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Mike Nichols Quotes

The reason you do this stuff - comedy, plays, movies - is to be seized by something, to disappear in the service of an idea Picture Quote #1

I asked a shrink: ‘Everything is so great. Why am I still so angry?’ He said, ‘Anger doesn’t go away.’ I always thought it was kind of a good engine Picture Quote #1

It’s very, very corrupting to the spirit, doing comedy. And you have to be almost a saint, like Jack Benny was, like Steve Martin is, to avoid the corrupting of it, because there’s very little work where the actual work and the reward are simultaneous, and comedy is that Picture Quote #1

The reason that most British actors are better than most American actors in the end is that they don’t make any money. At the very end of their lives, they get into a space movie and they make a lot of money, but until that happens, basically, they don’t have bank accounts. They live from day to day Picture Quote #1

I am drawn to the mystery of marriage. You can never know what the contract is between two people, and that is a very strong subject. I think it may be my subject Picture Quote #1

All the theories that acting is reacting to imaginary circumstances as though they are real, and directing is turning psychology into behavior, those are all stabs at something that can’t be taught. All the great actors can’t talk about what they do, and they don’t want to begin to talk about it. They just do it Picture Quote #1

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I used to say that winning the Oscar means being back at the Beverly Hills Hotel at 1 A.M. feeling empty. It’s the industry voting. It doesn’t come from God. It doesn’t change your life, really Picture Quote #1

Streetcar’ is no longer about the moment at all. There is no Blanche DuBois anywhere; south, north, east or west. We don’t have Blanche DuBois at the moment. But we have Willy Loman; everywhere we look we see Willy Loman. We are Willy Loman. We’re on Facebook; we need to be known; we’re selling all the time Picture Quote #1

My first memory in the world is my gym teacher ripping my mother’s necklace off her neck and throwing it out the window and her running downstairs to go after it. I have no memory before that. I was 4. My father had a lot of girlfriends and my mother had a lot of boyfriends Picture Quote #1

The producers want us to sell, sell, sell. That’s my little joke. That’s what we do by day; by night, we’re artists Picture Quote #1

A great thing is happening on cable TV. You see characters change in stories over years, like in Tolstoy. That’s a whole, thrilling new form that I really enjoy. They are Tolstoy-an in their endless character development and narrative changes... a show like ‘Breaking Bad’ is astonishing Picture Quote #1

Catch-22’ was a nightmare to make, and everybody was unhappy except me Picture Quote #1

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I think the main thing about comedy and humor is that it’s impossible and always was impossible to define Picture Quote #1

That seems to me the great American danger we’re all in, that we’ll bargain away the experience of being alive for the appearance of it Picture Quote #1

If you lose a parent, it never goes away. As a kid, I dreamed about my father coming back for 15 or 20 years. I still do sometimes Picture Quote #1

Stand-up comedy is a very hard thing on the spirit. There are people who transcend it, like Jack Benny and Steve Martin, but in its essence, it’s soul-destroying. It tends to turn people into control freaks Picture Quote #1

I believed early and still believe that everybody who can act can do it already, just they don’t know how and don’t want to talk about it Picture Quote #1

Limitations are inspiring: they lead to thinking, so I don’t mind them Picture Quote #1

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I love the editing process of making movies. I just wish that life had one Picture Quote #1

Improvisation has to do with exploring something like two brothers in a room together. You find out things about situations by discovering the things that they aren’t saying. It’s a way to explore scenes. Sometimes it’s more useful than others, but it’s always there to see if there’s anything that you might improve Picture Quote #1

As a little kid in a sometimes hard place, I went to the movies as often as I could. Movies - making them, seeing them - is not something that could ever lose its pleasure for me. That puts them on a short list of things that eternally give me joy - love, family, food, movies Picture Quote #1

I don’t know that a political climate - as long as it’s still a free country - makes much difference in the film world Picture Quote #1

