155 Quotes by Lillian Hellman

The judgment of music, like the inspiration for it, must come slow and measured, if it comes with truth.

The world is out of shapewhen there are hungry men.

A theme is always necessary, a plain, simple, unadorned theme to confuse the ignorant.

My mother was dead for five years before I knew that I had loved her very much.

Guilt is often an excuse for not thinking ...

I've always had great satisfaction out of writing the plays. I've not always had great satisfaction out of seeing them produced-although often I've had satisfaction there. When things go well in production, on opening there's no nicer feeling in the world-what could be nicer than watching an audience respond? You can't that from a book. It's a fine feeling to walk into the theater and see living people respond to something you've done.

Statisticians do it with confidence, frequency and variation

Advances are made by those with at least a touch of irrational confidence in what they can do.

I am suspicious of guilt in myself and in other people; it is usually a way of not thinking, or of announcing one's own fine sensibilities the better to be rid of them fast.