--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think Stephen Sondheim is a - and I…" description: "\"I think Stephen Sondheim is a - and I hardly ever use this word - but this is as close as it gets to a genius.\" — Christoph Waltz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/christoph-waltz-8110_actor_i-think-stephen-sondheim-is-a-and-i-hard_672880.jpg" --- # I think Stephen Sondheim is a - and I hardly ever use this… ![“I think Stephen Sondheim is a - and I hardly ever use this word - but this is as close as it gets to a genius.” quote by Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/christoph-waltz-8110_actor_i-think-stephen-sondheim-is-a-and-i-hard_672880.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/christoph-waltz-8110_actor_i-think-stephen-sondheim-is-a-and-i-hard_672880.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/christoph-waltz-8110_actor_i-think-stephen-sondheim-is-a-and-i-hard_672880.jpg) > “I think Stephen Sondheim is a - and I hardly ever use this word - but this is as close as it gets to a genius.” [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker likens Stephen Sondheim's talent to a rare, almost indescribable brilliance, emphasizing his extraordinary creative genius. **In simple terms:** Sondheim is exceptionally brilliant. Key Takeaway Recognize and celebrate true artistic mastery. Themes art genius creativity recognition Mood admiring thoughtful Type praise insightful When to use this quote - appreciating art - educational lectures - creative inspiration Key Concepts musical theatre innovation legacy Questions to Reflect On - How does genius manifest in everyday work? - What qualities define true artistic brilliance? A Different Perspective The comparison may oversimplify Sondheim's complex influence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Stephen Sondheim I am in awe of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/stephen-sondheim-i-am-in-awe-of/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [As a person, Stephen Sondheim is a very funny, very dry and very shy man. I've never witnessed any diva-ish moments, he just always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ball/as-a-person-stephen-sondheim-is-a-very-funny-very-dry-and-very-shy/) [Michael Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ball/) > [Tom Kitt aside - he's in his own category with me, of course - Stephen Sondheim is one of my all-time favorite composers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/tom-kitt-aside-he-s-in-his-own-category-with-me-of-course-stephen/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [I saw Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, which I thought was a masterpiece. Not that long ago, I listened to Blackstar by David Bowie and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/i-saw-stephen-sondheim-s-sweeney-todd-which-i-thought-was-a/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [I couldn't live without the genius of Stephen Sondheim, be it not just West Side Story,but Follies,Company,Sweeney Todd,Passion.You can go on and on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-couldn-t-live-without-the-genius-of-stephen-sondheim-be-it-not-just/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The three theater peeps I would love to dine with are Mel Brooks, because he is so funny; Stephen Sondheim, because he is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-allen/the-three-theater-peeps-i-would-love-to-dine-with-are-mel-brooks/) [Nancy Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-allen/) > [That's one of the beauties of James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim and their work together. They have such a depth to the emotional exploration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annaleigh-ashford/that-s-one-of-the-beauties-of-james-lapine-and-stephen-sondheim-and/) [Annaleigh Ashford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annaleigh-ashford/) > [Technically, 'Kukla, Fran and Ollie' was a kids' show, but adults watched almost religiously - and we're talking adult adults, celebrated adults - including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/technically-kukla-fran-and-ollie-was-a-kids-show-but-adults-watched/) [Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/) > [No One Is Alone by Stephen Sondheim is all about thinking for yourself and being your own person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-peters/no-one-is-alone-by-stephen-sondheim-is-all-about-thinking-for/) [Bernadette Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-peters/) > [My favorite musical...it used to be when I was growing up, Miss Saigon, but I dont know, I dont really like it anymore. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-morrison/my-favorite-musical-it-used-to-be-when-i-was-growing-up-miss-saigon/) [Matthew Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-morrison/) > [Stephen Sondheim told me that Oscar Hammerstein believed everything that he wrote. So there's great truth in the songs, and that's what was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-peters/stephen-sondheim-told-me-that-oscar-hammerstein-believed-everything/) [Bernadette Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-peters/) > [The first time I encountered Stephen Sondheim was like everyone else: through snatches of old songs people performed in drama school, through 'Send in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ball/the-first-time-i-encountered-stephen-sondheim-was-like-everyone-else/) [Michael Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ball/) > [“Stephen Sondheim said : " If you know where you're going, you've gone. Move on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-crusie/stephen-sondheim-said-if-you-know-where-you-re-going-you-ve-gone-move/) [Jennifer Crusie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-crusie/) > [ The thing about Stephen Schwartz is that, while it may be difficult to learn - it's a little bit like\[Stephen\] Sondheim; Sondheim is quite… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-ellis/the-thing-about-stephen-schwartz-is-that-while-it-may-be-difficult-to/) [Kerry Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-ellis/) > [If I could play any role in any musical, it would be Desiree in 'A Little Night Music' - Oh my, it is perfection.