William Goldman: The infant is ten and he stays.

Fool!" cried the hunchback. "You fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia,' but only slightly less well known is this: 'Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.

William Goldman

lines land war

Let's look on the bright side: we're having an adventure, Fezzik, and most people live and die without being as lucky as we are.

William Goldman

lucky adventure people

The Princess Bride S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure You had to admire a guy who called his own new book a classic before it was published and anyone had a chance to read it.

William Goldman

princess adventure book

You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly obvious remark I have ever come across.

William Goldman

black men moving

Get used to disappointment.

William Goldman

used disappointment

One of the things that happens to careers out here is that people destroy themselves because they begin to think they're wonderful. They begin to think they know what they're doing, and the minute that happens, it's over.

William Goldman

careers people thinking

You are wonderful, Father.""I'm more than wonderful, how dare you insult me.

William Goldman

insult wonderful father

As far as the filmmaking process is concerned, stars are essentially worthless - and absolutely essential.

William Goldman

movie actors stars

There is one crucial rule that must be followed in all creative meetings. Never speak first. At least at the start, your job is to shut up.

William Goldman

creative jobs firsts

The hollowness was in his arms and the world was snowing.

William Goldman

snow inspirational world

I had two little daughters - I think they were 7 and 4 at the time - and I said, 'I'll write you a story. What do you want it to be about?' One of them said 'a princess' and the other one said 'a bride.' I said, 'That'll be the title.'

William Goldman

bride think you time

There's only three movies I've been involved with in my whole life that I really care about. 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' was one, and 'Princess Bride' was the second, and 'Hearts in Atlantis' is the third.

William Goldman

bride princess care life

If you think of human experience as a pie, then the wedge Hollywood is reflecting now is getting smaller and smaller.

William Goldman

think you pie experience

We are men of action, lies do not become us.

William Goldman

us become action men

I haven't done much rereading or rewatching stuff I've written over the years, but I did look at 'Misery' before I started the play. I liked it. Not much I would change.

William Goldman

look done change play

Stephen King is one of my all-time heroes, so, of course, the pressure never lets up. Every second, you hope he'll like it. I remember getting a call from him after he read my script for 'Hearts in Atlantis.' He liked it. Talk about relief.

William Goldman

king you hope remember

We had terrible trouble finding a Buttercup because she had to be so beautiful. We had all kinds of pretty girls come in, but they weren't this staggering thing.

William Goldman

finding she trouble beautiful

It's always true, and in all the arts. When one guy's terrific, there will be a lot of other terrific guys around. And this last decade, the '90s, has been a period of very low talent.

William Goldman

decade true will talent

Coming from where I came from, the Midwest, in the era I was born, the '30s, movies were glorious fun - Bette Davis dying or whatever. But whatever they were, they were not serious.

William Goldman

movies born serious fun

Hollywood is a pretty edgy place.

William Goldman

pretty place edgy hollywood