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Doing Quotes

On action, effort and the discipline of doing the work.

These lines describe doing in its many forms: the overlap between film and television production, the uncertainty built into research, and committing to work you believe in even without much recognition. For more, see our Action quotes.

I think the older I get, the less I should be doing.

Quotes by James Purefoy

One of the things I like about doing historical films is drawing the line between now and then.

Quotes by James Purefoy

We always have relationships in our lives with people we've fallen in love with, who come back into our lives, and we fall in love with them again and go, 'I shouldn't be doing this,' but you can't stop it.

Quotes by James Purefoy

I ran into my old friend Michael Kenneth Williams, who I worked with on a show called 'The Philanthropist' for NBC. He was going to be doing this show called 'Hap and Leonard.' He was playing Leonard, and they were...

Quotes by James Purefoy

I don't think I'll be doing a lot more commercials.

Quotes by James Nesbitt

The Theory of Groups is a branch of mathematics in which one does something to something and then compares the result with the result obtained from doing the same thing to something else, or something else to the same thing.

Quotes by James Newman

You can't operate a business running at a loss, and particularly if you're doing it by paying yourselves. It just doesn't fly.

Quotes by James P. Gorman

Jamie Dimon is doing a great job; J.P. Morgan is a great institution.

Quotes by James P. Gorman

My attempt at really doing classic sort of songwriting is Shins stuff.

Quotes by James Mercer

I think you always want to see your former clubs doing well.

Quotes by James Milner

The world's been pretty good at coming up with new ways of doing things.

Quotes by James Mirrlees

I don't prepare very well. I'm always sort of wrapped up in what I'm supposed to be doing in the moment, and then I suddenly appear someplace, and I'm really not prepared.

Quotes by James Murphy

I was doing 'Twin Peaks,' and Columbia called and said they wanted me to do 'Gladiator.' I thought it had the potential to be a real commercial film, so I was like a kid in a candy store.

Quotes by James Marshall

There's a lot of politics in television and a lot of in-fighting and all that sort of stuff, but in the end, we are purveyors of entertainment. Viewers are not really bogged down in who's doing what and who hates...

Quotes by James May

Picking up a guitar - I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

Quotes by James McCartney

Some artists are happy doing the same thing again and again, but my favorite artists are the ones who evolve and grow, and I want to be one of them.

Quotes by James McCartney

I don't think I was a hero. I was just doing my job.

Quotes by James McCloughan

I criticize those critics. The reason being that they're doing one of the worst things that ever can be done to an actor, which is to say, Look, you do what we like you to do or else.

Quotes by James Lipton

Olivier was another case of a genius, who couldn't understand why anybody would have any trouble doing this, because for him it came so easily.

Quotes by James Lipton

Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else.

Quotes by James M. Barrie

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does "doing" mean across these quotes?
The quotes use "doing" to describe the actual craft of working (film vs. TV production), following through on belief in your own work, playing certain kinds of roles, and even the nature of research itself.
Is there a quote comparing film and TV work?
Yes: "When you're doing the work, film and TV are exactly the same. TV is just film in reduced pieces." For more on taking action rather than just planning, see Action.
Is there a witty quote about research here?
Yes: "Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing" is a short, self-aware take on the research process.
Does this page include anything about acting roles or casting?
Yes, one quote describes being cast more often as a villain-type ("more Iago than Hamlet") while insisting the real goal is playing people doing the right thing rather than simple villains. For more on positive action, see Doing Good.
Is there a quote about believing in your own work despite doubt?
Yes, one recalls finding award shows hard to watch early in a music career, "because I believed in what I was doing" even while unsure of having a real shot. For more short, punchy takes on getting things done, see Doin or Doers.

Also see our Doing Good quotes for a values-driven angle, or Doers quotes celebrating people who take action.