In response to a question about when to think and when to act, Acharya Prashant explains that thinking is in itself an action. The idea that thought leads to action is a workable but not a deep enough way of looking at how our inner machine operates. He prefers to call thought 'subtle action' and the more manifest, physical action as 'gross action'. Nevertheless, both thought and action are in themselves actions, and therefore, there is a common actor behind them. This actor needs to be pure. The actor is realized and recognized by his intent; there is no other way to know the actor. Looking at the intent of the actor is the best way to unmask them, as the actor is adept at wearing misleading names. If asked directly, the actor might claim to be acting for charity or the good of others, with no self-interest. In such situations, one must investigate, interrogate, and most importantly, observe what the actor is really desiring out of the action. This process takes us closer to the real name and face of the actor. When the actor is right, then thought and action are not in conflict with each other. Conversely, when the actor is not right, there is an inner conflict in thoughts and an outer confusion in action. It is not possible for one to have clarity in thoughts but then 'goof up' when it comes to acting in the world; this is an inaccurate description of what might be happening. What one needs is inner clarity, and then both kinds of actions—the thought action and the physical action—will fall in line.