Laurence Olivier Quotes
"When you're a young man, Macbeth is a character part. When you're older, it's a straight part."
- Laurence Olivier
(Related: Character, Man)
"We have all, at one time or another, been performers, and many of us still are - politicians, playboys, cardinals and kings."
- Laurence Olivier
(Related: Time, Kings, Politicians)
"We ape, we mimic, we mock. We act."
- Laurence Olivier
(Related: Act)
"The office of drama is to exercise, possibly to exhaust, human emotions. The purpose of comedy is to tickle those emotions into an expression of light relief; of tragedy, to wound them and bring the relief of tears. Disgust and terror are the other points of the compass."
- Laurence Olivier
(Related: Purpose, Comedy, Disgust, Drama, Emotions, Exercise, Expression, Light, Office, Tears, Terror, Tragedy)
"Surely we have always acted; it is an instinct inherent in all of us. Some of us are better at it than others, but we all do it."
- Laurence Olivier
(Related: Instinct)
"Living is strife and torment, disappointment and love and sacrifice, golden sunsets and black storms. I said that some time ago, and today I do not think I would add one word."
- Laurence Olivier
(Related: Love, Time, Sacrifice, Disappointment, Living, Storms, Today, Word)
"Lead the audience by the nose to the thought."
- Laurence Olivier
(Related: Thought)
"I don't know what is better than the work that is given to the actor-to teach the human heart the knowledge of itself."
- Laurence Olivier
(Related: Work, Heart, Knowledge, Actor)
"Acting is a masochistic form of exhibitionism. It is not quite the occupation of an adult."
- Laurence Olivier
(Related: Acting, Occupation)
"The actor should be able to create the universe in the palm of his hand."
- Laurence Olivier
(Related: Actor, Universe)
"I believe that in a great city, or even in a small city or a village, a great theater is the outward and visible sign of an inward and probable culture."
- Laurence Olivier
(Related: Culture, Theater)
"If he was lost for a moment, he would dive straight back into its honey."
- Laurence Olivier
"I often think that could we creep behind the actor's eyes, we would find an attic of forgotten toys and a copy of the Domesday Book."
- Laurence Olivier
(Related: Actor, Eyes)
"I should be soaring away with my head tilted slightly toward the gods, feeding on the caviar of Shakespeare. An actor must act."
- Laurence Olivier
(Related: Gods, Act, Actor, Shakespeare)
"I take a simple view of life: keep your eyes open and get on with it."
- Laurence Olivier
(Related: Eyes, Open)
"I'd like people to remember me for a diligent expert workman. I think a poet is a workman. I think Shakespeare was a workman. And God's a workman. I don't think there's anything better than a workman."
- Laurence Olivier
(Related: God, People, Shakespeare)
"Have a very good reason for everything you do."
- Laurence Olivier
(Related: Reason)