---
title: "35 You Quotes By Tom Stoppard"
description: "35 You quotes by Tom Stoppard. Plus more from Tom Stoppard and more You sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/tom-stoppard-437_better_the-more-doors-there-are-for-you-to-open_967728.png"
---

> [The more doors there are for you to open, the better the play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/the-more-doors-there-are-for-you-to-open-the-better-the-play/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/tom-stoppard-437_better_the-more-doors-there-are-for-you-to-open_967728.png)

> [You don't often get a proposal to do Tolstoy for a really interesting director - that's easy to say yes to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-don-t-often-get-a-proposal-to-do-tolstoy-for-a-really-interesting/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/tom-stoppard-437_director_you-don-t-often-get-a-proposal-to-do-tol_1731234.png)

> [You are the plays you write. How on earth could you write them otherwise? They're projections of your own predilections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-are-the-plays-you-write-how-on-earth-could-you-write-them/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddd/tom-stoppard-437_actor_you-are-the-plays-you-write-how-on-earth_1740884.png)

> [If you don't know what is being said, the rest of the actor's work is wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-you-don-t-know-what-is-being-said-the-rest-of-the-actor-s-work-is/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f98/tom-stoppard-437_actor_if-you-don-t-know-what-is-being-said-the_937491.png)

> [Rewriting isn't just about dialogue; it's the order of the scenes, how you finish a scene, how you get into a scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/rewriting-isn-t-just-about-dialogue-it-s-the-order-of-the-scenes-how/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/tom-stoppard-437_about_rewriting-isn-t-just-about-dialogue-it-s_1199688.png)

> [People think I'm very nice, you know. And I'm not as nice as they think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/people-think-i-m-very-nice-you-know-and-i-m-not-as-nice-as-they-think/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/tom-stoppard-437_know_people-think-i-m-very-nice-you-know-and_977910.png)

> [I think probably I've been influenced by Chekhov and Walt Disney, if you see what I mean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-think-probably-i-ve-been-influenced-by-chekhov-and-walt-disney-if/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21e/tom-stoppard-437_been_i-think-probably-i-ve-been-influenced-by_1865680.png)

> [It's very common for people to recommend something to me because they're going on what I've already written, when, what really is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/it-s-very-common-for-people-to-recommend-something-to-me-because-they/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/tom-stoppard-437_about_it-s-very-common-for-people-to-recommend_2291168.jpg)

> [Very often in Chekhov, where he exhibits a little bit of human behavior that you recognize as true, you give a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/very-often-in-chekhov-where-he-exhibits-a-little-bit-of-human/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/tom-stoppard-437_behavior_very-often-in-chekhov-where-he-exhibits_1321930.png)

> [Chekhov directors and Chekhov actors love working on his plays because there seems to be no end to what you can find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/chekhov-directors-and-chekhov-actors-love-working-on-his-plays/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b3/tom-stoppard-437_about_chekhov-directors-and-chekhov-actors-lov_711949.png)

> [You end up going to school plays quite a bit as a parent, there are a lot of kids who are doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-end-up-going-to-school-plays-quite-a-bit-as-a-parent-there-are-a/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/tom-stoppard-437_always_you-end-up-going-to-school-plays-quite-a_3123585.png)

> [When you write, it's making a certain kind of music in your head. There's a rhythm to it, a pulse, and on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/when-you-write-it-s-making-a-certain-kind-of-music-in-your-head-there/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/tom-stoppard-437_certain_when-you-write-it-s-making-a-certain-kin_1124087.png)

> [If you are well known at something else, you get points for doing stuff which lots of other people do, and much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-you-are-well-known-at-something-else-you-get-points-for-doing/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/tom-stoppard-437_any_if-you-are-well-known-at-something-else_629609.jpg)

> [In Chekhov, everything blends into its opposite, just fractionally, and this is sort of unsettling. And that's why you end up 100…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/in-chekhov-everything-blends-into-its-opposite-just-fractionally-and/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/tom-stoppard-437_100-years_in-chekhov-everything-blends-into-its-op_2485733.jpg)

