Terry Fox Theatre

People love quotes. It's the flash of truth, the insight those little groups of words give us into the minds and perspectives of the people who coin them. They catalyze us toward thought and action, debate, or even extreme ranges of emotion. Quotes give us a high level of empathic identification with our world and its peoples, especially those that have gained some level of status in our eyes -- and you can quote me on that. You know... if you want.

In any case, this is a theatre blog, and we do theatre tips, performance enhancing techniques of the non-chemical variety, applications of theatre in life, and even a bit of what to look for when renting a theatre. So, since we're talking about quotes, here are 30 of them -- all about acting, by actors, or somehow relating the world to the stage. Enjoy!

One through 10 (in no particular category order)

• "Life's like a play; it's not the length but the excellence of the acting that matters." - Seneca, Roman Philosopher (1st century A.D.)
• “I pretty much try to stay in a constant state of confusion just because of the expression it leaves on my face.” - Johnny Depp
• “To grasp the full significance of life is the actor's duty, to interpret it is his problem, and to express it his dedication.” - James Dean
• "An actor is a fool for God." - Gerardine Clark
• "I think the most liberating thing I did early on was to free myself from any concern with my looks as they pertained to my work." - Meryl Streep
• "A walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more." - William Shakespeare
• "Bugs Bunny - the perfect employee. Never absent. Never late. Never changes the script. Doesn't have an agent. Never asks for a percent of the profit. Doesn't ask to have his relatives on the payroll." - Anonymous
• "The play was a great success, but the audience was a disaster." - Oscar Wilde
• "If you give audiences a chance they'll do half your acting for you." - Katharine Hepburn
• "I'm a skilled professional actor. Whether or not I've any talent is beside the point." - Michael Caine

11 through 20

• “Acting is about giving something away, handing yourself over to whatever role you are asked to play. I'm not hiding or escaping or seeking anonymity. I reserve the right not to have a rubber stamp on my forehead saying this is who I am. Because who I am gets in the way of people looking innocently at the parts I play.” - Alan Rickman
• “Acting is not being emotional, but being able to express emotion.” - Kate Reid
• "I've played a lot of bad guys, 'cause that was the only work I could get. People saw my face and went 'Oooh." Laurence Fishburne
• "Acting is the most minor of gifts and not a very high-class way to earn a living. After all, Shirley Temple could do it at the age of four." - Katherine Hepburn
• "My billing has always been; 'and', or 'with', or 'including.' That's all right; let the stars take the blame." - Keenan Wynn
• "Working in the theatre has a lot in common with unemployment." - Arthur Gingold
• "Show business is like sex. When it's wonderful, it's wonderful. But when it isn't very good, it's still all right." - Max Wall
• "I enjoy being a highly overpaid actor." - Roger Moore
• “My mother wanted me to be a lawyer and I wanted to be an Actor. So I went to school, majored in theatre, and said 'Mom, I have to choose my own destiny. I want to be an actor.' A couple of weeks after I graduated college I called my mother up and said 'Can I borrow $200?' and she said 'Why don't you act like you've got $200.'” - Arsenio Hall
• “When you prostitute yourself, you have to get paid for it.” - Marlene Dietrich

21 through 30

• "The best audience is intelligent, well-educated, and a little drunk." - Alvin Barkley
• “My favorite review described me as the cinematic equivalent of junk mail.” - Steve Buscemi
• “Acting is half shame, half glory. Shame at exhibiting yourself, glory when you can forget yourself.” - John Gielgud
• "Actors are the only honest hypocrites." - William Hazlitt
• "Therapy? I don't need that. The roles that I choose are my therapy." - Angelina Jolie
• "Acting is standing up naked and turning around very slowly." - Rosalind Russell
• "Be nice to people on your way up because you meet them on your way down." - Jimmy Durante
• "There are two types of actors: those who say they want to be famous and those who are liars." - Kevin Bacon
• “I love acting. It is so much more real than life.” Oscar Wilde
• "I know it was wonderful, but I don't know how I did it." - Laurence Olivier

What are some of your favourite acting quotes? Add them to the comments below.