David MametAt the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre, Sanford Meisner said, 'When you go into the professional world, at a stock theatre somewhere, backstage, you will meet an older ac… ▶371LifePolitics
David MametIf the scene bores you when you read it, rest assured it WILL bore the actors, and will then bore the audience, and we're all going to be back in the breadline.372DeathReading
David MametI grew up in a tough neighborhood and we used to say you can get further with a kind word and a gun than just a kind word.362Philosophy
David MametIt's hard to write a good plot, it's very hard.352Love
David MametPolicemen so cherish their status as keepers of the peace and protectors of the public that they have occasionally been known to beat to death those citizens or groups who questio… ▶364Death
David MametI took the liberal view for many decades, but I believe I have changed my mind.375Thought
David MametPeople may or may not say what they mean... but they always say something designed to get what they want.364Humanity
David MametI look back on my liberal political beliefs with a sort of wonder - as another exercise in self-involvement - rewarding myself for some superiority I could not logically describe.… ▶343PoliticsReflection
David MametThe Oscars demonstrate the will of the people to control and judge those they have elected to stand above them (much, perhaps, as in bygone days, an election celebrated the same).… ▶365Humanity
David MametWhen we leave the play saying how spectacular the sets or costumes were, or how interesting the ideas, it means we had a bad time. ✨ David Mamet (2010). Theatre, p.142, Macm… ▶311ThoughtTime
David MametNo one enjoys being equal.344Humanity
David MametAs you all know first prize is a Cadillac El Dorado. Anyone wanna see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you're fired. ✨ Glengarry Glen Ross… ▶356Reflection
David MametAny claim to actual identification as a drama must rest upon the construction of a plot independent of the assignment of affliction to the protagonist.378Thought
David MametIt's only words... unless they're true. ✨ David Mamet (1988). Speed-the-plow: A Play, p.71, Grove Press312Truth
David MametIt’s not a lie. It’s a gift for fiction. ✨ State and Main. www.imdb.com. 2000.357Politics
David MametMy greatest fear is that the audience will beat me to the punch line.324Death
David MametI know very well what it is to be out of work and to be cheated by employers and I know what it is to be an employer.291Humanity
David MametA liberal pretending to be a conservative? That's like a straight person pretending to be gay to get greater acceptance. ✨ David Mamet On 'The Colbert Report’: 'Theate… ▶368Death
David MametLuck, if there is such a thing, is either going to favor everyone equally or going to exhibit a preference for the prepared. ✨ David Mamet (2011). True and False: Heresy and… ▶368Truth
David MametGet into the scene late; get out of the scene early. ✨ David Mamet (1991). On Directing Film, Penguin Group USA292Hope
David MametDo not internalize the industrial model. You are not one of the myriad interchangeable pieces, but a unique human being, and if you've got something to say, say it, and think well… ▶303HumanityThoughtTruth
David MametTrain yourself for a profession that does not exist. ✨ David Mamet (1986). Writing in restaurants, Viking Adult325Sadness
David MametEvery scene should be able to answer three questions: Who wants what from whom? What happens if they don't get it? Why now? ✨ Crossings: David Mamet’s Work in Differen… ▶336Reading
David MametArt is an expression of joy and awe. It is not an attempt to share one's virtues and accomplishments with the audience, but an act of selfless spirit. ✨ David Mamet (2011). … ▶292DeathTruth
David MametWhere in the wide history of the world do we find art created by the excessively wealthy, powerful, or educated? ✨ David Mamet (2011). True and False: Heresy and Common Sens… ▶369PoliticsTruth
David MametAnyone ever lost in the wild knows that nature wants you dead. ✨ David Mamet (2011). The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture, p.84, Penguin303Death
David MametDon't write stage directions. If it is not apparent what the character is trying to accomplish by saying the line, tell us how the character said it or whether or not she moved to… ▶358Death
David MametAny time two characters are talking about a third, the scene is a crock of s***.337Time
David MametOpportunity may knock, but it seldom nags. ✨ David Mamet (1986). Writing in restaurants, Viking Adult261Truth
David MametMixed martial arts was invented by Brazilians, whose families had been trained by the Japanese. Those Brazilians came to the U.S., where their invention was bought out, gussied up… ▶294Time
