Quotes by Dramatist | Beyond Motive 3/74

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Quotes by Dramatist

"It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But... it is better to be good than to be ugly."

"It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But... it is better to be good than to be ugly."

Oscar Wilde, Irish Dramatist

30

"It's not the voting that's democracy; it's the counting."

"It's not the voting that's democracy; it's the counting."

Tom Stoppard, English Dramatist

Democracy, Voting

29

"The faults of the burglar are the qualities of the financier."

"The faults of the burglar are the qualities of the financier."

George Bernard Shaw, Irish Dramatist

29

"If God were suddenly condemned to live the life which He has inflicted upon men, He would kill Himself."

"If God were suddenly condemned to live the life which He has inflicted upon men, He would kill Himself."

Alexandre Dumas, French Dramatist

29

"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought And enterprises of great pith and moment With this regard their currents turn awry And lose the name of action."

"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought And enterprises of great pith and moment With this regard their currents turn awry And lose the name of action."

William Shakespeare, English Dramatist

Conscience, Truth, Wisdom, Life, Power

29

"It is easy to give advice from a port of safety."

"It is easy to give advice from a port of safety."

Friedrich Schiller, German Dramatist

29

"Written poetry is worth reading once, and then should be destroyed. Let the dead poets make way for others."

"Written poetry is worth reading once, and then should be destroyed. Let the dead poets make way for others."

Antonin Artaud, French Dramatist

Poetry, Poets, Reading, Worth

29

"Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars But in ourselves that we are underlings."

"Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars But in ourselves that we are underlings."

William Shakespeare, English Dramatist

Fate, Truth, Power, Life

28

"Love is like an hourglass, with the heart filling up as the brain empties."

"Love is like an hourglass, with the heart filling up as the brain empties."

Jules Renard, French Dramatist

28

"Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscribed In one self place, for where we are is hell, And where hell is there must we ever be."

"Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscribed In one self place, for where we are is hell, And where hell is there must we ever be."

Christopher Marlowe, English Dramatist

Hell, Limits, Self

28

"Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit."

"Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit."

Oscar Wilde, Irish Dramatist

28

"All that passes is raised to the dignity of expression; all that happens is raised to the dignity of meaning. Everything is either symbol or parable."

"All that passes is raised to the dignity of expression; all that happens is raised to the dignity of meaning. Everything is either symbol or parable."

Paul Claudel, French Dramatist

Dignity, Expression, Meaning, Symbol

28

"Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong."

"Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong."

Oscar Wilde, Irish Dramatist

28

"Medicine is my lawful wife and literature my mistress; when I get tired of one, I spend the night with the other."

"Medicine is my lawful wife and literature my mistress; when I get tired of one, I spend the night with the other."

Anton Chekhov, Russian Dramatist

Wife, Literature, Medicine, Night

28

"We all live in a house on fire, no fire department to call; no way out, just the upstairs window to look out of while the fire burns the house down with us trapped, locked in it."

"We all live in a house on fire, no fire department to call; no way out, just the upstairs window to look out of while the fire burns the house down with us trapped, locked in it."

Tennessee Williams, American Dramatist

28

"We have to distrust each other. It is our only defense against betrayal."

"We have to distrust each other. It is our only defense against betrayal."

Tennessee Williams, American Dramatist

Betrayal, Defense, Distrust

27

"I grew up in a tough neighborhood and we used to say you can get further with a kind word and a gun than just a kind word."

"I grew up in a tough neighborhood and we used to say you can get further with a kind word and a gun than just a kind word."

David Mamet, American Dramatist

27

"We give advice by the bucket, but take it by the grain."

"We give advice by the bucket, but take it by the grain."

Tom Stoppard, English Dramatist

27

"These flowers, which were splendid and sprightly, waking in the dawn of the morning, in the evening will be a pitiful frivolity, sleeping in the cold night's arms."

"These flowers, which were splendid and sprightly, waking in the dawn of the morning, in the evening will be a pitiful frivolity, sleeping in the cold night's arms."

Pedro Calderon, Spanish Dramatist

Dawn, Evening, Flowers, Night

27

"You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart."

"You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart."

John Ford, English Dramatist

27

"It's so easy for propaganda to work, and dissent to be mocked."

"It's so easy for propaganda to work, and dissent to be mocked."

Harold Pinter, English Dramatist

Work, Dissent, Propaganda

27

"Nothing succeeds like success."

"Nothing succeeds like success."

Alexandre Dumas, French Dramatist

Success, Nothing

27

"Patriotism is, fundamentally, a conviction that a particular country is the best in the world because you were born in it...."

"Patriotism is, fundamentally, a conviction that a particular country is the best in the world because you were born in it...."

George Bernard Shaw, Irish Dramatist

Politics, Patriotism, Country, Conviction, Birth

27

"Variety is the soul of pleasure."

"Variety is the soul of pleasure."

Aphra Behn, English Dramatist

Soul, Pleasure, Variety

27

"Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together."

"Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together."

Thomas Dekker, English Dramatist

26

"O thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no name to be known by, let us call thee devil."

"O thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no name to be known by, let us call thee devil."

