You know what's a great way of tricking people into thinking you're a genius? Write a show about geniuses! Lin-Manuel Miranda More Quotes by Lin-Manuel Miranda More Quotes From Lin-Manuel Miranda I wouldn't give a performer something I couldn't deliver myself. Lin-Manuel Miranda performersgiving With every word, I drop knowledge. I'm a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal trying to reach my goal. Lin-Manuel Miranda coalgoaltrying The music you love when you're a teenager is always going to be the most important to you. Lin-Manuel Miranda teenagerimportant I'm not going to hang out with celebrities, I'm not going to parties. I have two songs due for Moana next week, and I'm going to go and spend some time with Maui and Moana in the ocean, in my mind. Lin-Manuel Miranda partyoceansong 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 runningbeautifulyears I'm the music guy, I get to wear the music hat, but being able to be that guy in the room is a thrill at this level and caliber. Lin-Manuel Miranda thrilllevelsguy I think I started writing because no one had ever told me you can write about the things you know in a musical. They don't have to come from some far off place. Lin-Manuel Miranda musicalwritingthinking I want as many people to see the show [Hamilton] in its musical theater form as possible before it's translated, and whether it's a good act of translation or a bad act of translation, it's a leap, and very few stage shows manage the leap successfully. Lin-Manuel Miranda musicalwantpeople The theater should always be a safe space. Lin-Manuel Miranda spaceshouldsafe I feel like style is like accent. You don't hear it on yourself, and then everyone's like, man, you got a strong accent. Lin-Manuel Miranda stylestrongmen I will lay down my life if it sets us free. Lin-Manuel Miranda laysifs I 've got this weird day that changed my life. I woke up one Wednesday, and my wife's a lawyer, she was off to get on a plane, to go to a business meeting somewhere else, and she said, "I think you might be a father. I have to go to the airport." It was like, six in the morning, and I was like, "That's great - what?!" I called her at noon once her flight landed, to confirm that I hadn't dreamt the thing she told me. Lin-Manuel Miranda morningfatherthinking The biggest secret weapon we had in regards to really being true to this part of the world, and making sure this part of the world could see themselves in this film [Moana] in a way that felt positive and accurate, was Opetaia, my co-writer, Opetaia Foa'i, who has a great band called Te Vaka and is an amazing musical and cultural ambassador. Lin-Manuel Miranda bandmusicalsecret If you know the voice you're writing for it's such a shortcut. It's such a catalyst to creating the kind of energy you want. Lin-Manuel Miranda creatingvoicewriting It's an enormous relief to go to work and be an actor and not be worried about writing. Lin-Manuel Miranda reliefactorswriting I still look at that water, and I look at Moana's hair, and I'm just like, "How is this even happening?" It's such an incredible mix of technical mastery and wizardry. It's really incredible. It's layers and layers and layers. It's not unlike building a musical. It's really pretty cool. Lin-Manuel Miranda musicalhairwater I read reviews, I'm not going to lie to y'all. Like you know, I'll read 'em, but then, the next day I'm able to sort of shrug them off. But if something sort of sticks the next day, there's probably something to it. I just sort of really try to trust my gut on, on all that stuff. Lin-Manuel Miranda next-daytryinglying I think, there are a couple of songs. I'm really proud of How far I'll Go. I literally locked myself up in my childhood bedroom at my parents' house to write those lyrics. I wanted to get to my angstiest possible place. So I went method on that. Lin-Manuel Miranda couplewritingsong My sister is as responsible for anyone for giving me good taste in music. Lin-Manuel Miranda taste-in-musicmy-sistergiving The problem is I got a lot of brains but no polish. Lin-Manuel Miranda polishproblembrain
