--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Zero Mostel wasn't afraid of authority in…" description: "\"Zero Mostel wasn't afraid of authority in any form, and that's the part that influenced me the most.\" — Gene Wilder" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/gene-wilder-3914_authority_zero-mostel-wasn-t-afraid-of-authority-i_1630266.png" --- # Zero Mostel wasn't afraid of authority in any form, and… ![“Zero Mostel wasn't afraid of authority in any form, and that's the part that influenced me the most.” quote by Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/gene-wilder-3914_authority_zero-mostel-wasn-t-afraid-of-authority-i_1630266.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/gene-wilder-3914_authority_zero-mostel-wasn-t-afraid-of-authority-i_1630266.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/gene-wilder-3914_authority_zero-mostel-wasn-t-afraid-of-authority-i_1630266.png) > “Zero Mostel wasn't afraid of authority in any form, and that's the part that influenced me the most.” [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Zero Mostel’s fearless defiance of authority inspired Wilder, highlighting the impact of bold resistance. **In simple terms:** Defying authority inspired him. Key Takeaway Embrace bold resistance to authority. Themes personal growth authority inspiration courage Mood reflective inspirational Type biographical motivational When to use this quote - artistic work - personal decisions - leadership Key Concepts individualism social conformity creative expression Questions to Reflect On - When is defiance appropriate? - What are the risks of challenging authority? A Different Perspective Authority can be necessary for order; resistance may have costs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) ## Related quotes > [ \[ Zero Mostel\] would tell anyone anything, not to be impolite, but he'd show that he wasn't at all afraid of however much money… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/zero-mostel-would-tell-anyone-anything-not-to-be-impolite-but-he-d/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [When people, especially from France, would ask me to talk about or so they could write about New York Jewish humor, I'd say I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/when-people-especially-from-france-would-ask-me-to-talk-about-or-so/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [People are so afraid of authority figures and doctors are authority figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/people-are-so-afraid-of-authority-figures-and-doctors-are-authority/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [ With Mel \[Brooks\], only one time and that was later on during "Young Frankenstein" - never with Zero \[Mostel\] and never with Mel except… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/with-mel-brooks-only-one-time-and-that-was-later-on-during-young/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [On screen, Gene Wilder could often be summed up as an accident waiting to happen, that frizzy, flyaway hair, the eyes darting this way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/on-screen-gene-wilder-could-often-be-summed-up-as-an-accident-waiting/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [“I ain’t seen my lady in thirteen months and I’m scared as hell! Wonder what she’s gonna look like…you ever worry you won’t recognize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/standbyme-ao3/i-ain-t-seen-my-lady-in-thirteen-months-and-i-m-scared-as-hell-wonder/) standbyme (AO3 > [“He wasn’t afraid. Fear was reserved for those who had something to live for”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-roberts/he-wasn-t-afraid-fear-was-reserved-for-those-who-had-something-to/) [C.J. Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-roberts/) > [“She had opinions about everything, and she wasn't afraid to share them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/she-had-opinions-about-everything-and-she-wasn-t-afraid-to-share-them/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [It wasn't so much that I was afraid of the place itself, but I was afraid of the creatures who masqueraded as people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuo-kirino/it-wasn-t-so-much-that-i-was-afraid-of-the-place-itself-but-i-was/) [Natsuo Kirino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuo-kirino/) > [“I wasn't afraid of you!' Ryan protested. 'I was half intimidated, half infatuated, and I didn't know how to act because of it.' Sin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-hassell/i-wasn-t-afraid-of-you-ryan-protested-i-was-half-intimidated-half/) [Sonny Hassell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-hassell/) > [“I wasn't afraid of you, Alina. I was afraid of losing you. That girl you were becoming didn't need me anymore, but she's who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-bardugo/i-wasn-t-afraid-of-you-alina-i-was-afraid-of-losing-you-that-girl-you/) [Leigh Bardugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-bardugo/) > [I wasn't afraid of anything until I had a kid. Then I was terrified because immediately I could imagine a hundred ways in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-wasn-t-afraid-of-anything-until-i-had-a-kid-then-i-was-terrified/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Once I overcame breast cancer, I wasn't afraid of anything anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-etheridge/once-i-overcame-breast-cancer-i-wasn-t-afraid-of-anything-anymore/) [Melissa Etheridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-etheridge/) > [I realized I really liked the screen. I knew it was a challenge, but I wasn't afraid of risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-selleck/i-realized-i-really-liked-the-screen-i-knew-it-was-a-challenge-but-i/) [Tom Selleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-selleck/) > [“Emma sat up very straight in the saddle. Her eyes were huge, but she said bravely, “I could do it!” “I know you can.