--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like to say that I didn't choose acting…" description: "\"I like to say that I didn't choose acting - acting chose me.\" — Ving Rhames" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/ving-rhames-32980_acting_i-like-to-say-that-i-didn-t-choose-actin_220990.jpg" --- # I like to say that I didn't choose acting - acting chose me. ![“I like to say that I didn't choose acting - acting chose me.” quote by Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/ving-rhames-32980_acting_i-like-to-say-that-i-didn-t-choose-actin_220990.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/ving-rhames-32980_acting_i-like-to-say-that-i-didn-t-choose-actin_220990.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/ving-rhames-32980_acting_i-like-to-say-that-i-didn-t-choose-actin_220990.jpg) > “I like to say that I didn't choose acting - acting chose me.” [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He suggests destiny guided his career rather than personal choice, emphasizing a sense of being called to acting. **In simple terms:** Acting felt like fate, not a decision. Key Takeaway Embrace paths that seem chosen for you. Themes destiny career calling Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - audition process - career planning - creative fulfillment - accepting unexpected opportunities Key Concepts self‑fulfilling prophecy career identity Questions to Reflect On - Do you feel your career was chosen for you? - How does this view affect your decisions? A Different Perspective May overlook personal agency and responsibility for choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ## Related quotes > [Quite honestly I never had a desire to be an actor. I tell people, I did not choose acting; acting chose me. I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/quite-honestly-i-never-had-a-desire-to-be-an-actor-i-tell-people-i/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) > [I didn't choose acting. It chose me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-bergman/i-didn-t-choose-acting-it-chose-me/) [Ingrid Bergman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-bergman/) > [I can do everything with ease on the stage, whereas in real life I feel too big and clumsy. So I didn't choose acting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-bergman/i-can-do-everything-with-ease-on-the-stage-whereas-in-real-life-i/) [Ingrid Bergman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-bergman/) > [Actually, I didn't take up acting. Rather, acting chose me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poonam-dhillon/actually-i-didn-t-take-up-acting-rather-acting-chose-me/) [Poonam Dhillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poonam-dhillon/) > [I didn't choose acting. The universe did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waris-ahluwalia/i-didn-t-choose-acting-the-universe-did/) [Waris Ahluwalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waris-ahluwalia/) > [Acting is what I chose to do. It's what I feel I need to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-pare/acting-is-what-i-chose-to-do-it-s-what-i-feel-i-need-to-do/) [Jessica Pare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-pare/) > [I did not choose acting as a career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raashi-khanna/i-did-not-choose-acting-as-a-career/) [Raashi Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raashi-khanna/) > [It shouldn't come as any surprise that those who choose acting as a profession are phonies who live in a fantasy world. What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-burchill/it-shouldn-t-come-as-any-surprise-that-those-who-choose-acting-as-a/) [Julie Burchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-burchill/) > [ If you choose to do both \[acting and directing\] on a set, than you're admitting that you understand that everyone is in it for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hall/if-you-choose-to-do-both-acting-and-directing-on-a-set-than-you-re/) [Rebecca Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hall/) > [When it comes to singing and acting, I don't think I could choose. I have been acting for a much longer time, but singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-osment/when-it-comes-to-singing-and-acting-i-don-t-think-i-could-choose-i/) [Emily Osment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-osment/) > [Nothing affects my acting. Acting is something I do with my soul so it embodies a lot of things. For me, I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genevieve-nnaji/nothing-affects-my-acting-acting-is-something-i-do-with-my-soul-so-it/) Genevieve Nnaji > [Acting is acting, regardless of the medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sarbh/acting-is-acting-regardless-of-the-medium/) [Jim Sarbh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sarbh/) > [Something people say about acting is that acting is listening. But I think that writing is listening, too. That you really have to listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/something-people-say-about-acting-is-that-acting-is-listening-but-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [It was the moment I learned acting is not acting out. After that light went on, I spent the rest of my life trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hurt/it-was-the-moment-i-learned-acting-is-not-acting-out-after-that-light/) [William Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hurt/) > [It's self-destructive to become confident regarding your own acting. Acting, your entire career depends on a lot of things. What kind of writing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jitendra-kumar/it-s-self-destructive-to-become-confident-regarding-your-own-acting/) [Jitendra Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jitendra-kumar/) ## More by Ving Rhames > [I was never a struggling actor, for which I feel very blessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/i-was-never-a-struggling-actor-for-which-i-feel-very-blessed/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) > [The only difference between working on a huge-budget film and a lesser-budget film, is the quality of lunch and dinner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/the-only-difference-between-working-on-a-huge-budget-film-and-a/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) > [I'm not gay. I'm not homophobic. And I've never been raped. So it was acting. I look at it as the most powerful man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/i-m-not-gay-i-m-not-homophobic-and-i-ve-never-been-raped-so-it-was/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) > [Since God is the foundation of my life, anything that streams from that can only be positive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/since-god-is-the-foundation-of-my-life-anything-that-streams-from/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) > [I don't give Hollywood the power to limit me. Only God can limit me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/i-don-t-give-hollywood-the-power-to-limit-me-only-god-can-limit-me/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) > [I saw how, when my brother smoked reefer, it made my mother cry. He was 16 at the time. And I saw that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/i-saw-how-when-my-brother-smoked-reefer-it-made-my-mother-cry-he-was/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) > [My approach to the work is the same, whether I had the lead or a supporting role. I consider myself a character actor in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/my-approach-to-the-work-is-the-same-whether-i-had-the-lead-or-a/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) > [Are you intimidated by me? Because if you're intimidated by me, that's something you'll have to deal with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/are-you-intimidated-by-me-because-if-you-re-intimidated-by-me-that-s/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) > [I grew up in a poverty-stricken neighborhood, but I didn't really know I was a deprived, poverty-stricken child until the media made me aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/i-grew-up-in-a-poverty-stricken-neighborhood-but-i-didn-t-really-know/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) > [For me, acting was a way of releasing all of this stuff that I had inside - and a way for me to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/for-me-acting-was-a-way-of-releasing-all-of-this-stuff-that-i-had/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) > [It can always get worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/it-can-always-get-worse/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) > [I must say that some things some men are born to do. I think I was born to kick ass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/i-must-say-that-some-things-some-men-are-born-to-do-i-think-i-was/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) > [Quite honestly I never had a desire to be an actor. I tell people, I did not choose acting; acting chose me. I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/quite-honestly-i-never-had-a-desire-to-be-an-actor-i-tell-people-i/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) > [You don't have to make, you know, $3 Million dollars a movie, or $20 Million dollars a movie, but if you make a living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/you-don-t-have-to-make-you-know-3-million-dollars-a-movie-or-20/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) [Explore all 15 Ving Rhames quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) ## 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": "I like to say that I didn't choose acting - acting chose me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ving Rhames" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/i-like-to-say-that-i-didn-t-choose-acting-acting-chose-me/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/i-like-to-say-that-i-didn-t-choose-acting-acting-chose-me/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/ving-rhames-32980_acting_i-like-to-say-that-i-didn-t-choose-actin_220990.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/ving-rhames-32980_acting_i-like-to-say-that-i-didn-t-choose-actin_220990.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/ving-rhames-32980_acting_i-like-to-say-that-i-didn-t-choose-actin_220990.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I like to say that I didn't choose acting - acting chose me.” — Ving Rhames", "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": "Ving Rhames", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I like to say that I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/i-like-to-say-that-i-didn-t-choose-acting-acting-chose-me/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/i-like-to-say-that-i-didn-t-choose-acting-acting-chose-me/#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 } } ] } ```