An actor must interpret life, and in order to do so he must be willing to accept all experiences that life can offer.
The power and influence of a movie star is curious: I didn't ask for it or take it; people gave it to me. Simply because you're a movie star, people empower you with special rights and privileges.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the unintended power and privileges that come with fame, highlighting how society grants influence to celebrities.
Marlon Brando's quote expresses a contemplative view on the nature of celebrity and the power that comes with being a movie star. He acknowledges that he did not actively seek out this influence; rather, it was bestowed upon him by the public. This suggests that the dynamics of fame create an environment where individuals are given rights and privileges solely based on their status as celebrities, prompting reflection on the societal structures that elevate certain individuals and the responsibilities that may accompany such influence.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the ethics of celebrity culture.
More from Marlon Brando
All quotes →A sensitive person receives fifty impressions where somebody else may only get seven. Sensitive people are so vulnerable; they're so easily brutalized and hurt just because they are sensitive. The more sensitive you are, the more certain you are to be brutalized, develop scabs.Analysis helps. It helped me. But still, the last eight, nine years I've been pretty messed up, a mess pretty much.
I don't stretch my hand out anymore, but I never get tired of waiting for the next magic.
I put on an act sometimes, and people think I’m insensitive. Really, it’s like a kind of armor because I’m too sensitive. If there are two hundred people in a room and one of them doesn’t like me, I’ve got to get out.
Tell me, do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.
If you want something from an audience, you give blood to their fantasies. It's the ultimate hustle.
Similar quotes
Most young people were getting jobs in big companies, becoming company men. I wanted to be individual.
Resentment seems to have been given us by nature for a defense, and for a defense only! It is the safeguard of justice and the security of innocence.
Communication across the revolutionary divide is inevitably partial.
We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.
I am so afraid of people's words.They describe so distinctly everything: And this they call dog and that they call house, here the start and there the end. I worry about their mockery with words, they know everything, what will be, what was; no mountain is still miraculous; and their house and yard lead right up to God. I want to warn and object: Let the things be! I enjoy listening to the sound they are making. But you always touch: and they hush and stand still. That's how you kill.
We’re only here for a short while. And I think it’s such a lucky accident, having been born, that we’re almost obliged to pay attention.