Constantin Stanislavski

Fear your admirers! Learn in time to hear, understand, and love the cruel truth about yourselves!

A true priest is aware of the presence of the altar during every moment that he is conducting a service. It is exactly the same way that a true artist should react to the stage all the time he is in the theater. An actor who is incapable of this feeling will never be a true artist.

The main factor in any form of creativeness is the life of a human spirit, that of the actor and his part, their joint feelings and subconscious creation.

The actor must use his imagination to be able to answer all questions (when, where, why, how). Make the make-believer existence more definite.

When an actor is completely absorbed by some profoundly moving objective so that he throws his whole being passionately into its execution, he reaches a state we call inspiration.

Stage charm guarantees in advance an actor's hold on the audience, it helps him to carry over to large numbers of people his creative purposes. It enhances his roles and his art. Yet it is of utmost importance that he use this precious gift with prudence, wisdom, and modesty. It is a great shame when he does not realize this and goes on to exploit, to play on his ability to charm.

The person you are is a thousand times more interesting than the best actor you could ever hope to be.

In spite of my great admiration for individual splendid talents I do not accept the star system. Collective creative effort is the root of our kind of art. That requires ensemble acting and whoever mars that ensemble is committing a crime not only against his comrades but also against the very art of which he is the servant.

All action in theatre must have inner justification, be logical, coherent, and real.

Play well, or play badly, but play truly.

The language of the body is the key that can unlock the soul.

Unless the theatre can ennoble you, make you a better person, you should flee from it.

Never allow yourself externally to portray anything that you have not inwardly experienced and which is not even interesting to you.

Every person who is really an artist desires to create inside of himself another, deeper, more interesting life than the one that actually surrounds him.

In the circle of light on the state in the midst of darkness, you have the sensation of being entirely alone... This is called solitude in public... During a performance, before an audience of thousands, you can always enclose yourself in this circle, like a snail in its shell... You can carry it wherever you go.

In the language of an actor, to know is synonymous with to feel

Remember this practical piece of advice: Never come into the theatre with mud on your feet. Leave your dust and dirt outside. Check your little worries, squabbles, petty difficulties with your outside clothing - all the things that ruin your life and draw your attention away from your art - at the door.

The greatest wisdom is to realize one's lack of it.