--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm sure that my wanting to be an actor…" description: "\"I'm sure that my wanting to be an actor had to do with a need for approval.\" — Paul Rudd" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db8/paul-rudd-3187_actor_i-m-sure-that-my-wanting-to-be-an-actor_2693710.jpg" --- # I'm sure that my wanting to be an actor had to do with a… ![“I'm sure that my wanting to be an actor had to do with a need for approval.” quote by Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db8/paul-rudd-3187_actor_i-m-sure-that-my-wanting-to-be-an-actor_2693710.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db8/paul-rudd-3187_actor_i-m-sure-that-my-wanting-to-be-an-actor_2693710.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db8/paul-rudd-3187_actor_i-m-sure-that-my-wanting-to-be-an-actor_2693710.jpg) > “I'm sure that my wanting to be an actor had to do with a need for approval.” [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Desire for acting stems from seeking external validation and approval. **In simple terms:** Acting desire linked to need for approval. Key Takeaway Recognize and balance internal motivation. Themes self‑esteem career validation Mood reflective thoughtful Type personal development psychology When to use this quote - auditions - career counseling - personal development - self‑reflection Key Concepts psychology motivation Questions to Reflect On - What drives your creative pursuits? - How can you find intrinsic motivation? A Different Perspective Approval may not sustain long‑term fulfillment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Approval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approval/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [I'm needy, I need approval in everything I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-wallace/i-m-needy-i-need-approval-in-everything-i-do/) [Gregg Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-wallace/) > [“You can save an enormous amount of time and energy (which is then freed up for other things) by releasing the need for approval…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-dodson/you-can-save-an-enormous-amount-of-time-and-energy-which-is-then/) [Frederick Dodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-dodson/) > [I don't have anything to prove anymore. I don't have a record deal, no one has any expectations, I'm in a position of freedom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliana-hatfield/i-don-t-have-anything-to-prove-anymore-i-don-t-have-a-record-deal-no/) [Juliana Hatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliana-hatfield/) > [Self-confidence will eliminate the need for approval and your tunnel vision will soon diminish. It is very bright outside and its waiting for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sotelo/self-confidence-will-eliminate-the-need-for-approval-and-your-tunnel/) [Michael Sotelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sotelo/) > [I think I let go of the need for approval. It certainly feels good when you get it, but I used to be more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-think-i-let-go-of-the-need-for-approval-it-certainly-feels-good/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [We want you to stop caring about what anybody else's response is to you. And when you get there, they'll all really, really like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/we-want-you-to-stop-caring-about-what-anybody-else-s-response-is-to/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [Even though I don't feel I need approval, it's still important to me to give a good performance. I'm hard on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-pfeiffer/even-though-i-don-t-feel-i-need-approval-it-s-still-important-to-me/) [Michelle Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-pfeiffer/) > [“I, also, decided to get rid of the need of approval. That is a strong addiction, the need of approval, isn't it? That---I'm on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-also-decided-to-get-rid-of-the-need-of-approval-that-is-a-strong/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't need anyone's approval for going to elections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/i-don-t-need-anyone-s-approval-for-going-to-elections/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [I need what I'm thinking to come out into the world, even if it's a two-word approval, like, "Yeah, I agree," I need that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-yelchin/i-need-what-i-m-thinking-to-come-out-into-the-world-even-if-it-s-a/) [Anton Yelchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-yelchin/) > [When I visit local communities, people often complain that they need the approval of several dozen government departments to get something done or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-keqiang/when-i-visit-local-communities-people-often-complain-that-they-need/) [Li Keqiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-keqiang/) > [When you do not seek or need approval, you are at your most powerful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/when-you-do-not-seek-or-need-approval-you-are-at-your-most-powerful/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [I try to be feminist in, like, I love myself and I don't need someone else's approval.