57 Sam Shepard Quotes for You to Enjoy

Sam Shepard

American Playwright

Born: Nov 5, 1943

Died: Jul 27, 2017

Great Life Me Think Writing You

Related authors: Arthur Miller August Wilson David Henry Hwang George C. Wolfe Howard E. Koch Katori Hall Lorraine Hansberry Lynn Nottage

Democracy's a very fragile thing. You have to take care of democracy. As soon as you stop being responsible to it and allow it to turn into scare tactics, it's no longer democracy, is it? It's something else. It may be an inch away from totalitarianism. Sam Shepard

Democracy You Care Totalitarianism Else Responsible Scare Something Something Else Tactics Take Allow Take Care Soon Longer Very May Stop Being Turn Being Responsible Inch Away Thing Fragile Fragile Thing

I feel like I've never had a home, you know? I feel related to the country, to this country, and yet I don't know exactly where I fit in... There's always this kind of nostalgia for a place, a place where you can reckon with yourself. Sam Shepard

Home You Yourself Country Related Reckon Kind Exactly Never Had Feel Like Know Always Fit Where Nostalgia Place

In real life we don't know what's going to happen next. So how can you be that way on a stage? Being alive to the possibility of not knowing exactly how everything is going to happen next - if you can find places to have that happen onstage, it can resonate with an experience of living. Sam Shepard

Life You Experience Resonate Real Life Stage Not Knowing Living Everything Way Alive Possibility Find Exactly Onstage Know Knowing How Real Going Being Happen Places Next

The great thing for me, now, is that writing has become more and more interesting. Not just as a craft but as a way into things that are not described. It's a thing of discovering. That's when writing is really working. You're on the trail of something, and you don't quite know what it is. Sam Shepard

I always thought the desert was the antithesis of peace - something that attacks you. So you don't go to the desert for peace. Sam Shepard

You Peace Thought Something Attacks Always Go Antithesis Desert

It's funny, in a way the actor is a writer. It's not like the two things are so separate as to be like apples and oranges. The writer and the actor are one. Sam Shepard

Funny Way Writer Like Oranges Separate Actor Apples Things Two

I stay away from heavy-handed stuff, the good guy and the bad guy. It just doesn't interest me; all it does is create more fences between people, I think. Sam Shepard

Good Me People Think Bad Stay Bad Guy Guy More Between Stuff Does Fences Just Heavy-Handed Interest Create Away Good Guy

I basically live out of my truck - I mean from place to place. I feel more at home in my truck than just about anywhere, which is a sad thing to say, but it's true. Sam Shepard

Sad Home Live Say Out About More Truck Sad Thing True Feel Than Just Place Which Anywhere Mean Thing Basically

Hollywood is geared toward teenage idiocy. Sam Shepard

Teenage Geared Toward Idiocy Hollywood

My dad had a lot of bad luck. You could see his suffering, his terrible suffering, living a life that was disappointing and looking for another one. Sam Shepard

Life You Suffering Bad Luck Looking Luck Living Bad See Could Had Disappointing Terrible Another His Lot Dad

The words I overuse are all adverbs. Sam Shepard

Words

A good actor always sets you straight. If you've written a false moment and thought it was probably pretty great, the actor's gonna show you when he gets to that moment. They're the great test of the validity of the material. Sam Shepard

I'm not in demand. I'm all washed up. Sam Shepard

Demand Up Washed

I don't get offered leading parts. I suppose I've become a kind of character actor or sideman. I think it had to do with probably in the '90s, I refused so many leading roles that they gave up on me, or I just became unpopular, or I became old. All those reasons. Sam Shepard

Character Me Old Become Think Gave Character Actor Those Kind Unpopular Had Leading Suppose Became Parts Up Offered Get Roles Just Refused Reasons Many Actor

To sing a song is quite different than to write a poem. I'm not and never will be a novelist, but to write a novel is not the same thing as writing a play. There is a difference in form, but essentially what you're after is the same thing. Sam Shepard

When you write a play, you work out like a musician on a piece of music. You find all the rhythms and the melody and the harmonies and take them as they come. Sam Shepard

Work Music You Harmonies Melody Musician Out Find Write Take Come Like Piece Rhythms Them Work Out Play

I'm still very much a believer in the spontaneity of certain kinds of writing. But then you have to eventually, when you're writing a long play, make adjustments along the way - all kinds of adjustments. Sam Shepard

You Writing Long Way Adjustment Kinds Along Spontaneity Make Still Very Then Much Certain Believer Eventually Play

I think a part of the reason that those early plays were short was that I just kept having these ideas, and I'd just go off and write them. I wasn't trying to write one-act plays - it's just how the ideas would be expressed. Every condition I was in seemed like it could be a play. Sam Shepard

Every Think Those Would Would-Be Seemed Having Could Write Part Like Ideas How Go Were Condition Off Trying Short Just Them Reason Expressed Play Early Kept Plays

I think without writing I would feel completely useless. Sam Shepard

Writing Think Would Feel Without Useless

All of the great writers whom I admire have died. I guess the most recent one would be Marquez. Sam Shepard

Great Guess Would Would-Be Admire Writers Most Died Whom Recent

I feel like the writers that I'm drawn to, the writers that I really cling to, are the writers who seem to be writing out of a desperate act. It's like their writing is part of a survival kit. Those are the writers that I just absolutely cherish and carry with me everywhere I go. Sam Shepard

Personality is everything that's false in a human: everything that's been added on to him and contrived. Sam Shepard

Personality Added Everything Him Been False Contrived Human

Sam Shepard Quotes

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