You must not allow yourself to be advised, cautioned, influenced, persuaded

This...is an age of specialization, and in such an age the repertory theater is an anachronism, a ludicrous anachronism.

Idealistic producing is safe. Sensibly projected in the theater, the fine thing always does pay and always will.

The actor who lets the dust accumulate on his Ibsen, his Shakspere [sic], and his Bible, but pores greedily over every little column of theatrical news, is a lost soul.

You must make your own blunders, must cheerfully accept your own mistakes as part of the scheme of things.

...an actor is exactly as big as his imagination.

People whose understanding and taste in literature, painting, and music are beyond question are, for the most part, ignorant of what is good or bad art in the theater.

The essence of acting is the conveyance of truth through the medium of the actor's mind and person. The science of acting deals with the perfecting of that medium.

Because you can only die once but you can suffer forever.

The fine line between genius and madness is a punch line. Duck, you idiot!

Some people want what they are not willing to give.

You can make any promises as long as you are not going to be there to fulfill them.

He wouldn't give a duck a drink if he owned Lake Michigan.

Out-of-control emotions can make smart people stupid.

Even when I became the typical shy adolescent, I never minded performing. I felt there was a kind of safety, a protection about being on stage, about losing myself in another character.

That old funny-shaped bit of wood is still staring me in the face every day saying 'come on, you haven't started yet!' It's infinite.

I went drinking with Gray Powell and all I got was a lousy iPhone prototype.

Hence that general is skilful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skilful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.