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-allen/if-i-could-play-any-role-in-any-musical-it-would-be-desiree-in-a/) [Nancy Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-allen/) ## More by Christoph Waltz > [I'm trying to be very aware of not repeating myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/i-m-trying-to-be-very-aware-of-not-repeating-myself/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [For me, personally, there is one really interesting thing. You're all a bit too young for that, but when you get to a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/for-me-personally-there-is-one-really-interesting-thing-you-re-all-a/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [If the shoe fits, you must wear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/if-the-shoe-fits-you-must-wear-it/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [I don't say things straight into the other person's face. I kind of like to make a joke or a remark and make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/i-don-t-say-things-straight-into-the-other-person-s-face-i-kind-of/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [I wouldn't really, realistically speaking, know the difference between wearing an S.S. uniform and a U.S. Marine uniform. To me it's all a uniform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/i-wouldn-t-really-realistically-speaking-know-the-difference-between/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [The bohemian artist who exists only for his art, it's a myth. OK, it might have been true for Giacometti, but it certainly wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/the-bohemian-artist-who-exists-only-for-his-art-it-s-a-myth-ok-it/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [You know, I don't support esoteric approaches to acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/you-know-i-don-t-support-esoteric-approaches-to-acting/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [When a new book comes out or becomes accessible in whatever form, I get it and I read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/when-a-new-book-comes-out-or-becomes-accessible-in-whatever-form-i/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [There is no such thing as pure art. It's a bourgeois conceit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/there-is-no-such-thing-as-pure-art-it-s-a-bourgeois-conceit/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [It's easy to not feel misplaced if this tidal wave of appreciation is coming your way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/it-s-easy-to-not-feel-misplaced-if-this-tidal-wave-of-appreciation-is/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [You're always being cast for what you've been in last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/you-re-always-being-cast-for-what-you-ve-been-in-last/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [“You can be an anonymous observer all your life, but then you never get the platform to transform those observations into art, or whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/you-can-be-an-anonymous-observer-all-your-life-but-then-you-never-get/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [Praise is nothing that accumulates. Praise is a sequence, especially if you've toiled for a long time. Praise does not pile up. So in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/praise-is-nothing-that-accumulates-praise-is-a-sequence-especially-if/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [Well, you need the villain. If you don't have a villain, the good guy can stay home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/well-you-need-the-villain-if-you-don-t-have-a-villain-the-good-guy/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [My agent is the quickest, sharpest man on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/my-agent-is-the-quickest-sharpest-man-on-earth/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) [Explore all 84 Christoph Waltz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think Stephen Sondheim is a - and I hardly ever use this word - but this is as close as it gets to a genius.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christoph Waltz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/i-think-stephen-sondheim-is-a-and-i-hardly-ever-use-this-word-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/i-think-stephen-sondheim-is-a-and-i-hardly-ever-use-this-word-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/christoph-waltz-8110_actor_i-think-stephen-sondheim-is-a-and-i-hard_672880.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/christoph-waltz-8110_actor_i-think-stephen-sondheim-is-a-and-i-hard_672880.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/christoph-waltz-8110_actor_i-think-stephen-sondheim-is-a-and-i-hard_672880.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think Stephen Sondheim is a - and I hardly ever use this word - but this is as close as it gets to a genius.” — Christoph Waltz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Christoph Waltz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think Stephen Sondheim is a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/i-think-stephen-sondheim-is-a-and-i-hardly-ever-use-this-word-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/i-think-stephen-sondheim-is-a-and-i-hardly-ever-use-this-word-but/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```