That's one of the great things about being an actor. You get to

“That’s one of the great things about being an actor. You get to learn all these things normal people don’t get to learn.” — Jason Momoa

There are some words that, though spoken lightly, carry the wisdom of entire journeys. When Jason Momoa uttered these, he spoke not merely of acting, but of the human quest for understanding, the hunger to live a thousand lives within a single one. His quote reveals a truth older than any stage or screen: that the art of embodying another soul—of stepping beyond oneself—is among the highest paths of learning. The actor, in this light, becomes a traveler between worlds, a student of hearts, and a mirror for all humanity.

In the days of old, before the screen or script, the ancient storytellers and tragedians of Greece walked this same road. They wore masks not to hide, but to reveal—the face of kings, of beggars, of gods, and fools alike. In becoming many, they sought to understand the One—the essence of human nature itself. To learn through becoming, as Momoa describes, is a divine apprenticeship. It teaches empathy, courage, and humility—the realization that every person carries a truth worth knowing, a struggle worth feeling.

For Momoa, this wisdom was not forged in ease. From his days of hardship and perseverance, he grew to see that acting was not a mask, but a doorway to experience. To play warriors, poets, wanderers, and kings is to step into the hearts of countless lives and to absorb the lessons of each. When he prepared for roles like Aquaman or Khal Drogo, he did not merely memorize words; he learned the movements, histories, and spirits of cultures real and imagined. He surfed the seas, trained his body, studied the strength of silence and the poetry of presence. Through this craft, he learned what few ever glimpse: that to understand another life is to expand one’s own.

The ancients would have called this the pursuit of arete—excellence of soul through experience. The actor, like the philosopher, seeks to touch truth by living fully, by exploring not only the bright heights of joy but the dark caverns of sorrow. In the theater of existence, the wise know that every emotion is a teacher. Thus, Momoa’s words remind us that learning is not confined to books or classrooms; it is lived through the daring act of stepping into the unknown, of saying, “Let me feel what others feel.”

But let us look beyond the art itself, for his quote speaks to all who wish to live deeply. One need not be an actor to practice this sacred art of empathy. Every day, the world offers roles to play—mentor, friend, stranger, lover, healer. Each encounter is a script unwritten, and each person you meet is a story waiting to be understood. When you listen, when you imagine yourself in another’s place, you perform the greatest act of learning. You expand the boundaries of your own consciousness. You become, in a sense, the actor of the soul.

There is a powerful truth here: to live many lives within one is the secret of wisdom. Too often, we walk through the world imprisoned by the walls of self—our opinions, fears, and familiar patterns. But those who, like Momoa, choose to learn from every life they touch, discover that the world is vast beyond imagining. They see that every craft, every story, every person holds a piece of the eternal puzzle. The actor, then, is not merely a performer; he is a seeker of wholeness through understanding.

So remember this, O listener and learner of the world: do not pass through life wearing only one mask. Step into the shoes of others—not to lose yourself, but to find yourself more fully. Learn from every role life offers you, from every trial, every joy, every encounter. For in doing so, you will know, as Jason Momoa knows, that the greatest education is the art of becoming many things and still remaining true to your spirit.

And when your time upon the stage of life draws to its close, may you look back and say, as all the wise have before you: “I have lived a thousand lives. I have learned what it means to be human.” For that, indeed, is the deepest calling of us all—to learn endlessly, to feel deeply, and to become great through the courage of understanding.