--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My favorite playwright is probably Samuel…" description: "\"My favorite playwright is probably Samuel Beckett, and he was always laughing at the abyss.\" — John Cameron Mitchell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/john-cameron-mitchell-3889_abyss_my-favorite-playwright-is-probably-samue_1794185.jpg" --- # My favorite playwright is probably Samuel Beckett, and he… ![“My favorite playwright is probably Samuel Beckett, and he was always laughing at the abyss.” quote by John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/john-cameron-mitchell-3889_abyss_my-favorite-playwright-is-probably-samue_1794185.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/john-cameron-mitchell-3889_abyss_my-favorite-playwright-is-probably-samue_1794185.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/john-cameron-mitchell-3889_abyss_my-favorite-playwright-is-probably-samue_1794185.jpg) > “My favorite playwright is probably Samuel Beckett, and he was always laughing at the abyss.” [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Beckett's humor confronts existential dread, using laughter to face the abyss. **In simple terms:** Laughing at darkness eases fear. Key Takeaway Find humor in life's void. Themes existentialism humor art Mood thoughtful reflective Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - performance - writing - therapy Key Concepts theatre absurdism Questions to Reflect On - How does humor help you cope with uncertainty? - When does laughter become avoidance? A Different Perspective Humor may mask deeper issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abyss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abyss/) [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Beckett Laughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beckett-laughing-1972940/) [Favorite Playwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favorite-playwright-1972938/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [Laughing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughing/) [Playwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playwright/) [Playwright Probably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playwright-probably-1972939/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/samuel-beckett/) ## Related quotes > [It seems that the hurdle you have to jump over is everyone's informed opinion. When you're a young playwright, you're probably too precarious in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-greenberg/it-seems-that-the-hurdle-you-have-to-jump-over-is-everyone-s-informed/) [Richard Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-greenberg/) > [ I wanted to work with Barry \[ Jenkins\]. I am a big fan of his from Medicine for Melancholy years ago. Tarrell \[Alvin McCraney\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/i-wanted-to-work-with-barry-jenkins-i-am-a-big-fan-of-his-from/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) > [Little Christian Bale. It was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and I re-watched it not too long ago, and my jaw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-strong/little-christian-bale-it-was-one-of-my-favorite-movies-as-a-kid-and-i/) [Danny Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-strong/) > [The one living playwright I admire without any reservation whatsoever is Samuel Beckett. I have funny feelings about almost all the others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/the-one-living-playwright-i-admire-without-any-reservation-whatsoever/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [I don't think there's been any writer like Samuel Beckett. He's unique. He was a most charming man and I used to send him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-pinter/i-don-t-think-there-s-been-any-writer-like-samuel-beckett-he-s-unique/) [Harold Pinter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-pinter/) > [Gertrude Stein, all courage and will, is a soldier of minimalism. Her work, unlike the resonating silences in the art of Samuel Beckett, embodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hardwick/gertrude-stein-all-courage-and-will-is-a-soldier-of-minimalism-her/) [Elizabeth Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hardwick/) > [“How come you write the way you do?” an apprentice writer in my Johns Hopkins workshop once disingenuously asked Donald Barthelme, who was visiting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/how-come-you-write-the-way-you-do-an-apprentice-writer-in-my-johns/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [Samuel Beckett. He is a kind of hero for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-handke/samuel-beckett-he-is-a-kind-of-hero-for-me/) [Peter Handke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-handke/) > [“Samuel Beckett was saying, in a new biography, that he could remember being in the womb, which, of course, is a bit far-fetched. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/samuel-beckett-was-saying-in-a-new-biography-that-he-could-remember/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [“If you've never come across Soccer Saturday, imagine a Samuel Beckett play in which a slick circus-master gets four retired clowns to describe a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esquire-magazine/if-you-ve-never-come-across-soccer-saturday-imagine-a-samuel-beckett/) [Esquire Magazine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esquire-magazine/) > [ I admire \[Samuel\] Beckett, but I am totally against him. He seeks no improvement. