black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

I’m terribly afraid of failure. When your identity is wrapped up in writing and you’ve written something that doesn’t work, it’s a tough pill to swallow.

Aaron Sorkin

It wouldn’t kill you to watch a film or pick up a newspaper once in a while.
AARON SORKIN

Film Kill Newspapers Pick Watch
When I write something, I want the best director to direct it. And that’s not going to be me.
AARON SORKIN

Direct Directors Going Not Want Writing
I grew up in the theatre. It’s where I got my start. Writing a television drama with theatrical dialogue about the theatre is beyond perfection.
AARON SORKIN

Drama Perfection Start Television Theatre Writing
Certainly, last year we did an episode about the census and sampling versus a direct statistic. You just said the word ‘census’, and people fall asleep.
AARON SORKIN

Census Certain Episode Fall People Sampling Statis Versus Year
Decisions are made by those who show up. Don’t ever forget that you’re a citizen of this world.
AARON SORKIN

Citizen Decision Forget World
I think it’s up to writers to write stuff that is compelling enough that people want to watch.
AARON SORKIN

Compelling Enough People Stuff Thinking Watch Writing
It seems to me that more and more we’ve come to expect less and less from each other, and I think that should change.
AARON SORKIN

Argument Believe Center Side Thinking Two Watching
I’ve never met anyone who has said, “My goal is to make America mediocre.” That’s a kind of hard-right conservative fallacy.
AARON SORKIN

America Conservation Conservative Goal Hard Kind Right
The stuff that I write doesn’t work very well as background music. You have to watch it from beginning to end and pay attention as if you were watching a play.
AARON SORKIN

Background Beginning End Music Play Stuff Watch Writing
Trying to guess what the (mass) audience wants and then trying to satisfy that is usually a bad recipe for getting something good.
AARON SORKIN

Audience Bad Getting Recipe Trying Usually Want
It seems to me that more and more we’ve come to expect less and less from each other, and I think that should change.
AARON SORKIN

Change Expect Less More Seem Should Thinking
The hardest thing for me is getting started. If I’m writing a script, really 90 per cent of it would be just walking around, climbing the walls, just trying to put the idea together. Then the final 10 per cent would be writing it.
AARON SORKIN

Afraid Terrible Trying Walking Wall Writing
To use a basketball metaphor, West Wing cast was a group that liked to pass as much as they liked to shoot.
AARON SORKIN

Basketball Group Like Metaphor Pass West Wing
With a television series, there’s a hard deadline, and so you have to write even when you’re not writing well.
AARON SORKIN

Deadline Hard Not Well Series Television Write Writing
I’m a registered Republican, I only seem liberal because I believe that hurricanes are caused by high barometric pressure and not gay marriage.
AARON SORKIN

Barometric Believe Gay Hurricane Liberal Pressure Registered Republican
I would love for people to think that I am as quick, clever, smart and heroic as the characters that I write, but those characters are characters.
AARON SORKIN

Character Clever Heroic Love People Quick Smart Write Writing
And a wheat thin the size of Lake Tahoe.
AARON SORKIN

Lake Size Tahoe Thin Wheat
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an actor. I was acting in all the school plays. I went to school for acting. I was really sure that that’s what I wanted to do.
AARON SORKIN

Actor Kid Play Really School Wanted Went
Well, I must tell you I write the scripts very close to the bone. So I’m writing episode seven now and couldn’t tell you what happens in episode eight.
AARON SORKIN

Bone Close Eight Episode Must Script Tell Writing
It’s populated by people who, by and large, have terrific communication skills. Every day is an extraordinary day. For me, it was just a great area for storytelling.
AARON SORKIN

Communication Large People Populated Skill Terrific
If you feel that strongly about something, you have an obligation to try and change my mind.
AARON SORKIN

Change Mind Obligation Strongly Trying
Writing anything, it sorta starts the way you’d build a castle at the beach. You’re just taking your hands and you’re mounting up sand.
AARON SORKIN

Beach Build Hand Mountain Sorta Talking Writing
Any time you get two people in a room who disagree about anything, the time of day, there is a scene to be written. That’s what I look for.
AARON SORKIN

Disagree Look People Scene Two Written
As an audience member, I like the sound of something that’s been written – I like it to sound written. And then, of course, you can’t do it without the musicians who can play it.
AARON SORKIN

Audience Member Musician Play Sound
Writing anything, it sorta starts the way you’d build a castle at the beach. You’re just taking your hands and you’re mounting up sand.
AARON SORKIN

Beach Castle Hand Sorta Stand Talking Writing
Never argue with a drunk or a fool.
AARON SORKIN

Arguing Drunk Fool never
Toby: All right. It couldn’t have gone far, right? Sam: No. Toby: Somewhere in this building…is our talent.
AARON SORKIN

Building Gone Right Somewhere Talent Toby

I’m terribly afraid of failure. When your identity is wrapped up in writing and you’ve written something that doesn’t work, it’s a tough pill to swallow.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

I’m terribly afraid of failure. When your identity is wrapped up in writing and you’ve written something that doesn’t work, it’s a tough pill to swallow.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Aaron Sorkin Quotes