--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would hate to think of the theatre…" description: "\"I would hate to think of the theatre world without critics. Without them, we'd not have the record of each season.\" — Marian Seldes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba6/marian-seldes-19701_critics_i-would-hate-to-think-of-the-theatre-wor_85861.png" --- # I would hate to think of the theatre world without… ![“I would hate to think of the theatre world without critics. Without them, we'd not have the record of each season.” quote by Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba6/marian-seldes-19701_critics_i-would-hate-to-think-of-the-theatre-wor_85861.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba6/marian-seldes-19701_critics_i-would-hate-to-think-of-the-theatre-wor_85861.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba6/marian-seldes-19701_critics_i-would-hate-to-think-of-the-theatre-wor_85861.png) > “I would hate to think of the theatre world without critics. Without them, we'd not have the record of each season.” [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critics preserve a documented history of theatrical productions, providing accountability and cultural memory. **In simple terms:** Critics archive theatre history. Key Takeaway Documentation sustains art legacy. Themes history culture accountability memory preservation Mood reflective appreciative nostalgic Type observation commentary cultural insight When to use this quote - writing a season summary - academic research on theatre - curating a museum exhibit - producing a retrospective documentary Key Concepts critical review archival record seasonal documentation Practical Applications - building a searchable database of performances - creating a yearly theatre almanac Questions to Reflect On - Why is it important to have an external record of artistic work? - How might theatre evolve without systematic critique? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Season](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/season/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“The world is already full of critics; to stand out, be an encourager.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/the-world-is-already-full-of-critics-to-stand-out-be-an-encourager/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [A mother of a one-year-old boy is a movie star in a world without critics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/a-mother-of-a-one-year-old-boy-is-a-movie-star-in-a-world-without/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [The idea of audiences becoming part of the show is, I think, where theatre is going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tiffany/the-idea-of-audiences-becoming-part-of-the-show-is-i-think-where/) [John Tiffany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tiffany/) > [I think theatre should always be somewhat suspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-think-theatre-should-always-be-somewhat-suspect/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Often, particularly towards the end of the process, I think of myself less as a theatre director and more as someone who just directs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lepage/often-particularly-towards-the-end-of-the-process-i-think-of-myself/) [Robert Lepage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lepage/) > [In the end I think theatre has only one subject: justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/in-the-end-i-think-theatre-has-only-one-subject-justice/) [Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/) > [I definitely think that theatre is something I'll keep coming back to in my career for as long as I can. I also think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-definitely-think-that-theatre-is-something-i-ll-keep-coming-back-to/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [I think theatre at its best looks into the dark corners; clearly, my dark corners are full of doom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/i-think-theatre-at-its-best-looks-into-the-dark-corners-clearly-my/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [You must not think of yourself as looking at the stage from the audience. You must think of it as theatre in the round…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-maisel/you-must-not-think-of-yourself-as-looking-at-the-stage-from-the/) [Jay Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-maisel/) > [I don't think theatre has changed; it's society that has changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hall/i-don-t-think-theatre-has-changed-it-s-society-that-has-changed/) [Lee Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hall/) > [I sometimes think that theatre is a torture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-stevenson/i-sometimes-think-that-theatre-is-a-torture/) [Juliet Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-stevenson/) > [I'm not a really firm believer in theatre that is 'about anything.' I don't think theatre can be about anything other than the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branden-jacobs-jenkins/i-m-not-a-really-firm-believer-in-theatre-that-is-about-anything-i/) [Branden Jacobs-Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branden-jacobs-jenkins/) > ['The Marrying Season' is the final book in the 'Legend of St. Dwynwen' series, and in each of the three books, a small village…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-camp/the-marrying-season-is-the-final-book-in-the-legend-of-st-dwynwen/) [Candace Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-camp/) > [The way I see it, the third series of 'Downton Abbey' is all about change and how each character adapts to those changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/the-way-i-see-it-the-third-series-of-downton-abbey-is-all-about/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [I feel like I have another level every year that I start a new season of basketball. If I continue to keep growing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-oladipo/i-feel-like-i-have-another-level-every-year-that-i-start-a-new-season/) Victor Oladipo ## More by Marian Seldes > [I know I'm funny, because I'm eccentric, I'm odd. I'm not what you expect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/i-know-i-m-funny-because-i-m-eccentric-i-m-odd-i-m-not-what-you-expect/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [How do people who live utterly alone survive? There are so many things that won't open. I've got a few dresses in New York,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/how-do-people-who-live-utterly-alone-survive-there-are-so-many-things/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [Confidence has nothing to do with what you look like. If you obsess over that, you'll end up being disappointed in yourself