Patrick Stewart > Quotes

“It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness, that is life.”
― Patrick Stewart

“What identifies an individual as a king is how other people behave towards him. All authority is assumed, and if other people don't accept your authority then you don't have it. Perhaps the critical thing to being a convincing figure of authority is actually not to try too hard.”
― Patrick Stewart

“I've met actors where you think, if only you could just clean up your act and get it together, people would want to work with you. Some people are so difficult, it's just not worth working with them.”
― Patrick Stewart

“There are four lights.”
― Patrick Stewart

“There, it had happened, I had done it: spoken out loud, for the first time in my life, the words of William Shakespeare. In the moment, it was no big deal. Shakespeare, up to that point, had held no meaning to me. But writing these words now, I feel a thrill. Here is where and when it all started.”
― Patrick Stewart, Making It So: A Memoir

“Somewhere in the Paramount vaults, there must be an outtake of me tottering onto the Enterprise bridge from the captain’s ready room and saying, “Tea is in the tapestry room, Your Grace.” Everyone on the bridge laughed, but our director had no idea what was going on and was none too pleased. Remember, we were not there to have fun.”
― Patrick Stewart, Making It So: A Memoir

“I seized the opportunity and asked him what I needed to learn about film acting. He thought for a moment and then said, “You must understand, Patrick, the camera photographs thoughts.” Simple but profound. No matter what kind of acting you’re doing, you of course have to think. But the camera gets closer to you than any audience member ever will. What might be missed onstage, the camera will absolutely see.”
― Patrick Stewart, Making It So: A Memoir

“The classroom gradually filled up with our other roommates, but one bed remained unclaimed, heightening the air of mystery surrounding its future occupant. Then, suddenly, the door crashed open and into the room strode a human hurricane—a sturdy, confident fellow who greeted everyone with great cheer and a ferocious hug. He was almost four years older than me. He introduced himself to me as Brian Blessed. He was not yet the globally renowned actor, mountaineer, adventurer, and star of TV shows, stage musicals, and movies as disparate as Blackadder, Cats, Flash Gordon, and I, Claudius. But I could tell instantly that he was a one-off; they broke the mold when they made Brian. Like Norman and me, he, too, was of humble origin, from the South Yorkshire mining town of Mexborough. I was beginning to feel more comfortable by the minute.”
― Patrick Stewart, Making It So: A Memoir

“Reading 1: What is the narrative, the story? Reading 2: What is the play about? Reading 3: What does my character say about himself? Reading 4: What do other characters say about my character when he is present? Reading 5: What do other characters say about my character when he is absent? Reading 6: What is true in the play? Reading 7: What is false in the play? Reading 8: What does the character actually do?”
― Patrick Stewart, Making It So: A Memoir

“I also bought an evening dress suit from a secondhand clothing store in Charing Cross Road. It was double-breasted and in a very heavy, uncomfortable material, and I looked, frankly, stupid in it, but it was the only one I could afford. Miss Leigh announced to us one day that Gone with the Wind was going to be rereleased theatrically, and she requested the pleasure of our entire company at the premiere, which would be my first. And so, also for the first time, I had to wear that tux in public. I had by this time bid farewell to my friends and moved out of the boardinghouse, to slightly nicer digs that were walking distance from the London Coliseum in St. Martin’s Lane. This meant that I would not need to get out of a taxi and walk the red carpet—I knew that I looked idiotic in my tuxedo and wanted to keep a low profile. Inside, there was a champagne reception before the film in the upstairs bar, and my castmates had a field day making fun of me and my shit suit. Evidently, Miss Leigh caught sight of this scene and took pity on me. For all of a sudden, her boyfriend, John Merivale, was at my side, whispering into my ear that he was going to be sitting on one side of Vivien at the screening and that she had requested that I sit on her other side. I was already besotted with her, and this act of kindness only intensified my feelings. The capper was that, once I was seated beside her, I addressed her as “Miss Leigh” and she took my hand in hers. “Patrick,” she said, “you are to call me Vivien.” My erstwhile Irish roommate was right: The memorable experiences were already piling up. One more happened that evening. The film had been running for about an hour when Vivien—I still couldn’t quite believe I got to call her that—turned to me and again took my hand. I could see that she was crying. “I am so sorry, Patrick, but I am going to have to leave,” she said. “So many of these dear people I worked with are now dead, and it is making me so sad. I hope you enjoy the rest of it.” And off she went into the night.”
― Patrick Stewart, Making It So: A Memoir

“As for David Warner, he quite simply made theater history. To those of us who witnessed his extraordinary performance—a burgundy scarf wrapped around his neck, his blond hair in a Beatle fringe—it was as if Hamlet’s words were being spoken for the very first time. He and Peter Hall had created a youth-tinged version of The Tragedy of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, that chimed with the times.”
― Patrick Stewart, Making It So: A Memoir

“Never doubt the capacity of art to bring about moments of profound emotion and reflection.”
― Patrick Stewart, Making It So: A Memoir

“we were married in 2000.”
― Patrick Stewart, Making It So: A Memoir

“you will never achieve success…” Oh God, no. “…by insuring against failure.”
― Patrick Stewart, Making It So: A Memoir

“Now, nobody wants to be rated merely adequate. But an especially deep pit of shame awaits the person who is barely adequate.”
― Patrick Stewart, Making It So: A Memoir