Do you know what a playwright is? A playwright is someone who lets his guts hang out on the stage.
Edward AlbeeRead
Old people whimper, and cry, and belch, and make great hollow rumbling sounds at table; old people wake up in the middle of the night screaming, and find out they haven't even been asleep; and when old people are asleep, they try to wake up, and they can't... not for the longest time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the struggles and challenges faced by old age.
Edward Albee's quote poignantly captures the physical and emotional turmoil associated with aging. It confronts the reality of old age, where simple acts like eating and sleeping become laden with distress, highlighting the loneliness and suffering that can accompany this stage of life. The vivid imagery serves as a reminder of life's fragility and the inevitable decline that everyone faces.
Themes
AgingOld AgeSufferingLifeDecline
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about the emotional challenges of aging during a seminar for caregivers.
More from Edward Albee
All quotes →When a critic sets himself up as an arbiter of morality, a judge of the matter and not the manner of a work, he is no longer a critic; he is a censor.
Edward AlbeeRead
I am convinced that no one is fully educated without a full grounding in the arts.
Edward AlbeeRead
Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it.
Edward AlbeeRead
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 AlbeeRead
Your source material is the people you know, not those you don't know, but every character is an extension of the author's own personality.
Edward AlbeeRead
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