Pride is founded not on the sense of happiness, but on the sense of power.
William HazlittRead
Actors are the only honest hypocrites.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Actors portray characters that may not reflect their true selves, yet in doing so, they reveal genuine emotions and truths.
This quote suggests that actors, while playing roles that are often opposite to their true nature or beliefs, display a form of honesty through their performance. By embodying various characters, they evoke real feelings and insights, making their art a paradoxical yet truthful reflection of human experience.
Themes
ActorsHypocrisyHonestyPerformanceArt
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the nature of acting, you could say, 'As William Hazlitt said, actors are the only honest hypocrites.'
More from William Hazlitt
All quotes βThe world loves to be amused by hollow professions, to be deceived by flattering appearances, to live in a state of hallucination; and can forgive everything but the plain, downright, simple, honest truth.
William HazlittRead
Our repugnance to death increases in proportion to our consciousness of having lived in vain.
William HazlittRead
We can bear to be deprived of everything but our self-conceit.
William HazlittRead
There are few things in which we deceive ourselves more than in the esteem we profess to entertain for our firends. It is little better than a piece of quackery. The truth is, we think of them as we please, that is, as they please or displease us.
William HazlittRead
Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity is a greater. Possession pampers the mind; privation trains and strengthens it.
William HazlittRead
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The easy part of being an artist is figuring out the message that everyone else is ready to hear. The hard part is waiting for the proper lull to make the announcement.
Mark TwainRead