Etienne Decroux Quotes

One pearl is better than a whole necklace of potatoes.

Etienne Decroux

• Potatoes
• Pearl
• Necklace

The idea of difficulty animates us all the time. We don’t want man to be an angel; we want him to be a hero. That is to say, a man like us, but who does extraordinary things. He jumps, yes, but in spite of the law of gravity. And everything he does is always ‘in spite of.’

Etienne Decroux

• Man
• Angel
• Difficulty

Mime is exemplary. It makes one want to do as it does. It makes one want to rise up.

Etienne Decroux

• Makes
• Rise Up
• Exemplary

When an actor … is lying on the ground, it is a whole nation lying down. And when he rises slowly up, you see the play of his muscles. After that he comes and goes, lifts things, throws them. He’s self-reliant man, and there’s his rapport with Promethean art.

Etienne Decroux

• Actor
• Rapport
• Self-reliant

What man lacks most is will, constancy of will. Man works to earn his living, and when he finishes his day … He wants to sleep. He is lazy where public things are concerned. We let catastrophes come, we let them ripen. They don’t come because men want them to; they come because men want to sleep. ‘We can’t do anything about it. If it must happen, better not to know about it. Humanity has always been severely threatened. The threats are not diminishing. But one must sleep, after all. Sleep.

Etienne Decroux

• Man
• Sleep
• Humanity

Above all, the mime must want to say to men (because his muscles are working), ‘everything is possible. It’s will that’s lacking, not strength.’ Art should be exemplary. It’s almost condemned to be exemplary.

Etienne Decroux

• Art
• Condemned
• Exemplary

But one can’t do mime while sleeping.

Etienne Decroux

• Sleeping
• While
• Mime