--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Actors are so fortunate. They can choose…" description: "\"Actors are so fortunate. They can choose whether they will appear in tragedy or in comedy, whether they will suffer or make merry, laugh or shed tears...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/oscar-wilde-16_actors_actors-are-so-fortunate-they-can-choose_3087824.jpg" --- # Actors are so fortunate. They can choose whether they will… ![“Actors are so fortunate. They can choose whether they will appear in tragedy or in comedy, whether they will suffer or make merry, laugh or shed tears. But in real life it is different. Most men and women are forced to perform parts for which they have no qualifications. Our Guildensterns play…” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/oscar-wilde-16_actors_actors-are-so-fortunate-they-can-choose_3087824.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/oscar-wilde-16_actors_actors-are-so-fortunate-they-can-choose_3087824.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/oscar-wilde-16_actors_actors-are-so-fortunate-they-can-choose_3087824.jpg) > “Actors are so fortunate. They can choose whether they will appear in tragedy or in comedy, whether they will suffer or make merry, laugh or shed tears. But in real life it is different. Most men and women are forced to perform parts for which they have no qualifications. Our Guildensterns play Hamlet for us, and our Hamlets have to jest like Prince Hal. The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast.” [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life forces many into roles they are unprepared for, unlike actors who choose their parts. **In simple terms:** People often act without proper fit. Key Takeaway Seek roles that match your true self. Themes identity performance authenticity Mood reflective critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - career - relationships - public speaking - personal development Key Concepts role mismatch social expectation Questions to Reflect On - Are you playing a part that fits you? - How can you align your actions with your strengths? A Different Perspective Choosing a role doesn't guarantee competence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Prince hal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prince-hal/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Stage play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage-play/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Is A Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-is-a-stage/) ## Related quotes > [The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-world-is-a-stage-but-the-play-is-badly-cast/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“The world is a stage, but the play is badly written.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-world-is-a-stage-but-the-play-is-badly-written/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“The world is a stage and the play is badly cast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-world-is-a-stage-and-the-play-is-badly-cast/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [We actors are fortunate people, getting paid to do what we love - it's like getting paid to eat cake! There isn't much to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sriti-jha/we-actors-are-fortunate-people-getting-paid-to-do-what-we-love-it-s/) [Sriti Jha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sriti-jha/) > [Chemistry is one of these crazy things you can't teach or learn or you can't fake. You go in hoping it will work, hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-tyler-ferguson/chemistry-is-one-of-these-crazy-things-you-can-t-teach-or-learn-or/) [Jesse Tyler Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-tyler-ferguson/) > [“O monstrous! eleven buckram men grown out of two!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-monstrous-eleven-buckram-men-grown-out-of-two/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“How now, my sweet creature of bombast! How long is't ago, Jack, since thou saw'st thien own knee?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/how-now-my-sweet-creature-of-bombast-how-long-is-t-ago-jack-since/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Unless hours were cups of sack, and minutes capons, and clocks the tongues of bawds, and dials the signs of leaping-houses, and the blessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/unless-hours-were-cups-of-sack-and-minutes-capons-and-clocks-the/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I am the Prince of Wales; and think not, Percy, To share with me in glory any more: Two stars keep not their motion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-am-the-prince-of-wales-and-think-not-percy-to-share-with-me-in/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Before, I loved thee as a brother, John, But now, I do respect thee as my soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/before-i-loved-thee-as-a-brother-john-but-now-i-do-respect-thee-as-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Now could thou and I rob the thieves and go merrily to London, it would be argument for a week, laughter for a month,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/now-could-thou-and-i-rob-the-thieves-and-go-merrily-to-london-it/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Were't not for laughing, I should pity him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/were-t-not-for-laughing-i-should-pity-him/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Though I be but prince of Wales, yet I am the king of courtesy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/though-i-be-but-prince-of-wales-yet-i-am-the-king-of-courtesy/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Hark, how hard he fetches breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/hark-how-hard-he-fetches-breath/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [though I be but the prince of Wales, yet I am king of courtesy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/though-i-be-but-the-prince-of-wales-yet-i-am-king-of-courtesy/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by Oscar Wilde > [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-books-that-the-world-calls-immoral-are-the-books-that-show-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/bachelors-should-be-heavily-taxed-it-is-not-fair-that-some-men-should/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Who, being loved, is poor?