It was the moment I learned acting is not acting out. After that light went on, I spent the rest of my life trying to figure out how to make other people realize it.
William HurtRead
But I am not going to live for ever. And the more I know it, the more amazed I am by being here at all.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the transient nature of life and the amazement of existence.
William Hurt expresses a profound awareness of mortality, acknowledging that life is finite and emphasizing the wonder of simply being alive. This recognition of impermanence leads to a deeper appreciation of the experiences and moments we have while we are here, suggesting that awareness of our limited time can inspire a sense of awe towards life.
Themes
MortalityExistenceAppreciationLifeWonder
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about the importance of living in the moment.
More from William Hurt
All quotes βYou cut off the capacity for grief in your life, and you cut off the joy at the same time. They both come up through the same tunnel. You don't have one without the other.
William HurtRead
You get older, and people start passing away. And so if you're lucky - my mom died very young, for instance, and I have friends who died very young - but the point being that, I think if you're awake, you know you're going to pass on. And that the real treasure in life is the long term - relationships that you really value.
William HurtRead
I'm coming from the notion that acting is an art. It is not a business. It is about building characters, not about selling personalities.
William HurtRead
The problem with Google is you have 360 degrees of omnidirectional information on a linear basis, but the algorithms for irony and ambiguity are not there. And those are the algorithms of wisdom.
William HurtRead
The enemies of acting are mood and attitude and other general homogenized disruptive entities. Whereas acting is about action - doing - and unless you can figure out a way to craft in an imaginative reality to which you don't submit, you're going to be out of control. You'll flip out. The job is to be surprised.
William HurtRead
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Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1St Baron LyttonRead