41 Mike Nichols Quotes for You to Enjoy

Mike Nichols

German Director

Born: Nov 6, 1931

Died: Nov 19, 2014

About Comedy Great Me People You

Related authors: Douglas Sirk Leni Riefenstahl Lexi Alexander Rainer Werner Fassbinder Til Schweiger Werner Herzog Wim Wenders

There are absolutely almost perfect people who experience no guilt; they don't know what it is. They simply do what they need to do - or want to do - next. They see nothing wrong with it. They feel no guilt. They express no guilt. And it's not even certain what harm they do. Mike Nichols

Limitations are inspiring: they lead to thinking, so I don't mind them. Mike Nichols

Mind Thinking Inspiring Lead Limitations Them

You can always tell gifted and highly intelligent people as they always turn to the past. Any young person who knows anything that happened before 1980, or 1990, or 2000 for that matter, is immediately someone who is intelligent, probably creative, maybe a writer. Nobody who is drawn to the past and learning about the past is not gifted. Mike Nichols

You Creative Learning People Matter Past Before Young Immediately Drawn Gifted Tell About Someone Writer Highly Nobody Knows Always Intelligent Intelligent People Person Any Maybe Anything Happened Young Person Turn Who

Never let people see what you want, because they will not let you have it. Never let anybody see what you feel, because it gives them too much power. You're probably better off not showing weakness whenever you can avoid it, because they'll go for you. Mike Nichols

The degree to which you're peculiar and different is the degree to which you must learn to hear people thinking. Just in self-defense you have to learn, where is their kindness? Where is their danger? Where is their generosity? Mike Nichols

Kindness You People Degree Self-Defense Thinking Danger Must Generosity Learn Hear Hear People Just Where Different Which Peculiar

I've learned that many of the worst things lead to the best things, that no great thing is achieved without a couple of bad, bad things on the way to them, and that the bad things that happen to you bring, in some cases, the good things. Mike Nichols

I was standing right behind Marilyn, completely invisible, when she sang 'Happy birthday, Mr. President.' And indeed, the corny thing happened: Her dress split for my benefit, and there was Marilyn, and yes, indeed, she didn't wear any underwear. Mike Nichols

Birthday Happy President Corny Benefit Indeed Wear Dress Split Invisible She Underwear Yes Any Behind Happened Happy Birthday Sang Standing Her Right Thing Marilyn

I don't expect anything from reviews. Sometimes I am bemused by them. Mike Nichols

Sometimes Am Reviews Expect Anything Them

A great thing is happening on cable TV. You see characters change in stories over years, like in Tolstoy. That's a whole, thrilling new form that I really enjoy. They are Tolstoy-an in their endless character development and narrative changes... a show like 'Breaking Bad' is astonishing. Mike Nichols

Great Character You Change Enjoy Changes Astonishing Character Development Characters TV Bad See Thrilling Cable Cable TV Development Over New Like Great Thing Narrative Years Endless Form Stories Happening Breaking Breaking Bad Really Show Whole Tolstoy Thing

I never understand when people say, 'Do you do comedy or tragedy?' I don't think they're very much different. They both have to be true, and there isn't a great play in the world that doesn't have funny parts to it - as 'Salesman' does, as 'King Lear' does. The whole idea is to reflect life in some way, which means surely you have to have both. Mike Nichols

Life Funny Great You People World Comedy King Be True Reflect Think Way Say People Say Some King Lear Both Never True Idea Lear Parts Surely Understand Does Salesman Tragedy Very Different Which Much Means Whole Play

I loved all movies, literally. I certainly loved 'Shane' and 'Roxie Hart.' Later on, when I was less of a kid, I loved 'L'Avventura' and 'Persona' and all Fellini movies and like everybody else I loved John Ford. Then and now, I loved Preston Sturges, maybe above anyone. Mike Nichols

Everybody Everybody Else Else Later Kid Hart John John Ford Above Shane Like Fellini Ford Persona Maybe Anyone Literally Loved Movies Then Certainly Less Now

I had a high school girlfriend whose mother gave us theater tickets, so I saw the second night performance of 'A Streetcar Named Desire.' My girl and I could not get up during intermission, we were so stunned. To this day it's the only thing I've seen on stage that's 100 percent real and 100 percent poetic simultaneously. Mike Nichols

Day School Mother Girl Seen Stage Gave Saw High High School Girlfriend Percent Only Poetic Could Had Performance Simultaneously Named Stunned Tickets Real Were Up Get The Only Thing Theater Us Intermission Whose Thing Streetcar Second Desire Night

I'm anything but confident. Mike Nichols

Confident Anything

Directing is mystifying. It's a long, long, skid on an icy road, and you do the best you can trying to stay on the road... If you're still here when you come out of the spin, it's a relief. But you've got to have the terror if you're going to do anything worthwhile. Mike Nichols

Best You Long Out Relief Worthwhile Stay Spin Directing Road Come Terror Got Still Trying Going Anything Icy Here

I am drawn to the mystery of marriage. You can never know what the contract is between two people, and that is a very strong subject. I think it may be my subject. Mike Nichols

You Marriage People Strong Think Drawn Mystery Never Between Know Am Subject Contract Very May Two Two People

As a director, my job is, and always has been, divided into a number of things: dealing with the crew, the money and the studio, and the marketing and publicity. These are all different jobs that have to be learned and done as well as possible. The celebrity part rarely touches a director. Mike Nichols

Director Money Job Crew Marketing Possible Has-Been Jobs Rarely Divided Part Studio Well Learned Dealing Always Been Celebrity Done Different Publicity Things Number

My father wasn't too crazy about me. I loved him anyway. One of the things I regretted for a long time was that he died before he could see that he would be proud of me. I was actually more what he wished for than he thought. Mike Nichols

Time Me Crazy Father Thought Long Long Time Before Too One Of The Things Would Would-Be See About More Could He Wished Him Proud Than Died Loved Anyway Regretted Actually Things

The reason that most British actors are better than most American actors in the end is that they don't make any money. At the very end of their lives, they get into a space movie and they make a lot of money, but until that happens, basically, they don't have bank accounts. They live from day to day. Mike Nichols

Day Money Better Space Live Day-To-Day Most Until Make Lot End Very Than Accounts Get American Any Bank Movie In The End Happens Reason Actor Lives Basically British British Actors

A movie is like a person. Either you trust it or you don't. Mike Nichols

You Trust Like Person Movie Either

American society to me and my brother was thrilling because, first of all, the food made noise. We were so excited about Rice Krispies and Coca-Cola. We had only silent food in our country, and we loved listening to our lunch and breakfast. Mike Nichols

Food Me Noise Listening Made First Country Breakfast Lunch Society Our Silent Brother About Only Thrilling Had Excited First Of All Because Were American Loved Rice American Society Coca-Cola

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