Quote of the day by Al Pacino: 'When you do it long enough, you want to keep yourself open. You can’t let your skin get too thick.' The Godfather actor’s lesson on overcoming failure and vulnerability

Quote of the Day by Al Pacino: Life can make people more experienced, but it can also make them more guarded. For Al Pacino, however, growing older and facing rejection should not mean shutting yourself off from the world. The legendary actor once shared a powerful thought about vulnerability, resilience and why people should not become so emotionally hardened that they stop feeling. His words offer a lesson that applies far beyond Hollywood, especially when failure, rejection or disappointment makes people reluctant to try again.

What did Al Pacino say about staying vulnerable?

During a 2015 interview with The Talks, Pacino was asked about dealing with the weight of his achievements and continuing to take on new challenges. Rather than viewing his career through the lens of past successes, the actor explained why he still wanted to take risks. He said: “When you do it long enough, you want to keep yourself open. You don’t want to close off because vulnerability is important. You can’t let your skin get too thick.”

Pacino connected the idea to his own approach to acting. He said that when a director showed interest in him, he tended to “lean forward instead of backing off”, particularly when an opportunity presented a risk or challenge. For him, vulnerability did not mean being weak. Instead, remaining open meant continuing to take chances, accepting that things could go wrong and being willing to get back up afterwards.

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Why did Pacino talk about ‘thick skin’?

Pacino's comments came while reflecting on the longevity of his career. He suggested that people can gradually become less sensitive to the world around them if they build too many emotional barriers. He illustrated the point by referring to Bertolt Brecht's In the Jungle of Cities, where the idea is explored through the metaphor of human skin becoming increasingly thick until people no longer feel what they encounter.

The comparison is particularly relevant to people who have experienced repeated rejection. Protecting yourself from disappointment can feel necessary, but Pacino's argument is that completely shutting yourself off can also mean losing the ability to recognise opportunities and experiences that matter.

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Al Pacino knows what rejection feels like

Pacino's advice carries extra weight because his own path to stardom was far from straightforward. Before The Godfather changed his career, the relatively unknown actor faced resistance from studio executives. Director Francis Ford Coppola, however, strongly supported Pacino for the role of Michael Corleone. In an excerpt from Pacino's memoir Sonny Boy, People reported that Paramount preferred bigger stars, including Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford and Warren Beatty. Coppola nevertheless continued pushing for Pacino.

His career also shows why persistence matters

Decades later, Pacino continued to pursue projects that were not necessarily easy to get made. His 2025 film Modì – Three Days on the Wing of Madness, directed by Johnny Depp, was the result of a project that had taken roughly 30 years to reach the screen. Speaking to The Guardian, Pacino reflected on the story of artist Amedeo Modigliani, who struggled with rejection and recognition during his lifetime. “There is that connection to rejection in all of us, so it gives audiences something they can relate to.” The project itself became an example of the persistence Pacino had spoken about years earlier. Despite repeatedly failing to get the film off the ground, he continued returning to the idea until circumstances finally allowed it to happen.

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What can we learn from Al Pacino's quote?

Pacino's message is ultimately about finding a balance between resilience and vulnerability. Experience can teach people how to handle disappointment, but it should not necessarily make them cynical or unwilling to take another chance. His own career illustrates that point. The actor faced rejection before his breakthrough, made choices he later considered mistakes and continued pursuing challenging projects decades into his career. The lesson behind his words is simple: getting stronger does not always mean building thicker walls. Sometimes, real strength lies in remaining open enough to feel, learn, take risks and begin again.