> [You can't go around chasing your own plays and showing up every time somebody does one somewhere. You just cross your fingers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-can-t-go-around-chasing-your-own-plays-and-showing-up-every-time/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/tom-stoppard-437_around_you-can-t-go-around-chasing-your-own-pla_414829.jpg)

> [I feel that when I began writing, I had a need to know more about the play before I got into it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-feel-that-when-i-began-writing-i-had-a-need-to-know-more-about-the/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05d/tom-stoppard-437_about_i-feel-that-when-i-began-writing-i-had-a_1015073.jpg)

> [Possibly because I did start off as a journalist, my starting point has always been that you've got to keep an audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/possibly-because-i-did-start-off-as-a-journalist-my-starting-point/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/tom-stoppard-437_above_possibly-because-i-did-start-off-as-a-jo_664638.jpg)

> [The whole thing about writing a play is that it's all about controlling the flow of information traveling from the stage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/the-whole-thing-about-writing-a-play-is-that-it-s-all-about/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/669/tom-stoppard-437_about_the-whole-thing-about-writing-a-play-is_2525536.png)

> [The notion that the 'leader' has the right to ask huge sacrifices of your generation for a notional future paradise - if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/the-notion-that-the-leader-has-the-right-to-ask-huge-sacrifices-of/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/588/tom-stoppard-437_adolescence_the-notion-that-the-leader-has-the-right_1965118.png)

> [There are certain sorts of jokes which have only to do with the substitution of the unexpected word in a familiar context.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/there-are-certain-sorts-of-jokes-which-have-only-to-do-with-the/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b14/tom-stoppard-437_back_there-are-certain-sorts-of-jokes-which-h_3083180.png)

> [Theater in New York is nearer to the street. In London, you have to go deep into the building, usually, to reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/theater-in-new-york-is-nearer-to-the-street-in-london-you-have-to-go/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1be/tom-stoppard-437_broadway_theater-in-new-york-is-nearer-to-the-str_1581000.png)

> [One of the nice things about the world of filmmaking is that you make friends in the business. Sometimes directors feel a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/one-of-the-nice-things-about-the-world-of-filmmaking-is-that-you-make/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76b/tom-stoppard-437_about_one-of-the-nice-things-about-the-world-o_419175.png)

> [When you try to grasp the way the Western world is going, you see that we are on a ratchet towards a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/when-you-try-to-grasp-the-way-the-western-world-is-going-you-see-that/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e28/tom-stoppard-437_accepting_when-you-try-to-grasp-the-way-the-wester_3092230.jpg)

> [When I was 20, in 1957, and maybe you would say I was old enough to know better, but nevertheless, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/when-i-was-20-in-1957-and-maybe-you-would-say-i-was-old-enough-to/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fe/tom-stoppard-437_about_when-i-was-20-in-1957-and-maybe-you-woul_1973788.jpg)

> [The whole excitement for writing anything is quite intense. And for a day or two, you think you've done everything extremely well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/the-whole-excitement-for-writing-anything-is-quite-intense-and-for-a/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae6/tom-stoppard-437_anything_the-whole-excitement-for-writing-anythin_1470358.png)

> [You do know what's coming up when you're translating. I suppose the concentration, then, is on finding a formulation which is speakable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-do-know-what-s-coming-up-when-you-re-translating-i-suppose-the/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/tom-stoppard-437_actually_you-do-know-what-s-coming-up-when-you-re_2515408.png)

> [You should not translate for more than two hours at a time. After that, you lose your edge, the language becomes clumsy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-should-not-translate-for-more-than-two-hours-at-a-time-after-that/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/tom-stoppard-437_after_you-should-not-translate-for-more-than-t_70564.png)

> [If you let the plot be determined by what you feel is in the character's mind at that point, it may not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-you-let-the-plot-be-determined-by-what-you-feel-is-in-the/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/tom-stoppard-437_behaving_if-you-let-the-plot-be-determined-by-wha_1545647.png)

> [I don't think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-don-t-think-writers-are-sacred-but-words-are-they-deserve-respect/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bca/tom-stoppard-437_children_i-don-t-think-writers-are-sacred-but-wor_783484.png)