You can always tell gifted and highly intelligent people as they always turn to the past. Any young person who knows anything that happened before 1980, or 1990, or 2000 for that matter, is immediately someone who is intelligent, probably creative, maybe a writer. Nobody who is drawn to the past and learning about the past is not gifted Picture Quote #1

I was standing right behind Marilyn, completely invisible, when she sang ‘Happy birthday, Mr. President.’ And indeed, the corny thing happened: Her dress split for my benefit, and there was Marilyn, and yes, indeed, she didn’t wear any underwear Picture Quote #1

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When we talk about reviews, what we are really talking about is just a market report - it’s like reading about the new Lexus. You have to know what the guy writing the review cares about to understand his take. Does he like sports cars, or does he like Bentleys? Picture Quote #1

The degree to which you’re peculiar and different is the degree to which you must learn to hear people thinking. Just in self-defense you have to learn, where is their kindness? Where is their danger? Where is their generosity? Picture Quote #1

American society to me and my brother was thrilling because, first of all, the food made noise. We were so excited about Rice Krispies and Coca-Cola. We had only silent food in our country, and we loved listening to our lunch and breakfast Picture Quote #1

As a director, my job is, and always has been, divided into a number of things: dealing with the crew, the money and the studio, and the marketing and publicity. These are all different jobs that have to be learned and done as well as possible. The celebrity part rarely touches a director Picture Quote #1

I was just trying to make a nice little movie... It wasn’t until I saw it all put together that I realized this was something remarkable Picture Quote #1

All movies are pure process. A commercial movie isn’t less process than an art movie. You can’t make your decisions about a film on the basis of, ‘Is it important enough? Is it serious enough?’ It’s either alive or it’s not for me. If it’s alive, I want to do it Picture Quote #1

