You've got to keep fighting; you've got to risk your life every six months to stay alive.
Elia KazanRead
I owe Bankhead a gift; she made a director out of me.
Interpretation
The quote expresses gratitude towards someone who played a significant role in the speaker's artistic development.
In this quote, Elia Kazan acknowledges the vital influence of Bankhead in his journey as a director. It suggests that the guidance or impact of one person can dramatically shape an individual's career and creative expression, highlighting the importance of mentorship and inspiration in the arts.
In practice
In a speech about your artistic journey at a film festival.
You've got to keep fighting; you've got to risk your life every six months to stay alive.
Acting... was the biggest charge I ever had. What other artist has it so good? Approval so quick?
I've come to believe that everything worth achieving is beyond one's capacity - or seems so at first. The thing is to persist, not back off, fight your fight, pay your dues, and carry on. Effort is all; continue and you may get there despite everything.
A good director's not sure when he gets on the set what he's going to do.
To be a member of the Communist Party is to have a taste of the police state. It is a diluted taste but it is bitter and unforgettable.
I've lost many of my best friends... I'm going to satisfy myself now, not the critics, not even my friends.
Art offers sanctuary to everyone willing to open their Hearts as well as their Eyes.
Music is the perfect type of art.
Struggle to sketch the flow that already exists intact in mind.
All we do as songwriters is rewrite the songs that have impressed us till we find our own voice. It's part of learning the craft.
The crown of literature is poetry.
Players and painted stage took all my love, And not those things that they were emblems of.
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