Sanford Meisner is an artmonk

Life beats down and crushes our souls and good acting, good theatre reminds everybody that we they one. At least the type of theatre that I’m interested in. You have the opportunity to literally change people’s lives if they work on material that stands for something. But these days, most actors enter the profession to become rich and famous. Well, being an actor was never supposed to be about fame and money. Until recently, being an actor is a religious calling because the serious actor took a vow of povery upon entering this profession. But it was worth it because you’ve been blessed with the opportunity to inspire humanity. Think about that on the way to your soap opera audition.

—Sanford Meisner, creator of the Meisner Technique of acting