I had the good fortune of being 9 years old when The Little Mermaid came out, that whole run of really beautiful Disney musicals, and so, the fact that I got to interview with Ron [Clements] and John [Musker], who directed The Little Mermaid, I was, like, I just walked in and said, "You're the reason I'm even here."

Lin-Manuel Miranda

I try to let my decisions be guided not by what I think will succeed or fail, but what I'm going to learn from that process.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

decision trying thinking

Everyday has the potential to be the greatest day of your life

Lin-Manuel Miranda

everyday

You can't control the success or failure of a thing you work on. You can only control the thing you work on.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

success-or-failure

I'm past patiently waitin,' I'm passionately smashin' every expectation, every action's an act of creation.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

expectations action past

I went to a school where everyone was smarter than me. And I'm not blowin' smoke, I, my, I was surrounded by genius, genius kids. What's interesting about growing up in a culture like that is you go, "All right, I gotta figure out what my thing is. Because I'm not smarter than these kids. I'm not funnier than half of them, so I better figure out what it is I wanna do and work really hard at that because intellectually I'm treading water to, to be here."

Lin-Manuel Miranda

growing-up kids school

If you're thinking about the idea in the shower. If you're thinking about the idea while you're walking your dog, there's probably something to it.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

dog ideas thinking

When you're dealing with a constant rhythm, no matter how great your lyrics are, if you don't switch it up, people's heads are going to start bobbing. And they're going to stop listening to what you're saying, so consistently keep the ear fresh and keep the audience surprised.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

ears listening people

I think one of the things that makes theater special is first of all, it's one of the last places you put your phone away. And second of all, it's one of the last places where we all have a common experience together.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

phones special thinking

I think if you want to make a recipe for making a writer, have them feel a little out of place everywhere, have them be an observer kind of all the time. And that's a great way to make a writer.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

recipes want thinking

The distance between where I am and where I want to be seems impossibly large.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

distance seems want

I think you balance the things you've been dying to do all your life. And the opportunities that come along, that you didn't maybe think of, that are so amazing, that you'd kick yourself if you didn't try to be a part of them.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

balance opportunity thinking

I think every writer's had the experience of having a really good idea, waiting to write it, and then once you write it, you're like, "Oh I kind of got past the sell by date on this." I'm not connected to the initial spark that was the idea. A lot of that's about staying open.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

writing past thinking

I'm just like my country, I'm young, scrappy and hungry, and I'm not throwing away my shot.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

hungry shots country

I remind myself Vincent van Gogh died without having sold a single painting. Like, art is not measured by the trappings that people attached to it. It's the thing itself, and so, as you know, it's been a dream of mine to write songs for Disney, and so, it's really exciting to finally hear. It's two and a half years.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

dream song art

Don't be shocked when your history book mentions me.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

history-books shocked book

When I get called in for stuff for Hollywood, I get to be the best friend of the Caucasian leadIf I want to play the main guy, I have found, I have to write it.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

guy play writing

I got to fall in love. I got to win a war. I got to write words that inspired a nation.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

falling-in-love writing war

I just remembered when I was an adolescent girl wanting to leave my island and find my calling.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

girl calling islands

You know, you're doing the same show every day, and your inspiration, you have to look no further than the fact that you know people travel across the country to see you. In a lot of cases, this is that audience's only chance to see the thing, and so, that's what gets you up in the morning, and that's what gets you giving your best performance on stage, is the awareness that this audience is ready for it, and here to have an experience, and so in turn are you.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

inspiration morning country

Ed Koch once said that New York City is where immigrants come to audition for America. That's what happened to my parents; that's what happened to me.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

cities new-york america