I think the theatre is as essential to civilization as safe, pure water. Vanessa Redgrave More Quotes by Vanessa Redgrave More Quotes From Vanessa Redgrave Integrity is so perishable in the summer months of success. Vanessa Redgrave summersuccessintegrity You can't be striving to please; you must be striving to get to the heart of the matter. Vanessa Redgrave strivematterheart We all come to the theater with baggage; The baggage of our daily lives, the baggage of our problems, the baggage of our tragedies, the baggage of being tired. It doesn't matter what age you are. But if our hearts get opened and released - well, that's what theater can do, and does sometimes, and everyone is thankful when that happens. Vanessa Redgrave tiredtragedyheart The people I admire most are those who struggle for everyone. Vanessa Redgrave admirestrugglepeople Ask the right questions if you're going to find the right answers. Vanessa Redgrave asking-the-right-questionsasking-questionsanswers The arts stop society going rotten and mad. Vanessa Redgrave rottenmadart A conservative frame of mind is very limiting for an actor, and a human being, too. Vanessa Redgrave conservativeactorsmind Theater and poetry were what helped people stay alive and want to go on living. Vanessa Redgrave alivegoes-onpeople What I didn't understand was that the personal and the political go together. I felt at the time I had to sacrifice my children's present for their future. It seemed an either/or. I didn't realise that by being with one's own children I would have had a better understanding of the ones who are not my own. I was thinking of them but I didn't spend the time that they needed from me. It's a tribute to them that they came out so well. Vanessa Redgrave sacrificechildrenthinking The great writers like Chekhov know that tragedy and laughter are just a few steps from each other ... but it took me a long time as an actress to learn that. Actually Arthur Miller taught me in the Seventies. We were making a CBS TV drama of his play Playing for Time about Auschwitz but the characters were laughing. It was a big insight for me to realise that that was what's called gallows humour, in this case worse than the gallows, that humans need to laugh and make jokes in order to survive. Vanessa Redgrave laughtercharacterdrama One of the joys of cinema is that, given the right circumstances, and the genius director, an incredibly wonderfully actor can become the embodiment of his character. Vanessa Redgrave geniusjoycharacter What a script says that isn't dialogue is as important as the spoken word. Vanessa Redgrave spoken-worddialogueimportant One must never comment as an actor, never show that a character is shallow or vindictive, but let that be conveyed. I mean, none of us thinks of ourselves as being vindictive or shallow - perhaps we should. Vanessa Redgrave charactermeanthinking The stage is actor's country. You have to get your passport stamped every so often or they take away your citizenship. Vanessa Redgrave actorsactingcountry I give myself to my parts as to a lover. Vanessa Redgrave actingloversgiving On one occasion, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jeremy Irons and myself were due to appear at the Sarajevo film festival and were turned off a UN plane on orders from Geneva. We had to get local journalists to transport the films in for us. I tell you this only to demonstrate that festivals can be a lifeline. But, after all the difficulties I'd had in getting there, in 1996 I found myself being flown in on a four-seater RAF plane as an official guest, endorsed by the British Embassy. Ironically, the film I was to present was Mission: Impossible. Vanessa Redgrave rafironorder A theater is being given over to market forces, which means that a whole generation that should be able to do theater as well as see it is being completely deprived Vanessa Redgrave generationsablemean How can there be democracy if the leadership in the United States and Britain don't uphold the values which my father's generation fought the Nazis, millions of people gave their lives against the Soviet Union's regime, didn't they? Because of what? Democracy. And what democracy meant. No torture, no camps, no detention forever or without trial, without charges. In solitary confinement. Those techniques which are not just alleged, they have actually been written about by the FBI. I don't think it's being far left - I hope that I'm wrong to consider that it's far left to uphold the rule of law. Vanessa Redgrave lawfatherthinking I've opened my mouth on a lot of subjects. And I thought the more prestige you get, I'd have the power to do what I like. It's not true. Vanessa Redgrave prestigepowermouths As a mother you have got to have a view for now and a view for the future. Vanessa Redgrave viewsmother