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Friendship Quotes

Motivational Quotes

Inspirational Quotes

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Text Quotes

The reason you do this stuff - comedy, plays, movies - is to be seized by something, to disappear in the service of an idea. (Mike Nichols Quotes) I asked a shrink: ‘Everything is so great. Why am I still so angry?’ He said, ‘Anger doesn’t go away.’ I always thought it was kind of a good engine. (Mike Nichols Quotes) It’s very, very corrupting to the spirit, doing comedy. And you have to be almost a saint, like Jack Benny was, like Steve Martin is, to avoid the corrupting of it, because there’s very little work where the actual work and the reward are simultaneous, and comedy is that. (Mike Nichols Quotes) The reason that most British actors are better than most American actors in the end is that they don’t make any money. At the very end of their lives, they get into a space movie and they make a lot of money, but until that happens, basically, they don’t have bank accounts. They live from day to day. (Mike Nichols Quotes) I am drawn to the mystery of marriage. You can never know what the contract is between two people, and that is a very strong subject. I think it may be my subject. (Mike Nichols Quotes) All the theories that acting is reacting to imaginary circumstances as though they are real, and directing is turning psychology into behavior, those are all stabs at something that can’t be taught. All the great actors can’t talk about what they do, and they don’t want to begin to talk about it. They just do it. (Mike Nichols Quotes) I used to say that winning the Oscar means being back at the Beverly Hills Hotel at 1 A.M. feeling empty. It’s the industry voting. It doesn’t come from God. It doesn’t change your life, really. (Mike Nichols Quotes) Streetcar’ is no longer about the moment at all. There is no Blanche DuBois anywhere; south, north, east or west. We don’t have Blanche DuBois at the moment. But we have Willy Loman; everywhere we look we see Willy Loman. We are Willy Loman. We’re on Facebook; we need to be known; we’re selling all the time. (Mike Nichols Quotes) My first memory in the world is my gym teacher ripping my mother’s necklace off her neck and throwing it out the window and her running downstairs to go after it. I have no memory before that. I was 4. My father had a lot of girlfriends and my mother had a lot of boyfriends. (Mike Nichols Quotes) The producers want us to sell, sell, sell. That’s my little joke. That’s what we do by day; by night, we’re artists. (Mike Nichols Quotes) A great thing is happening on cable TV. You see characters change in stories over years, like in Tolstoy. That’s a whole, thrilling new form that I really enjoy. They are Tolstoy-an in their endless character development and narrative changes... a show like ‘Breaking Bad’ is astonishing. (Mike Nichols Quotes) Catch-22’ was a nightmare to make, and everybody was unhappy except me (Mike Nichols Quotes) I think the main thing about comedy and humor is that it’s impossible and always was impossible to define. (Mike Nichols Quotes) That seems to me the great American danger we’re all in, that we’ll bargain away the experience of being alive for the appearance of it. (Mike Nichols Quotes) If you lose a parent, it never goes away. As a kid, I dreamed about my father coming back for 15 or 20 years. I still do sometimes. (Mike Nichols Quotes) Stand-up comedy is a very hard thing on the spirit. There are people who transcend it, like Jack Benny and Steve Martin, but in its essence, it’s soul-destroying. It tends to turn people into control freaks. (Mike Nichols Quotes) I believed early and still believe that everybody who can act can do it already, just they don’t know how and don’t want to talk about it. (Mike Nichols Quotes) Limitations are inspiring: they lead to thinking, so I don’t mind them (Mike Nichols Quotes) I love the editing process of making movies. I just wish that life had one. (Mike Nichols Quotes) Improvisation has to do with exploring something like two brothers in a room together. You find out things about situations by discovering the things that they aren’t saying. It’s a way to explore scenes. Sometimes it’s more useful than others, but it’s always there to see if there’s anything that you might improve. (Mike Nichols Quotes) As a little kid in a sometimes hard place, I went to the movies as often as I could. Movies - making them, seeing them - is not something that could ever lose its pleasure for me. That puts them on a short list of things that eternally give me joy - love, family, food, movies. (Mike Nichols Quotes) I don’t know that a political climate - as long as it’s still a free country - makes much difference in the film world. (Mike Nichols Quotes) You can always tell gifted and highly intelligent people as they always turn to the past. Any young person who knows anything that happened before 1980, or 1990, or 2000 for that matter, is immediately someone who is intelligent, probably creative, maybe a writer. Nobody who is drawn to the past and learning about the past is not gifted. (Mike Nichols Quotes) I was standing right behind Marilyn, completely invisible, when she sang ‘Happy birthday, Mr. President.’ And indeed, the corny thing happened: Her dress split for my benefit, and there was Marilyn, and yes, indeed, she didn’t wear any underwear. (Mike Nichols Quotes) When we talk about reviews, what we are really talking about is just a market report - it’s like reading about the new Lexus. You have to know what the guy writing the review cares about to understand his take. Does he like sports cars, or does he like Bentleys? (Mike Nichols Quotes) The degree to which you’re peculiar and different is the degree to which you must learn to hear people thinking. Just in self-defense you have to learn, where is their kindness? Where is their danger? Where is their generosity? (Mike Nichols Quotes) American society to me and my brother was thrilling because, first of all, the food made noise. We were so excited about Rice Krispies and Coca-Cola. We had only silent food in our country, and we loved listening to our lunch and breakfast. (Mike Nichols Quotes) As a director, my job is, and always has been, divided into a number of things: dealing with the crew, the money and the studio, and the marketing and publicity. These are all different jobs that have to be learned and done as well as possible. The celebrity part rarely touches a director. (Mike Nichols Quotes) I was just trying to make a nice little movie... It wasn’t until I saw it all put together that I realized this was something remarkable. (Mike Nichols Quotes) All movies are pure process. A commercial movie isn’t less process than an art movie. You can’t make your decisions about a film on the basis of, ‘Is it important enough? Is it serious enough?’ It’s either alive or it’s not for me. If it’s alive, I want to do it. (Mike Nichols Quotes)

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