A liberal pretending to be a conservative? That's like a straight person pretending to be gay to get greater acceptance. David Mamet More Quotes by David Mamet More Quotes From David Mamet You can't write about history without writing about politics at some point. History is about movements of people. 'What is criminality and what is government' is a theme that runs through every history. David Mamet government writing running People only speak to get something. If I say, Let me tell you a few things about myself, already your defenses go up; you go, Look, I wonder what he wants from me, because no one ever speaks except to obtain an objective. That's the only reason anyone ever opens their mouth, onstage or offstage. They may use a language that seems revealing, but if so, it's just coincidence, because what they're trying to do is accomplish an objective. David Mamet defense trying people Art is about the spontaneous connection of the artist to his own unconscious - about insight beyond reason. If his insight were reasonable, anyone could do it, but anyone cannot. Only few can, and they are called. David Mamet spontaneous connections art They say the definition of ambivalence is watching your mother-in-law drive over a cliff in your new Cadillac. David Mamet cadillacs law mother The audience perceives only what the actor wants to do to the other actor. David Mamet perceive actors want If you find that a point cannot be made without narration, it is virtually certain that the point is unimportant to the story (which is to say, to the audience). David Mamet certain stories made Roll back the clock, and every possession of every great country started with a crime. David Mamet clock crime country The purpose of technique is to free the unconscious. If you follow the rules ploddingly, they will allow your unconscious to be free. David Mamet unconscious technique purpose The conscious mind is going to suggest the obvious, the cliché, because these things have offered the security of having succeeded in the past. David Mamet conscious mind past It's upsetting to be a man in our society. David Mamet upset our-society men I 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. David Mamet tough gun kind A novel it's different. It's kind of exhilarating not to have to cut to the bone constantly. Oh, well I can go over here for a moment. I can say what I think the guy was thinking or what the day looked like or what the bird was doing. If you do that as a playwright, you're dead. David Mamet cutting guy thinking The work of the director is the work of constructing the shot list from the script. David Mamet scripts lists directors It is the objective of the protagonist that keeps us in our seats. David Mamet protagonists seats objectives Always do things the least interesting way, the most blunt way, and you make a better movie. This is my experience. David Mamet blunt way interesting There is no such thing as character other than the habitual action, as Mr. Aristotle told us two thousand years ago. David Mamet character two years The great movie can be as free of being a record of the progress of the protagonist as is a dream. David Mamet progress records dream Make the audience wonder what's going on by putting them in the same position as the protagonist. David Mamet protagonists audience wonder Let the cut tell the story. Otherwise you have not got dramatic action, you've got narration. David Mamet cutting stories action The dream and the film are the juxtaposition of images in order to answer a question. David Mamet answers dream order
