--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's no use to go and take courses in…" description: "\"It's no use to go and take courses in playwriting any more than it's much use taking courses in acting. Better play to a bad matinée in Hull, it will t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be9/noel-coward-2647_acting_it-s-no-use-to-go-and-take-courses-in-pl_404649.png" --- # It's no use to go and take courses in playwriting any more… ![“It's no use to go and take courses in playwriting any more than it's much use taking courses in acting. Better play to a bad matinée in Hull, it will teach you much more than a year of careful instruction.” quote by Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be9/noel-coward-2647_acting_it-s-no-use-to-go-and-take-courses-in-pl_404649.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be9/noel-coward-2647_acting_it-s-no-use-to-go-and-take-courses-in-pl_404649.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be9/noel-coward-2647_acting_it-s-no-use-to-go-and-take-courses-in-pl_404649.png) > “It's no use to go and take courses in playwriting any more than it's much use taking courses in acting. Better play to a bad matinée in Hull, it will teach you much more than a year of careful instruction.” [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Practical experience outweighs formal instruction in creative fields like playwriting and acting. **In simple terms:** Learning by doing beats classroom learning. Key Takeaway Do real work to learn. Themes experience practice creativity Mood pragmatic encouraging Type practical inspirational When to use this quote - theatre - writing - film production - workshops Key Concepts education theory skill acquisition Questions to Reflect On - When is formal training essential? - How can you balance practice and study? A Different Perspective Formal training still provides useful fundamentals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Careful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careful/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Courses Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses-acting-2995105/) [Courses Playwriting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses-playwriting-2995104/) [Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hull/) [Instruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruction/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Playwriting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playwriting/) [Taking Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-courses-2995106/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Use Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use-courses-2995107/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [It's no use to go and take courses in playwriting any more than it's much use taking courses in acting. Better play to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/it-s-no-use-to-go-and-take-courses-in-playwriting-any-more-than-it-s-2/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [We had a 'Project Joey' scheme worked out in which I would take correspondence courses while acting in Hollywood. Then when I flew home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-heatherton/we-had-a-project-joey-scheme-worked-out-in-which-i-would-take/) [Joey Heatherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-heatherton/) > [All my friends were choosing university courses, but I had no interest in anything other than acting, so I applied to go to RADA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-armstrong/all-my-friends-were-choosing-university-courses-but-i-had-no-interest/) [Jonas Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-armstrong/) > [There is a whole industry in America of people who want to write, and those who teach it. Even if the students don't end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/there-is-a-whole-industry-in-america-of-people-who-want-to-write-and/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [I had to be - I was in school for probably three or four years before I began taking courses in history and political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-had-to-be-i-was-in-school-for-probably-three-or-four-years-before-i/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [The air is like a draught of wine. The undertaker cleans his sign, The Hull express goes off the line, When it's raspberry time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/the-air-is-like-a-draught-of-wine-the-undertaker-cleans-his-sign-the/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [Playwriting isn't a calling so much as it is a hazing process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-vogel/playwriting-isn-t-a-calling-so-much-as-it-is-a-hazing-process/) [Paula Vogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-vogel/) > [One of the things he liked about playwriting as to any other kind of writing is that a playwright is a w-r-i-g-h-t, not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/one-of-the-things-he-liked-about-playwriting-as-to-any-other-kind-of/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [My mother was working on her college degree throughout my childhood, and being the youngest in the family, that meant being dragged to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valorie-curry/my-mother-was-working-on-her-college-degree-throughout-my-childhood/) [Valorie Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valorie-curry/) > [I was a writer. I just wasn't a very good one. I was lucky enough to have a playwriting teacher who told me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liev-schreiber/i-was-a-writer-i-just-wasn-t-a-very-good-one-i-was-lucky-enough-to/) [Liev Schreiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liev-schreiber/) > [When I was first starting to write plays, I quite literally had never heard of the idea of studying playwriting. I wouldn't have studied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/when-i-was-first-starting-to-write-plays-i-quite-literally-had-never/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I got the breaks. Starting from nowhere in the corn belt, I helped edit a country weekly, then was jack-of-all-departments on an obscure daily,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/i-got-the-breaks-starting-from-nowhere-in-the-corn-belt-i-helped-edit/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [I've taught both screenwriting and playwriting, and playwriting is both much harder and much more rewarding. One can teach people how to tell a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ives/i-ve-taught-both-screenwriting-and-playwriting-and-playwriting-is/) [David Ives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ives/) > [Playwriting is all about empathy, getting inside the head of someone who is not you, to think like they think without judging them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-margulies/playwriting-is-all-about-empathy-getting-inside-the-head-of-someone/) [Donald Margulies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-margulies/) > [“As a youth I enjoyed — indeed, like most of my contemporaries, revered — the agitprop plays of Brecht, and his indictments of Capitalism.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/as-a-youth-i-enjoyed-indeed-like-most-of-my-contemporaries-revered/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) ## More by Noel Coward > [Acting is not a state of being ... but a state of appearing to be. You can't be eight times a week without going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/acting-is-not-a-state-of-being-but-a-state-of-appearing-to-be-you-can/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/it-is-discouraging-how-many-people-are-shocked-by-honesty-and-how-few/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [I'll go through life either first class or third, but never in second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/i-ll-go-through-life-either-first-class-or-third-but-never-in-second/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [Everybody worships me, it's nauseating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/everybody-worships-me-it-s-nauseating/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/mad-dogs-and-englishmen-go-out-in-the-mid-day-sun/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [That strange feeling we had inthe war. Have you found anything in your lives since toequal it in strength? A sort of splendid carelessness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/that-strange-feeling-we-had-inthe-war-have-you-found-anything-in-your/) [Noël Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [Wit ought to be a glorious treat like caviar; never spread it about like marmalade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/wit-ought-to-be-a-glorious-treat-like-caviar-never-spread-it-about/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [Squash - that's not exercise, it's flagellation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/squash-that-s-not-exercise-it-s-flagellation/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [If you must have motivation, think of your paycheck on Friday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/if-you-must-have-motivation-think-of-your-paycheck-on-friday/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [“A.E. Matthews ambled through This Was a Man like a charming retriever who has buried a bone and can't quite remember where.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/a-e-matthews-ambled-through-this-was-a-man-like-a-charming-retriever/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [“Television is for appearing on - not for looking at.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/television-is-for-appearing-on-not-for-looking-at/) [Noël Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [“I like long walks, especialy when they are taken by people who annoy me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/i-like-long-walks-especialy-when-they-are-taken-by-people-who-annoy-me/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [Hollywood is a place where some people lie on the beach and look up at the stars, whereas other people lie on the stars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/hollywood-is-a-place-where-some-people-lie-on-the-beach-and-look-up/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [Grab it while you can — grab every scrap of happiness while you can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/grab-it-while-you-can-grab-every-scrap-of-happiness-while-you-can/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [My importance to the world is relatively small. On the other hand, my importance to myself is tremendous. I am all I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/my-importance-to-the-world-is-relatively-small-on-the-other-hand-my/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) [Explore all 156 Noel Coward quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) ## 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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