--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For acting, darlings, is the world's most…" description: "\"For acting, darlings, is the world's most perilous trade. Compared with actors, steeple jacks and deep-sea divers lead snug and placid lives.\" — Tallul..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/tallulah-bankhead-8506_acting_for-acting-darlings-is-the-world-s-most_1294600.jpg" --- # For acting, darlings, is the world's most perilous trade… ![“For acting, darlings, is the world's most perilous trade. Compared with actors, steeple jacks and deep-sea divers lead snug and placid lives.” quote by Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/tallulah-bankhead-8506_acting_for-acting-darlings-is-the-world-s-most_1294600.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/tallulah-bankhead-8506_acting_for-acting-darlings-is-the-world-s-most_1294600.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/tallulah-bankhead-8506_acting_for-acting-darlings-is-the-world-s-most_1294600.jpg) > “For acting, darlings, is the world's most perilous trade. Compared with actors, steeple jacks and deep-sea divers lead snug and placid lives.” [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) ## 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 portrayed as the most dangerous profession, more hazardous than physically risky jobs. **In simple terms:** Acting is seen as a risky career. Key Takeaway Respect the craft, recognize its challenges. Themes risk career performance Mood dramatic reflective Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - stage auditions - film sets - live broadcasts - career decisions Key Concepts danger peril celebrity artistic vulnerability Questions to Reflect On - What makes acting uniquely perilous? - How do actors mitigate these risks? A Different Perspective Danger perception may be exaggerated; safety measures exist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Deep sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-sea/) [Placid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/placid/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I was no hero. The dearest wishes of my heart were for safety and tranquility. The world was a perilous place, wrong for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/i-was-no-hero-the-dearest-wishes-of-my-heart-were-for-safety-and/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [Keeping kids safe is sometimes a delusion. The world is a perilous place. Sometimes the kitchen is a perilous place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/keeping-kids-safe-is-sometimes-a-delusion-the-world-is-a-perilous/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [We writers have this saying 'Kill your darlings'... but I suppose you family men don't agree with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pohjola/we-writers-have-this-saying-kill-your-darlings-but-i-suppose-you/) Mike Pohjola > [Murder your darlings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/murder-your-darlings/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You've got to kill your darlings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubus-iii/you-ve-got-to-kill-your-darlings/) [Andre Dubus III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-dubus-iii/) > [Oh, those women! They nurse and cuddle their presentiments, and make darlings of their ugliest thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/oh-those-women-they-nurse-and-cuddle-their-presentiments-and-make/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [“Kill your darlings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/kill-your-darlings/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [In writing, you must kill all your darlings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/in-writing-you-must-kill-all-your-darlings/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [You don't always have to go so far as to murder your darlings – those turns of phrase or images of which you felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/you-don-t-always-have-to-go-so-far-as-to-murder-your-darlings-those/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [Get rid of your little darlings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-walkingstick/get-rid-of-your-little-darlings/) [Kay WalkingStick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-walkingstick/) > [“They’re like little boys, men. Sometimes of course they’re rather naughty and you have to pretend to be angry with them. They attach so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/they-re-like-little-boys-men-sometimes-of-course-they-re-rather/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Goodnight my darlings, I'll see you tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/goodnight-my-darlings-i-ll-see-you-tomorrow/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [I have been in a lot of movies, but none of them are critics' darlings, you might say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-lange/i-have-been-in-a-lot-of-movies-but-none-of-them-are-critics-darlings/) [Artie Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-lange/) > [Those who share the same values with you are your darlings, not those who share the same blood with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/those-who-share-the-same-values-with-you-are-your-darlings-not-those/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“If you don't hate your darlings a little by the time they go to press, you haven't edited them enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-kelley-harrell/if-you-don-t-hate-your-darlings-a-little-by-the-time-they-go-to-press/) [S. Kelley Harrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-kelley-harrell/) ## More by Tallulah Bankhead > [“I have three phobias which, could I mute them,would make my life as slick as a sonnet,but dull as ditch water:I hate to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/i-have-three-phobias-which-could-i-mute-them-would-make-my-life-as/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [There have only been two authentic geniuses in the world, Willie Mays and Willie Shakespeare and I think you'd better put Shakespeare first, darling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/there-have-only-been-two-authentic-geniuses-in-the-world-willie-mays/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [Working on television is like being shot out of a cannon. They cram you all up with rehearsals, then someone lights a fuse and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/working-on-television-is-like-being-shot-out-of-a-cannon-they-cram/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [If you really want to help the American theater, don't be an actress, dahling. Be an audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/if-you-really-want-to-help-the-american-theater-don-t-be-an-actress/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [Don't be taken in by the guff that critics are killing the theater. Commonly they sin on the side of enthusiasm. Too often they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/don-t-be-taken-in-by-the-guff-that-critics-are-killing-the-theater/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [No man worth his salt, no man of spirit and spine, no man for whom I could have any respect, could rejoice in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/no-man-worth-his-salt-no-man-of-spirit-and-spine-no-man-for-whom-i/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [I have enemies I've never met - that's fame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/i-have-enemies-i-ve-never-met-that-s-fame/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [Acting is a form of confession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/acting-is-a-form-of-confession/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [Acting is a form of confusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/acting-is-a-form-of-confusion/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [Say anything about me, darling, as long as it isn't boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/say-anything-about-me-darling-as-long-as-it-isn-t-boring/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [I have three phobias ...: I hate going to bed, get up and hate hate being alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/i-have-three-phobias-i-hate-going-to-bed-get-up-and-hate-hate-being/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [A frozen daiquiri of a scorching afternoon is soothing. It makes living more tolerable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/a-frozen-daiquiri-of-a-scorching-afternoon-is-soothing-it-makes/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [I'm as pure as the driven slush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/i-m-as-pure-as-the-driven-slush/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [I'd rather be strongly wrong than weakly right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/i-d-rather-be-strongly-wrong-than-weakly-right/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [I thought I told you to wait in the car.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/i-thought-i-told-you-to-wait-in-the-car/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) [Explore all 79 Tallulah Bankhead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) ## 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. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [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/) > [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 > [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 acting, darlings, is the world's most perilous trade. 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