Stella Adler

“The word theatre comes from the Greeks. It means the seeing place. It is the place people come to see the truth about life and the social situation.”

“Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one.”

“Growth as an actor and growth as a human being are synonymous.”

“Your talent is in your choice.”

“The actor has to develop his body. The actor has to work on his voice. But the most important thing the actor has to work on is his mind.”

“Don't use your conscious past. Use your creative imagination to create a past that belongs to your character.”

“You have to get beyond your own precious inner experiences. The actor cannot afford to look only to his own life for all his material.”

“The theatre is a spiritual and social X-ray of its time.”

“You act with your soul. That's why you all want to be actors, because your souls are not used up.”

“No great actor ever came from a normal family.”