Tragedy, for me, is not a conflict between right and wrong, but between two different kinds of right.
Peter ShafferRead
Things rust, you know, like the heart. My cardiologist said, 'It's a pump; use it - that's the sole advice I've got to give you.' It's the same in playwriting. Don't theorise about it. Do it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Creativity and passion require action rather than overthinking.
Peter Shaffer emphasizes that just as physical things can deteriorate without use, so too can talents and passions fade if they are not actively engaged. His cardiologist's advice serves as a metaphor for creative pursuits: to not dwell too much on theory but to actively create and express oneself through art.
Themes
CreativityActionPlaywritingPassionTheory
In practice
Example use cases
In a workshop on creativity, I quoted Peter Shaffer to inspire participants to take action in their projects.
More from Peter Shaffer
All quotes →I discover what I mean as I write. That can be both terrifically exciting and very dangerous, because when you look at your words later, you wonder, 'Did I really mean that, or am I just making verbal patterns?'
Peter ShafferRead
Rehearsing a play is making the word flesh. Publishing a play is reversing the process.
Peter ShafferRead
The Normal is the good smile in a child’s eyes - all right. It is also the dead stare in a million adults.
Peter ShafferRead
Similar quotes
With me poetry has not been a purpose, but a passion.
Edgar Allan PoeRead
My #1 job as a thriller author is to give readers the best white-knuckle thrill ride I am capable of. I am first and foremost in the entertainment business. If that suspenseful ride is also terrifying because it hits really close to home, then I am once again doing what I am supposed to do as a thriller author.
Brad ThorRead
Growing up, I never gave a thought to being a writer. All I ever wanted to be was a traveler and explorer. Science-fiction allowed me to go places that were otherwise inaccessible, which is why I started reading it.
Alan Dean FosterRead
I believe if you come out of a movie and the first thing you say is, 'The cinematography was beautiful,' it's a bad movie.
John WatersRead
But, after all, the aim of art is to create space - space that is not compromised by decoration or illustration, space within which the subjects of painting can live.
Frank StellaRead
Art isn't only a painting. Art is anything that's creative, passionate, and personal. And great art resonates with the viewer, not only with the creator.
Seth GodinRead