Either you're growing or you're decaying; there's no middle ground. If you're standing still, you're decaying.
Alan ArkinRead
I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?
Interpretation
What this quote means
Artistic expression should not be judged through competition, as it is subjective.
In this quote, Alan Arkin emphasizes the absurdity of comparing artists to determine who is better. He suggests that the value of art is inherently subjective and that each artist brings their unique perspective and creativity, making competitions irrelevant and unjustifiable.
Themes
ArtCompetitionSubjectivityCreativityExpression
In practice
Example use cases
During an art seminar discussing the value of personal expression.
More from Alan Arkin
All quotes βI used to watch the world as if it was a performance and I would realize that certain things that people did moved me, and certain things didn't move me, and I tried to analyze, even at that age, six and seven and eight, why I was moved by certain things they did
Alan ArkinRead
If you want to be an actor and you love acting, you can do it whether you're doing something else or not. You can be connected with community theater or make your own little movies. But if you want to be a movie star, you've got a tough road ahead of you.
Alan ArkinRead
Everybody's career has ups and downs. I like to take chances; I don't like to stand still. And I don't give a damn what the market is interested in; I want to try things.
Alan ArkinRead
Every physicist knows that things connect with each other. To isolate things is not the way the universe works - winning best actor is arbitrary.
Alan ArkinRead
I love working if it's with people who are capable of having a good time. People with a little bit of enjoyment of what they do. If it's enormous pressure, and people feel that their lives are at stake, then it's agony. So I try to pick projects where I feel like I'm going to avoid those traps.
Alan ArkinRead
Similar quotes
Actors are basically drag queens. People will tell you they act because they want to heal mankind or, you know, explore the nature of the human psyche. Yes, maybe. But basically we just want to put on a frock and dance.
Colin FirthRead
A writer's job is to imagine everything so personally that the fiction is as vivid as memories.
John IrvingRead
There is no greater joy than that of feeling oneself a creator. The triumph of life is expressed by creation.
Henri BergsonRead
Music is not a profession. Music is a way of life - one that requires much professionalism.
Daniel BarenboimRead
I can explain all the poems that were ever invented - and a good many that haven't been invented just yet.
Lewis CarrollRead
I have always thought of myself as a painter derailed by circumstance.
Joni MitchellRead