Do you know what a playwright is? A playwright is someone who lets his guts hang out on the stage.
Edward AlbeeRead
When a critic sets himself up as an arbiter of morality, a judge of the matter and not the manner of a work, he is no longer a critic; he is a censor.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Criticism should focus on the quality of the work rather than impose moral judgments.
Edward Albee's quote emphasizes the distinction between a true critic and a censor. A critic evaluates the merits of a piece of work based on its artistic value and execution, while a censor seeks to impose moral standards and personal biases, thus losing objectivity. Albee warns against allowing subjective moral views to dictate the appreciation or evaluation of creative expression.
Themes
CriticismMoralityArtCensorshipEvaluationSubjectivity
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about artistic freedom, this quote can emphasize the importance of true criticism.
More from Edward Albee
All quotes →I am convinced that no one is fully educated without a full grounding in the arts.
Edward AlbeeRead
Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it.
Edward AlbeeRead
Remember one thing about democracy. We can have anything we want and at the same time, we always end up with exactly what we deserve.
Edward AlbeeRead
Your source material is the people you know, not those you don't know, but every character is an extension of the author's own personality.
Edward AlbeeRead
I think we should all live on the precipe of life, as fully and as dangerously as possible. Everyone should make the assumption that they're going through life only once. Tomorrow we die. Why not take chances, extend yourself? How awful it is when a person comes to the end of life full of regret.
Edward AlbeeRead
Similar quotes
One good song with a message can bring a point more deeply to more people than a thousand rallies.
Phil OchsRead
I was very into making the Big Artistic Statement - it had to be innovative; it had to be cutting edge. I was desperately keen on being original.
David BowieRead
Art always opts for the individual, the concrete; art is not Platonic.
Jorge Luis BorgesRead
Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It's a miracle, and the dance is a celebration of that miracle.
Martha GrahamRead
When I paint a person, his enemies always find the portrait a good likeness.
Edvard MunchRead
Writing a screenplay, for me, is like juggling. It's like, how many balls can you get in the air at once? All those ideas have to float out there to a certain point, and then they'll crystallize into a pattern.
James CameronRead