The health of a nation, a society, can be determined by the art it demands. We have insisted of television and our movies that they not have anything to do with anything, that they be our never-never land; and if we demand this same function of our live theatre, what will be left of the visual-auditory arts - save the dance (in which nobody talks) and music (to which nobody listens)?

Edward Albee

More Quotes by Edward Albee
Categorized in : Art Land Live Theatre
More Quotes From Edward Albee

The arts are the only things that separate us from the other animals. The arts are not decorative. ... They are essential to our comprehension of consciousness and ourselves.

Edward Albee
essentials animal art
If you're willing to fail interestingly, you tend to succeed inte... by Edward Albee

If you're willing to fail interestingly, you tend to succeed interestingly.

Edward Albee
success motivational inspirational

I think we should all live on the precipe of life, as fully and as dangerously as possible. Everyone should make the assumption that they're going through life only once. Tomorrow we die. Why not take chances, extend yourself? How awful it is when a person comes to the end of life full of regret.

Edward Albee
why-not regret thinking

I think I was probably wondering, having looked at human beings for a long time, wondering if evolution ever took place. And I still have my doubts.

Edward Albee
doubt long thinking
School curricula that ignore the arts produce highly educated Bar... by Edward Albee

School curricula that ignore the arts produce highly educated Barbarians

Edward Albee
music art school

Sometimes it's necessary to go a long distance out of the way in order to come back a short distance correctly.

Edward Albee
philosophical distance philosophy

The condition of the theater is always an accurate measure of the cultural health of a nation. A play always exists in the present tense (if it is a valuable one), and its music -- its special noise -- is always contemporary. The most valuable function of the theater as an art form is to tell us who we are, and the health of the theater is determined by how much of that we want to know.

Edward Albee
special play art

You're alive only once, as far as we know, and what could be worse than getting to the end of your life and realizing you hadn't lived it?

Edward Albee
realizing alive ends

Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf means who's afraid of the big bad wolf ... who's afraid of living life without false illusions.

Edward Albee
virginia live-life mean

The act of writing is an act of optimism. You would not take the trouble to do it if you felt that it didn't matter.

Edward Albee
optimism matter writing

It is not enough to hold the line against the dark. It is your responsibility to lead into the light. People don't like the light--it reveals too much. But hand in hand with the creative artist, you can lead people into the wisdom that is known to all other animals: simply, that it is the dark we have to fear.

Edward Albee
artist responsibility dark

All serious art is being destroyed by commerce. Most people don't want art to be disturbing. They want it to be escapist. I don't think art should be escapist. That's a waste of time.

Edward Albee
people art thinking
People often ask me how long it takes me to write a play, and I t... by Edward Albee

People often ask me how long it takes me to write a play, and I tell them 'all of my life.'

Edward Albee
play writing long

One must let the play happen to one; one must let the mind loose to respond as it will, to receive impressions, to sense rather than know, to gather rather than immediately understand.

Edward Albee
mind play fun

Remember one thing about democracy. We can have anything we want and at the same time, we always end up with exactly what we deserve.

Edward Albee
democracy politics time

A playwright has a responsibility in his society not to aid it, or comfort it, but to comment and criticize it.

Edward Albee
aids responsibility comfort
Art has an obligation to offend by Edward Albee

Art has an obligation to offend

Edward Albee
obligation art

In a democracy you cannot stop public access to that art that will most misinform the people. You cannot stop people from being misinformed. But what you can do is to educate the people to the point that they will throw the rascals out.

Edward Albee
democracy people art

I am sick of the disparity between things as they are and as they should be. I'm tired.I'm tired of the truth and I'm tired of lying about the truth.

Edward Albee
tired sick lying
That's the happiest moment. When it's all done. When we stop. Whe... by Edward Albee

That's the happiest moment. When it's all done. When we stop. When we can stop.

Edward Albee
moments done