A handful of works in history have had a direct impact on social policy: one or two works of Dickens, some of Zola, 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' and, in modern drama, Larry Kramer's 'The Normal Heart.'
Tony KushnerRead
The theater requires an essential gullibility that you can't get through life without having. If all you can feel is skepticism-well , you meet people like this. Run away from them. They're not good people.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Belief and openness to experience are essential for engaging with life and art.
Tony Kushner emphasizes that the theater—and by extension, life itself—requires a certain level of trust and openness. A rigid skepticism can alienate individuals from the joy of shared experiences and connection; thus, those who approach life solely with skepticism are advised to be avoided, as they lack the capacity for genuine engagement and understanding.
Themes
TheaterGullibilitySkepticismTrustExperience
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the power of creativity, citing this quote can highlight the importance of belief.
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