You either have commercial pressure or ideological pressure. I prefer commercial pressure; otherwise, you can be at the mercy of one or two idiots.
Interpretation
The quote suggests a preference for commercial challenges over ideological ones, highlighting the dangers of being influenced by a few misguided individuals.
Milos Forman's quote reflects the complexities of decision-making in creative processes, particularly in the arts and media. He emphasizes that commercial pressure, although challenging, can be more manageable compared to the unpredictability and potential harm of being swayed by a small number of individuals with extreme ideologies. The implication is that commercial demands often align better with broader audience expectations, while ideological pressures can lead to narrow-mindedness and conflict.
In practice
In a discussion about managing creative projects, this quote can highlight the importance of commercial viability.
The worst evil is - and that's the product of censorship - is the self-censorship, because that twists spines, that destroys my character because I have to think something else and say something else, I have to always control myself.
A modern hero is very ambiguous. I went through some very rough times in Czechoslovakia - the occupation by the Germans at the end of the war. We had people going against their tanks with brooms. Are they nuts, or are they heroes?
Because if you lived, as I did, several years under Nazi totalitarianism, and then 20 years in communist totalitarianism, you would certainly realize how precious freedom is, and how easy it is to lose your freedom.
Mediocrity never goes away - but neither, I hope, do those who are willing to challenge it.
The Dhamma has to be found by looking into your own heart and seeing that which is true and that which is not, that which is balanced and that which is not balanced.
It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God.
Has there ever been anything filthier on earth than the saints in the wilderness? Around them was not only the devil loose around them- but also the swine.
If people say Jeet Kune Do is different from this or from that, then let the name of Jeet Kune Do be wiped out, for that is what it is, just a name. Please don't fuss over it.
My misfortune is doubly painful to me because it will result in my being misunderstood. For me there can be no recreation in the company of others, no intelligent conversation, no exchange of information with peers; only the most pressing needs can make me venture into society. I am obliged to live like an outcast.
There is no losing in Jiu-Jitsu. You either win or you learn.
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