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-lee/i-try-to-be-feminist-in-like-i-love-myself-and-i-don-t-need-someone/) [Amy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-lee/) > [Simply put, the best teachers are the ones you work your tail off for because in the end you just don't want them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-mali/simply-put-the-best-teachers-are-the-ones-you-work-your-tail-off-for/) [Taylor Mali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-mali/) > [It's aggravating to me when you meet people that are just... you know, there's a difference between wanting to be an actor or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-hartley/it-s-aggravating-to-me-when-you-meet-people-that-are-just-you-know/) [Justin Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-hartley/) ## More by Paul Rudd > [I don't really think in terms of genre, I think in terms of story and character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/i-don-t-really-think-in-terms-of-genre-i-think-in-terms-of-story-and/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [Puberty hit me pretty hard. All of a sudden, I woke up, and I had really curly hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/puberty-hit-me-pretty-hard-all-of-a-sudden-i-woke-up-and-i-had-really/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [On the very first day of shooting, we did a scene in which Michelle and I are in our underwear, and I'm straddling her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/on-the-very-first-day-of-shooting-we-did-a-scene-in-which-michelle/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [I'm not that nice - it's one of those things that reveals itself over time. You could talk to people who know me well;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/i-m-not-that-nice-it-s-one-of-those-things-that-reveals-itself-over/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [My bar mitzvah, I went to my nan's, and she made kugel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/my-bar-mitzvah-i-went-to-my-nan-s-and-she-made-kugel/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [There are many great writers out there and, actually, great scripts. The problem is - and this is what I've always felt, even when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/there-are-many-great-writers-out-there-and-actually-great-scripts-the/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [I'm surprised that I get to be in the same room with half the people that I'm working with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/i-m-surprised-that-i-get-to-be-in-the-same-room-with-half-the-people/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [I was at a dinner party with a group of people, and we were talking about fake names. You know, how its difficult to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/i-was-at-a-dinner-party-with-a-group-of-people-and-we-were-talking/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [I really prided myself on my fashionable dress. I had a very independent streak and thought, Im going to dress super cool and different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/i-really-prided-myself-on-my-fashionable-dress-i-had-a-very/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [I grew up in a lot of different places, mostly in Kansas, I really started thinking seriously about acting in high school; I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/i-grew-up-in-a-lot-of-different-places-mostly-in-kansas-i-really/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [At my core, I'm a Midwesterner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/at-my-core-i-m-a-midwesterner/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [I went through a phase where I thought it was really funny to make pratfalls in very crowded places. I jumped out of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/i-went-through-a-phase-where-i-thought-it-was-really-funny-to-make/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [Awkwardness is such a gold mine for comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/awkwardness-is-such-a-gold-mine-for-comedy/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [I was always in new schools and had British parents, which was not the norm, and I think there was also... I'm not particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/i-was-always-in-new-schools-and-had-british-parents-which-was-not-the/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) > [It's insane but it's a great insane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/it-s-insane-but-it-s-a-great-insane/) [Paul Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) [Explore all 137 Paul Rudd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/) ## 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'm sure that my wanting to be an actor had to do with a need for approval.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Rudd" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/i-m-sure-that-my-wanting-to-be-an-actor-had-to-do-with-a-need-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/i-m-sure-that-my-wanting-to-be-an-actor-had-to-do-with-a-need-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db8/paul-rudd-3187_actor_i-m-sure-that-my-wanting-to-be-an-actor_2693710.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db8/paul-rudd-3187_actor_i-m-sure-that-my-wanting-to-be-an-actor_2693710.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db8/paul-rudd-3187_actor_i-m-sure-that-my-wanting-to-be-an-actor_2693710.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm sure that my wanting to be an actor had to do with a need for approval.” — Paul Rudd", "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 Rudd", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rudd/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm sure that my wanting to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/i-m-sure-that-my-wanting-to-be-an-actor-had-to-do-with-a-need-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rudd/i-m-sure-that-my-wanting-to-be-an-actor-had-to-do-with-a-need-for/#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 } } ] } ```