--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Miller didn't write Death of a Salesman…" description: "\"Miller didn't write Death of a Salesman. He released it. It was there inside him, waiting to be turned loose. That's the measure of its merit.\" — Elia ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0a/elia-kazan-6753_death_miller-didn-t-write-death-of-a-salesman_2886577.jpg" --- # Miller didn't write Death of a Salesman. He released it… ![“Miller didn't write Death of a Salesman. He released it. It was there inside him, waiting to be turned loose. That's the measure of its merit.” quote by Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0a/elia-kazan-6753_death_miller-didn-t-write-death-of-a-salesman_2886577.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0a/elia-kazan-6753_death_miller-didn-t-write-death-of-a-salesman_2886577.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0a/elia-kazan-6753_death_miller-didn-t-write-death-of-a-salesman_2886577.jpg) > “Miller didn't write Death of a Salesman. He released it. It was there inside him, waiting to be turned loose. That's the measure of its merit.” [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A director can unleash a story that already lives within a playwright, revealing its true value. **In simple terms:** Directors bring hidden stories to life. Key Takeaway Trust intuition to reveal hidden merit. Themes creativity interpretation artistic merit Mood reflective inspirational Type theatrical director's insight When to use this quote - theatre production - directorial workshops - script analysis Key Concepts direction authorial intent collaboration Questions to Reflect On - How does a director decide what to emphasize? - What responsibilities do they have to the original work? A Different Perspective A director's vision may differ from the playwright's intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Of A Salesman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-of-a-salesman/) [Salesman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salesman/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [ \[My father\] was very impressed when he saw "Death of a Salesman," I must say. He recognized himself to some extent. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-father-was-very-impressed-when-he-saw-death-of-a-salesman-i-must/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [I really enjoy theater. I just went to see 'Death of a Salesman,' and it knocked me on my ass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reitman/i-really-enjoy-theater-i-just-went-to-see-death-of-a-salesman-and-it/) [Jason Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reitman/) > [A lot of the stuff that's happening now, I can trace back to 'Death of a Salesman.' Francine Maisler, the casting director, saw 'Death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finn-wittrock/a-lot-of-the-stuff-that-s-happening-now-i-can-trace-back-to-death-of/) [Finn Wittrock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finn-wittrock/) > [When I was an adolescent in England, at school we had to read 'Death of a Salesman.' I remember feeling incredibly moved by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/when-i-was-an-adolescent-in-england-at-school-we-had-to-read-death-of/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > ['Death Of A Salesman' is a great acting job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-stott/death-of-a-salesman-is-a-great-acting-job/) [Ken Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-stott/) > [Death of a Salesman' is a brilliant taxonomy of the spiritual atrophy of mid-twentieth-century white America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/death-of-a-salesman-is-a-brilliant-taxonomy-of-the-spiritual-atrophy/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [I haven't read Ibsen, Shaw, Shakespeare - except 'The Merchant of Venice' in ninth grade. I'm not familiar with 'Death of a Salesman.' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-haven-t-read-ibsen-shaw-shakespeare-except-the-merchant-of-venice/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [Most humbling of all is to comprehend the lifesaving gift that your pit crew of people has been for you, and all the experiences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/most-humbling-of-all-is-to-comprehend-the-lifesaving-gift-that-your/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I'm in the theater because of two plays: 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and 'Death of a Salesman.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/i-m-in-the-theater-because-of-two-plays-a-streetcar-named-desire-and/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > ['Death Of A Salesman,' 'Streetcar Named Desire,' these are the things that, when I was growing up, made me want to be an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bock/death-of-a-salesman-streetcar-named-desire-these-are-the-things-that/) [Charles Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bock/) > [Arthur Miller said one of my favorite lines ever, that he had the mother say to her two sons about a very unstable father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/arthur-miller-said-one-of-my-favorite-lines-ever-that-he-had-the/) [Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/) > [“Let's suppose that you want to say, "I am a jerk." IN the 18th century, you would have to go around person to person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/let-s-suppose-that-you-want-to-say-i-am-a-jerk-in-the-18th-century/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“In 1995, each cast at The Second City was made up of four men and two women. When it was suggested that they switch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/in-1995-each-cast-at-the-second-city-was-made-up-of-four-men-and-two/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [I'm not very funny in real life. I used to want to be a comedian when I was 13, 14, 15, till I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-m-not-very-funny-in-real-life-i-used-to-want-to-be-a-comedian-when/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [In 1986, I was asked by the then-Dean of Science at the University of British Columbia, Dr. R.C. Miller, Jr., to establish a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-smith/in-1986-i-was-asked-by-the-then-dean-of-science-at-the-university-of/) [Michael Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-smith/) ## More by Elia Kazan > [The essence of the stage is concentration and penetration. Of the screen action, movement, sweep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/the-essence-of-the-stage-is-concentration-and-penetration-of-the/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [I didn't have the problem of finding myself at 45 on the wrong course - I always wanted to be a film director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/i-didn-t-have-the-problem-of-finding-myself-at-45-on-the-wrong-course/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [Never underestimate the narcissism of a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/never-underestimate-the-narcissism-of-a-writer/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [What's called a difficult decision is a difficult decision because either way you go there are penalties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/what-s-called-a-difficult-decision-is-a-difficult-decision-because/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [You can't just sit there and do the lines. You have to do something revealing or unusual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/you-can-t-just-sit-there-and-do-the-lines-you-have-to-do-something/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [I'm small, but I'm neither compliant nor agreeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/i-m-small-but-i-m-neither-compliant-nor-agreeable/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [If you're going to play a cowboy, show up with the horse at the audition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/if-you-re-going-to-play-a-cowboy-show-up-with-the-horse-at-the/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [I value peace, too, when it is not bought at the price of fundamental decencies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/i-value-peace-too-when-it-is-not-bought-at-the-price-of-fundamental/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [You have no idea how fragile an actor's self-worth is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/you-have-no-idea-how-fragile-an-actor-s-self-worth-is/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [There was no doubt that there was a vast organization which was making fools of all the liberals in Hollywood and taking their money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/there-was-no-doubt-that-there-was-a-vast-organization-which-was/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [The makers of entertainment must try, in our field, to be honest and grown-up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/the-makers-of-entertainment-must-try-in-our-field-to-be-honest-and/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [I'm very pro-America, but I feel it necessary to keep in touch with Europe to maintain a perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/i-m-very-pro-america-but-i-feel-it-necessary-to-keep-in-touch-with/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [It's difficult, if not impossible, to get away with anything false before the camera. That instrument penetrates the husk of the actor; it reveals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/it-s-difficult-if-not-impossible-to-get-away-with-anything-false/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [For years after I resigned, I was still faithful to their way of thinking. But not in the American Communists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/for-years-after-i-resigned-i-was-still-faithful-to-their-way-of/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [You've got to keep fighting; you've got to risk your life every six months to stay alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/you-ve-got-to-keep-fighting-you-ve-got-to-risk-your-life-every-six/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) [Explore all 97 Elia Kazan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) J. Anthony Torino > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) Alan W. Powers > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/) [Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Miller didn't write Death of a Salesman. He released it. It was there inside him, waiting to be turned loose. 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