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
I often think that could we creep behind the actor's eyes, we would find an attic of forgotten toys and a copy of the Domesday Book.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that there is much more to people than what they show to the outside world, including memories and history.
Laurence Olivier's quote invites us to consider the depth of human experience that lies beneath the surface of our public personas. It suggests that if we could truly see through another's eyes, we would uncover hidden memories and aspects of their identity that contribute to who they are, much like discovering forgotten toys in an attic or exploring the historical records of the Domesday Book. This reflects the complexity of individuals and the rich inner lives that often remain unnoticed by others.
Themes
DepthIdentityExperienceMemoryReflection
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about understanding others during a community gathering.
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.
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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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