Maria Semple Quotes
And dialogue, I'm good at it, and it's because it's the only thing you have to work with in TV writing.
Quotes to Explore
-
Never stand still. Only stand still enough to learn, and once you stop learning in that stance, move off. Always keep yourself engaged, in theater, in whatever job you can get. If you can't get an acting job, then go backstage. Or take tickets. But be around actors because that is where you will primarily learn.
-
I like men who paint or write or do something creative.
-
The environmental movement, like all political processes, reacts best to disasters. But these are very slow, very gradual disasters in the making.
-
I have big hands. I can't do the touch-screen thing. I'm a button guy. I want to press buttons.
-
When something is at risk or in danger or about to be lost, those are the moments you start to realize how much it means to you.
-
There's this wonderful first assistant and he'll be saying, 'Now Harry goes down among the dragons.' You have to hold yourself together. Because if you lose it for a second then you're sunk.
-
I wrote music as soon as I knew notation.
-
There's no regrets for me.
-
Online, you have things like Slate Magazine, which has a lot of commentary and analysis of stories, so it gives you a fuller picture. I would compare that to a news magazine or the New Republic.
-
I'm really interested in how conflicts arise and how they reach points of no return. I'm no pacifist. Sometimes force is necessary. But war is a choice.
-
I like certain subgenres within science fiction and fantasy, and one of those is urban fantasy, and another is steampunk.
-
'Wicked' gave us a story that 'The Wizard of Oz' did not. Two sides to every story.
-
Stages are getting higher and higher, and I'm getting older and older.
-
It's not my goal to be a famous actor.
-
My most memorable moment came in 1985 as we beat the Boston Celtics.
-
The journey matters as much as the goal.
-
I like other people's kids and being able to give them back when I want to.
-
There is no bigger aphrodisiac than power.
-
I've learned how to make a nice souffle, a little mac and cheese.
-
I love doing research. I'm a film-school geek.
-
I'm doubtful about the temper of your flamingo. Shall I try the experiment?
-
Really, I think that going out and playing with your friends is kind of becoming a lost art, with the kids in the neighborhood.
-
Never ask anyone over 70 how they feel. They'll tell you.
-
And dialogue, I'm good at it, and it's because it's the only thing you have to work with in TV writing.
