I don't mean being famous is a perk, because one knows that it's not necessarily a perk, but there are certain perks to being well-known and respected in one's field. Public perks. Like, I don't know, general friendliness and willingness to please, just to point out two.
I had two ambitions: One was to be in The Actors Studio, and the other was to walk into a bar where actors hung out, and everyone would know that I was a professional actor and I would be accepted.
Being a musician is a noble profession.
My return to public life in a subordinate station is disagreeable to my family, and disapproved by some of my friends.
After serving as President, Adams won a seat in the House of Representatives, to the chagrin of his family:
Admittedly, scientific authority is not distributed evenly throughout the body of scientists; some distinguished members of the profession predominate over others of a more junior standing.
Only black people in the whole neighborhood, so let's break it down: Me, I'm a decent comedian, I'm a'ight. Mary J. Blige, one of the greatest R&B singers to ever walk the Earth. Jay-Z, one of the greatest rappers to ever live. Eddie Murphy, one of the funniest actors to ever, ever do it. Do you know what the white man that lives next door to me does for a living? He's a f*****g dentist.
When I signed that USL contract, my perspective changed on me being a professional footballer. That was my goal ever since I was young. I never thought I could achieve it, but that's when it clicked in my head that I can really go far in the sport.
In Hungary acting is a profession. In America it is a decision.
I have known people who are working class or craftsmen, who happen to be more intellectual than professors.
Why should someone be allowed to remain a voting member of the Academy if they are no longer active in the industry?
Teaching is the profession that makes all other professions possible and yet we do not treat teachers as professionals.
A chair's function is not just to provide a place to sit; it is to provide a medium for self-expression. Chairs are about status, for example. Or signalling something about oneself. That's why the words chair, seat and bench have found themselves used to describe high status professions, from academia to Parliament to the law.
I am a businessman.
I don't know why people feel the need to do this to me, but my friend asked my dad, 'Aren't your proud of Jimmy now that he's a successful actor?' And my dad was like, 'No, not really. I wish he was a scientist.' I guess scientist is more noble in the Asian culture.
My brother is gay and my parents don't care, as long as he marries a doctor.
I've been a reporter for 20 years, and I don't ever get things wrong. That's important in terms of my professional status.
I have a pathetic urge at some stage in my life to be able to pull out my wallet and pull out a little card on which it would say, 'Kenneth Branagh, artistic director.'
I started submitting stories for publication when I was about 15, but it was many years before I sold anything. I don't make my living writing science fiction, so in that sense, I'm still not a pro.
Journalism was looked upon as a more noble thing than it is now. I don't know if it carries the same cachet that it did then.
I've had menial jobs, and 'professional writer' isn't one of them.
I can finally say I'm a professional actress.
They're still considered Olympic eligibles, so there's never an issue whether they're going to turn pro or not. When they get to that level, money is never an issue. They make so much money now.
One thing is clear, everyone, no matter what their professional or material status, no matter what their influence on various state structures, must obey the law.
I've never really had a hobby, unless you count art, which the IRS once told me I had to declare as a hobby since I hadn't made money with it.
At one point, I had a story accepted at the 'New Yorker,' which sent off weird bells in people when I told them - 'Oh,' they thought, 'now you are a writer' - where I really had been for the last 30-odd years.