1310 quotes by dramatists for you to enjoy

I want to support the whole idea of the humanities and teaching the humanities as being something that - even if it can't be quantitatively measured as other subjects - it's as fundamental to all education. Tom Stoppard

Education Humanities Other Something Support Idea Subjects Being Want Teaching Measured Whole Even Fundamental

As a playwright, you can cover a lot of waterfront without being able to hold your own against an expert in any of those areas. I have no illusions about that. Tom Stoppard

You Own Playwright Waterfront Those Able About Area Without Cover Lot Any Being Hold Expert Against Your Illusions

Possibly because I did start off as a journalist, my starting point has always been that you've got to keep an audience with you. Whatever you're doing, you always want a script to be a page-turner. It's very important never, ever, to feel above that. Tom Stoppard

You Journalist Important Whatever Possibly Above Point Never Feel Because Audience Always Got Doing Been Off Very Did Want Script Keep Ever Start Starting Starting Point

When I was 20, in 1957, and maybe you would say I was old enough to know better, but nevertheless, I was completely nuts about Buddy Holly. And I loved pop bands that had absolutely no intellectual pretensions whatsoever. I loved the Monkees. Tom Stoppard

You Better Old Enough Say Nuts Would About Absolutely Had Buddy Buddy Holly Nevertheless Know Intellectual Bands Whatsoever Maybe Loved Old Enough Holly Pop Monkees

I once did a radio program with a famous materialist, that is to say a scientist who believed that absolutely everything was physical and that all emotions were reductive to little electrical impulses in your neurons. And I found that I didn't believe that. But what the emotions really are, I don't have an alternative theory. Tom Stoppard

Emotions Believe Everything Once Say Physical Neurons Absolutely Absolutely Everything Alternative Materialist Scientist Were Did Impulses Famous Little Really Your Electrical Theory Who Radio Found Believed Program

When you try to grasp the way the Western world is going, you see that we are on a ratchet towards a surveillance state, which is coming to include the whole population in its surveillance. This is our reward for accepting the restraints on the way we live now. Tom Stoppard

I don't act, I don't direct, I don't design. Tom Stoppard

Design Direct Act

If I see an actor in a role that is really terrifying, no matter how many times I meet him socially, I'm still frightened of him. I think he's going to hit me. Tom Stoppard

Chekhov directors and Chekhov actors love working on his plays because there seems to be no end to what you can find out about the micro-narrative when you're investigating a text. Tom Stoppard

Love You Out Find About Seems Directors Investigating Because Chekhov His Text End Working Actor Plays

I feel that when I began writing, I had a need to know more about the play before I got into it. I think that's the way I was thinking. But my actual experience is that the best way to find out what the structure is, is by writing the play out laterally. You just have got to be brave enough to start without knowing where you are going. Tom Stoppard

Best You Experience Writing Be Brave Before Think Thinking Enough I Think Way Out Find I Feel Best Way About Structure More Had Feel Know Knowing Without Got Began Brave Going Just Where Actual Play Actual Experience Start Need

From as long as, literally as far back as I can remember I've liked puns, word jokes, I can literally recall looking at a comic at the age of six or seven and I remember what I enjoyed and what it was precisely and how the joke worked. Tom Stoppard

People have quite a simple idea about 'Anna Karenina.' They feel that the novel is entirely about a young married woman who falls in love with a cavalry officer and leaves her husband after much agony, and pays the price for that. Tom Stoppard

Love Woman People Simple Husband Young Married Married Woman About Entirely Simple Idea Price Anna Idea Feel Leaves Cavalry Falls Officer Quite After Much Who Pays Agony Novel Her

In the period before the arrival of Mrs. Thatcher, politics had been in such low esteem. Everything was so hedged, so mealy-mouthed. Then along came this woman who seemed to have no manners at all and said exactly what she thought. Everyone's eyes were popping and their jaws were dropping, and I really enjoyed that. Tom Stoppard

Politics Woman Eyes Thought Before Manners Everyone Everything Exactly Exactly What Seemed Had Dropping Along Period She Said Arrival Came Were Been Thatcher Esteem Low Then Really Jaws Who Popping Enjoyed

I think of myself as a theater animal instead of an intellectual animal. Tom Stoppard

Myself Animal Think I Think Instead Intellectual Theater

My intention still is to write a play to commemorate, possibly rather skeptically, the 50th anniversary of the Russian revolution. I started it at the beginning of 1966, but confronted with the enormous importance and reality of that revolution, I absolutely boggle. I don't know what to do about it. Tom Stoppard

Reality Beginning Revolution Enormous Possibly About Russian Rather Absolutely Write Anniversary Importance Know Still Commemorate Intention Confronted Play Started

I like dialogue that is slightly more brittle than life. I have always admired and wished to write one of those 1940s film scripts where every line is written with a sharpness and economy that is frankly artificial. Tom Stoppard

I was interested by the idea that artists working in a totalitarian dictatorship or tsarist autocracy are secretly and slightly shamefully envied by artists who work in freedom. They have the gratification of intense interest: the authorities want to put them in jail, while there are younger readers for whom what they write is pure oxygen. Tom Stoppard

Work Freedom Dictatorship Pure Secretly Slightly Totalitarian Write Envied Put Idea Readers Authorities Intense Jail Artists Autocracy Oxygen Want While Interest Interested Them Younger Working Who Gratification Whom

I proudly tell people, 'I have no computer,' so as not to be ashamed of having no computer. Tom Stoppard

People Tell Having Computer Proudly Ashamed

Quotes by Dramatists