William Shakespeare, English Dramatist

Devil, Name, Spirit, Wine

26

"Man can believe the impossible, but man can never believe the improbable."

"Man can believe the impossible, but man can never believe the improbable."

Oscar Wilde, Irish Dramatist

26

"There is no scandal like rags, nor any crime so shameful as poverty."

"There is no scandal like rags, nor any crime so shameful as poverty."

George Farquhar, Irish Dramatist

Crime, Poverty, Scandal

26

"When the patient loves his disease, how unwilling he is to allow a remedy to be applied."

"When the patient loves his disease, how unwilling he is to allow a remedy to be applied."

Pierre Corneille, French Dramatist

26

"A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal."

"A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal."

Oscar Wilde, Irish Dramatist

26

"Let me have war, say I: it exceeds peace as far as day does night; it's spritely, waking, audible, and full of vent. Peace is a very apoplexy, lethargy; mulled, deaf, sleepy, insensible; a getter of more bastard children than war's a destroyer of men."

"Let me have war, say I: it exceeds peace as far as day does night; it's spritely, waking, audible, and full of vent. Peace is a very apoplexy, lethargy; mulled, deaf, sleepy, insensible; a getter of more bastard children than war's a destroyer of men."

William Shakespeare, English Dramatist

Conflict, War, Peace, Truth, Wisdom

26

"Art is the daughter of freedom."

"Art is the daughter of freedom."

Friedrich Schiller, German Dramatist

Art, Daughter, Freedom

26

"When we speak the word "life," it must be understood we are not referring to life as we know it from its surface of fact, but to that fragile, fluctuating center which forms never reach."

"When we speak the word "life," it must be understood we are not referring to life as we know it from its surface of fact, but to that fragile, fluctuating center which forms never reach."

Antonin Artaud, French Dramatist

Life, Fact, Word

25

"I think that feeling that if one believed absolutely in any cause, then one must have the confidence, the self-certainty, to go through with that particular course of action."

"I think that feeling that if one believed absolutely in any cause, then one must have the confidence, the self-certainty, to go through with that particular course of action."

Wole Soyinka, Nigerian Dramatist

Action, Cause, Confidence, Feeling

25

"Satire is what closes on Saturday night."

"Satire is what closes on Saturday night."

George S. Kaufman, American Dramatist

25

"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative."

"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative."

Oscar Wilde, Irish Dramatist

25

"Happy he who learns to bear what he cannot change."

"Happy he who learns to bear what he cannot change."

Friedrich Schiller, German Dramatist

25

"And I believe that the best learning process of any kind of craft is just to look at the work of others."

"And I believe that the best learning process of any kind of craft is just to look at the work of others."

Wole Soyinka, Nigerian Dramatist

25

"To gain a crown by fighting is great, to reject it divine."

"To gain a crown by fighting is great, to reject it divine."

Friedrich Schiller, German Dramatist

Fight, Fighting, Gain

25

"All things must; man is the only creature that wills."

"All things must; man is the only creature that wills."

Friedrich Schiller, German Dramatist

25

"My second play, The Birthday Party, I wrote in 1958 - or 1957. It was totally destroyed by the critics of the day, who called it an absolute load of rubbish."

"My second play, The Birthday Party, I wrote in 1958 - or 1957. It was totally destroyed by the critics of the day, who called it an absolute load of rubbish."

Harold Pinter, English Dramatist

Birthday, Party, Play

25

"It's only words... unless they're true."

"It's only words... unless they're true."

David Mamet, American Dramatist

25

"If the writing is honest it cannot be separated from the man who wrote it."

"If the writing is honest it cannot be separated from the man who wrote it."

Tennessee Williams, American Dramatist

25

"All for one and one for all, united we stand divided we fall."

"All for one and one for all, united we stand divided we fall."

Alexandre Dumas, French Dramatist

Unity, Strength, Action, Teamwork

25

"Well, first of all I'll say that I come alive best in theater."

"Well, first of all I'll say that I come alive best in theater."

Wole Soyinka, Nigerian Dramatist

25

"Silence is the most perfect expression of scorn."

"Silence is the most perfect expression of scorn."

George Bernard Shaw, Irish Dramatist

Expression, Silence

25

"One way of looking at speech is to say it is a constant stratagem to cover nakedness."

"One way of looking at speech is to say it is a constant stratagem to cover nakedness."

Harold Pinter, English Dramatist

25

"Weaving spiders, come not here, Hence, you long legged spinners, hence! Beetles black, approach not here, worm nor snail, do no offense."

"Weaving spiders, come not here, Hence, you long legged spinners, hence! Beetles black, approach not here, worm nor snail, do no offense."

William Shakespeare, English Dramatist

Nature, Warning, Wisdom, Life

25

"Ambition should be made of sterner stuff."

"Ambition should be made of sterner stuff."

William Shakespeare, English Dramatist

25

"I have heard people eat most heartily of another man's meat, that is, what they do not pay for."

"I have heard people eat most heartily of another man's meat, that is, what they do not pay for."

William Wycherley, English Dramatist

25

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