all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/confidence-has-nothing-to-do-with-what-you-look-like-if-you-obsess/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [If you're unhappy in a relationship, I think you just don't trust yourself for getting into another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/if-you-re-unhappy-in-a-relationship-i-think-you-just-don-t-trust/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [I think of myself as only being an actress when I'm acting, but my friends will say I act all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/i-think-of-myself-as-only-being-an-actress-when-i-m-acting-but-my/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [Own the room. Confidence has nothing to do with what you look like. If you obsess over that, you'll end up being disappointed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/own-the-room-confidence-has-nothing-to-do-with-what-you-look-like-if/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [My grandmother always used to say, "If you know your past and you know where you have to go, why do you rehearse?" I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/my-grandmother-always-used-to-say-if-you-know-your-past-and-you-know/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [I almost never go to the theatre without seeing someone I've taught or known at Juilliard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/i-almost-never-go-to-the-theatre-without-seeing-someone-i-ve-taught/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [If I had a religious belief, I would want it to be as strong as my belief in the theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/if-i-had-a-religious-belief-i-would-want-it-to-be-as-strong-as-my/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [When I began to act, I was about 6 years old. Everything you learned, every period of history you studied, you did a play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/when-i-began-to-act-i-was-about-6-years-old-everything-you-learned/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [I think the first time I was ever really conscious of the difference between people's voices was that my mother's voice was so soft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/i-think-the-first-time-i-was-ever-really-conscious-of-the-difference/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [People say, 'How can you stay in a play for a long time?' I say, 'The audience is never the same.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/people-say-how-can-you-stay-in-a-play-for-a-long-time-i-say-the/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [An actress spends a lifetime observing people. You build up a mental library. No, not a library. Make that a repository.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/an-actress-spends-a-lifetime-observing-people-you-build-up-a-mental/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [In Milly Barranger, Margaret Webster has found the perfect biographer. In Margaret Webster, Milly Barranger has found her perfect subject. She brings to vivid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/in-milly-barranger-margaret-webster-has-found-the-perfect-biographer/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [There's no trick of teaching acting. Either someone wants to do it and is gifted, or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/there-s-no-trick-of-teaching-acting-either-someone-wants-to-do-it-and/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) [Explore all 32 Marian Seldes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) ## More Critics quotes > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) Whitney Balliett > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [Popular culture as a whole is popular, but in today's fragmented market it's a jostle of competing unpopular popular cultures. As the critic Stanley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/popular-culture-as-a-whole-is-popular-but-in-today-s-fragmented/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [There was a cultural war going on, the '60s was going on. All the film critics were square.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/there-was-a-cultural-war-going-on-the-60s-was-going-on-all-the-film/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [Capitalists have done more good for society through their charitable giving, philanthropy and generosity than all their critics combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/capitalists-have-done-more-good-for-society-through-their-charitable/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [I get that the media wants us to play theater critics and critique every other proposal. What I'm focusing on are my own policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-get-that-the-media-wants-us-to-play-theater-critics-and-critique/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [The Yippies, their lifestyle is different from mine. But I consider Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman inspired critics of the kind of society that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dellinger/the-yippies-their-lifestyle-is-different-from-mine-but-i-consider/) [David Dellinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dellinger/) > [This one goes out to all my critics: don't you feel stupid? Look how I did it. Look how it came to pass when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/this-one-goes-out-to-all-my-critics-don-t-you-feel-stupid-look-how-i/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [There's a lot of stuff I want to do, just things that I want to explore that don't involve show business. I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sheen/there-s-a-lot-of-stuff-i-want-to-do-just-things-that-i-want-to/) [Charlie Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sheen/) > [Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/whatever-course-you-decide-upon-there-is-always-someone-to-tell-you/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-likely-to-disappear-in-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [David Rockefeller is the most conspicuous representative today of the ruling class, a multinational fraternity of men who shape the global economy and manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/david-rockefeller-is-the-most-conspicuous-representative-today-of-the/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [A certain type of critic doesn't really want French movies to be visual. They think movies started from books and they forgot this part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-tautou/a-certain-type-of-critic-doesn-t-really-want-french-movies-to-be/) [Audrey Tautou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-tautou/) Browse all 2,637 Critics quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I would hate to think of the theatre world without critics. 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