--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Acting is a strange business; one day…" description: "\"Acting is a strange business; one day it's there, and the next day nowhere to be seen.\" — Ralph Richardson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/ralph-richardson-36297_acting_acting-is-a-strange-business-one-day-it_2281783.jpg" --- # Acting is a strange business; one day it's there, and the… ![“Acting is a strange business; one day it's there, and the next day nowhere to be seen.” quote by Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/ralph-richardson-36297_acting_acting-is-a-strange-business-one-day-it_2281783.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/ralph-richardson-36297_acting_acting-is-a-strange-business-one-day-it_2281783.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/ralph-richardson-36297_acting_acting-is-a-strange-business-one-day-it_2281783.jpg) > “Acting is a strange business; one day it's there, and the next day nowhere to be seen.” [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting's nature is unpredictable; fame and visibility can shift dramatically and without warning **In simple terms:** Acting fame is fickle and unpredictable Key Takeaway Prepare for volatility in creative careers Themes career volatility artistic uncertainty industry dynamics Mood reflective realistic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - audition preparation - career planning - mental health support Key Concepts adaptability resilience Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain stability amid industry swings? - What strategies help you stay grounded when fame fluctuates? A Different Perspective Success can be fleeting and dependent on external factors ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ## Related quotes > [“So fair and foul a day I have not seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/so-fair-and-foul-a-day-i-have-not-seen/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [So foul and fair a day I have not seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/so-foul-and-fair-a-day-i-have-not-seen/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“‎Today is a new day. It's a day you have never seen before and will never see again. Stop telling yourself the 'same crap,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/today-is-a-new-day-it-s-a-day-you-have-never-seen-before-and-will/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [To day I can see what I have never seen before to day is the day I saw me . Yes me but who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizamendoza707/to-day-i-can-see-what-i-have-never-seen-before-to-day-is-the-day-i/) ElizaMendoza707 > [“Thus a day that had seen so many tears ended in the midst of a rainbow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/thus-a-day-that-had-seen-so-many-tears-ended-in-the-midst-of-a-rainbow/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [“And then he was there, staring at me from behind the screen door. I'd like to say he no longer affected me, that seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bushnell/and-then-he-was-there-staring-at-me-from-behind-the-screen-door-i-d/) [Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bushnell/) > [I don't know what you could say about a day in which you have seen four beautiful sunsets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-glenn/i-don-t-know-what-you-could-say-about-a-day-in-which-you-have-seen/) [John Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-glenn/) > [This is a wonderful day, I have never seen this one before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/this-is-a-wonderful-day-i-have-never-seen-this-one-before/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [So fair and foul a day i had not seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/so-fair-and-foul-a-day-i-had-not-seen/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [You sit here for days saying, this is a strange business. You're the strange business. You have the energy of the sun in you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/you-sit-here-for-days-saying-this-is-a-strange-business-you-re-the/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [It's a strange business, and unfortunately, what we do in animation is a mystery, especially the directors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-unkrich/it-s-a-strange-business-and-unfortunately-what-we-do-in-animation-is/) [Lee Unkrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-unkrich/) > [I work in a strange business, and trust is a word that's not even in the vocabulary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-basinger/i-work-in-a-strange-business-and-trust-is-a-word-that-s-not-even-in/) [Kim Basinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-basinger/) > [Nothing, perhaps, is strange, once you have accepted life itself, the great strange business which includes all lesser strangeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/nothing-perhaps-is-strange-once-you-have-accepted-life-itself-the/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [“You sit here for days saying, This is strange business. You’re the strange business. You have the energy of the sun in you, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-balkh/you-sit-here-for-days-saying-this-is-strange-business-you-re-the/) John Balkh > [Radio is a really strange business now, too. There's a very narrow door and a very few people control what gets played.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/radio-is-a-really-strange-business-now-too-there-s-a-very-narrow-door/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) ## More by Ralph Richardson > [“I always had the idea that when I was older I'd get frightfully clever. I'd get awfully learned, I'd get jolly sage. People would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/i-always-had-the-idea-that-when-i-was-older-i-d-get-frightfully/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [Dead? No excuse for laying off work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/dead-no-excuse-for-laying-off-work/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [Acting is merely the art of keeping a large group of people from coughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/acting-is-merely-the-art-of-keeping-a-large-group-of-people-from/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [Actors are the jockeys of literature. Others supply the horses, the plays, and we simply make them run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/actors-are-the-jockeys-of-literature-others-supply-the-horses-the/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [You've got to perform in a role hundreds of times. In keeping it fresh one can become a large, madly humming, demented refrigerator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/you-ve-got-to-perform-in-a-role-hundreds-of-times-in-keeping-it-fresh/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [If a man without a sense of smell declared that this yellow rose that I hold had no scent, we should know that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/if-a-man-without-a-sense-of-smell-declared-that-this-yellow-rose-that/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [The most precious things in speech are pauses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/the-most-precious-things-in-speech-are-pauses/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [Acting is the ability to dream on cue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/acting-is-the-ability-to-dream-on-cue/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [I like talking to engineers best. They built bridges, they're very precise, very disciplined, yet I find they have roving minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/i-like-talking-to-engineers-best-they-built-bridges-they-re-very/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [Acting: An art which consists of keeping the audience from coughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/acting-an-art-which-consists-of-keeping-the-audience-from-coughing/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [In music, the punctuation is absolutely strict, the bars and rests are absolutely defined. But our punctuation cannot be quite strict, because we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/in-music-the-punctuation-is-absolutely-strict-the-bars-and-rests-are/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [The most precious things in speech are the pauses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/the-most-precious-things-in-speech-are-the-pauses/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) [Explore all 13 Ralph Richardson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) ## More Acting 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/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [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/) > [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/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) [Browse all 12,062 Acting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Acting is a strange business; one day it's there, and the next day nowhere to be seen.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ralph Richardson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/acting-is-a-strange-business-one-day-it-s-there-and-the-next-day/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/acting-is-a-strange-business-one-day-it-s-there-and-the-next-day/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/ralph-richardson-36297_acting_acting-is-a-strange-business-one-day-it_2281783.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/ralph-richardson-36297_acting_acting-is-a-strange-business-one-day-it_2281783.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/ralph-richardson-36297_acting_acting-is-a-strange-business-one-day-it_2281783.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Acting is a strange business; one day it's there, and the next day nowhere to be seen.” — Ralph Richardson", "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": "Ralph Richardson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Acting is a strange business; one...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/acting-is-a-strange-business-one-day-it-s-there-and-the-next-day/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/acting-is-a-strange-business-one-day-it-s-there-and-the-next-day/#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 } } ] } ```