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Act Quotes

On acting, performing, and the difference between talk and action.

This page gathers quotes that use the word act in different senses - the nervous energy of live performance, and the question of who should be trusted to act as an advocate in a courtroom. Readers who like these might also enjoy Just quotes.

For the impious act begets more after it, like to the parent stock.

Quotes by Aeschylus

I have a dual role as founder of AERIN and Image and Style Director of Estee Lauder. So work is a bit of a juggling act.

Quotes by Aerin Lauder

The word which denotes the act of baptizing, according to the usage of Greek writers, uniformly signifies or implies immersion.

Quotes by Adoniram Judson

The places chosen for the administration of the ordinance, and the circumstances attending those instances, in which the act of baptizing is particularly described in the New Testament, plainly indicate immersion.

Quotes by Adoniram Judson

Always Quotes

It never became an act in the sense of an act. It was always, no matter where we worked, little revues.

Quotes by Adolph Green

If you're a plumber, you plumb. I'm an actor. I act.

Quotes by Adam West

I always wanted to act.

Quotes by Adam Rickitt

Many ribosomes act simultaneously along the mRNA, forming superstructures called polysomes.

Quotes by Ada Yonath

I believe it is universally understood and acknowledged that all men will ever act correctly, unless they have a motive to do otherwise.

Abraham Lincoln

Just Quotes

The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep's throat, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty. Plainly, the sheep and the wolf are...

Abraham Lincoln

As our case is new, we must think and act anew.

Abraham Lincoln

These capitalists generally act harmoniously and in concert to fleece the people; and now that they have got into a quarrel with themselves, we are called upon to appropriate the people's money to settle the quarrel.

Abraham Lincoln

It's not enough to attend church and pray every Sunday; you have to act.

Quotes by Abbe Pierre

Nearly 75,000 Demand Progress members have urged Congress to fix the Patriot Act.

Quotes by Aaron Swartz

Know Quotes

I do not speak through my characters; it's not a ventriloquist act.

Quotes by Aaron Sorkin

You have to learn how to act a pop song. You have to find the balance of the pop from the pop song and the lyrical significance of the scene you are in.

Quotes by Aaron Lazar

One thing I really liked about David Winfield, man, just... the way he played the game, and such a class act he was on and off the field.

Quotes by Aaron Judge

When it gets down to it you just have to act.

Quotes by Aaron Eckhart

If a line of poetry strays into my memory, my skin bristles so that the razor ceases to act.

Quotes by A. E. Housman

Like Quotes

A liberal education is at the heart of a civil society, and at the heart of a liberal education is the act of teaching.

Quotes by A. Bartlett Giamatti

Frequently Asked Questions

What do these act quotes generally focus on?
This collection looks at "act" from several angles - performing, taking action, and stepping into a professional role. One quote captures pre-performance nerves plainly: "I'm still nervous every time I act. I'm not when I'm doing stunts." It's a reminder that acting and stunt work draw on very different kinds of confidence.
Is there a quote about courtroom advocacy?
Yes. One quote observes, "We are more casual about qualifying the people we allow to act as advocates in the courtroom than we are about licensing electricians," pointing out a gap in how seriously we vet legal professionals compared to tradespeople.
Does any quote touch on a legal or moral debate?
Yes - one quote reflects on a real legal debate over whether certain conduct should be treated as a protected right, arguing that doing so would "cast aside millennia of moral teaching." It's included here as a historical viewpoint on that debate, not an endorsement either way.
What's the quote about principle and motivation?
"We talk on principal, but act on motivation" draws a distinction between the values people claim to hold and the real reasons that drive their actions - a short, quotable observation on human behavior. For more short truths like this, see Know quotes.
Where can I find more quotes on similar everyday themes?
If these reflections on acting and motivation resonated with you, you might also enjoy Always quotes, Just quotes, or Like quotes for more short, thought-provoking lines.

A few lines here contrast what people talk about with what they actually do, a theme that shows up often across everyday reflection. For related reading, see Always quotes or Like quotes.