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-admire-samuel-beckett-but-i-am-totally-against-him-he-seeks-no/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [In Kamby Bolongo Mean River damage and delusion walk hand in hand, and everything we think we know is gradually called into question. Reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/in-kamby-bolongo-mean-river-damage-and-delusion-walk-hand-in-hand-and/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [Ben Marcus has created an innovative and unflinching portrait of the turmoil of the human condition, providing the reader a most rare gift: something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myla-goldberg/ben-marcus-has-created-an-innovative-and-unflinching-portrait-of-the/) [Myla Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myla-goldberg/) > [“Je suis comme ça. Ou j'oublie tout de suite ou je n'oublie jamais." Samuel BECKETT, En attendant Godot I'm like that. Either I forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/je-suis-comme-a-ou-j-oublie-tout-de-suite-ou-je-n-oublie-jamais/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [ I would say recently I've gotten back to perusing \[Samuel\] Beckett's novels. Listening to the way Donald Trump speaks without saying anything has made… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-would-say-recently-i-ve-gotten-back-to-perusing-samuel-beckett-s/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) ## More by John Cameron Mitchell > [You're on Facebook, and you're supposed to know your sexual orientation at 13... Nobody really knows what's going on at that time, and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/you-re-on-facebook-and-you-re-supposed-to-know-your-sexual/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [I'd like to do some female roles again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/i-d-like-to-do-some-female-roles-again/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [We're all weirdly single, middle-aged women with too much money who look to fill the void with too much shopping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/we-re-all-weirdly-single-middle-aged-women-with-too-much-money-who/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [I think as far as themes, 'Hedwig' is about what music meant to you as a kid and how rock n' roll can save…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/i-think-as-far-as-themes-hedwig-is-about-what-music-meant-to-you-as-a/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [Doing 'Hedwig' totally contributed to my acceptance of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/doing-hedwig-totally-contributed-to-my-acceptance-of-myself/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [“My sex change operation got botched; my guardian angel fell asleep on the watch; now all I got is a Barbie doll crotch; I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/my-sex-change-operation-got-botched-my-guardian-angel-fell-asleep-on/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > ['Hedwig' isn't particularly based on me, but I think that it is autobiographical in terms of emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/hedwig-isn-t-particularly-based-on-me-but-i-think-that-it-is/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [Kids' literature now is dystopian, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/kids-literature-now-is-dystopian-you-know/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [Getting the blood moving through your body does do wonders for your complexion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/getting-the-blood-moving-through-your-body-does-do-wonders-for-your/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [There are a lot of silly projects out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/there-are-a-lot-of-silly-projects-out-there/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [I would love for 'Hedwig' to be in every tiny shopping mall so every freakish kid like I was can have a broadening experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/i-would-love-for-hedwig-to-be-in-every-tiny-shopping-mall-so-every/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [We spend so much of our early lives trying to figure out who we really are. And we spend the rest of our lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/we-spend-so-much-of-our-early-lives-trying-to-figure-out-who-we/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [I like all kinds of input.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/i-like-all-kinds-of-input/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [Anger is so constructive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/anger-is-so-constructive/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [Growing up, it was uncool to admit that your family had any money. And then, instantly, money was cool. In Reagan's parlance, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/growing-up-it-was-uncool-to-admit-that-your-family-had-any-money-and/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) [Explore all 120 John Cameron Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) ## More Abyss quotes > [We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“The whole organization seemed to be in free fall, indulging in a collective fantasy in which experienced colleagues refused to admit that their every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-whole-organization-seemed-to-be-in-free-fall-indulging-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Adam became so proud that he wished to become God and died for his pride; the Son of God humbled Himself unto death, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/adam-became-so-proud-that-he-wished-to-become-god-and-died-for-his/) [John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/) > [The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/the-cradle-rocks-above-an-abyss-and-common-sense-tells-us-that-our/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [In the end things must be as they are and have always been--the great things remain for the great, the abysses for the profound,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-the-end-things-must-be-as-they-are-and-have-always-been-the-great/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I admire the Elsie Tanners and Barbara Windsors of the world: people who have crawled back from the abyss. I'm quite camp in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-eclair/i-admire-the-elsie-tanners-and-barbara-windsors-of-the-world-people/) [Jenny Eclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-eclair/) > [I've been to unpretty places with the roles I've played, and I'm attracted to reckless abandon. I like being taken to the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-ifans/i-ve-been-to-unpretty-places-with-the-roles-i-ve-played-and-i-m/) [Rhys Ifans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-ifans/) > [I look into my heart and see the abyss looking back at me.' 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