--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My job has always been to hold a mirror…" description: "\"My job has always been to hold a mirror up to nature.\" — Tom Hanks" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49f/tom-hanks-1717_jobs_my-job-has-always-been-to-hold-a-mirror_1825340.jpg" --- # My job has always been to hold a mirror up to nature. ![“My job has always been to hold a mirror up to nature.” quote by Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49f/tom-hanks-1717_jobs_my-job-has-always-been-to-hold-a-mirror_1825340.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49f/tom-hanks-1717_jobs_my-job-has-always-been-to-hold-a-mirror_1825340.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49f/tom-hanks-1717_jobs_my-job-has-always-been-to-hold-a-mirror_1825340.jpg) > “My job has always been to hold a mirror up to nature.” [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art reflects reality, helping us understand ourselves and the world. **In simple terms:** Art mirrors life. Key Takeaway Seek truth in creative work. Themes art reflection truth Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - painting - writing - theater - documentary filmmaking Key Concepts philosophy human nature Questions to Reflect On - What truth does your favorite art reveal? - How does mirroring affect perception? A Different Perspective Art can also distort truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Mirror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirror/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [Hold the mirror up to nature. Human behavior is worthy of examination and celebration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/hold-the-mirror-up-to-nature-human-behavior-is-worthy-of-examination/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [To hold, as 't were, the mirror up to nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/to-hold-as-t-were-the-mirror-up-to-nature/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The only line that's wrong in Shakespeare is 'holding a mirror up to nature.' You hold a magnifying glass up to nature. As an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montgomery-clift/the-only-line-that-s-wrong-in-shakespeare-is-holding-a-mirror-up-to/) [Montgomery Clift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montgomery-clift/) > [My paintings are titled after they are finished. I paint from remembered landscapes that I carry with me - and remembered feelings of them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-mitchell/my-paintings-are-titled-after-they-are-finished-i-paint-from/) [Joan Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-mitchell/) > [Artists hold out the mirror to the bruises on the face of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-skvorecky/artists-hold-out-the-mirror-to-the-bruises-on-the-face-of-the-world/) [Josef Skvorecky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-skvorecky/) > [Hypocrisy annoys me, people need to look into mirrors. Let me hold a mirror in front of your face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/hypocrisy-annoys-me-people-need-to-look-into-mirrors-let-me-hold-a/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [Friends hold a mirror up to each other; through that mirror they can see each other in ways that would not otherwise be accessible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/friends-hold-a-mirror-up-to-each-other-through-that-mirror-they-can/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [I grew up a poor kid to a single mom, so as an African-American actor I have a responsibility to hold the mirror up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-todd/i-grew-up-a-poor-kid-to-a-single-mom-so-as-an-african-american-actor/) [Tony Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-todd/) > [I mean, if somebody said to me, junior year of college, you can go anywhere, your old man's paying for it, I'd have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matthews/i-mean-if-somebody-said-to-me-junior-year-of-college-you-can-go/) [Chris Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matthews/) > [No one wanted a job. No one could hold a job. You tend to see those going hand in hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/no-one-wanted-a-job-no-one-could-hold-a-job-you-tend-to-see-those/) [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) > [“That the quality of service you render, plus the quantity, plus the mental attitude in which you render it determines the sort of job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/that-the-quality-of-service-you-render-plus-the-quantity-plus-the/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [As an MP, it is my job to hold the government to account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-lewis/as-an-mp-it-is-my-job-to-hold-the-government-to-account/) [Clive Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-lewis/) > [“If a company is only as good as its weakest employee, then what does that say about you and the job you hold? For”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issa-rae/if-a-company-is-only-as-good-as-its-weakest-employee-then-what-does/) [Issa Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issa-rae/) > [It is the leader's job to hold hope high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/it-is-the-leader-s-job-to-hold-hope-high/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [A mother's job... is very much to hold back the coming of manhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gurian/a-mother-s-job-is-very-much-to-hold-back-the-coming-of-manhood/) [Michael Gurian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gurian/) ## More by Tom Hanks > [I've worked with people who are much further to the left than I am and much further to the right than I am. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-ve-worked-with-people-who-are-much-further-to-the-left-than-i-am/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [In the 1998 Oscars, I found myself in the bathroom in a stall, next to Tom Selleck. So I leaned over and I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/in-the-1998-oscars-i-found-myself-in-the-bathroom-in-a-stall-next-to/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Mass-market movies have become about one thing. They kind of declare themselves right off the bat. . . . But when I go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/mass-market-movies-have-become-about-one-thing-they-kind-of-declare/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [If you look at romantic comedies as pieces of commerce, the audience is looking for wish fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/if-you-look-at-romantic-comedies-as-pieces-of-commerce-the-audience/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Some people are cowards... I think by and large a third of people are villains, a third are cowards, and a third are heroes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/some-people-are-cowards-i-think-by-and-large-a-third-of-people-are/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [I try to do what I call the three E's - educate, entertain, and enlighten. If you don't