--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With writing fiction, I'm either not…" description: "\"With writing fiction, I'm either not courageous enough or just not suited for telling truths in a more conventional way. As an actor, I inhabit those c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/ray-mckinnon-38193_actor_with-writing-fiction-i-m-either-not-cour_1686456.jpg" --- # With writing fiction, I'm either not courageous enough or… ![“With writing fiction, I'm either not courageous enough or just not suited for telling truths in a more conventional way. As an actor, I inhabit those characters as I'm writing them.” quote by Ray McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/ray-mckinnon-38193_actor_with-writing-fiction-i-m-either-not-cour_1686456.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/ray-mckinnon-38193_actor_with-writing-fiction-i-m-either-not-cour_1686456.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/ray-mckinnon-38193_actor_with-writing-fiction-i-m-either-not-cour_1686456.jpg) > “With writing fiction, I'm either not courageous enough or just not suited for telling truths in a more conventional way. As an actor, I inhabit those characters as I'm writing them.” [Ray McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mckinnon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing fiction demands courage to reveal truth; acting lets one embody those truths directly. **In simple terms:** Courage needed to tell truth; acting as embodiment. Key Takeaway Embrace both writing and performing. Themes creativity truth courage Mood introspective encouraging Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - author workshops - actor rehearsals - personal memoirs Key Concepts storytelling identity artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - What truths are you avoiding? - How can performance help you own them? A Different Perspective Fear of exposure may hinder honesty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Courageous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courageous/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truths/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [For a photographer, sharks are a stirring subject, possessing a perfect blend of grace and power. They have been sculpted by evolution and are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skerry/for-a-photographer-sharks-are-a-stirring-subject-possessing-a-perfect/) [Brian Skerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-skerry/) > [“Trolling has many elements. It’s often about telling truths that others don’t want to hear. It’s about tricking, pranking, and generally riling up your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/trolling-has-many-elements-it-s-often-about-telling-truths-that/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > [Once you start thinking about the lies people tell when they don't know they're telling them, the truths people reveal when they think they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/once-you-start-thinking-about-the-lies-people-tell-when-they-don-t/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [“The truth is . . . Well, the truth is the truth, and thus worth telling, but sometimes truths are so complicated that it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrie-haskell/the-truth-is-well-the-truth-is-the-truth-and-thus-worth-telling-but/) [Merrie Haskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrie-haskell/) > [I just look at it, as it's something that I had to do. I had this vision that really, Graceland is suited for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priscilla-presley/i-just-look-at-it-as-it-s-something-that-i-had-to-do-i-had-this/) [Priscilla Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priscilla-presley/) > [It's possible that I would have been better suited to being a penguin keeper. Starting out, I thought being a writer would enable me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/it-s-possible-that-i-would-have-been-better-suited-to-being-a-penguin/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [Parents are the designated caregivers and are best suited for being able to raise children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-neufeld/parents-are-the-designated-caregivers-and-are-best-suited-for-being/) [Gordon Neufeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-neufeld/) > [It just wasn't the right fit at Bournemouth. I wasn't suited to their style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-murray/it-just-wasn-t-the-right-fit-at-bournemouth-i-wasn-t-suited-to-their/) [Glenn Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-murray/) > [“Those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/those-who-are-best-suited-to-power-are-those-who-have-never-sought-it/) [J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [Longhand isn't well suited to my way of writing. I tend to end up with dozens of pages of crossings-out and margin scribbles just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-hall/longhand-isn-t-well-suited-to-my-way-of-writing-i-tend-to-end-up-with/) [Steven Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-hall/) > [What I responded to, on the page, was the way a poem could liberate, by means of a word's setting, through subtleties of timing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-gl-ck/what-i-responded-to-on-the-page-was-the-way-a-poem-could-liberate-by/) [Louise Gluck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-gl-ck/) > [At 20, I didn't know what suited me. I had terrible fashion sense and awful make-up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-fox/at-20-i-didn-t-know-what-suited-me-i-had-terrible-fashion-sense-and/) [Samantha Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-fox/) > [As a technology, the book is like a hammer. That is to say, it is perfect: a tool ideally suited to its task. Hammers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/as-a-technology-the-book-is-like-a-hammer-that-is-to-say-it-is/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“The mech hadn’t been designed for violence, but it was suited for it. That made her and it the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-a-corey/the-mech-hadn-t-been-designed-for-violence-but-it-was-suited-for-it/) [James S.A. Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-a-corey/) > [The Syrians are better suited to sort out their internal divisions than anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/the-syrians-are-better-suited-to-sort-out-their-internal-divisions/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) ## More by Ray McKinnon > [If you're ever making a television show, don't cast smart actors because they are just a pain in the ass. The moment you start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mckinnon/if-you-re-ever-making-a-television-show-don-t-cast-smart-actors/) [Ray McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mckinnon/) > [I love telling stories, whether I'm the human instrument that helps tell that story, or I'm the man behind the curtain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mckinnon/i-love-telling-stories-whether-i-m-the-human-instrument-that-helps/) [Ray McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mckinnon/) > [Truth may be stranger than fiction on a plot and narrative basis, but fiction can investigate tone in a way that things based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mckinnon/truth-may-be-stranger-than-fiction-on-a-plot-and-narrative-basis-but/) [Ray McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mckinnon/) > ['Deadwood' was just a wonderful opportunity for me. Outside of my own things that I've written, I hadn't had the opportunity to play a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mckinnon/deadwood-was-just-a-wonderful-opportunity-for-me-outside-of-my-own/) [Ray McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mckinnon/) > [From my experience and observing a lot of other people that often times that only happens - a transformational experience or shedding of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mckinnon/from-my-experience-and-observing-a-lot-of-other-people-that-often/) [Ray McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mckinnon/) > ['Rectify' is un-busy. It might soothe you, if not distract you, from all you got going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mckinnon/rectify-is-un-busy-it-might-soothe-you-if-not-distract-you-from-all/) [Ray McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mckinnon/) > [When I'm writing something and I'm really into it, that's all I can think about, and it becomes the most important thing in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mckinnon/when-i-m-writing-something-and-i-m-really-into-it-that-s-all-i-can/) [Ray McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mckinnon/) > [All the collaborators of storytelling, in film and television, have to be partly self-centered because they need to do their work the best they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mckinnon/all-the-collaborators-of-storytelling-in-film-and-television-have-to/) [Ray McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mckinnon/) > [There's not a conspiracy to prevent really good writing from being found You have to have the humility to fail over and over and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mckinnon/there-s-not-a-conspiracy-to-prevent-really-good-writing-from-being/) [Ray McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mckinnon/) > [I think I'm a better collaborator, in seeing the bigger picture and trying to just help that, and not be so self-centered in whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mckinnon/i-think-i-m-a-better-collaborator-in-seeing-the-bigger-picture-and/) [Ray McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mckinnon/) > [You can't please everyone. You've got to please yourself, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mckinnon/you-can-t-please-everyone-you-ve-got-to-please-yourself-i-guess/) [Ray McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mckinnon/) [Explore all 12 Ray McKinnon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mckinnon/) ## 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": "With writing fiction, I'm either not courageous enough or just not suited for telling truths in a more conventional way. As an actor, I inhabit those characters as I'm writing them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ray McKinnon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mckinnon/with-writing-fiction-i-m-either-not-courageous-enough-or-just-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mckinnon/with-writing-fiction-i-m-either-not-courageous-enough-or-just-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/ray-mckinnon-38193_actor_with-writing-fiction-i-m-either-not-cour_1686456.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/ray-mckinnon-38193_actor_with-writing-fiction-i-m-either-not-cour_1686456.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/ray-mckinnon-38193_actor_with-writing-fiction-i-m-either-not-cour_1686456.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“With writing fiction, I'm either not courageous enough or just not suited for telling truths in a more…” — Ray McKinnon", "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": "Ray McKinnon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mckinnon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "With writing fiction, I'm either not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mckinnon/with-writing-fiction-i-m-either-not-courageous-enough-or-just-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mckinnon/with-writing-fiction-i-m-either-not-courageous-enough-or-just-not/#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 } } ] } ```