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/who-being-loved-is-poor/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Basil my dear boy puts everything that is charming in him into his work. The consequence is that he has nothing left for life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/basil-my-dear-boy-puts-everything-that-is-charming-in-him-into-his/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Anybody can be good in the country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/anybody-can-be-good-in-the-country/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I don't at all like knowing what people say of me behind my back. It makes me far too conceited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-don-t-at-all-like-knowing-what-people-say-of-me-behind-my-back-it/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Alles Populäre ist falsch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/alles-popul-re-ist-falsch/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“If these elements of beauty are real, the whole thing simply appeals to our sense of dramatic effect. Suddenly we find that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/if-these-elements-of-beauty-are-real-the-whole-thing-simply-appeals/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [To love one's self is the beginning of a life-long romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-love-one-s-self-is-the-beginning-of-a-life-long-romance/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/those-who-find-beautiful-meanings-in-beautiful-things-are-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Men always want to be a womans first love. Women have a more subtle instinct: What they like is to be a mans last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/men-always-want-to-be-a-womans-first-love-women-have-a-more-subtle/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Why is it that at a bachelor's establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/why-is-it-that-at-a-bachelor-s-establishment-the-servants-invariably/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Moderation is a fatal thing. Enough is as bad as a meal. More than enough is as good as a feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/moderation-is-a-fatal-thing-enough-is-as-bad-as-a-meal-more-than/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, creeds follow one another, but what is beautiful is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/beauty-is-the-only-thing-that-time-cannot-harm-philosophies-fall-away/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) [Explore all 3,343 Oscar Wilde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## More Actors quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Forget the credit, they (male actors) take all the money as well. We don't get paid even one-third of what male actors get. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kangana-ranaut/forget-the-credit-they-male-actors-take-all-the-money-as-well-we-don/) [Kangana Ranaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kangana-ranaut/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [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/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [When we watch a film as actors, you have to understand that we always see much more than what's on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-khemu/when-we-watch-a-film-as-actors-you-have-to-understand-that-we-always/) [Kunal Khemu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-khemu/) > [As actors, you become an expert at starting over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/as-actors-you-become-an-expert-at-starting-over/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [No actor wants to choose - they just want all of the options available to them all the time; we tend to be pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/no-actor-wants-to-choose-they-just-want-all-of-the-options-available/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [A rapper is about being completely true to yourself. Being an actor is about changing who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/a-rapper-is-about-being-completely-true-to-yourself-being-an-actor-is/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [I've been a professional actor for almost 40 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-perlman/i-ve-been-a-professional-actor-for-almost-40-years/) [Ron Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-perlman/) > [American actors are coy. We all have pricks and cunts, or are you different from the rest of us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/american-actors-are-coy-we-all-have-pricks-and-cunts-or-are-you/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) [Browse all 11,394 Actors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Actors are so fortunate. They can choose whether they will appear in tragedy or in comedy, whether they will suffer or make merry, laugh or shed tears. But in real life it is different. Most men and women are forced to perform parts for which they have no qualifications. Our Guildensterns play Hamlet for us, and our Hamlets have to jest like Prince Hal. The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oscar Wilde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/actors-are-so-fortunate-they-can-choose-whether-they-will-appear-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actors" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/actors-are-so-fortunate-they-can-choose-whether-they-will-appear-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/oscar-wilde-16_actors_actors-are-so-fortunate-they-can-choose_3087824.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/oscar-wilde-16_actors_actors-are-so-fortunate-they-can-choose_3087824.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa7/oscar-wilde-16_actors_actors-are-so-fortunate-they-can-choose_3087824.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Actors are so fortunate. They can choose whether they will appear in tragedy or in comedy, whether they will…” — Oscar Wilde", "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": "Oscar Wilde", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Actors are so fortunate. They can...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/actors-are-so-fortunate-they-can-choose-whether-they-will-appear-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/actors-are-so-fortunate-they-can-choose-whether-they-will-appear-in/#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 } } ] } ```