---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If the screen does not make room for me…"
description: "\"If the screen does not make room for me in the structure of their screenplay, I'll step out. I'll step back. I'd step back. I couldn't do it. I just co..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/sidney-poitier-4270_back_if-the-screen-does-not-make-room-for-me_1733522.jpg"
---

#  If the screen does not make room for me in the structure…

![“If the screen does not make room for me in the structure of their screenplay, I'll step out. I'll step back. I'd step back. I couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it.” quote by Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/sidney-poitier-4270_back_if-the-screen-does-not-make-room-for-me_1733522.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/sidney-poitier-4270_back_if-the-screen-does-not-make-room-for-me_1733522.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/sidney-poitier-4270_back_if-the-screen-does-not-make-room-for-me_1733522.jpg)

> “If the screen does not make room for me in the structure of their screenplay, I'll step out. I'll step back. I'd step back. I couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it.”

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

When a project excludes you, withdraw and reassess your role rather than force fit.

**In simple terms:** Leave if not welcomed.

Key Takeaway

Know when to step back.

Themes

boundaries selfrespect creative control

Mood

reflective determined

Type

advice personal

When to use this quote

- film casting
- team meetings
- career decisions
- personal boundaries

Key Concepts

Agency exclusion role negotiation

Questions to Reflect On

- Is stepping back protecting your integrity?
- How can you stay involved without compromising?

A Different Perspective

Leaving may limit networking opportunities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back/) [Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/does/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/room/) [Screen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screen/) [Screen Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screen-does-624152/) [Screenplay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenplay/) [Screenplay Ll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenplay-ll-1451671/) [Step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/step/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) [Structure Screenplay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure-screenplay-1451669/)

## Related quotes

> [“Due to budget constraints I've rewritten the script, condensing all four of the Twilight Opuses into one epic screenplay. We'll shoot it over two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lola-salt/due-to-budget-constraints-i-ve-rewritten-the-script-condensing-all/)

[Lola Salt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lola-salt/)

> [Acting is fun and I refuse to get involved in the semantics and the politics of strategy and breaking out of something or doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shailene-woodley/acting-is-fun-and-i-refuse-to-get-involved-in-the-semantics-and-the/)

[Shailene Woodley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shailene-woodley/)

> [It is shocking that the screen does not reflect the way the world is and the diversity in the world... What the world really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-nair/it-is-shocking-that-the-screen-does-not-reflect-the-way-the-world-is/)

[Mira Nair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-nair/)

> [You can be moved by a performance on set, but when you see it on screen, it does nothing. Yet there will be someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mccrory/you-can-be-moved-by-a-performance-on-set-but-when-you-see-it-on/)

[Helen McCrory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mccrory/)

> [“An author is an expert in the written word. The author must make a choice; to either trust and support the filmmaker’s approach, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-gerdes/an-author-is-an-expert-in-the-written-word-the-author-must-make-a/)

[Sarah Gerdes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-gerdes/)

> [If you're writing a screenplay, you need to be prepared to let go: there's a good chance the words you write aren't going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/if-you-re-writing-a-screenplay-you-need-to-be-prepared-to-let-go/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [I guess the first screenplay of mine that was done was 'Falling in Love' with Robert DeNiro and Meryl Streep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cristofer/i-guess-the-first-screenplay-of-mine-that-was-done-was-falling-in/)

[Michael Cristofer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cristofer/)

> [I never could have written the screenplay because I would have been forced to learn new software and I can't learn one more thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-never-could-have-written-the-screenplay-because-i-would-have-been/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [A screenplay is really an instruction manual, and it can be interpreted in any number of ways. The casting, the choice of location, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-manual-and-it-can-be/)

[David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/)

> [I don't generate a storyline and then fill it out in the course of writing. The story actually generates in the course of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-don-t-generate-a-storyline-and-then-fill-it-out-in-the-course-of/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [“I put no stock in religion. By the word religion I have seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called the will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/i-put-no-stock-in-religion-by-the-word-religion-i-have-seen-the/)

[William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/)

> [All drama is conflict. Without conflict, there is no action. Without action, there is no character. Without character, there is no story. And without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd-field/all-drama-is-conflict-without-conflict-there-is-no-action-without/)

[Syd Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd-field/)

> [During script narrations, if I feel the screenplay mood jumping abruptly, I tell the director, and they work on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-sethupathi/during-script-narrations-if-i-feel-the-screenplay-mood-jumping/)

[Vijay Sethupathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-sethupathi/)

> [I'm a film guy. I love it. When I read the screenplay, I knew that there would be no HD camera that could achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-taylor/i-m-a-film-guy-i-love-it-when-i-read-the-screenplay-i-knew-that-there/)

[Deon Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-taylor/)

> [If I could find the right kind of property, get tied in with the right movie, I'd love to be involved, but I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/if-i-could-find-the-right-kind-of-property-get-tied-in-with-the-right/)

[Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/)

## More by Sidney Poitier

> [Jackie Robinson is a true legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/jackie-robinson-is-a-true-legend/)

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

> [In my case, the body of work stands for itself... I think my work has been representative of me as a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/in-my-case-the-body-of-work-stands-for-itself-i-think-my-work-has/)

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

> [You don't have to become something that you aren't to become better than you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/you-don-t-have-to-become-something-that-you-aren-t-to-become-better/)

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

> [So it's been kind of a long road, but it was a good journey altogether.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/so-it-s-been-kind-of-a-long-road-but-it-was-a-good-journey-altogether/)

