---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I could never sit down and say: I'm going…"
description: "\"I could never sit down and say: I'm going to do an out-and-out comedy, just to prove to people I can. You've just got to do what you do. Just listen to..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/paddy-considine-17539_art_i-could-never-sit-down-and-say-i-m-going_3213709.jpg"
---

#  I could never sit down and say: I'm going to do an…

![“I could never sit down and say: I'm going to do an out-and-out comedy, just to prove to people I can. You've just got to do what you do. Just listen to your soul and do your art and do it for the right reasons, and then you can't fail.” quote by Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/paddy-considine-17539_art_i-could-never-sit-down-and-say-i-m-going_3213709.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/paddy-considine-17539_art_i-could-never-sit-down-and-say-i-m-going_3213709.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/paddy-considine-17539_art_i-could-never-sit-down-and-say-i-m-going_3213709.jpg)

> “I could never sit down and say: I'm going to do an out-and-out comedy, just to prove to people I can. You've just got to do what you do. Just listen to your soul and do your art and do it for the right reasons, and then you can't fail.”

[Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

True creative success comes from authentic motivation, not external validation; follow your inner drive and purpose.

**In simple terms:** Create for genuine reasons, not to impress others.

Key Takeaway

Stay true to your artistic purpose.

Themes

authenticity creativity motivation

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- artistic projects
- career decisions
- personal branding
- creative blocks

Key Concepts

self‑actualization intrinsic drive

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives your creative work?
- How do you recognize authentic motivation?

A Different Perspective

May be hard to separate personal desire from market pressure.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Comedy Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy-just/) [Could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/could/) [Down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down/) [Down and](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down-and/) [Fail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fail/) [Failing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failing/) [Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going/) [Going Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-comedy-1337925/) [Got](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Just listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-listen/) [Just Prove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-prove/) [Listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listen/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Prove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prove/) [Prove People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prove-people/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reasons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasons/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Right reasons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-reasons/) [Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say/) [Sit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sit/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Then](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/then/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) [Your soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-soul/)

## Related quotes

> [More people are going out to comedy shows than they were before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carr/more-people-are-going-out-to-comedy-shows-than-they-were-before/)

[Jimmy Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carr/)

> [I would say I've actually done a lot more comedy than I've done drama. It's weird the way that worked out, because when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/i-would-say-i-ve-actually-done-a-lot-more-comedy-than-i-ve-done-drama/)

[James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/)

> ['Where's Bill going?' He's going to comedy death. Boom! He pops out of it with another joke. It's my particular style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/where-s-bill-going-he-s-going-to-comedy-death-boom-he-pops-out-of-it/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [I came to London with a girl. We lived together and split up very quickly. I was on my own in London so started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-mack/i-came-to-london-with-a-girl-we-lived-together-and-split-up-very/)

[Lee Mack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-mack/)

> [Interestingly enough, even though my parents didn't necessarily support what I was doing at first, going into comedy, a lot of what they instilled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinta-brunson/interestingly-enough-even-though-my-parents-didn-t-necessarily/)

[Quinta Brunson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinta-brunson/)

> [In college, my teachers were usually after me for going after comedy too much, leaning too much in that direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-louise-parker/in-college-my-teachers-were-usually-after-me-for-going-after-comedy/)

[Mary-Louise Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-louise-parker/)

> [I worked in accounting for two and a half years, realized that wasn't what I wanted to do with the rest of my life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-newhart/i-worked-in-accounting-for-two-and-a-half-years-realized-that-wasn-t/)

[Bob Newhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-newhart/)

> [I don't play comedy as comedy. That would be the biggest trap. I think about the characters and their situations. Then you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/i-don-t-play-comedy-as-comedy-that-would-be-the-biggest-trap-i-think/)

[Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/)

> [I thought I was going to be comedy 'Tiger King.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-tomlinson/i-thought-i-was-going-to-be-comedy-tiger-king/)

[Taylor Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-tomlinson/)

> [I imagined that the outside world was just going to see me as a comedy girl and put me in that box. But there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ego-nwodim/i-imagined-that-the-outside-world-was-just-going-to-see-me-as-a/)

[Ego Nwodim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ego-nwodim/)

> [Awkwardness and feeling alienated are always going to be a part of comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/awkwardness-and-feeling-alienated-are-always-going-to-be-a-part-of/)

[Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/)

> [Since I started making movies, I've had to hear a million times, "When are you going to do a comedy?" I think I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-coixet/since-i-started-making-movies-i-ve-had-to-hear-a-million-times-when/)

[Isabel Coixet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-coixet/)

> [I'm never going to say, 'Well, I'm never going to do comedy again.' I love comedies, and it's what people know me for, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hader/i-m-never-going-to-say-well-i-m-never-going-to-do-comedy-again-i-love/)

