1310 quotes by dramatists for you to enjoy

I've always been fascinated by the picaresque. David Mamet

Always Been Fascinated

Listen, here's the thing about an English degree - if you sat somebody down and asked them to make a list of the writers they admire over the last hundred years, see how many of them got a degree in English. David Mamet

You Degree Somebody Down Hundred Hundred Years Admire See About Writers Over Make Got How Years List Listen Them Asked English Many Sat Thing Here Last

In Chicago, we love our crooks! David Mamet

Love Our Crooks Chicago

I don't think there's any information to be gotten from television. David Mamet

Think Television Gotten Any Information

In my family, in the days prior to television, we liked to while away the evenings by making ourselves miserable, solely based on our ability to speak the language viciously. David Mamet

Family Speak Language Miserable Our Solely Television Ourselves Ability Days Liked Prior Making While Evenings Based Away

The poker player learns that sometimes both science and common sense are wrong; that the bumblebee can fly; that, perhaps, one should never trust an expert; that there are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of by those with an academic bent. David Mamet

Science Trust Sometimes Fly Sense Earth Bent Those Dreamt More Both Never Wrong Poker Academic Perhaps Learns Than Heaven Common Expert Common Sense Should Things Player

I didn't knowingly meet a conservative until, to my shame, I was 60 years old and sat down and said, 'Wow, I don't understand what this guy's talking about, but he has a great civility about him. Perhaps I better investigate this thing.' David Mamet

My definition of a 'friend' is, coming from Chicago, someone who says, 'Yeah, sure. You know what? Let's talk about what we can talk about. Let's help each other out. Your politics are none of my business.' David Mamet

My dad was a labour lawyer, and the ideas that I grew up with - bad management, bad capitalism, robber barons - when I applied this to my own life, I saw that we are all on both sides of the coin. David Mamet

Life Capitalism Management Lawyer Own Sides Saw Bad My Own Both Both Sides Robber Ideas Up Labour Grew Dad Applied Coin

The liberals in my neighbourhood wouldn't give away Brentwood to the Palestinians, but they want to give away Tel Aviv. David Mamet

Liberals Neighbourhood Give Want Away Palestinians

You can't write about history without writing about politics at some point. History is about movements of people. 'What is criminality and what is government' is a theme that runs through every history. David Mamet

Politics Government History You People Writing Every Criminality Runs Some About Point Through Write Without Movements Theme

I've been alienating my public since I was 20 years old. When 'American Buffalo' came out on Broadway, people would storm out and say, 'How dare he use that kind of language!' Of course I'm alienating the public! That's what they pay me for. David Mamet

A play is basically a long, formalistic polemic. You can write it without the poetry, and if you do, you may have a pretty good play. We know this because we see plays in translation. Not many people speak Norwegian or Danish or whatever guys like Ibsen spoke, or Russian - yet we understand Chekhov and the others. David Mamet

Good You People Speak Long Whatever Translation Others Danish See Pretty Pretty Good Russian Guys Poetry Write Spoke Polemic Like Know Because Without Chekhov Understand May Norwegian Many Play Basically Plays

Here's what happens in a play. You get involved in a situation where something is unbalanced. If nothing's unbalanced, there's no reason to have a play. If Hamlet comes home from school, and his dad's not dead and asks him if he's had a good time, it's boring. But if something's unbalanced, it must be returned to order. David Mamet

Time Good Home You School Good Time Situation Nothing Must Boring Unbalanced Something No Reason Had He Involved Dead Him Returned Hamlet His Get Where Order Happens Ask Reason Dad Play Here

The trouble with words is that you never know whose mouths they have been in. Dennis Potter

You Words Trouble Never Know Been Mouths Whose

To love it too much is to obscure and not see what is there. Dennis Potter

Love Too Much Too See Obscure To Love Much

That vision of a common culture is now simply a remote wistfulness. Dennis Potter

Culture Vision Simply Remote Common Now

Religion, you can't a handle on it, you just have to know or not know-people either believe or they don't believe. Dennis Potter

Religion You Believe Know Handle Just Either

It is a dangerous thing to have instant access to your emotions. Dennis Potter

Emotions Dangerous Dangerous Thing Instant Access Your Thing

Quotes by Dramatists