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At twenty-one, so many things appear solid, permanent, untenable.

Orson Welles

At twenty-one, so many things appear solid, permanent, untenable.
ORSON WELLES

Age Appearance Permanent
The director is simply the audience. His job is to preside over accidents.
ORSON WELLES

Audience Director Himself Job Simplicity
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 want to give the audience a hint of a scene. No more than that. Give them too much and they won’t contribute anything themselves. Give them just a suggestion and you get them working with you. That’s what gives the theater meaning: when it becomes a social act.
ORSON WELLES

Act Audience Meaning Myself Work
Race hate isn’t human nature; race hate is the abandonment of human nature.
ORSON WELLES

Abandonment Deep Hate Human Nature Race Wisdom
People are losing the capacity to listen to words or follow ideas.
ORSON WELLES

Capacity Ideas Listening Lose People
What’s happening now is what happened before, and often what’s going to happen again sometime or other.
ORSON WELLES

History Philosophy Science Time
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’m one of those fellows so frightened of driving that I go 80 miles an hour – and the more frightened I get, the faster I go.
ORSON WELLES

Drive Fast Myself Scare
The ideal American type is perfectly expressed by the Protestant, individualist, anti-conformist, and this is the type that is in the process of disappearing. In reality there are few left.
ORSON WELLES

Expression Ideal Perfection Reality
A director is someone who presides over a series of accidents.
ORSON WELLES

Accident Director Job Series
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
Never expect justice in this world. That is not part of God’s plan. Everybody thinks that if they don’t get it, they’re some kind of odd man out. And it’s not true. Nobody gets justice – people just get good luck or bad luck.
ORSON WELLES

Bad Expectation God Goodness Justice Kind People World
When people accept breaking the law as normal, something happens to the whole society.
ORSON WELLES

Acceptance Break Law Normal People Society
Our songs will all be silenced, but what of it? Go on singing.
ORSON WELLES

Ourselves Silence Sing Song
The Godfather’ was the glorification of a bunch of bums who never existed.
ORSON WELLES

Existence Father Glory God
Future shock is a sickness which comes from too much change in too short a time. It’s the feeling that nothing is permanent anymore.
ORSON WELLES

Change Feeling Future Permanent Sick Time
Friendship creates only the illusion of not being alone.
ORSON WELLES

Alone Creation Friendship Illusion
If I ever own a restaurant, I will never allow the waiters to ask if the diners like their dishes. Particularly when they’re talking.
ORSON WELLES

Food Myself Restaurant Talk Wait
Criminals are never very amusing. It’s because they’re failures. Those who make real money aren’t counted as criminals. This is a class distinction, not an ethical problem.
ORSON WELLES

Amazing Crime Failure Money Problem Reality
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
Only in a police state is the job of a policeman easy.
ORSON WELLES

Easy Job Police
I prefer people who rock the boat to people who jump out.
ORSON WELLES

Choice Myself People
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.
ORSON WELLES

Dependent Election Fame Politics Popular
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
Human nature is eternal; therefore one who follows his nature keeps his original nature, in the end.
ORSON WELLES

End Forever Human Nature Original
I’m not basically a happy person, but I have all kinds of joy.
ORSON WELLES

Happiness Joy Kind Myself Person

At twenty-one, so many things appear solid, permanent, untenable.

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At twenty-one, so many things appear solid, permanent, untenable.

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