[Bill Hader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hader/)

> [If I'm going to do comedy I sort of want to do my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/if-i-m-going-to-do-comedy-i-sort-of-want-to-do-my-own/)

[Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/)

> [I couldn't make a living as a comic in Ireland and I was watching my friends from college getting good jobs, buying houses, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/i-couldn-t-make-a-living-as-a-comic-in-ireland-and-i-was-watching-my/)

[Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/)

## More by Paddy Considine

> [At the end of the day, my life isnt about other peoples work. Ive got to stop giving stuff away. Ive got my own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/at-the-end-of-the-day-my-life-isnt-about-other-peoples-work-ive-got/)

[Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

> [I got through with my ability to mimic others and make people laugh. I swaggered through life, but, in reality, I lived in fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/i-got-through-with-my-ability-to-mimic-others-and-make-people-laugh-i/)

[Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

> [Its different being a director. I suppose, especially if its a story youve written and you feel compelled to tell, in some ways its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/its-different-being-a-director-i-suppose-especially-if-its-a-story/)

[Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

> [With directors, some have a kind of in-built ability to just know how to work with actors and get the best out of actors,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/with-directors-some-have-a-kind-of-in-built-ability-to-just-know-how/)

[Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

> [A lecturer once told me I could never be a director. I was 16. I believed him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/a-lecturer-once-told-me-i-could-never-be-a-director-i-was-16-i/)

[Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

> [All of a sudden I'm an actor, and I spend a decade trying to fit in and realising that I didn't, really. Sometimes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/all-of-a-sudden-i-m-an-actor-and-i-spend-a-decade-trying-to-fit-in/)

[Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

> [When you're having conversations about actors, you realize these same conversations have happened about you. If you want to make a film for $5m,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/when-you-re-having-conversations-about-actors-you-realize-these-same/)

[Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

> [I suppose I just had this Christian idea about how I ought to go about my life. I thought, 'If I work really hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/i-suppose-i-just-had-this-christian-idea-about-how-i-ought-to-go/)

[Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

> [It's different being a director. I suppose, especially if it's a story you've written and you feel compelled to tell, in some ways it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/it-s-different-being-a-director-i-suppose-especially-if-it-s-a-story/)

[Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

> ['Tyrannosaur's an arrival for me, but it's also the first step into a new career. I don't want to be moonlighting at this, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/tyrannosaur-s-an-arrival-for-me-but-it-s-also-the-first-step-into-a/)

[Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

> [Since being diagnosed with Asperger's, I'd been working with an acting coach who has now become a good friend. We'd been trying lots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/since-being-diagnosed-with-asperger-s-i-d-been-working-with-an-acting/)

[Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

> [I'll admit, sometimes I've paid the bills with acting. You know the phrase, 'It's one for the money, two for the showreel.' I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/i-ll-admit-sometimes-i-ve-paid-the-bills-with-acting-you-know-the/)

[Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

> [I'm trying to make sense of lot of things with 'Tyrannosaur.' I'm trying to make sense of people who've left now. They're not here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/i-m-trying-to-make-sense-of-lot-of-things-with-tyrannosaur-i-m-trying/)

[Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

> [What's my dilemma here? Am I making entertainment or am I making art? What am I saying? At the end of the day, cinema…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/what-s-my-dilemma-here-am-i-making-entertainment-or-am-i-making-art/)

[Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

> [There is nothing worse than when actors come to a set - and it happens a lot with big stars - and they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/there-is-nothing-worse-than-when-actors-come-to-a-set-and-it-happens/)

[Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

[Explore all 37 Paddy Considine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

[Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/)

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I could never sit down and say: I'm going to do an out-and-out comedy, just to prove to people I can. You've just got to do what you do. Just listen to your soul and do your art and do it for the right reasons, and then you can't fail.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paddy Considine"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/i-could-never-sit-down-and-say-i-m-going-to-do-an-out-and-out-comedy/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/i-could-never-sit-down-and-say-i-m-going-to-do-an-out-and-out-comedy/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/paddy-considine-17539_art_i-could-never-sit-down-and-say-i-m-going_3213709.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/paddy-considine-17539_art_i-could-never-sit-down-and-say-i-m-going_3213709.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6b/paddy-considine-17539_art_i-could-never-sit-down-and-say-i-m-going_3213709.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I could never sit down and say: I'm going to do an out-and-out comedy, just to prove to people I can. You've…” — Paddy Considine",
                "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": "Paddy Considine",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I could never sit down and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/i-could-never-sit-down-and-say-i-m-going-to-do-an-out-and-out-comedy/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/i-could-never-sit-down-and-say-i-m-going-to-do-an-out-and-out-comedy/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```