--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I thought I was terrible [to play a…" description: "\"I thought I was terrible [to play a cameo] and decided never to act again.\" — Paul Auster" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f0/paul-auster-351_cameos_i-thought-i-was-terrible-to-play-a-cameo_2373871.jpg" --- # I thought I was terrible \[to play a cameo\] and decided… ![“I thought I was terrible [to play a cameo] and decided never to act again.” quote by Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f0/paul-auster-351_cameos_i-thought-i-was-terrible-to-play-a-cameo_2373871.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f0/paul-auster-351_cameos_i-thought-i-was-terrible-to-play-a-cameo_2373871.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f0/paul-auster-351_cameos_i-thought-i-was-terrible-to-play-a-cameo_2373871.jpg) > “I thought I was terrible \[to play a cameo\] and decided never to act again.” [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker confesses fear of acting, leading to a decision to quit, highlighting self‑doubt and its impact on creative pursuits. **In simple terms:** Self‑doubt can stop us from trying. Key Takeaway Overcome fear to keep creating. Themes creativity fear self‑doubt career Mood motivational introspective Type interview personal When to use this quote - career setbacks - performance anxiety - creative blocks Key Concepts confidence building risk taking artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to face creative fear? - How does failure shape future attempts? A Different Perspective May not capture later growth or resilience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) ## Related quotes > [I'm very serious about becoming a dramatic actor. I don't want to play cameo parts walking on as Carl Lewis the athlete. 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After that experience, I had to face that I wasnt good enough to play with the big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/i-was-terrible-in-my-first-play-after-that-experience-i-had-to-face/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [Writing a play to get to Broadway and have a national tour is a sure way to write a terrible, terrible play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/writing-a-play-to-get-to-broadway-and-have-a-national-tour-is-a-sure/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I worked real hard to learn to play first. In the beginning, I used to make one terrible play a game. Then, I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-gehrig/i-worked-real-hard-to-learn-to-play-first-in-the-beginning-i-used-to/) [Lou Gehrig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-gehrig/) > [In the beginning I used to make one terrible play a game. Then I got so I'd make one a week and finally I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-gehrig/in-the-beginning-i-used-to-make-one-terrible-play-a-game-then-i-got/) [Lou Gehrig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-gehrig/) > [“I thought I was terrible at everything, but it turns out I was only terrible at spreadsheets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/i-thought-i-was-terrible-at-everything-but-it-turns-out-i-was-only/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [When I read the first 'Sharknado' movie, I thought it was terrible. I told my wife that I couldn't do this movie, that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-ziering/when-i-read-the-first-sharknado-movie-i-thought-it-was-terrible-i/) [Ian Ziering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-ziering/) > [To be relieved of love, she thought, was to give up a terrible burden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-shreve/to-be-relieved-of-love-she-thought-was-to-give-up-a-terrible-burden/) [Anita Shreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-shreve/) > [Truth, she thought. As terrible as death. But harder to find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/truth-she-thought-as-terrible-as-death-but-harder-to-find/) [Philip K. 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You need to write her life and put me in it. I'm a cameo in her life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-lewis/my-life-isn-t-interesting-it-s-my-mom-you-need-to-write-her-life-and/) [Carl Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-lewis/) > [I'm very ambitious when it comes to cameos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/i-m-very-ambitious-when-it-comes-to-cameos/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) ## More by Paul Auster > [“On his best walks, he was able to feel that he was nowhere. And this, finally, was all he ever asked of things: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/on-his-best-walks-he-was-able-to-feel-that-he-was-nowhere-and-this/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“No es que escribir me produzca un gran placer, pero es mucho peor si no lo hago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/no-es-que-escribir-me-produzca-un-gran-placer-pero-es-mucho-peor-si/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [You see, the interesting thing about books, as opposed, say, to films, is that it's always just one person encountering the book, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/you-see-the-interesting-thing-about-books-as-opposed-say-to-films-is/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I'm not a man deeply interested in technology. It eludes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-m-not-a-man-deeply-interested-in-technology-it-eludes-me/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [The joke is the purest, most essential form of storytelling. Every word has to count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/the-joke-is-the-purest-most-essential-form-of-storytelling-every-word/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“What people saw when he appeared before them, then, was not really him, but a person he had invented, an artificial creature he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/what-people-saw-when-he-appeared-before-them-then-was-not-really-him/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I had made an empirical discovery and it carried all the weight of a mathematical proof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-had-made-an-empirical-discovery-and-it-carried-all-the-weight-of-a/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [As long as there's one person to believe it, there's no story that can't be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/as-long-as-there-s-one-person-to-believe-it-there-s-no-story-that-can/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [Writing has always had a tactile quality for me. It's a physical experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/writing-has-always-had-a-tactile-quality-for-me-it-s-a-physical/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [People look at the same passage, and one person will say this is the best thing he's ever read, and another person will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/people-look-at-the-same-passage-and-one-person-will-say-this-is-the/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I was very moved to see that the name of the boat was Hamlet - an imaginary character becomes so important to people, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-was-very-moved-to-see-that-the-name-of-the-boat-was-hamlet-an/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [Our lifelong certainties about the world can be demolished in a single second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/our-lifelong-certainties-about-the-world-can-be-demolished-in-a/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [The ideal reader's the same, and I suppose this person has never had a face or a gender or an age. It's just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/the-ideal-reader-s-the-same-and-i-suppose-this-person-has-never-had-a/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“Most lives vanish. A person dies, and little by little all traces of that life disappear. An inventor survives in his inventions, an architect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/most-lives-vanish-a-person-dies-and-little-by-little-all-traces-of/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“and cut down many trees. When the Humans”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/and-cut-down-many-trees-when-the-humans/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) [Explore all 582 Paul Auster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) ## More Cameos quotes > [I'm very ambitious when it comes to cameos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/i-m-very-ambitious-when-it-comes-to-cameos/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [My life isn't interesting! It's my mom. You need to write her life and put me in it. I'm a cameo in her life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-lewis/my-life-isn-t-interesting-it-s-my-mom-you-need-to-write-her-life-and/) [Carl Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-lewis/) > [With Scary Movie 4 I couldn't say no because I loved being in the first one and even though it is a cameo, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-electra/with-scary-movie-4-i-couldn-t-say-no-because-i-loved-being-in-the/) [Carmen Electra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-electra/) > [There's a certain way you stand to give yourself authority, which gives you the texture for the part. I chose that my character hadn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goddard/there-s-a-certain-way-you-stand-to-give-yourself-authority-which/) [Mark Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goddard/) > [I like the idea of acting. Of all these things I've done, sometimes I think I've done well, and sometimes I think I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flea/i-like-the-idea-of-acting-of-all-these-things-i-ve-done-sometimes-i/) [Flea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flea/) > [I am continuing to do lead roles and that is where I am actually headed, but doing cameos is also a fun experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhea-chakraborty/i-am-continuing-to-do-lead-roles-and-that-is-where-i-am-actually/) [Rhea Chakraborty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhea-chakraborty/) > [I teach a lot - I teach at the UCLA and USC graduate film programs - and a lot of those projects are my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-franco/i-teach-a-lot-i-teach-at-the-ucla-and-usc-graduate-film-programs-and/) [James Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-franco/) > [There are actually quite high profile British TV star cameos in it that you probably wouldn't even notice, that the British wouldn't even notice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/there-are-actually-quite-high-profile-british-tv-star-cameos-in-it/) [Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/) > [I'm very serious about becoming a dramatic actor. I don't want to play cameo parts walking on as Carl Lewis the athlete. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-lewis/i-m-very-serious-about-becoming-a-dramatic-actor-i-don-t-want-to-play/) [Carl Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-lewis/) > [As an actor, I never really had a strategy. I just take projects, as they come. It all comes down to the writing, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-vance/as-an-actor-i-never-really-had-a-strategy-i-just-take-projects-as/) [Chris Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-vance/) > ['The Movie' is something that I made with some friends of mine in L.A. My friend, Luke Eberl, is the filmmaker. He shot this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-thirlby/the-movie-is-something-that-i-made-with-some-friends-of-mine-in-l-a/) [Olivia Thirlby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-thirlby/) > [I really enjoy doing cameos. It is just a day's work, and you get to play a new character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranveer-singh/i-really-enjoy-doing-cameos-it-is-just-a-day-s-work-and-you-get-to/) [Ranveer Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranveer-singh/) > [ I've seen \[Donald Trump\] appear in a film or a TV show cameo or the tabloids, and he's a grotesquely distasteful human being and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/i-ve-seen-donald-trump-appear-in-a-film-or-a-tv-show-cameo-or-the/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [I was going to have Brian La Croix do a cameo on Degrassi. But, unfortunately, the scheduling didn't work out. When I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-kroll/i-was-going-to-have-brian-la-croix-do-a-cameo-on-degrassi-but/) [Nick Kroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-kroll/) > [Any music star would be singing about his lost love. A movie would be about a relatable incident; it wasn't an untouchable magic dragon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-apatow/any-music-star-would-be-singing-about-his-lost-love-a-movie-would-be/) [Judd Apatow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-apatow/) Browse all 45 Cameos quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I thought I was terrible [to play a cameo] and decided never to act again.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Auster" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-thought-i-was-terrible-to-play-a-cameo-and-decided-never-to-act/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cameos" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-thought-i-was-terrible-to-play-a-cameo-and-decided-never-to-act/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f0/paul-auster-351_cameos_i-thought-i-was-terrible-to-play-a-cameo_2373871.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f0/paul-auster-351_cameos_i-thought-i-was-terrible-to-play-a-cameo_2373871.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f0/paul-auster-351_cameos_i-thought-i-was-terrible-to-play-a-cameo_2373871.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I thought I was terrible [to play a cameo] and decided never to act again.” — Paul Auster", "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": "Paul Auster", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I thought I was terrible [to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-thought-i-was-terrible-to-play-a-cameo-and-decided-never-to-act/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-thought-i-was-terrible-to-play-a-cameo-and-decided-never-to-act/#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 } } ] } ```