Was it always my nature to take a bad time and block out the good times, until any success became an accident and failure seemed the only truth?
Lillian HellmanRead
I've always had great satisfaction out of writing the plays. I've not always had great satisfaction out of seeing them produced-although often I've had satisfaction there. When things go well in production, on opening there's no nicer feeling in the world-what could be nicer than watching an audience respond? You can't that from a book. It's a fine feeling to walk into the theater and see living people respond to something you've done.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The joy of writing plays surpasses the satisfaction of watching them performed, though the audience's response is incredibly rewarding.
Lillian Hellman's quote captures the dual nature of a playwright's experience. Creating plays brings a profound sense of fulfillment, yet the real joy often blooms when witnessing an audience engage with the work live. It emphasizes the unique connection and emotional reward that comes from seeing one's creations come to life, and how that response is irreplaceable compared to reading from a script.
Themes
WritingPlaysTheaterAudienceSatisfaction
In practice
Example use cases
A playwright may use this quote during a talk at a theater festival to emphasize the connection between artist and audience.
More from Lillian Hellman
All quotes →If I had to give young writers advice, I would say don't listen to writers talking about writing or themselves.
Lillian HellmanRead
It is best to act with confidence, no matter how little right you have to it.
Lillian HellmanRead
If you believe, as the Greeks did, that man is at the mercy of the gods, then you write tragedy. The end is inevitable from the beginning. But if you believe that man can solve his own problems and is at nobody's mercy, then you will probably write melodrama.
Lillian HellmanRead
Nobody knows what you want except you. And nobody will be as sorry as you if you don't get it. Wanting some other way to live is proof enough of deserving it. Having it is hard work, but not having it is sheer hell.
Lillian HellmanRead
Failure in the theater is more dramatic and uglier than any other form of writing. It costs so much, you feel so guilty.
Lillian HellmanRead
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