114 Quotes by Mike Nichols

I had a high school girlfriend whose mother gave us theater tickets, so I saw the second night performance of 'A Streetcar Named Desire.' My girl and I could not get up during intermission, we were so stunned. To this day it's the only thing I've seen on stage that's 100 percent real and 100 percent poetic simultaneously.

Clay Aiken is amazing beyond that glorious voice. Turns out he is an excellent comic actor and a master of character.

Chicago is not a very fashion-driven place. Nobody says, 'Oh, you've got to come see these fabulous people!' Nobody cares.

I asked a shrink: 'Everything is so great. Why am I still so angry?' He said, 'Anger doesn't go away.' I always thought it was kind of a good engine.

I believed early and still believe that everybody who can act can do it already, just they don't know how and don't want to talk about it.

Take off all your clothes and walk down the street waving a machete and firing an Uzi, and terrified citizens will phone the police and report, There's a naked person outside!

The only safe thing in filmmaking is to take a chance.

I came to love silence, because it's so rare, and it's now my favorite aural condition.

It's not a filmmaker's job to explain his technique but to tell his story the best way he can.