entertain, no one will show up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-try-to-do-what-i-call-the-three-e-s-educate-entertain-and-enlighten/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [But actors with political views are a dime a dozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/but-actors-with-political-views-are-a-dime-a-dozen/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [We're part of a greater humanity and we can actually affect the world by the choices we make once we leave the theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/we-re-part-of-a-greater-humanity-and-we-can-actually-affect-the-world/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Saying no to something is actually much more powerful than saying yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/saying-no-to-something-is-actually-much-more-powerful-than-saying-yes/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [If things were easy to find, they wouldn’t be worth finding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/if-things-were-easy-to-find-they-wouldn-t-be-worth-finding/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Reading a script is usually as exciting as reading a boilerplate legal document, so when you read one that makes you feel as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/reading-a-script-is-usually-as-exciting-as-reading-a-boilerplate/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Let's not pretend there isn't a huge industry driven by the choices made by editors and writers who decide what a story is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/let-s-not-pretend-there-isn-t-a-huge-industry-driven-by-the-choices/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [It just so happens that my body type and my lifestyle gives me a preclusion for high blood sugars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/it-just-so-happens-that-my-body-type-and-my-lifestyle-gives-me-a/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Are you crying? There's no crying. There's no crying in baseball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/are-you-crying-there-s-no-crying-there-s-no-crying-in-baseball/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [My son is a gentleman and a professional who is pursuing something difficult. Yet the only thing he has ever asked me for is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/my-son-is-a-gentleman-and-a-professional-who-is-pursuing-something/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) [Explore all 213 Tom Hanks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) ## More Jobs quotes > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [My first ever job after college was as a flight attendant. I wanted to travel and could not afford it, so I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/my-first-ever-job-after-college-was-as-a-flight-attendant-i-wanted-to/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Grandma, please. It’s okay. Dad’s doing a great job. I give him kudos for at least being calm and rational, and not losing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/grandma-please-it-s-okay-dad-s-doing-a-great-job-i-give-him-kudos-for/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [My favorite job is the next one. Its such a gratifying experience getting to creatively keep trying something new and push things in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-craig-smith/my-favorite-job-is-the-next-one-its-such-a-gratifying-experience/) [Roger Craig Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-craig-smith/) > [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/) > [Musicians talk of nothing but money and jobs. Give me businessmen every time. They really are interested in music and art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-sibelius/musicians-talk-of-nothing-but-money-and-jobs-give-me-businessmen/) [Jean Sibelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-sibelius/) > [We did an episode where she goes out to get a job and she gets fired because she's not good. They hire a babysitter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-heaton/we-did-an-episode-where-she-goes-out-to-get-a-job-and-she-gets-fired/) [Patricia Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-heaton/) > [I've never believed unemployment numbers because the way that they calculate unemployment makes no sense whatsoever. It's not how many people are unemployed. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/i-ve-never-believed-unemployment-numbers-because-the-way-that-they/) [Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/) > [We're going to create factory jobs for recent immigrants, and Donald Trump is going to take care of them. That's why his numbers, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sessions/we-re-going-to-create-factory-jobs-for-recent-immigrants-and-donald/) [Jeff Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sessions/) > [Some people, you know, should just go to college and do what they do and have a great job and not worry about trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/some-people-you-know-should-just-go-to-college-and-do-what-they-do/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Filmmaking, like sex, isn't a polite enterprise. It involves a lot of mess and the bottom line is, if somebody ain't screaming, you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/filmmaking-like-sex-isn-t-a-polite-enterprise-it-involves-a-lot-of/) [James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/) > [I have a question, a question for the president: Do you hate all rich people, or just rich people who don't contribute to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-have-a-question-a-question-for-the-president-do-you-hate-all-rich/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) [Browse all 14,478 Jobs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My job has always been to hold a mirror up to nature.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Hanks" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/my-job-has-always-been-to-hold-a-mirror-up-to-nature/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Jobs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/my-job-has-always-been-to-hold-a-mirror-up-to-nature/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49f/tom-hanks-1717_jobs_my-job-has-always-been-to-hold-a-mirror_1825340.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49f/tom-hanks-1717_jobs_my-job-has-always-been-to-hold-a-mirror_1825340.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49f/tom-hanks-1717_jobs_my-job-has-always-been-to-hold-a-mirror_1825340.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My job has always been to hold a mirror up to nature.” — Tom Hanks", "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": "Tom Hanks", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My job has always been to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/my-job-has-always-been-to-hold-a-mirror-up-to-nature/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/my-job-has-always-been-to-hold-a-mirror-up-to-nature/#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 } } ] } ```