--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't play someone and judge them at…" description: "\"You can't play someone and judge them at the same time.\" — Sterling K. Brown" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/sterling-k-brown-3532_character_you-can-t-play-someone-and-judge-them-at_3199726.jpg" --- # You can't play someone and judge them at the same time. ![“You can't play someone and judge them at the same time.” quote by Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/sterling-k-brown-3532_character_you-can-t-play-someone-and-judge-them-at_3199726.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/sterling-k-brown-3532_character_you-can-t-play-someone-and-judge-them-at_3199726.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/sterling-k-brown-3532_character_you-can-t-play-someone-and-judge-them-at_3199726.jpg) > “You can't play someone and judge them at the same time.” [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He warns that one cannot simultaneously manipulate a person and fairly assess their character. **In simple terms:** You cannot deceive and judge at once. Key Takeaway Maintain honesty when evaluating others. Themes ethics judgment authenticity Mood cautionary thoughtful Type ethical psychological When to use this quote - workplace evaluations - personal relationships - leadership decisions Key Concepts integrity fairness self-awareness Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate hidden agendas? - How can we foster transparent environments? A Different Perspective People may hide true motives under deception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I long to play a judge. I long to play a lesbian woman. I long to play a councilman, someone with some chutzpah,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-ontiveros/i-long-to-play-a-judge-i-long-to-play-a-lesbian-woman-i-long-to-play/) [Lupe Ontiveros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-ontiveros/) > [Universities simply unable to play judge, jury and executioner when they're already having trouble playing educator. Resources are limited and colleges must put their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/universities-simply-unable-to-play-judge-jury-and-executioner-when/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [If you judge me for what I do, you will have no time to learn from my. You know that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-judge-me-for-what-i-do-you-will-have-no-time-to-learn-from-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“When you judge someone you have no time to love them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-theresa/when-you-judge-someone-you-have-no-time-to-love-them/) [Mother Theresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-theresa/) > [“It's impossible to love something and judge it at the same time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-gary/it-s-impossible-to-love-something-and-judge-it-at-the-same-time/) Austin Gary > [I don't walk barefoot. When I see a girl barefoot in the street... I'm like, 'Really?' But obviously, I can't judge someone for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-pablo-galavis/i-don-t-walk-barefoot-when-i-see-a-girl-barefoot-in-the-street-i-m/) [Juan Pablo Galavis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-pablo-galavis/) > [Imagine trying to be a gay actor, a gay anything in modern Russia? Where to be positively oneself, to be affectionate in public with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/imagine-trying-to-be-a-gay-actor-a-gay-anything-in-modern-russia/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [The same regions of the brain light up when someone touches their smartphone as when they touch a family member or a pet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cohler/the-same-regions-of-the-brain-light-up-when-someone-touches-their/) [Matt Cohler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cohler/) > [If I meet two guys at the same time and one of them is coming on really strong and talking a lot, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arielle-kebbel/if-i-meet-two-guys-at-the-same-time-and-one-of-them-is-coming-on/) [Arielle Kebbel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arielle-kebbel/) > [In 'A Boy's Own Story' and 'Jack Holmes and His Friend,' my idea was to take someone totally different from my real self and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-a-boy-s-own-story-and-jack-holmes-and-his-friend-my-idea-was-to/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [I think if you're too embroiled in the need to relate too closely to the character, then you start to judge the character for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-think-if-you-re-too-embroiled-in-the-need-to-relate-too-closely-to/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [If you're very open to watching the world go by, with people's different tics, you absorb it all without realizing it and find ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-blunt/if-you-re-very-open-to-watching-the-world-go-by-with-people-s/) [Emily Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-blunt/) > [I like looking at the characters. Seeing them always brings up some voice or attitude. I am much more visual, and that works so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-welker/i-like-looking-at-the-characters-seeing-them-always-brings-up-some/) [Frank Welker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-welker/) > [Be curious not judge mental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/be-curious-not-judge-mental/) Unknow > [I'm all about evolution. I'm the first person to judge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-weeknd/i-m-all-about-evolution-i-m-the-first-person-to-judge-myself/) [The Weeknd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-weeknd/) ## More by Sterling K. Brown > [It would be really cool to have my dad here to witness this, to see his grandchildren, to see this woman that I chose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/it-would-be-really-cool-to-have-my-dad-here-to-witness-this-to-see/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [The humanity that is given to other people isn't given to us. There is an expendability that comes along with being African American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/the-humanity-that-is-given-to-other-people-isn-t-given-to-us-there-is/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [I want to be remembered for a body of work so that when the next guy comes up, he could think of Sterling K.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/i-want-to-be-remembered-for-a-body-of-work-so-that-when-the-next-guy/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [What was so lovely about 'O.J.' and 'This Is Us' to a certain extent is that I got a chance to surprise people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/what-was-so-lovely-about-o-j-and-this-is-us-to-a-certain-extent-is/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [The work of acting, in and of itself, is something that is infinitely enjoyable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/the-work-of-acting-in-and-of-itself-is-something-that-is-infinitely/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [I have a certain memory of the way in which my father loved me until I was 10, and it was unconditional and eternal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/i-have-a-certain-memory-of-the-way-in-which-my-father-loved-me-until/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [A couple of my favorite actors are Don Cheadle, Jeffrey Wright, and, may he rest in peace, Philip Seymour Hoffman. I've had an opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/a-couple-of-my-favorite-actors-are-don-cheadle-jeffrey-wright-and-may/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [I didn't grow up feeling very handsome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/i-didn-t-grow-up-feeling-very-handsome/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [I was at Stanford University up in the West Coast Bay Area, so the biggest song of my freshman year was 'I Got 5…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/i-was-at-stanford-university-up-in-the-west-coast-bay-area-so-the/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [I try not to get too high off the highs or too low off the lows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/i-try-not-to-get-too-high-off-the-highs-or-too-low-off-the-lows/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [I lived in St. Louis, Missouri, and now my kids are growing up in Los Angeles, so that's culturally very different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/i-lived-in-st-louis-missouri-and-now-my-kids-are-growing-up-in-los/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [I went to a college prep high school in St. Louis, Missouri. When I graduated from school, I owned this thing called the Headmaster's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/i-went-to-a-college-prep-high-school-in-st-louis-missouri-when-i/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [It's a very frightening feeling to feel like you can have a busted taillight or wear a hoodie or be playing in a park,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/it-s-a-very-frightening-feeling-to-feel-like-you-can-have-a-busted/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [I went to Target once and picked up three seasons of '24' - what I call the Jack Bauer power hour - and watched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/i-went-to-target-once-and-picked-up-three-seasons-of-24-what-i-call/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [Busy is good, you know. Busy is better than bored, and there's more recognition. Like, I try to feign the anonymity which I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/busy-is-good-you-know-busy-is-better-than-bored-and-there-s-more/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) [Explore all 128 Sterling K. Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) David Hudgins > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [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/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [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/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can't play someone and judge them at the same time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sterling K. 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