List of Acting Quotes in English with Images

Acting quotes in the English language encapsulate the profound essence of this intricate art form while simultaneously illustrating the emotional odyssey that performers embark upon in their craft. These quotes serve as poignant reflections of the unwavering dedication, deep-seated vulnerability, and fervent passion that are essential for actors to convincingly bring their characters to life on stage and screen. The insights offered by notable figures in the world of acting, including both actors and directors, provide valuable perspectives on the intricacies of the craft, shedding light on key themes such as the pursuit of authenticity, the transformative power inherent in performance, and the pivotal importance of forging a meaningful connection with the audience.

For instance, the quote "Acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances" articulates a fundamental principle of the discipline: the necessity for genuine emotion to prevail even when navigating through the diverse and often fantastical landscapes of fiction. Such expressions serve not merely as motivational slogans but as profound reminders of the skill and emotional intelligence required to immerse oneself in a role fully. They highlight the delicate balance between reality and imagination, where the actor must tap into their own experiences and feelings to convey the truth of the character's journey convincingly.

These impactful quotations resonate deeply with aspiring actors, providing them with inspiration and guidance as they hone their craft. However, their significance extends beyond the realm of performers, striking a chord with anyone who appreciates the rich tapestry of storytelling and the multifaceted nature of human emotion. In essence, these quotes encapsulate the artistry of acting as a bridge between the performers and their audience, inviting spectators to engage with the narratives presented, explore complex themes, and experience a wide range of emotions alongside the characters they portray. Through these words, one can grasp the depth and complexity intrinsic to storytelling, revealing how the art of acting serves as a mirror reflecting the human experience.

I think your self emerges more clearly over time.

- Acting Quotes by Meryl Streep Download or Share

Show me a great actor and I'll show you a lousy husband. Show me a great actress, and you've seen the devil.

- Acting Quotes by W. C. Fields Download or Share

My job is usually to express emotion as freely as possible.

- Meryl Streep Download or Share

I do not regret one professional enemy I have made. Any actor who doesn't dare to make an enemy should get out of the business.

- Acting Quotes by Bette Davis Download or Share

Man is a rational animal who always who always loses his temper when he is called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason.

- Acting Quotes by Oscar Wilde Download or Share

Acting is all about honesty.  If you can fake that, you've got it made.

-  George Burn Download or Share

Acting is the most minor of gifts and not a very high-class way to earn a live.  After all, Shirley Temple could do it at the age of four.

- Katharine Hepburn Download or Share

Acting is not being emotional, but being able to express emotion.

- Acting Quotes by Kate Reid Download or Share

The most difficult character in comedy is that of a fool, and he must be no simpleton who plays the part.

- Acting Quotes by Miguel de Cervantes Download or Share

I love acting.  It is so much more real than life.

- Acting Quotes by Oscar Wilde Download or Share

We're actors - we're the opposite of people.

- Acting Quotes by Tom Stoppard Download or Share

An actor is a fool for God.

- Gerardine Clark Download or Share

If I wasn't an actor, I'd be a secret agent.

- Acting Quotes by Thornton Wilder Download or Share

I need to go where people are serious about acting.

- Meryl Streep Download or Share

Use what you know. Don't worry about what you don't know.

- Acting Quotes by Michael Shurtleff

Use what you know. Don't worry about what you don't know.

- Acting Quotes by Michael Shurtleff Download or Share

The best acting is instinctive. It's not intellectual, it's not mechanical, it's instinctive.

- Acting Quotes by Craig MacDonald

The best acting is instinctive. It's not intellectual, it's not mechanical, it's instinctive.

- Acting Quotes by Craig MacDonald Download or Share

I'm a skilled professional actor. Whether or not I've any talent is beside the point.

- Acting Quotes by Michael Caine

I'm a skilled professional actor. Whether or not I've any talent is beside the point.

- Acting Quotes by Michael Caine Download or Share

An actor has to burn inside with an outer ease.

- Michael Chekhov

An ounce of behavior is worth a pound of words.

- Sanford Meisner

The work will stand, no matter what.

- Meryl Streep

Actors think more with their hearts than with their heads.

- William Esper

I love acting. It is so much more real than life.

- Oscar Wilde

The more personal, the more universal.

- Gary Ballinger

The actor has to develop his body. The actor has to work on his voice. But the most important thing the actor has to work on is his mind.

- Stella Adler

Listening is not merely hearing. Listening is reacting. Listening is being affected by what you hear. Listening is active.

- Michael Shurtleff

Creating relationship is the heart of acting. It is basic. It is essential.

- Michael Shurtleff

Humor [in a scene] is not jokes. It is that attitude toward being alive without which you would long ago have jumped off the 59th Street Bridge.

- Michael Shurtleff

All an actor has is their blind faith that they are who they say they are today, in any scene.

- Meryl Streep

Acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances.

- Sanford Meisner

Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one.

- Stella Adler

Stop explaining yourself. Shut up and act!

- Craig MacDonald

Whatever you decide is your motivation in the scene, the opposite of that is also true and should be in it.

- Michael Shurtleff

There's nothing more boring than unintelligent actors, because all they have to talk about is themselves and acting. There have to be other things.

- Tim Robbins

That's what makes acting so attractive. You get to break all your own rules.

- Gerardine Clark

Acting should be bigger than life. Scripts should be bigger than life. It should all be bigger than life.

- Bette Davis

Acting is standing up naked and turning around very slowly.

- Rosalind Russell

Conflict is what creates drama. The more conflict actors find, the more interesting the performance.

- Michael Shurtleff

Acting is all about honesty. If you can fake that, you've got it made.

- George Burns

Find in yourself those human things which are universal.

- Sanford Meisner

Every scene you will ever act begins in the middle, and it is up to you, the actor, to provide what comes before.

- Michael Shurtleff

The theater has never been any good since the actors became gentlemen.

- W.H. Auden

Acting is not about being someone different. It's finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there.

- Meryl Streep

If you really do want to be an actor who can satisfy himself and his audience, you need to be vulnerable.

- Jack Lemmon

Actors die so loud.

- Henry Miller

Good acting -- real acting is impossible to spot. Do you ever catch talents like Robert Duvall or Kathy Bates acting? No. I defy you to show me where.

- William Esper

The most difficult character in comedy is that of the fool, and he must be no simpleton that plays that part.

- Miguel de Cervantes

The first step to a better audition is to give up character and use yourself.

- Michael Shurtleff

Honesty isn't enough for me. That becomes very boring. If you can convince people what you're doing is real and it's also bigger than life -- that's exciting.

- Gene Hackman

The word theatre comes from the Greeks. It means the seeing place. It is the place people come to see the truth about life and the social situation.

- Stella Adler

I believe in imagination. I did Kramer vs. Kramer before I had children. But the mother I would be was already inside me.

- Meryl Streep

Why, except as a means of livelihood, a man should desire to act on the stage when he has the whole world to act in, is not clear to me.

- George Bernard Shaw

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

Acting in theatre or television or screen is only for the irrecoverably diseased, those so smitten with the need that there is no choice.

- Michael Shurtleff

I'm curious about other people. That's the essence of my acting. I'm interested in what it would be like to be you.

- Meryl Streep

There's only one reason why a character drinks: to seek confrontation. To fight for what they want in ways normally denied them.

- Michael Shurtleff

Without wonder and insight, acting is just a business. With it, it becomes creation.

- Bette Davis

Take nothing for granted. Make an emotional discovery as often as you can find one in every scene. Ask yourself: What is new?

- Acting Quote by Michael Shurtleff