i-d-be-doing-shake_1697783.jpg" --- # I really thought that I'd be doing Shakespeare, honest to… ![“I really thought that I'd be doing Shakespeare, honest to God. I did not foresee the whole action television thing. That was God's joke.” quote by Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c5/nick-offerman-2326_action_i-really-thought-that-i-d-be-doing-shake_1697783.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c5/nick-offerman-2326_action_i-really-thought-that-i-d-be-doing-shake_1697783.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c5/nick-offerman-2326_action_i-really-thought-that-i-d-be-doing-shake_1697783.jpg) > “I really thought that I'd be doing Shakespeare, honest to God. I did not foresee the whole action television thing. That was God's joke.” [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He expected a literary career but ended up in TV, seeing it as a divine joke about fate and ambition. **In simple terms:** He thought he’d be a Shakespearean actor but got TV instead. Key Takeaway Embrace unexpected paths; humor can soften disappointment. Themes career fate humor expectations Mood wry reflective Type anecdotal humorous When to use this quote - acting auditions - TV contracts - career planning - personal reflection Key Concepts irony divine humor career shift Questions to Reflect On - Do you laugh at your own career twists? - How can humor help you cope with unmet expectations? A Different Perspective The quote may downplay genuine frustration behind the humor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Doing Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-shakespeare-392730/) [God Joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-joke-670120/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Honest God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest-god-356590/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Shakespeare Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare-honest-1120640/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) ## Related quotes > [“Oh, God, oh, God. A sense of humor. She’d thought the hardly-even-a-hint she’d caught of it a while back had been a one-off thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-andersen/oh-god-oh-god-a-sense-of-humor-she-d-thought-the-hardly-even-a-hint/) [Susan Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-andersen/) > [ I think this \[Gnomeo & Juliet\] is the closest I ought to get to Shakespeare to be honest. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-lucas/i-think-this-gnomeo-juliet-is-the-closest-i-ought-to-get-to/) [Matt Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-lucas/) > [I've been doing some Shakespeare acting classes - and I really enjoyed it. 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They're different, but as long as the material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/i-don-t-make-any-distinction-between-a-popular-tv-series-or/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [Doing Shakespeare certainly makes you a better actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-avery/doing-shakespeare-certainly-makes-you-a-better-actor/) [James Avery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-avery/) > [If you grow up in Britain, you just do Shakespeare. 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But we feel that it doesn't matter.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/we-must-be-able-to-deal-with-ridicule-and-scorn-which-it-always-seems/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Sex is God's joke on the human race ... if we didn't have sex to make us ridiculous, She would have had to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/sex-is-god-s-joke-on-the-human-race-if-we-didn-t-have-sex-to-make-us/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Sex is God's joke on human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/sex-is-god-s-joke-on-human-beings/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [I don't believe in acting teachers for me, so it's God's joke that he gave me a best friend who's an acting teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-fishburne/i-don-t-believe-in-acting-teachers-for-me-so-it-s-god-s-joke-that-he/) [Laurence Fishburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-fishburne/) > [“It is good to be honest with God, but we must be careful that we don’t become whiners. There is nothing that aggravates my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/it-is-good-to-be-honest-with-god-but-we-must-be-careful-that-we-don-t/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) ## More by Nick Offerman > [I worked a lot in Chicago's theater scene as a fight choreographer. And so I do have a lot of experience in stage combat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-worked-a-lot-in-chicago-s-theater-scene-as-a-fight-choreographer/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [I think that laziness in many ways is the human condition, and that's what has led us to this place where, as we've developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-think-that-laziness-in-many-ways-is-the-human-condition-and-that-s/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [I learned as a young man that I don't write jokes, but that I can deliver more mundane material and get a laugh. 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And you can either go sit at the Starbucks and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/you-know-even-working-actors-can-end-up-having-a-lot-of-spare-time/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [“I love my country. Holy shit, do I love America. In many ways, it is the glorious result of some very open-minded thinking on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-love-my-country-holy-shit-do-i-love-america-in-many-ways-it-is-the/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [People are afraid that they're going to upset somebody on top, and so there's a real sense of, I've got to be quiet, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/people-are-afraid-that-they-re-going-to-upset-somebody-on-top-and-so/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [Branding is quite an important thing. As an artist, you want to be able to explore facets of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/branding-is-quite-an-important-thing-as-an-artist-you-want-to-be-able/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) [Explore all 171 Nick Offerman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) ## More Action quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. 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