Tennessee Williams, 1953, Library of Congress
For playwright Tennessee Williams, masterpieces like “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “The Glass Menagerie” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” came from a deep understanding of emotion and an intense passion for his craft. Here are selected quotes from Williams on writing, love and kindness.
Tennessee Williams on writing
“At the age of fourteen I discovered writing as an escape from a world of reality in which I felt acutely uncomfortable.” — Tennessee Williams, “The Glass Menagerie”
“If the writing is honest it cannot be separated from the man who wrote it.” — Tennessee Williams, “New Selected Essays: Where I Live”
“I believe the way to write a good play is to convince yourself it is easy to do, then go ahead and do it with ease.” — Tennessee Williams, “Notebooks”
“When I stop [working] the rest of the day is posthumous. I’m only really alive when I’m writing.” — Tennessee Williams, “Pittsburgh Press”
“The work of a writer, his continuing work, depends for breath of life on a certain privacy of heart.” — Tennessee Williams, “New Selected Essays: Where I Live”
Tennessee Williams on love and kindness
“What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart, oh, no, it’s curved like a road through mountains.” — Tennessee Williams, “A Streetcar Named Desire”
“Man is by instinct a lover, a hunter, a fighter and none of those instincts are given much play at the warehouse!” — Tennessee Williams, “The Glass Menagerie”
“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” — Tennessee Williams, “A Streetcar Named Desire”
“Nothing human disgusts me unless it’s unkind.” — Tennessee Williams, “The Theatre of Tennessee Williams”
“Time doesn’t take away from friendship, nor does separation.” — Tennessee Williams, “Memoirs”
