...and I quote...

This year we asked each of our retreat participants to share their favorite quotes with us. Some were quite funny, some incredibly insightful, all are worth sharing. I thought posting them here would be an appropriate way to say goodbye to a wonderful week. Happy reading!

Submitted by LaVonne Rae Andrews (Actor):
"There is a power in the Universe greater than you and you can use it!" - Ernest Holmes
Why is it my favorite? Because it's true and I use it!

Submitted by David Armstrong (Actor):
"The distance between genius and insanity is measured only by success." - Tomorrow Never Dies

Submitted by Dani Bedau (Director):
"The weight of this sad time we must obey, say what we feel not what we ought to say." - Shakespeare, King Lear

"Mother, still your tears, for remember the soul of the universe willed a world and it appeared." Bruce Springsteen, Jesus was an Only Son

The Shakespeare cuts to the core of my life's philosophy: in all times- sad, hard, good, meaningful- speak what we feel, what must be said. It may not always be what we 'ought to say' or how we are expected to behave, but sometimes it is necessary. The Springsteen reminds me that all things are possible. When things are really hard there is something larger to tap into. We are not alone. Infinite possibilities.

Submitted by Jennifer Bobiwash (Directing Intern):
"Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties." - Erich Fromm
I like this quote because of the simplicity of it. It reminds me to not think so much and to trust in myself; that I've done my work and to just be.

Submitted by Tonantzin Carmelo (Actor):
"We think in generalities, but we live in detail." - Alfred North Whitehead (1861 - 1947)
Always a good reminder when acting.

Submitted by Michael Drummond (Actor):
"The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” - Robert Byrne
This quote inspires me to have a meaningful life.

Submitted by Elena Finney (Actor):
“In Europe an actor is an artist. In Hollywood, if he isn't working, he's a bum.” - A. Quinn

Submitted by Sofia Gardenswartz (Actor):
"Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That's what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice." - Bethany Hamilton, the greatest female surfer of our time

Submitted by Scott Horstein (Director):
“Look what is done cannot be now amended.” – Richard in Shakespeare’s Richard III
This is my current favorite quote, probably because I recently worked on a production of this play. Richard is Shakespeare’s famously disabled (or, in Shakespeare’s words, deformed) villain, who slaughters as many family members as it takes to get the crown. In a climactic scene with his sister-in-law Queen Elizabeth (not the famous Queen Elizabeth), that signals the waning of Richard’s power, he tries to persuade her to woo her daughter for him. Because of the complicated family tree dynamics, if Richard marries Elizabeth’s daughter, he’ll be able to retain the crown forever. She resists his overture: hasn’t he just killed her husband, brother-in-law, and two small sons? Richard’s reply is the quote above. It’s darkly hilarious in its bravado, bracingly modern in its plainspokenness, insane in its logic, and desperate enough to let us know that the powerful Richard is finally on the ropes. The cultural politics of this play’s attitude toward disability are difficult, but a lot of the writing is terrific.

Submitted by Joan Hurwit (Stage Manager):
"Live. Laugh. Love."
These are the three things I try to balance in my life. I weigh all three equally, they are all necessary, and a large part of who I am. No matter how, I feel you must embrace them, especially when it is particularly hard. They are the best remedies.

Submitted by Carlenne Lacosta (me!):
"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with." - the late great Michael Jackson, may he rest in peace

Submitted by Douglas Langworthy (Dramaturg):
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” - Mark Twain
As a dramaturg I am constantly learning with each new play I try to unpack. Life is a never ending process of discovery.

Submitted by Krysti Litt (Actor):
"Just keep swimming." - Finding Nemo
It may sound silly to have my favorite quote come from a Disney movie, but it epitomizes my way of looking at life. No matter how rough or bleak things may become, if I "just keep swimming" and doing what I love, I will be happy.

Submitted by Patricia Loughrey (Writing Workshop Leader):
“If you wish to be a writer, write.” - Epictatus.
I love this quote: it reminds me that writing is learned by doing, and relearned with each new project.

Submitted by Stephen McCormick (Dramaturg):
“The future has several names. For the weak it is the impossible. For the fainthearted it is the unknown. For the thoughtful and valiant it is the ideal.” – Victor Hugo
This quote is important to me because it reminds us to keep looking forward to the next big opportunity. Optimism never goes out of style.

Submitted by Yvette Nolan (Director):
"I don't think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little or make a poem which children will speak for you when you are dead." - Henry, in Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing
Why is it important to me? Because I do believe that we can nudge the world a little.

Submitted by Ian O'Meara (Actor):
"Just do it!" - my mom
My mom always encourages me to believe in myself and go for it. When I go on auditions, she always tells me, "Ian just do it, go for it, believe in yourself. You will do great."

Submitted by Tony Palermo (Sound Effects Artist):
“Reality is not what it’s cracked up to be!” - I coined this quote myself
Why is it my favorite? In sound effects work, reality often isn’t real enough for listeners to “get it.” So we must use fakery—to make reality more real!

Submitted by Kalani Queypo (Directing Intern):
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." - Theodore Roosevelt
I like it because it is simple and immediate. It doesn't speak on wishes and dreams but of what is happening right now.

Submitted by Pamela Sevilla (Stage Manager):
"It's about one moment. It's about hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back." - Jason Robert Brown

Submitted by Jay Sheehan (Directing Workshop Leader):
"It is all about relationships."
Because we wont get anywhere in this world without human kindness and taking care of one another.

Submitted by Derek Smith (Actor):
"I feel infinite." - The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Submitted by Arigon Starr (Playwright and Actor):
“I know who I am! I’m a dude, playing the dude disguised as another dude!” - Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder
I am absolutely in love with the ridiculousness of acting. Robert Downey Jr.’s character in Tropic Thunder made me laugh the “laugh of recognition” as he went through his paces, justifying his character’s motivations and actions. There’s a lot of “funny” to be poked at the Hollywood entertainment machine’s expense — and much more Native American humor and humanity to mine and showcase. What a joy to be part of an elite group of artists who have the opportunity to do all this and more.

Submitted by Sheila Tousey (Actor):
"Every man blames himself." - John Steinbeck

"When seen as a whole, art derives from a person's desire to communicate himself to another. I do not believe in an art which is not forced into existence by a human being's desire to open his heart. All art, literature, and music must be born in your heart's blood. Art is your heart's blood." - Edvard Munch, 1890

Why do I love this quote? The best acting and writing is when it's personal and brave. What is more courageous than showing your heart with all its attending loneliness, melancholy, agitation, and love? It reminds us we are penetrable and gloriously human.

Submitted by Jonathan Tsang (Production Assistant):
"I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying." - Michael Jordan I didn't have a favorite quote, so I just looked for one from my favorite person and I liked this one. This is also the reason I went back to school. I could live with myself if I failed at making it in the film industry, but I couldn't live with myself if I never tired.

Submitted by Kateri Walker (Actor):
"Love one another."

Submitted by Stephan Wolfert (Actor):
“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.” –Pablo Picasso
This quote epitomizes my transition from military service back into civilian life. Theatre changed my life for the better. It caused me to create an organization (modeled after Native Voices) which uses the arts to help veterans with their life-long process of transitioning from the military back into the civilian community.

Submitted by Christina Wright (Design Advisor):
"To use Brecht without criticizing him is to betray him..." - Heiner Muller

Submitted by Rayanna Zaragoza (Actor):
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts; His acts being seven ages." - Shakespeare, As You Like It
This is my favorite quote because it shows that every person's life is like a play, so we best not hold back and we best make it interesting!