Orson Welles quotes

CINEMA ORSON WELLES

“We’re born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we’re not alone.”

“If there hadn’t been women we’d still be squatting in a cave eating raw meat, because we made civilization in order to impress our girl friends. “

“Popularity should be no scale for the election of politicians. If it would depend on popularity, Donald Duck and The Muppets would take seats in senate.”

“Race hate isn’t human nature; race hate is the abandonment of human nature.”

“I made essentially a mistake staying in movies, … (but it’s) the mistake I can’t regret because it’s like saying “I shouldn’t have stayed married to that woman, but I did because I love her.” I would have been more successful if I’d left movies immediately. Stayed in the theater, gone into politics, written – anything. I’ve wasted the greater part of my life looking for money, and trying to get along… trying to make my work from this terribly expensive paint box which is … a movie. And I’ve spent too much energy on things that have nothing to do with a movie. It’s about two percent movie making and 98 percent hustling. It’s no way to spend a life.”

“I passionately hate the idea of being with it; I think an artist has always to be out of step with his time.”

“I prefer the old masters; by which I mean: John Ford, John Ford and John Ford.”

“A writer needs a pen, an artist needs a brush, but a filmmaker needs an army.”

“Hollywood is Hollywood. There’s nothing you can say about it that isn’t true, good or bad. And if you get into it, you have no right to be bitter — you’re the one who sat down, and joined the game.”

“I don’t pray really, because I don’t want to bore God.”

“I do not suppose I shall be remembered for anything. But I don’t think about my work in those terms. It is just as vulgar to work for the sake of posterity as to work for the sake of money.”

“If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.”