Sidney Lumet (Sidney Arthur Lumet) Quotes
If I don't have a script I adore, I do one I like. If I don't have one I like, I do one that has an actor I like or that presents some technical challenge.
Quotes to Explore
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'Obvious' is the most dangerous word in mathematics.
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If I had to study and work hard, it would have to have the reward of a lot of cash.
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I'd like to be remembered as one who kept my priorities in the right order.
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I can hardly eat meat because it has to look like something what it was not when it was alive.
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'Drive' is a genre piece, and a lot of times we don't get really sophisticated genre films.
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Reading is a free practice. I think the readers are free to begin by the books where they want to. They don't have to be led in their reading.
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I would dodge, not lie, in the national interest.
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The biggest thrill in the world is entertaining the public, there is no bigger thrill than that.
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I leave it up to the government to make good decisions for Americans.
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A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is a visible labor and there is an invisible labor.
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Having money has given me a certain freedom, but being in the public eye has taken away a lot.
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I've learned to be more accepting of myself. I'm 37, not 18, and I've got the lines to prove it. I try to remind myself that a girl can have it all, just not all at once.
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I think people like it when you have a bit of personality.
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I think I'm going to have a lot of trouble.
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Two young actresses I admire are Emma Stone and Emma Watson, because they are intelligent, talented actresses and have a great sense of humor. They have learned to balance what they love in life - acting, school and everything else.
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I'm very fortunate. I have a wonderful family, lots of hobbies and athletic pursuits. I always wanted to have a very well-rounded life.
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When I was in high school, I was lucky enough to be an exchange student to a small town in Argentina called Goya.
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You play a part, and as soon as a movie is over and the camera stops, you go home and you're not really responsible for what you've done.
Nastassja Kinski
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If you're gonna live, then live it up. If you're gonna give, then give it up. If you're gonna walk the Earth, then walk it proud. If you're gonna say the word, you got to say it loud.
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The president has been more than willing to challenge the National Rifle Association, but that is like a Republican president standing up to labor unions - not a move that risks anything with his core supporters. Mr. Obama could show some real bravery by taking on Hollywood.
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Your direction is more important than your speed.
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So, most of it was done over the phone. But one of the first things I did as a director, because it's one of the first things you should do, even though most don't, is to ask good actors who they think is right for the part. They know better than anybody. But without missing a beat Maggie said Pauline Collins. I didn't know Pauline because I hadn't seen Shirley Valentine, but then I saw this thing that she did with Woody Allen "You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger", in which she was wonderful as a psychic, and I said to her on the phone: "The dialogue seemed improvised."
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Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn 'em to ashes, then burn the ashes. That's our official slogan.
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If I don't have a script I adore, I do one I like. If I don't have one I like, I do one that has an actor I like or that presents some technical challenge.