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lanyon/emma-sat-up-very-straight-in-the-saddle-her-eyes-were-huge-but-she/) [Josh Lanyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lanyon/) ## More by Gene Wilder > [Dont put the sheep on the table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/dont-put-the-sheep-on-the-table/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [When your mother gives you confidence about anything that you do, you carry that confidence with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/when-your-mother-gives-you-confidence-about-anything-that-you-do-you/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I'm an actor, not a clown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-m-an-actor-not-a-clown/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [ \[Gilda Radner\] died in '89, and I got non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2000. I've just passed the five-year mark and I'm now what you call… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/gilda-radner-died-in-89-and-i-got-non-hodgkin-s-lymphoma-in-2000-i-ve/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I like - it's not that I want to be someone different from me, but I suppose it partly is that. I love creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-like-it-s-not-that-i-want-to-be-someone-different-from-me-but-i/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I live in a small town in Connecticut, and they don't write scripts there, but I get them anyway because my agent is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-live-in-a-small-town-in-connecticut-and-they-don-t-write-scripts/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [Little surprises around every corner, but nothing dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/little-surprises-around-every-corner-but-nothing-dangerous/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I don't like giving speeches. It makes me nervous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-don-t-like-giving-speeches-it-makes-me-nervous/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [On screen, Gene Wilder could often be summed up as an accident waiting to happen, that frizzy, flyaway hair, the eyes darting this way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/on-screen-gene-wilder-could-often-be-summed-up-as-an-accident-waiting/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [Gene Wilder often said that his job as an actor wasn't to make something funny but to make it real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/gene-wilder-often-said-that-his-job-as-an-actor-wasn-t-to-make/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [When I'm not working on something, I seem to go through periods of depression. It helps to keep busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/when-i-m-not-working-on-something-i-seem-to-go-through-periods-of/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [What I learned from Mel Brooks was audacity - in performance as in life. Maybe you go too far, but try it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/what-i-learned-from-mel-brooks-was-audacity-in-performance-as-in-life/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I'm going to tell you what my religion is. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Period. Terminato. Finito.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-m-going-to-tell-you-what-my-religion-is-do-unto-others-as-you-would/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [Gene Wilder characters wanted to be calm, but to the great delight of audiences, they rarely succeeded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/gene-wilder-characters-wanted-to-be-calm-but-to-the-great-delight-of/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) > [I love acting, especially if it's a fantasy of some kind, where it's not just realistic, it's not naturalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/i-love-acting-especially-if-it-s-a-fantasy-of-some-kind-where-it-s/) [Gene Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) [Explore all 119 Gene Wilder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/) ## More Authority quotes > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/) [Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/) > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/) [Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/) > [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/) [Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/) [Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Zero Mostel wasn't afraid of authority in any form, and that's the part that influenced me the most.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gene Wilder" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/zero-mostel-wasn-t-afraid-of-authority-in-any-form-and-that-s-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authority" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/zero-mostel-wasn-t-afraid-of-authority-in-any-form-and-that-s-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/gene-wilder-3914_authority_zero-mostel-wasn-t-afraid-of-authority-i_1630266.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/gene-wilder-3914_authority_zero-mostel-wasn-t-afraid-of-authority-i_1630266.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/gene-wilder-3914_authority_zero-mostel-wasn-t-afraid-of-authority-i_1630266.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Zero Mostel wasn't afraid of authority in any form, and that's the part that influenced me the most.” — Gene Wilder", "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": "Gene Wilder", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wilder/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Zero Mostel wasn't afraid of authority...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/zero-mostel-wasn-t-afraid-of-authority-in-any-form-and-that-s-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wilder/zero-mostel-wasn-t-afraid-of-authority-in-any-form-and-that-s-the/#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 } } ] } ```