--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think, you know, as an actor, unless…" description: "\"I think, you know, as an actor, unless you're exceedingly lucky and you're one of the golden few, a lot of your life you're unemployed and a lot of you..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de0/t-r-knight-2-43483_actor_i-think-you-know-as-an-actor-unless-you_133870.jpg" --- # I think, you know, as an actor, unless you're exceedingly… ![“I think, you know, as an actor, unless you're exceedingly lucky and you're one of the golden few, a lot of your life you're unemployed and a lot of your life you're poor. You gotta be a little insane and driven and have it be the only thing you want to do.” quote by T R Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de0/t-r-knight-2-43483_actor_i-think-you-know-as-an-actor-unless-you_133870.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de0/t-r-knight-2-43483_actor_i-think-you-know-as-an-actor-unless-you_133870.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de0/t-r-knight-2-43483_actor_i-think-you-know-as-an-actor-unless-you_133870.jpg) > “I think, you know, as an actor, unless you're exceedingly lucky and you're one of the golden few, a lot of your life you're unemployed and a lot of your life you're poor. You gotta be a little insane and driven and have it be the only thing you want to do.” [T R Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-knight-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting is precarious; most face unemployment and poverty, requiring insanity and drive. **In simple terms:** Acting demands obsession and perseverance. Key Takeaway Stay driven despite instability. Themes career hardship determination Mood determined realistic Type advisory philosophical When to use this quote - Auditioning - networking - financial planning Key Concepts Resilience passion risk Questions to Reflect On - How do you sustain yourself during lean periods? - What fuels your relentless drive? A Different Perspective Financial insecurity is common. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Unemployed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unemployed/) ## Related quotes > [“He can look harmless if he wants to. He is the consummate actor, but unless he works at it, his eyes give him away.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/he-can-look-harmless-if-he-wants-to-he-is-the-consummate-actor-but/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [I just don't believe you're capable of being an actor unless you have a desire to experience your emotions in a public way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romola-garai/i-just-don-t-believe-you-re-capable-of-being-an-actor-unless-you-have/) [Romola Garai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romola-garai/) > [It was like there's got to be some way to stay working and stay productive in Los Angeles. TV is that kind of thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-suplee/it-was-like-there-s-got-to-be-some-way-to-stay-working-and-stay/) [Ethan Suplee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-suplee/) > [One of the strangest things about life is that the poor, who need the money the most, are the ones that never have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finley-peter-dunne/one-of-the-strangest-things-about-life-is-that-the-poor-who-need-the/) [Finley Peter Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finley-peter-dunne/) > [“It's easy to be humble when your life's prosper. Nothing could be denigrated when life's so poor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/it-s-easy-to-be-humble-when-your-life-s-prosper-nothing-could-be/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [I work a lot in the slums of Tondo, Manila, and the life there is poor and very sad. And I've always taught to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catriona-gray/i-work-a-lot-in-the-slums-of-tondo-manila-and-the-life-there-is-poor/) [Catriona Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catriona-gray/) > [ If there is no friendship with them \[the poor\] and no sharing of the life of the poor, then there is no authentic commitment… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustavo-gutierrez/if-there-is-no-friendship-with-them-the-poor-and-no-sharing-of-the/) [Gustavo Gutiérrez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustavo-gutierrez/) > [My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man, I'm just a living legacy to the leader of the band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fogelberg/my-life-has-been-a-poor-attempt-to-imitate-the-man-i-m-just-a-living/) [Dan Fogelberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fogelberg/) > [If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself, tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/if-your-daily-life-seems-poor-do-not-blame-it-blame-yourself-tell/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches; for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/if-your-daily-life-seems-poor-do-not-blame-it-blame-yourself-that-you/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [It is a kind of blindness--poverty. We can only grope through life when we are poor, hitting and maiming ourselves against every angle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/it-is-a-kind-of-blindness-poverty-we-can-only-grope-through-life-when/) [Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/) > [“You can't change things. That's life. Poor stays poor, rich says rich, and those two, they will never meet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-michaelis/you-can-t-change-things-that-s-life-poor-stays-poor-rich-says-rich/) [Antonia Michaelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-michaelis/) > [I wonder how some people manage their life. Poor fools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hellena/i-wonder-how-some-people-manage-their-life-poor-fools/) [Hellena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hellena/) > [He who does not believe has no soul. He is empty. He has no ideals. He has nothing to live for. He has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ley/he-who-does-not-believe-has-no-soul-he-is-empty-he-has-no-ideals-he/) [Robert Ley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ley/) > [“The rich eat life, the poor eat death; so what is the problem they ask?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/the-rich-eat-life-the-poor-eat-death-so-what-is-the-problem-they-ask/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) ## More by T R Knight > [You are taught you are wrong, that you are bad. So you don't do anything, and you wrap yourself in a little straitjacket, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-knight-2/you-are-taught-you-are-wrong-that-you-are-bad-so-you-don-t-do/) [T R Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-knight-2/) > [I've never been called that to my face before, so I think that when that happened, something shifted, and it became bigger than myself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-knight-2/i-ve-never-been-called-that-to-my-face-before-so-i-think-that-when/) [T R Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-knight-2/) > [It's just hard with New York rent to survive, even if you're lucky to be working. The last Off-Broadway show I did was like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-knight-2/it-s-just-hard-with-new-york-rent-to-survive-even-if-you-re-lucky-to/) [T R Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-knight-2/) > [There just comes a time when its so clear that moving on is the best decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-knight-2/there-just-comes-a-time-when-its-so-clear-that-moving-on-is-the-best/) [T R Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-knight-2/) > [Everyone has their own path. You just have to respect that. I don't know what it's like to be in their shoes. I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-knight-2/everyone-has-their-own-path-you-just-have-to-respect-that-i-don-t/) [T R Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-knight-2/) > [If you want to come out, thats awesome. Well totally support that. And then he went away, thought about it, and came back and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-knight-2/if-you-want-to-come-out-thats-awesome-well-totally-support-that-and/) [T R Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-knight-2/) > [There are a lot of people who would like to be in my position. But in the end, I need to be fulfilled in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-knight-2/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-would-like-to-be-in-my-position-but-in/) [T R Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-knight-2/) > [Shonda kept the bedroom scene a secret from us until the read-through. The script just said: 'Scene to be given at read-through.' It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-knight-2/shonda-kept-the-bedroom-scene-a-secret-from-us-until-the-read-through/) [T R Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-knight-2/) [Explore all 9 T R Knight quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-knight-2/) ## 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": "I think, you know, as an actor, unless you're exceedingly lucky and you're one of the golden few, a lot of your life you're unemployed and a lot of your life you're poor. 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