David Mamet Quotes

A collection of quotes by David Mamet.

David Mamet is an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director, born on November 30, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois. He gained recognition for his distinctive writing style, known for its sharp dialogue and exploration of power dynamics. Mamet has written numerous acclaimed plays, including "Glengarry Glen Ross" and "American Buffalo," which earned him a Pulitzer Prize. He has also written and directed films such as "House of Games" and "The Untouchables." Mamet's works often delve into themes of masculinity, deception, and the American Dream. His contributions to the world of theater and film have solidified his status as a renowned figure in the industry.

My greatest fear is that the audience will beat me to the pu

My greatest fear is that the audience will beat me to the punch line.

Fear

People may or may not say what they mean... but they always

People may or may not say what they mean... but they always say something designed to get what they want.

Honesty

The proclamation and repetition of first principles is a con

The proclamation and repetition of first principles is a constant feature of life in our democracy. Active adherence to these principles, however, has always been considered un-American. We recipients of the boon of liberty have always been ready, when faced with discomfort, to discard any and all first principles of liberty, and, further, to indict those who do not freely join with us in happily arrogating those principles.

Principles

The Oscars demonstrate the will of the people to control and

The Oscars demonstrate the will of the people to control and judge those they have elected to stand above them (much, perhaps, as in bygone days, an election celebrated the same).

Recognition

Policemen so cherish their status as keepers of the peace an

Policemen so cherish their status as keepers of the peace and protectors of the public that they have occasionally been known to beat to death those citizens or groups who question that status.

Control

We live in oppressive times. We have, as a nation, become ou

We live in oppressive times. We have, as a nation, become our own thought police; but instead of calling the process by which we limit our expression of dissent and wonder censorship, we call it concern for commercial viability.

Censorship

In a world we find terrifying, we ratify that which doesn't

In a world we find terrifying, we ratify that which doesn't threaten us.

Security

The poker player learns that sometimes both science and comm

The poker player learns that sometimes both science and common sense are wrong; that the bumblebee can fly; that, perhaps, one should never trust an expert; that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of by those with an academic bent.

Poker

Always tell the truth -- it's the easiest thing to remember.

Always tell the truth -- it's the easiest thing to remember.

Truth

We respond to a drama to that extent to which it corresponds

We respond to a drama to that extent to which it corresponds to our dream life.

Praise

The popularity of disaster movies expresses a collective per

The popularity of disaster movies expresses a collective perception of a world threatened by irresistible and unforeseen forces which nevertheless are thwarted at the last moment. Their thinly veiled symbolic meaning might be translated thus: We are innocent of wrongdoing. We are attacked by unforeseeable forces come to harm us. We are, thus, innocent even of negligence. Though those forces are insuperable, chance will come to our aid and we shall emerge victorious.

Tragedy

The pursuit of Fashion is the attempt of the middle class to

The pursuit of Fashion is the attempt of the middle class to co-opt tragedy. In adopting the clothing, speech, and personal habits of those in straitened, dangerous, or pitiful circumstances, the middle class seeks to have what it feels to be the exigent and nonequivocal experiences had by those it emulates.

Fashion

We Americans have always considered Hollywood, at best, a si

We Americans have always considered Hollywood, at best, a sinkhole of depraved venality. And, of course, it is. It is not a Protective Monastery of Aesthetic Truth. It is a place where everything is incredibly expensive.

Hollywood

There's nothing in the world more silent than the telephone

There's nothing in the world more silent than the telephone the morning after everybody pans your play. It won't ring from room service your mother won't be calling you. If the phone has not rung by 8 in the morning, you're dead.

Morning

Movies were never an art form, they were entertainment. It j

Movies were never an art form, they were entertainment. It just evolved into an art form from there, and it's still evolving in different ways.

Movies

I'm not the guy to ask about politics. I'm a gag writer.

I'm not the guy to ask about politics. I'm a gag writer.

Politics