--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For me, acting is like a holiday. When…" description: "\"For me, acting is like a holiday. When you're directing, you have a strong sense of responsibility for others. It's exciting but exhausting, especially..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/simon-mcburney-7667_acting_for-me-acting-is-like-a-holiday-when-you_2550718.png" --- # For me, acting is like a holiday. When you're directing… ![“For me, acting is like a holiday. When you're directing, you have a strong sense of responsibility for others. It's exciting but exhausting, especially when you're like me: always wanting to break the rules.” quote by Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/simon-mcburney-7667_acting_for-me-acting-is-like-a-holiday-when-you_2550718.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/simon-mcburney-7667_acting_for-me-acting-is-like-a-holiday-when-you_2550718.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/simon-mcburney-7667_acting_for-me-acting-is-like-a-holiday-when-you_2550718.png) > “For me, acting is like a holiday. When you're directing, you have a strong sense of responsibility for others. It's exciting but exhausting, especially when you're like me: always wanting to break the rules.” [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting feels like a break, but directing carries heavy responsibility and a desire to challenge norms, which can be exhilarating yet draining. **In simple terms:** Acting is fun; directing is demanding and rule‑breaking. Key Takeaway Embrace both joy and responsibility. Themes creativity leadership responsibility innovation Mood reflective enthusiastic Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - directing a play - film production - team leadership - creative workshops Key Concepts theatre creative process Questions to Reflect On - How do you sustain energy while breaking rules? - What strategies keep you grounded in responsibility? A Different Perspective Balancing rule‑breaking with responsibility can cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Acting Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting-like/) [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) [Break The Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break-the-rules/) [Directing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directing/) [Directing Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directing-strong-1519293/) [Exciting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exciting/) [Exhausting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhausting/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holiday/) [Holiday Directing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holiday-directing-1519292/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/others/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rules/) [Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense/) [Sense of responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-responsibility/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Strong sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-sense/) [Wanting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [I have a strong sense of responsibility. I like to be directed, it's true. If I didn't like that, I'd do something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-deneuve/i-have-a-strong-sense-of-responsibility-i-like-to-be-directed-it-s/) [Catherine Deneuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-deneuve/) > [I feel a really strong sense of responsibility to encourage young women in my industry to embrace strength and vulnerability alike, and to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asher-keddie/i-feel-a-really-strong-sense-of-responsibility-to-encourage-young/) [Asher Keddie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asher-keddie/) > [I believe that we are at a very low level of consciousness, and we do not know how to treat each other as human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-believe-that-we-are-at-a-very-low-level-of-consciousness-and-we-do/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [I spent the majority of time at school trying to break the rules. I would climb to the top of buildings; I even burned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-spent-the-majority-of-time-at-school-trying-to-break-the-rules-i/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [When you have a solid upbringing and a strong sense of place, that sustains you. My sense of home never leaves me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyle-lovett/when-you-have-a-solid-upbringing-and-a-strong-sense-of-place-that/) [Lyle Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyle-lovett/) > [This strong sense of who I am that I've always had, since I was very young, is what makes me write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/this-strong-sense-of-who-i-am-that-i-ve-always-had-since-i-was-very/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [If you have a strong sense of who you are and what you're doing, then it's actually easier to work with other people, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-coupe/if-you-have-a-strong-sense-of-who-you-are-and-what-you-re-doing-then/) [Eliza Coupe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-coupe/) > [For me, the other thing is not just a strong sense of spirituality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peabo-bryson/for-me-the-other-thing-is-not-just-a-strong-sense-of-spirituality/) [Peabo Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peabo-bryson/) > [You have to keep a strong sense of who you really are - and I have a pretty strong sense of myself. It gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/you-have-to-keep-a-strong-sense-of-who-you-really-are-and-i-have-a/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [As a writer, you need a strong sense of self-belief. And when it comes to writing, I've always had that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/as-a-writer-you-need-a-strong-sense-of-self-belief-and-when-it-comes/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [I think the reason my stories have been so successful is that I have a strong sense of metaphor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-think-the-reason-my-stories-have-been-so-successful-is-that-i-have/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [It would seem that I, who never could make much sense of physics when I was at school, have now gained a strong sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/it-would-seem-that-i-who-never-could-make-much-sense-of-physics-when/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I have a strong sense of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richa-chadha/i-have-a-strong-sense-of-justice/) [Richa Chadha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richa-chadha/) > [A strong sense of identity gives man an idea he can do no wrong; too little accomplishes the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/a-strong-sense-of-identity-gives-man-an-idea-he-can-do-no-wrong-too/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [I have so strong a sense of creation, of tomorrow, that I cannot get drunk, knowing I will be less alive, less well, less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-have-so-strong-a-sense-of-creation-of-tomorrow-that-i-cannot-get/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) ## More by Simon McBurney > [The brain constantly assures us, reassures us, that we are in control. But the closer you look, the more questions you have about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/the-brain-constantly-assures-us-reassures-us-that-we-are-in-control/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [Theatre artists are essentially sort of charlatans and thieves, I mean that's the tradition that we come from, so I have absolutely no, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/theatre-artists-are-essentially-sort-of-charlatans-and-thieves-i-mean/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [My work is not generally in the commercial sector. However, I'm not worried by the commercial sector. I refuse to work in any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/my-work-is-not-generally-in-the-commercial-sector-however-i-m-not/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [In my opinion, there's nothing new in the theatre, ever. Theatre-makers are thieves, in the honourable tradition of charlatans. They fake it very, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/in-my-opinion-there-s-nothing-new-in-the-theatre-ever-theatre-makers/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [Our lives are a sequence of things. When we're alive, they're continuing, just as my words now are an improvisation. So the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/our-lives-are-a-sequence-of-things-when-we-re-alive-they-re/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [We try to place the human body in relation to the image all the time, so it's never a kind of a backdrop, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/we-try-to-place-the-human-body-in-relation-to-the-image-all-the-time/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I constantly want to know - what is a table, or what is a cat?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-constantly-want-to-know-what-is-a-table-or-what-is-a-cat/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [The only reality of the theater exists in the mind of the audience. That audience looks collectively at what is going on on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/the-only-reality-of-the-theater-exists-in-the-mind-of-the-audience/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I suppose as an actor you become very sensitive to rhythm, not just rhythm as you look at it sort of from the, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-suppose-as-an-actor-you-become-very-sensitive-to-rhythm-not-just/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I remember the fact that milk was delivered every day by a milkman. In summer, my mother would make what now seem in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-remember-the-fact-that-milk-was-delivered-every-day-by-a-milkman-in/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > ['Mnemonic' is a play about memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/mnemonic-is-a-play-about-memory/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I have always felt more at home in a culture that has nothing to do with the one I was born and brought up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-have-always-felt-more-at-home-in-a-culture-that-has-nothing-to-do/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [Yes it was chaos, working through chaos, you never quite knew what you were going to do each day, but you knew that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/yes-it-was-chaos-working-through-chaos-you-never-quite-knew-what-you/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [One of the things he liked about playwriting as to any other kind of writing is that a playwright is a w-r-i-g-h-t, not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/one-of-the-things-he-liked-about-playwriting-as-to-any-other-kind-of/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [With the theatre, for God's sake, everything makes sense. You create a clear sequential reality for a specific audience at one particular time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/with-the-theatre-for-god-s-sake-everything-makes-sense-you-create-a/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) [Explore all 89 Simon McBurney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) ## 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. 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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. 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": "For me, acting is like a holiday. When you're directing, you have a strong sense of responsibility for others. 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