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

> [I'd seen my father. He was a poor man, and I watched him do astonishing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/i-d-seen-my-father-he-was-a-poor-man-and-i-watched-him-do-astonishing/)

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

> [If the image one holds of one's self contains elements that don't square with reality, one is best advised to let go of them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/if-the-image-one-holds-of-one-s-self-contains-elements-that-don-t/)

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

> [I think the way I want to think. I live the way I want to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/i-think-the-way-i-want-to-think-i-live-the-way-i-want-to-live/)

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

> [I had learned something of Miami from people who had visited there, so I knew what to expect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/i-had-learned-something-of-miami-from-people-who-had-visited-there-so/)

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

> [We're all imperfect, and life is simply a perpetual, unending struggle against those imperfections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/we-re-all-imperfect-and-life-is-simply-a-perpetual-unending-struggle/)

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

> [I did not go into the film business to be symbolized as someone else's vision of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/i-did-not-go-into-the-film-business-to-be-symbolized-as-someone-else/)

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

> [I find myself, at this time in my life, no less challenged, no less plagued, no less intrigued by what I still don't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/i-find-myself-at-this-time-in-my-life-no-less-challenged-no-less/)

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

> [Living consciously involves being genuine; it involves listening and responding to others honestly and openly; it involves being in the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/living-consciously-involves-being-genuine-it-involves-listening-and/)

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

> [Every new fashion is a form of rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/every-new-fashion-is-a-form-of-rebellion/)

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

> [I'll always be chasing you... Glory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/i-ll-always-be-chasing-you-glory/)

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

> [So I'm OK with myself, with history, my work, who I am and who I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/so-i-m-ok-with-myself-with-history-my-work-who-i-am-and-who-i-was/)

[Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

[Explore all 112 Sidney Poitier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/)

## More Back quotes

> [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/)

[Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/)

> [I honestly would like to get that Frankie fight back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-mendes/i-honestly-would-like-to-get-that-frankie-fight-back/)

[Chad Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-mendes/)

> [Drumming's pretty physical. We sit at the back of the stage getting beat up like a workhorse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee/drumming-s-pretty-physical-we-sit-at-the-back-of-the-stage-getting/)

[Tommy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee/)

> [I never want to look back on any moment and say I could have done more. So I go all in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-haze/i-never-want-to-look-back-on-any-moment-and-say-i-could-have-done/)

[Scott Haze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-haze/)

> [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/)

[Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/)

> [It's what the people wanted at the time, but the country could not be half-segregated and half-integrated, just as it could not be half-slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wallace/it-s-what-the-people-wanted-at-the-time-but-the-country-could-not-be/)

[George Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wallace/)

> [I've always stuck my arms behind my back anyway when trying to block a shot in the penalty area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millie-bright/i-ve-always-stuck-my-arms-behind-my-back-anyway-when-trying-to-block/)

[Millie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millie-bright/)

> [I'm sure at some point I will get back into coaching, but right now I need to focus completely on my kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ewing/i-m-sure-at-some-point-i-will-get-back-into-coaching-but-right-now-i/)

[Patrick Ewing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ewing/)

> [Any time someone achieves success before they've earned it, it always comes back to haunt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/any-time-someone-achieves-success-before-they-ve-earned-it-it-always/)

[Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/)

> [In Congress, Florida Republicans worked with the Trump administration to secure funding for coastal restoration projects following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/in-congress-florida-republicans-worked-with-the-trump-administration/)

[Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/)

> [Back in the really olden days, dinner was seldom a ceremonial event for U.S. families. Only the very wealthy had a separate dining room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/back-in-the-really-olden-days-dinner-was-seldom-a-ceremonial-event/)

[Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/)

> [We're all painfully aware of how suddenly violence can occur, how crippling it is, and how survivors have to find a way back from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dini/we-re-all-painfully-aware-of-how-suddenly-violence-can-occur-how/)

[Paul Dini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dini/)

> [Ronaldo is just an athlete. He works so hard and back to back; he is always there. But if you work hard, can you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-davids/ronaldo-is-just-an-athlete-he-works-so-hard-and-back-to-back-he-is/)

[Edgar Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-davids/)

> [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/)

[Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/)

> [British Forces should be in a position to give back in a ten fold measure any attack that the Germans may attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-banting/british-forces-should-be-in-a-position-to-give-back-in-a-ten-fold/)

[Frederick Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-banting/)

[Browse all 9,709 Back quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If the screen does not make room for me in the structure of their screenplay, I'll step out. I'll step back. I'd step back. I couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sidney Poitier"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/if-the-screen-does-not-make-room-for-me-in-the-structure-of-their/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Back"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/if-the-screen-does-not-make-room-for-me-in-the-structure-of-their/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/sidney-poitier-4270_back_if-the-screen-does-not-make-room-for-me_1733522.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/sidney-poitier-4270_back_if-the-screen-does-not-make-room-for-me_1733522.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc6/sidney-poitier-4270_back_if-the-screen-does-not-make-room-for-me_1733522.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If the screen does not make room for me in the structure of their screenplay, I'll step out. I'll step back…” — Sidney Poitier",
                "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": "Sidney Poitier",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If the screen does not make...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/if-the-screen-does-not-make-room-for-me-in-the-structure-of-their/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/if-the-screen-does-not-make-room-for-me-in-the-structure-of-their/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
