Terrence McNally Quotes
I like to surprise myself. I've always been attracted to projects where I don't know how they're going to turn out.
Quotes to Explore
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You have to dream before your dreams can come true.
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I played small forward on the basketball team. I also ran the 300 hurdles.
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I've never worked in politics, never been a member of an official committee or a political party.
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It was my father who taught us that an immigrant must work twice as hard as anybody else, that he must never give up.
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I know I've got a degree. Why does that mean I have to spend my life with intellectuals? I've got a lifesaving certificate but I don't spend my evenings diving for a rubber brick with my pyjamas on.
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I keep my house tidy, because then I can think clearly. I feel the same about myself. Presenting yourself well is a working-class thing - my dad was a printer, but he wore a tie most days. The ungroomed look belongs more to the middle classes.
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Every actor looks all his life for a part that will combine his talents with his personality... 'The Odd Couple' was mine. That was the plutonium I needed. It all started happening after that.
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Nearly every coach I've talked with tells me that the attention you get from media and other people is the thing you miss most. I don't know if that's right.
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My mum had four kids on her own, so if I had one kid with one nanny and not a full-time job, it would be a joke. And I think the impossible happens when you leave your kids. I've seen so many nannies in the park on their phones, and the kids are running off.
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My mobile phone battery runs out all the time because all the messages come straight to me.
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My father is my idol, so I always did everything like him. He used to work two jobs and still come home happy every night.
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France is the only place where you can make love in the afternoon without people hammering on your door.
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I approach my character with the question: What would an animal think? How would an animal respond? A lot of times, it's quick action and no fear, and sometimes it's irrational fear. You don't always know.
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There is properly no history; only biography.
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The thing about happiness is that it doesnt help you to grow; only unhappiness does that. So I'm grateful that my bed of roses was made up equally of blossoms and thorns. I've had a privileged, creative, exciting life, and I think that the parts that were less joyous were preparing me, testing me, strengthening me.
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I happen to be notorious. That, I have no control over.
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People need to spread love towards strangers. We all bleed the same blood and we are all part of a global community now.
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Not a lot of people know this, but I'm very good at mathematics. When I was an angry teenager, I used to sit in my room and do quadratic equations to calm myself down.
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I am open to keep on discovering new interesting projects, and little by little I have been coming across very beautiful projects with very affectionate directors.
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The only good writing is intuitive writing. It would be a big bore if you knew where it was going. It has to be exciting, instantaneous and it has to be a surprise. Then it all comes blurting out and it’s beautiful. I’ve had a sign by my typewriter for 25 years now which reads, ‘DON’T THINK!’
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I like to surprise myself. I've always been attracted to projects where I don't know how they're going to turn out.
