I am still a journeyman actor and a peace and justice activist. I'm a pilgrim trying to win my freedom and serve as best I can in the time I have, with this gift I've been given.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a commitment to personal growth and social justice through one's craft.
In this quote, Martin Sheen reflects on his identity as an actor and activist, emphasizing that he is on a continuous journey of learning and service. He views his life as a pilgrimage towards freedom, using his talents to contribute positively to society and make the best of the time he has been given.
In practice
In a motivational speech about finding purpose in your life, this quote could be used to inspire others to pursue their passions.
Childhood hunger in America is as much a paradox as it is a tragedy. Why, in the wealthiest country in the world, should hunger darken the lives and dreams of 12 million children and their families? I believe that, when Americans learn the facts and understand how their involvement can make a difference, banishing childhood hunger will be a national, local and personal priority.
While acting is what I do for a living, activism is what I do to stay alive.
When I reached adulthood, even now, I could afford to belong to a country club. But I could never belong to a private club because of my experience as a child, because it would isolate me from the whole of humanity.
Future generations are not going to ask us what political party were you in. They are going to ask what did you do about it, when you knew the glaciers were melting.
My recovery is the single greatest accomplishment of my life. Without that, the rest of my life would have fallen apart.
I honestly do not know if civil disobedience has any effect on the government. I can promise you it has a great effect on the person who chooses to do it.
I hate pretty. It’s a very empty word. It gives a bad name to beauty.
Playing and listening to music gives you a sense of fulfilment because you have to put everything in you at its disposal.
So many old and lovely things are stored in the world's attic because we don't want them around us and we don't dare throw them out.
I think that the point of being an architect is to help raise the experience of everyday living, even a little. Putting a window where people would really like one. Making sure a shaving mirror in a hotel bathroom is at the right angle. Making bureaucratic buildings that are somehow cheerful.
As musicians and artists, it's important we have an environment - and I guess when I say environment, I really mean the industry, that really nurtures these gifts. Oftentimes, the machine can overlook the need to take care of the people who produce the sounds that have a lot to do with the health and well-being of society.
I need scarcely observe that a poem deserves its title only inasmuch as it excites, by elevating the soul. The value of the poem is in the ratio of this elevating excitement.
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