--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's why I do what I do, and that's why…" description: "\"That's why I do what I do, and that's why I wanted to be an actress from the time I was six years old. If I can't effectively move people, then I would..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f8/viola-davis-1174_actor_that-s-why-i-do-what-i-do-and-that-s-why_2472670.png" --- # That's why I do what I do, and that's why I wanted to be… ![“That's why I do what I do, and that's why I wanted to be an actress from the time I was six years old. If I can't effectively move people, then I would prefer not to do it.” quote by Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f8/viola-davis-1174_actor_that-s-why-i-do-what-i-do-and-that-s-why_2472670.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f8/viola-davis-1174_actor_that-s-why-i-do-what-i-do-and-that-s-why_2472670.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f8/viola-davis-1174_actor_that-s-why-i-do-what-i-do-and-that-s-why_2472670.png) > “That's why I do what I do, and that's why I wanted to be an actress from the time I was six years old. If I can't effectively move people, then I would prefer not to do it.” [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She feels purpose when her art moves others; without that impact, she would not continue acting. **In simple terms:** Acting must emotionally affect people for her to stay. Key Takeaway Seek work that creates genuine emotional resonance. Themes purpose art impact Mood reflective passionate Type inspirational career When to use this quote - theatre - film - public speaking - teaching Key Concepts performance empathy Questions to Reflect On - What does “moving people” mean to you? - How can you measure artistic impact? A Different Perspective Not all audiences respond equally; impact can be fleeting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Just because I'm the top-grossing actress of all time does not mean I'm the highest paid. I've had to fight for everything that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-johansson/just-because-i-m-the-top-grossing-actress-of-all-time-does-not-mean-i/) [Scarlett Johansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-johansson/) > [“I am coming to feel that the people of ill will have used time much much more effectively than the people of good will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/i-am-coming-to-feel-that-the-people-of-ill-will-have-used-time-much/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [...my least favorite actress of all time, Helena Bonham Carter. I find her lack of a neck very off-putting and especially her acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gorey/my-least-favorite-actress-of-all-time-helena-bonham-carter-i-find-her/) [Edward Gorey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gorey/) > [When ideas are communicated effectively, people follow and change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-duarte/when-ideas-are-communicated-effectively-people-follow-and-change/) [Nancy Duarte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-duarte/) > [When I wanted to be an actress, I never wanted really to be the kind of actress I became.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-ward/when-i-wanted-to-be-an-actress-i-never-wanted-really-to-be-the-kind/) [Rachel Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-ward/) > [I just wanted to be an actress. It never occurred to me that I could become famous, because I'm not one of those people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-jensen/i-just-wanted-to-be-an-actress-it-never-occurred-to-me-that-i-could/) [Ashley Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-jensen/) > [I describe myself as someone who was always putting on a show, even when I was a little girl. I wanted to be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ziskin/i-describe-myself-as-someone-who-was-always-putting-on-a-show-even/) [Laura Ziskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ziskin/) > [I've never wanted to be an actress. I came into the industry to be a filmmaker, but let us say fate had other plans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nithya-menen/i-ve-never-wanted-to-be-an-actress-i-came-into-the-industry-to-be-a/) [Nithya Menen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nithya-menen/) > [I never wanted to be an actress. I wanted to go into the medical professional. Acting was not important enough. That was a hobby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-brown/i-never-wanted-to-be-an-actress-i-wanted-to-go-into-the-medical/) [June Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-brown/) > [I announced to my mother one day when I was 8 that I wanted to be a serious actress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-salenger/i-announced-to-my-mother-one-day-when-i-was-8-that-i-wanted-to-be-a/) Meredith Salenger > [I always wanted to become an actress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamannaah/i-always-wanted-to-become-an-actress/) [Tamannaah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamannaah/) > [I always wanted to be an actress, ever since I was a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-karina/i-always-wanted-to-be-an-actress-ever-since-i-was-a-little-girl/) [Anna Karina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-karina/) > [I never not wanted to become an actress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-roberts/i-never-not-wanted-to-become-an-actress/) [Emma Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-roberts/) > [I never ever had any plans of coming into films and never wanted to become an actress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zareen-khan/i-never-ever-had-any-plans-of-coming-into-films-and-never-wanted-to/) [Zareen Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zareen-khan/) > [I knew I wanted to be an actress as soon as I popped out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-wallace/i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-an-actress-as-soon-as-i-popped-out/) [Dee Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-wallace/) ## More by Viola Davis > [I look back at pictures of myself and I remember thinking, "I was so fat when I was growing up. I was 165 pounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-look-back-at-pictures-of-myself-and-i-remember-thinking-i-was-so/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am not a glam woman - this definitely is a mask I put on for the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-not-a-glam-woman-this-definitely-is-a-mask-i-put-on-for-the/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I was bullied at school. The black girl in Central Falls, Rhode Island, in 1973. There'd be 8 or 10 boys; I would count…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-was-bullied-at-school-the-black-girl-in-central-falls-rhode-island/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's why there's so much bad acting out there, because you could see actors watching themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-why-there-s-so-much-bad-acting-out-there-because-you-could-see/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I want my work to reflect my level of gifts and talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-want-my-work-to-reflect-my-level-of-gifts-and-talent/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I don’t want anyone putting any limits on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-don-t-want-anyone-putting-any-limits-on-me/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ I think that's why August \[Wilson\] named her Rose \[in "Fences"\]; I really do. She's a rose in her sweetness and her kindness and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-think-that-s-why-august-wilson-named-her-rose-in-fences-i-really-do/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I suffered from low self-esteem for much of my life. And now to feel like maybe something that I'm projecting or saying could mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-suffered-from-low-self-esteem-for-much-of-my-life-and-now-to-feel/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I tell my daughter every morning, 'Now, what are the two most important parts of you?' And she says, 'My head and my heart.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-tell-my-daughter-every-morning-now-what-are-the-two-most-important/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I started a production company out of necessity, the need for great narratives for actors of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-started-a-production-company-out-of-necessity-the-need-for-great/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's always the biggest surprise when people meet me: how buoyant I am and how fun and light I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-always-the-biggest-surprise-when-people-meet-me-how-buoyant-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out-2/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ It was hard, that confrontation scene \[in "Fences"\], that was a hard one. I felt like it was relentless, I never felt like I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/it-was-hard-that-confrontation-scene-in-fences-that-was-a-hard-one-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am addicted to any facial product that's anti-aging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-addicted-to-any-facial-product-that-s-anti-aging/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) [Explore all 279 Viola Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## 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": "That's why I do what I do, and that's why I wanted to be an actress from the time I was six years old. 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