1515 quotes by playwrights for you to enjoy

I don't write political plays in the sense that I'm writing essays that are kind of disguised as plays. I would really defy anyone to watch any of my plays and say 'Well, here's the point.' Tony Kushner

Writing Political Sense Say Kind Defy Would Point Write Well Essays Any Disguised Anyone Really Watch Here Plays

I write plays and movies, I live and work at the borderline between word and image just as any cartoonist or illustrator does. I'm not a pure writer. I use words as the score for kinetic imagistic representations. Tony Kushner

Who knows better than artists how much ugliness there is on the way to beauty, how many ghastly, mortifying missteps, how many days of granitic blockheadedness and dismaying ineptitude there is on the way to accomplishment, how partial all accomplishment is, how incomplete? Tony Kushner

Better Beauty Incomplete Way Ghastly Partial Days Knows How How Much Ugliness Accomplishment Than Artists Much Who Many

I try to write fun - though difficult and challenging - things for actors to do, because I know if they're having fun, they're going to give it everything they got. Tracy Letts

Try Difficult Everything Though Give Having Having Fun Write Know Because Got Going Fun Actor Challenging Things

After the success of 'August,' there were people saying I should change my life. And maybe I should have bought a yacht and traveled the world instead of returning to Steppenwolf to act in and write plays. But I'm from the Midwest, and that's what we do: We go back to work. Tracy Letts

Life Success Work Saying Change People World My Life Back Write Bought Instead Steppenwolf Yacht Returning Go Were August Maybe After Midwest Should Act Traveled Plays

I grew up in a small town, in a small community, and I would not have had access to great plays when I was a kid were it not for the films of 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' and 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.' Tracy Letts

When I write a play, and we read it for the first time, the great fear is that everybody is going to say, 'You're a bum and you can't write. This stinks.' and throw the script in the garbage. The great hope is that they're all going to lift me up on their shoulders and carry me to the streets, singing, 'He's a genius, he's a genius!' Tracy Letts

Hope Time Great Me You Genius Fear First Singing Garbage Everybody Say Great Hope Carry Throw Write Lift He Read First Time Stinks Bum Up Going Script Shoulders Play Streets

To live happily with other people, ask of them only what they can give. Tristan Bernard

People Live Other Give Only Happily Them Ask

The trouble with young writers is that they are all in their sixties. W. Somerset Maugham

Trouble Young Writers Sixties Young Writers

It is salutary to train oneself to be no more affected by censure than by praise. W. Somerset Maugham

Oneself More Praise Affected Train Salutary Than Censure

A man marries to have a home, but also because he doesn't want to be bothered with sex and all that sort of thing. W. Somerset Maugham

Home Man Sex Bothered He Also Sort Because Want Thing

In Hollywood, the women are all peaches. It makes one long for an apple occasionally. W. Somerset Maugham

Women Long Occasionally Makes Women Are Hollywood Peaches Apple

The writer of prose can only step aside when the poet passes. W. Somerset Maugham

Poet Only Writer Step Prose Passes Aside

The great American novel has not only already been written, it has already been rejected. W. Somerset Maugham

Great Great American Only Written Been American Novel Rejected

Anyone can tell the truth, but only very few of us can make epigrams. W. Somerset Maugham

Truth Few Tell Only Make Very Anyone Us

Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, build up its institutions, promote all its great interests, and see whether we also, in our day and generation, may not perform something worthy to be remembered. W. Somerset Maugham

Day Great Generation Build Our Resources Worthy Promote See Something Develop Remembered Perform Institutions Also Powers Call Up May Whether Land Forth Us Interests Let Us

Marriage is a very good thing, but I think it's a mistake to make a habit out of it. W. Somerset Maugham

Good Marriage Mistake Think Out Habit Good Thing Make Very Thing

It is an illusion that youth is happy, an illusion of those who have lost it. W. Somerset Maugham

Happy Youth Illusion Lost Those Who

It seems that the creative faculty and the critical faculty cannot exist together in their highest perfection. W. Somerset Maugham

Together Creative Critical Seems Faculty Highest Perfection Exist Cannot

Sentimentality is the only sentiment that rubs you the wrong way. W. Somerset Maugham

You Sentiment Rubs Way Only Wrong Wrong Way Sentimentality

Habits in writing as in life are only useful if they are broken as soon as they cease to be advantageous. W. Somerset Maugham

Life Broken Writing Only Habits Soon Cease Useful

Don't live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable. Wendy Wasserstein

Down Live Out Something Remarkable Go Expectations

Quotes by Playwrights