It took me two years to walk around a chair with ease; it took me another two years to learn how to laugh onstage - and I had to learn everything.
Laurence OlivierRead
Nine books have been written about me, and there's not a word of truth in any of them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote humorously suggests that the narratives created about a person can often be false or exaggerated.
Laurence Olivier's quote highlights the often fictionalized nature of biographies and accounts written about public figures. It carries a sense of irony, as it underscores how the perception of a person can be shaped by narratives that lack authenticity, reflecting a deeper observation about fame and the stories created around it.
Themes
BiographyTruthStorytellingReputationFame
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech highlighting the challenges of public scrutiny, one might quote Olivier to illustrate the discrepancies between reality and perception.
More from Laurence Olivier
All quotes βWhat is the main problem of the actor? It is to keep the audience awake, and not let them go to sleep, then wake up and go home feeling they've wasted their money.
Laurence OlivierRead
Work is life for me, it is the only point of life - and with it there is almost religious belief that service is everything.
Laurence OlivierRead
I don't know what is better than the work that is given to the actor - to teach the human heart the knowledge of itself.
Laurence OlivierRead
Acting is an everlasting search for truth.
Laurence OlivierRead
I'd like people to remember me for a diligent expert workman. I think a poet is a workman. I think Shakespeare was a workman. And God's a workman. I don't think there's anything better than a workman.
Laurence OlivierRead
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