black
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Everything about me is a contradiction, and so is everything about everybody else. We are made out of oppositions; we live between two poles. There’s a philistine and an aesthete in all of us, and a murderer and a saint. You don’t reconcile the poles. You just recognize them.

Orson Welles

The director is the most overrated artist in the world. He is the only artist who, with no talent whatsoever, can be a success for 50 years without his lack of talent ever being discovered.
ORSON WELLES

Artist Director Discover Success Talent World
Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.
ORSON WELLES

Country Food Yourself
Our songs will all be silenced, but what of it? Go on singing.
ORSON WELLES

Ourselves Silence Sing Song
The most personal thing I’ve put in [Touch of Evil] is my hatred of the abuse of police power. It’s better to see a murderer go free than for a policeman to abuse his power.
ORSON WELLES

Abuse Better Evil Freedom Hate Murder Personal Police Power See
I’ve never understood the cult of Hitchcock. Particularly the late American movies. Egotism and laziness. And they’re all lit like television shows.
ORSON WELLES

Ego Movie Myself Understand
I hate women, hate them generally, not in particular but in an abstract way. I hate them because one never really learns anything about them. They are inscrutable.
ORSON WELLES

Hate Learning Myself Woman
Working is part of life, I don’t know how to distinguish between the two. Work is an expression of life.
ORSON WELLES

Expression Life Myself Philosophy Work
Hollywood is a gold-plated suburb suitable for golfers, gardeners, assorted middlemen, and contented movies stars. I am none of these things.
ORSON WELLES

Gardener Gold Hollywood Movie Myself Stardom
Criticism is the essence of creation.
ORSON WELLES

Creation Criticism One Liner
See, I believe that it is not true that different races and nations are alike. I’m profoundly convinced that that’s a total lie. I think people are different. Sardinians, for example, have stubby little fingers. Bosnians have short necks.
ORSON WELLES

Appearance Believe Different Lie Myself Nation People Race Thinking True
When you are down and out something always turns up – and it is usually the noses of your friends.
ORSON WELLES

Friendship Hard Time Talk Yourself
The classy gangster is a Hollywood invention.
ORSON WELLES

Hollywood Invention
I have a great love and respect for religion, great love and respect for atheism. What I hate is agnosticism, people who do not choose.
ORSON WELLES

Choice Greatness Hate Love Myself People Respect
I don’t say we all ought to misbehave, but we ought to look as if we could.
ORSON WELLES

Appearance Attitude Audacity Behavior
I started at the top and worked my way down.
ORSON WELLES

Myself Start Way Work
I’m never certain of a performance – my own or the other actors’ – or the script or anything. But to me it seems there’s only one place in the world the camera can be, and the decision usually comes immediately.
ORSON WELLES

Actor Camera Decision Myself Performance Place Script World

Everything about me is a contradiction, and so is everything about everybody else. We are made out of oppositions; we live between two poles. There’s a philistine and an aesthete in all of us, and a murderer and a saint. You don’t reconcile the poles. You just recognize them.

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Everything about me is a contradiction, and so is everything about everybody else. We are made out of oppositions; we live between two poles. There’s a philistine and an aesthete in all of us, and a murderer and a saint. You don’t reconcile the poles. You just recognize them.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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