> [I'm not like some other writers: I have no actual urgent need or desire to add to what's written. You write it;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-m-not-like-some-other-writers-i-have-no-actual-urgent-need-or/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/tom-stoppard-437_actual_i-m-not-like-some-other-writers-i-have-n_2300133.png)

> [I'm not one of those writers who insist they don't read reviews and don't care much about them. I do read them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-m-not-one-of-those-writers-who-insist-they-don-t-read-reviews-and/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/642/tom-stoppard-437_about_i-m-not-one-of-those-writers-who-insist_1413974.png)

> [One feels that the past stays the way you left it, whereas the present is in constant movement; it's unstable all around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/one-feels-that-the-past-stays-the-way-you-left-it-whereas-the-present/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/tom-stoppard-437_around_one-feels-that-the-past-stays-the-way-yo_1545083.png)

> [I've never really worked out this thought, and I don't know if I'm really conscious of it, but I can see there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-ve-never-really-worked-out-this-thought-and-i-don-t-know-if-i-m/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cd/tom-stoppard-437_about_i-ve-never-really-worked-out-this-though_553818.jpg)

> [The possibilities are infinite with new writing; every time you open a new script, there's no limit to what it might contain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/the-possibilities-are-infinite-with-new-writing-every-time-you-open-a/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a4/tom-stoppard-437_contain_the-possibilities-are-infinite-with-new_1183915.png)

> [When 'The Dark Side of the Moon' was a new album in 1973, a friend of mine walked into my room where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/when-the-dark-side-of-the-moon-was-a-new-album-in-1973-a-friend-of/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d35/tom-stoppard-437_about_when-the-dark-side-of-the-moon-was-a-new_695222.png)

## Other authors on You

## More by Tom Stoppard

> [If I wanted to change the world, the last thing I would do is write a play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-i-wanted-to-change-the-world-the-last-thing-i-would-do-is-write-a/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [If you want to change something by Tuesday, theater is no good. Journalism is what does that. But, if you want to just alter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-you-want-to-change-something-by-tuesday-theater-is-no-good/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [After all these years, I definitely associate having a pen in my hand with having an ashtray just out of eye line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/after-all-these-years-i-definitely-associate-having-a-pen-in-my-hand/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [The universe is deterministic all right, just like Newton said, I mean it's trying to be, but the only thing going wrong is people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/the-universe-is-deterministic-all-right-just-like-newton-said-i-mean/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [For me, human rights simply endorse a view of life and a set of moral values that are perfectly clear to an eight-year-old child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/for-me-human-rights-simply-endorse-a-view-of-life-and-a-set-of-moral/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [“What is an artist? For every thousand people there's nine hundred doing the work, ninety doing well, nine doing good, and one lucky bastard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/what-is-an-artist-for-every-thousand-people-there-s-nine-hundred/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [Dying is not romantic, and death is not a game which will soon be over... Death is not anything... death is not... It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/dying-is-not-romantic-and-death-is-not-a-game-which-will-soon-be-over/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [I'm not interested in clothes; I just like them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-m-not-interested-in-clothes-i-just-like-them/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [For 10 years of my life, 3 times a day, I thanked the Lord for what I was about to receive and thanked him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/for-10-years-of-my-life-3-times-a-day-i-thanked-the-lord-for-what-i/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [You should not translate for more than two hours at a time. After that, you lose your edge, the language becomes clumsy, rigid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-should-not-translate-for-more-than-two-hours-at-a-time-after-that/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [No matter how imperfect things are, if you've got a free press everything is correctable, and without it everything is concealable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/no-matter-how-imperfect-things-are-if-you-ve-got-a-free-press/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [We must be born with an intuition of mortality. Before we know the word for it. Before we know that there are words. Out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/we-must-be-born-with-an-intuition-of-mortality-before-we-know-the/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [Eternity's a terrible thought. I mean, where's it all going to end?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/eternity-s-a-terrible-thought-i-mean-where-s-it-all-going-to-end/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [There is truth and falsehood in a comma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/there-is-truth-and-falsehood-in-a-comma/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

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