--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you're 19 and writing plays, you…" description: "\"When you're 19 and writing plays, you think every actor is full of it. They just can't handle your brilliant material.\" — Sam Shepard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/sam-shepard-2232_actor_when-you-re-19-and-writing-plays-you-thi_2856611.jpg" --- # When you're 19 and writing plays, you think every actor is… ![“When you're 19 and writing plays, you think every actor is full of it. They just can't handle your brilliant material.” quote by Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/sam-shepard-2232_actor_when-you-re-19-and-writing-plays-you-thi_2856611.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/sam-shepard-2232_actor_when-you-re-19-and-writing-plays-you-thi_2856611.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/808/sam-shepard-2232_actor_when-you-re-19-and-writing-plays-you-thi_2856611.jpg) > “When you're 19 and writing plays, you think every actor is full of it. They just can't handle your brilliant material.” [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. A youthful playwright’s arrogance leads them to believe actors cannot handle their brilliance, reflecting overconfidence and generational tension. **In simple terms:** Young writers often overestimate their work’s impact. Key Takeaway Balance confidence with humility. Themes arrogance artistic ego generational clash Mood reflective critical Type advice observational When to use this quote - playwriting - actor collaboration - career development Key Concepts theatre creative process Questions to Reflect On - How does confidence affect collaboration? - When have you learned humility in art? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [19 Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/19-writing-3830914/) [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actor Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor-just/) [Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brilliant/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-actor/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-plays/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think of myself as an actor. I just happen to be a guy who acted in a movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wahl/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-an-actor-i-just-happen-to-be-a-guy-who/) [Ken Wahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wahl/) > [I would think, as an actor, it's just much more fun to be the bad guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-urban/i-would-think-as-an-actor-it-s-just-much-more-fun-to-be-the-bad-guy/) [Karl Urban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-urban/) > [“I’m not who you think I am. I’m an actor. Just like all of you. I’m improvising, shooting from the hip. It’s all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-dicroce/i-m-not-who-you-think-i-am-i-m-an-actor-just-like-all-of-you-i-m/) [Chris DiCroce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-dicroce/) > [I think, being an actor, it's just a relief every time you get a part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-bach/i-think-being-an-actor-it-s-just-a-relief-every-time-you-get-a-part/) [Jillian Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-bach/) > [In the story, I think as an actor you're just trying to fit into the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlize-theron/in-the-story-i-think-as-an-actor-you-re-just-trying-to-fit-into-the/) [Charlize Theron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlize-theron/) > [I do want people to think of me as an actor, not just a posh actor who does posh parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-fox/i-do-want-people-to-think-of-me-as-an-actor-not-just-a-posh-actor-who/) [Freddie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-fox/) > [You have to have the passion. I could not live if I wasn't an actor. If you're just in it for beautiful dresses and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-kruger/you-have-to-have-the-passion-i-could-not-live-if-i-wasn-t-an-actor-if/) [Diane Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-kruger/) > [I've been so spoiled in the theater, writing plays where I can just do exactly what I want and nobody messes with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/i-ve-been-so-spoiled-in-the-theater-writing-plays-where-i-can-just-do/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [It's hard to explain why exactly, but I think that when I began writing plays, it was from an actor's point of view more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/it-s-hard-to-explain-why-exactly-but-i-think-that-when-i-began/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Ive been so spoiled in the theater, writing plays where I can just do exactly what I want and nobody messes with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/ive-been-so-spoiled-in-the-theater-writing-plays-where-i-can-just-do/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [It's very lucky to be able to do a job where I get to sit about writing plays all day and going to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/it-s-very-lucky-to-be-able-to-do-a-job-where-i-get-to-sit-about/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [I've been writing plays since the third grade. The biggest difference now is that professionals act in them rather than eight year olds...and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colette-freedman/i-ve-been-writing-plays-since-the-third-grade-the-biggest-difference/) [Colette Freedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colette-freedman/) > [When I first started writing plays I couldn't write good dialogue because I didn't respect how black people talked. I thought that in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/when-i-first-started-writing-plays-i-couldn-t-write-good-dialogue/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [One of the things about what . . . I do - writing plays - is that a poll is not taken before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/one-of-the-things-about-what-i-do-writing-plays-is-that-a-poll-is-not/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [When I was at UCLA, a professor there encouraged me to write, and so I looked into specializing in creative writing in the English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-park/when-i-was-at-ucla-a-professor-there-encouraged-me-to-write-and-so-i/) [Randall Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-park/) ## 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 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": "When you're 19 and writing plays, you think every actor is full of it. 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