--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Careers don't interest me. The only thing…" description: "\"Careers don't interest me. The only thing that interests me is continuing to be a poet on one level or another, whether acting or writing or directing...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/sam-shepard-2232_acting_careers-don-t-interest-me-the-only-thing_3014567.jpg" --- # Careers don't interest me. The only thing that interests… ![“Careers don't interest me. The only thing that interests me is continuing to be a poet on one level or another, whether acting or writing or directing.” quote by Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/sam-shepard-2232_acting_careers-don-t-interest-me-the-only-thing_3014567.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/sam-shepard-2232_acting_careers-don-t-interest-me-the-only-thing_3014567.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/sam-shepard-2232_acting_careers-don-t-interest-me-the-only-thing_3014567.jpg) > “Careers don't interest me. The only thing that interests me is continuing to be a poet on one level or another, whether acting or writing or directing.” [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) ## 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 prioritizes poetic expression over conventional careers, seeking artistic fulfillment in various forms. **In simple terms:** Artistic expression outweighs traditional careers. Key Takeaway Pursue creative passions over conventional jobs. Themes art poetry career choice Mood reflective determined Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - writing - acting - directing - personal projects Key Concepts creative fulfillment multidisciplinary art Questions to Reflect On - Can you sustain yourself creatively? - What defines success for you? A Different Perspective Financial stability may be lacking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Acting Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting-writing/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Interests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interests/) [Level Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/level-acting-3615018/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Thing Interests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-interests-860556/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The only thing that interests me is my team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-busquets/the-only-thing-that-interests-me-is-my-team/) [Sergio Busquets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-busquets/) > [There are places where writing is acting and acting is writing. I'm not so interested in the divisions. I'm interested in the way things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/there-are-places-where-writing-is-acting-and-acting-is-writing-i-m/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [In the world of reality, life, and human action there is no such thing as interests independent of ideas, preceding them temporarily and logically.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/in-the-world-of-reality-life-and-human-action-there-is-no-such-thing/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [My views on music, and life in general, are completely out of step with everything that's going on. I've always been out of step.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-redbone/my-views-on-music-and-life-in-general-are-completely-out-of-step-with/) [Leon Redbone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-redbone/) > [It is perhaps the misfortune of my life that I am interested in far too much but not decisively in any one thing; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/it-is-perhaps-the-misfortune-of-my-life-that-i-am-interested-in-far/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Writing is much more satisfying on a certain level than acting ever was. Because you're not interpreting someone else's original idea, you can come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beck/writing-is-much-more-satisfying-on-a-certain-level-than-acting-ever/) [Michael Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beck/) > [The only thing that interests me is history - reviewing the past and making something out of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-redbone/the-only-thing-that-interests-me-is-history-reviewing-the-past-and/) [Leon Redbone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-redbone/) > [On some level in acting, what you're trying to find is truth, because when it's true is when it's also funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hyde-pierce/on-some-level-in-acting-what-you-re-trying-to-find-is-truth-because/) [David Hyde Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hyde-pierce/) > [I think, by and large, the level of acting is mediocre. When I go to the theatre, I get so angry. I don't go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uta-hagen/i-think-by-and-large-the-level-of-acting-is-mediocre-when-i-go-to-the/) [Uta Hagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uta-hagen/) > [On some level, acting is the art of pretend, and you have to have a highly cultivated sense of imagination. You have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-lang/on-some-level-acting-is-the-art-of-pretend-and-you-have-to-have-a/) [Stephen Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-lang/) > [The level of acting that I bring to films in three dimensions. I hope they make people sign some kind of waiver because if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lennon/the-level-of-acting-that-i-bring-to-films-in-three-dimensions-i-hope/) [Thomas Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lennon/) > [I'm not an emotional person; I keep it in, and I wouldn't know how to get it out if it weren't for acting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/i-m-not-an-emotional-person-i-keep-it-in-and-i-wouldn-t-know-how-to/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) > [I was participating in acting and writing for other shows and I knew that eventually I wanted a sitcom of my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinta-brunson/i-was-participating-in-acting-and-writing-for-other-shows-and-i-knew/) [Quinta Brunson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinta-brunson/) > [Often actors ask me if I think they should go on trying to be an actor. I have the same answer for everyone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/often-actors-ask-me-if-i-think-they-should-go-on-trying-to-be-an/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) > [I think I just want to leave my mark in some way. I hope I leave the world a better place than it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/i-think-i-just-want-to-leave-my-mark-in-some-way-i-hope-i-leave-the/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) ## More by Sam Shepard > [I guess what I like is mostly country & western or else stuff that has a real blues feel to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/i-guess-what-i-like-is-mostly-country-western-or-else-stuff-that-has/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [You can write 16 plays and not make as much money as you did doing one movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/you-can-write-16-plays-and-not-make-as-much-money-as-you-did-doing/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [It's funny, in a way the actor is a writer. It's not like the two things are so separate as to be like apples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/it-s-funny-in-a-way-the-actor-is-a-writer-it-s-not-like-the-two/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Character is an essential tendency. It can be covered up, it can be messed with, it can be screwed around with, but it can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/character-is-an-essential-tendency-it-can-be-covered-up-it-can-be/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Why would you want to be be counseled in your grief? It's too private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/why-would-you-want-to-be-be-counseled-in-your-grief-it-s-too-private/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Farm country -- you know, hay, horses, cattle. It's the ideal situation for me. I like the physical endeavors that go with the farm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/farm-country-you-know-hay-horses-cattle-it-s-the-ideal-situation-for/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [I think comedy's harder to pull off on the screen than on the stage, anyway. Tragedy is easier on the screen... oddly enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/i-think-comedy-s-harder-to-pull-off-on-the-screen-than-on-the-stage/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [“Those are the most monotonous fuckin' crickets I ever heard in my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/those-are-the-most-monotonous-fuckin-crickets-i-ever-heard-in-my-life/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [All good writing comes out of aloneness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/all-good-writing-comes-out-of-aloneness/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [When I first started in film, I was terrified of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/when-i-first-started-in-film-i-was-terrified-of-the-camera/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [I'll develop my own image. I'm an original man. A one and only. I just need some help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/i-ll-develop-my-own-image-i-m-an-original-man-a-one-and-only-i-just/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [When I just sit around my house and work, I can work two, three hours, and then I go off and ride a horse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/when-i-just-sit-around-my-house-and-work-i-can-work-two-three-hours/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Hollywood is geared toward teenage idiocy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/hollywood-is-geared-toward-teenage-idiocy/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [It's my private life, and it's not up for grabs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/it-s-my-private-life-and-it-s-not-up-for-grabs/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Keep away from fantasy. Shake off the image,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/keep-away-from-fantasy-shake-off-the-image/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) [Explore all 176 Sam Shepard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) ## 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. 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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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. 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