---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think people probably think I…"
description: "\"I think people probably think I self-start, but I don't... I'm an actor, and I like to be of use to the director. To be a muse.\" — Parker Posey"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/parker-posey-3218_actor_i-think-people-probably-think-i-self-sta_3232288.jpg"
---

#  I think people probably think I self-start, but I don't…

![“I think people probably think I self-start, but I don't... I'm an actor, and I like to be of use to the director. To be a muse.” quote by Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/parker-posey-3218_actor_i-think-people-probably-think-i-self-sta_3232288.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/parker-posey-3218_actor_i-think-people-probably-think-i-self-sta_3232288.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/parker-posey-3218_actor_i-think-people-probably-think-i-self-sta_3232288.jpg)

> “I think people probably think I self-start, but I don't... I'm an actor, and I like to be of use to the director. To be a muse.”

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

## About This Quote

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

She sees acting as a collaborative role, offering support and inspiration to the director.

**In simple terms:** Acting is about helping the director.

Key Takeaway

Be a supportive, inspiring collaborator.

Themes

collaboration creativity support

Mood

reflective humorous

Type

artistic inspirational

When to use this quote

- film set
- theatre rehearsal
- creative brainstorming
- directorial guidance
- team projects

Key Concepts

artistic partnership muse self‑effacement

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance being useful with expressing your own voice?
- What does “being of use” mean to you?

A Different Perspective

Over‑emphasis on being a muse may limit personal artistic expression.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/director/) [Muse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muse/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm an actor, so I like costumes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-m-an-actor-so-i-like-costumes/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [Sometimes I think being an actor is like being a dog for a director; it's like they throw a stick, and you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-edgerton/sometimes-i-think-being-an-actor-is-like-being-a-dog-for-a-director/)

[Joel Edgerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-edgerton/)

> [My mum is deeply, deeply a man's woman, a man's muse. Maybe because I'm a kid from the '80s, I'm a bit more dominant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-doillon/my-mum-is-deeply-deeply-a-man-s-woman-a-man-s-muse-maybe-because-i-m/)

[Lou Doillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-doillon/)

> [“We need to think of the self as a continuum, a steady story over time. The mind is always searching for similarities, associations, repetitions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/we-need-to-think-of-the-self-as-a-continuum-a-steady-story-over-time/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [I think everyone self-mythologizes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/i-think-everyone-self-mythologizes/)

[Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/)

> [The ability to think for one's self depends upon one's mastery of the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/the-ability-to-think-for-one-s-self-depends-upon-one-s-mastery-of-the/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [“And don’t feel like you’re committing a felony-level violation of Buddhist dogma just because you think of yourself as being a self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wright/and-don-t-feel-like-you-re-committing-a-felony-level-violation-of/)

[Robert Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wright/)

> [You won't think I self-harm at first glance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-won-t-think-i-self-harm-at-first-glance/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“What we usually think of as the self is very temporal and an illusion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyomay-m-kubose/what-we-usually-think-of-as-the-self-is-very-temporal-and-an-illusion/)

[Gyomay M. Kubose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyomay-m-kubose/)

> [I think most of us become self-critical as soon as we become self-conscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/i-think-most-of-us-become-self-critical-as-soon-as-we-become-self/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [When I Was Small And I Always Thought I Was Such A Pretty Child. Now I See My Photos And I Think To My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-soto/when-i-was-small-and-i-always-thought-i-was-such-a-pretty-child-now-i/)

Andrea Soto

> [I think self-belief is a massive thing in football. If you don't believe in yourself, not many others will. Work hard and believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-kane/i-think-self-belief-is-a-massive-thing-in-football-if-you-don-t/)

[Harry Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-kane/)

> [The phrase "think for one's self" is a pleonasm. Unless one does it for one's self, it isn't thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-phrase-think-for-one-s-self-is-a-pleonasm-unless-one-does-it-for/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [In the quiet moments of your day, what do you think and do? When you are with your Self and no one else, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/in-the-quiet-moments-of-your-day-what-do-you-think-and-do-when-you/)

[Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/)

> [If you think about what you do, if you become self-conscious about it, you've got to be very careful. Because I really like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/if-you-think-about-what-you-do-if-you-become-self-conscious-about-it/)

[Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/)

## More by Parker Posey

> [ I've gotten to portray things in \[Christopher Guest's\] movies that I wouldn't have in others. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-ve-gotten-to-portray-things-in-christopher-guest-s-movies-that-i/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [I love 'Fishing With John' so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-love-fishing-with-john-so-much/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [Being in a Woody Allen film. I cherish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/being-in-a-woody-allen-film-i-cherish-it/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [I think movies are now like going to a museum and seeing the latest exhibit - people just aren't going. It really is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-think-movies-are-now-like-going-to-a-museum-and-seeing-the-latest/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [I'm an actor, so I like costumes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-m-an-actor-so-i-like-costumes/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [You have to have a certain amount of limitations, I think, to make art and to make something that can be alive on film.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/you-have-to-have-a-certain-amount-of-limitations-i-think-to-make-art/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [Imagine if every airport would blast Brian Eno. I bet going through security wouldn't be as difficult. I can't imagine someone being aggressive with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/imagine-if-every-airport-would-blast-brian-eno-i-bet-going-through/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [I thought I'd have a career playing women in the vein of Ruth Gordon, and we've seen that type almost disappear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-thought-i-d-have-a-career-playing-women-in-the-vein-of-ruth-gordon/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [I make a lot of soups, and I love stews. My mother's a big foodie. She went to culinary school in New Orleans and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-make-a-lot-of-soups-and-i-love-stews-my-mother-s-a-big-foodie-she/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [What's the difference between a personality disorder and a personality? You know? That's what I wanna know!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/what-s-the-difference-between-a-personality-disorder-and-a/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [I don't want to sound like too much of a drama queen! But I'm not going to tell you, 'Oh, it's just so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-don-t-want-to-sound-like-too-much-of-a-drama-queen-but-i-m-not/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [Every time I do something, I worry it's my last job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/every-time-i-do-something-i-worry-it-s-my-last-job/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [How movies are financed, it's a world market now... I feel like, you know, the independent film way of working is something that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/how-movies-are-financed-it-s-a-world-market-now-i-feel-like-you-know/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [I traveled to Morocco once, and I only saw one television when I was there, but I did go into this dirt cave and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-traveled-to-morocco-once-and-i-only-saw-one-television-when-i-was/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

> [My grandmother is this amazingly theatrical woman. She acted like a movie star, as far as looks and attitude, kind of like Susan Hayward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/my-grandmother-is-this-amazingly-theatrical-woman-she-acted-like-a/)

[Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

[Explore all 136 Parker Posey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/)

## 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": "I think people probably think I self-start, but I don't... I'm an actor, and I like to be of use to the director. To be a muse.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Parker Posey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-think-people-probably-think-i-self-start-but-i-don-t-i-m-an-actor/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Actor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-think-people-probably-think-i-self-start-but-i-don-t-i-m-an-actor/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/parker-posey-3218_actor_i-think-people-probably-think-i-self-sta_3232288.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/parker-posey-3218_actor_i-think-people-probably-think-i-self-sta_3232288.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/parker-posey-3218_actor_i-think-people-probably-think-i-self-sta_3232288.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think people probably think I self-start, but I don't... I'm an actor, and I like to be of use to the…” — Parker Posey",
                "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": "Parker Posey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think people probably think I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-think-people-probably-think-i-self-start-but-i-don-t-i-m-an-actor/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/i-think-people-probably-think-i-self-start-but-i-don-t-i-m-an-actor/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```