--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Forty years later, people still swear…" description: "\"Forty years later, people still swear they can hear his offstage scream.\" — Robert Brustein" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/robert-brustein-36796_forty_forty-years-later-people-still-swear-the_361914.jpg" --- # Forty years later, people still swear they can hear his… ![“Forty years later, people still swear they can hear his offstage scream.” quote by Robert Brustein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/robert-brustein-36796_forty_forty-years-later-people-still-swear-the_361914.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/robert-brustein-36796_forty_forty-years-later-people-still-swear-the_361914.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/robert-brustein-36796_forty_forty-years-later-people-still-swear-the_361914.jpg) > “Forty years later, people still swear they can hear his offstage scream.” [Robert Brustein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brustein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It reflects the lasting impact of a powerful performance that continues to echo in people's memories decades later. **In simple terms:** His performance still haunts listeners years later. Key Takeaway Create work that endures over time. Themes art legacy memory Mood nostalgic contemplative Type cultural reflective When to use this quote - theatre productions - public speaking - musical performances - film acting Key Concepts performance art cultural impact longevity Questions to Reflect On - What makes a performance timeless? - How do you preserve artistic legacy? A Different Perspective Audience perception changes over time, altering the original impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Forty years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forty-years/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Some people swear you intentionally to get a reaction from you that would serve their cause. Be cautious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mufti-ismail-menk/some-people-swear-you-intentionally-to-get-a-reaction-from-you-that/) [Mufti Ismail Menk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mufti-ismail-menk/) > [So now, thirty years, forty years later, I mean, I could find a whole orchestra of a thousand to put these things together in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunther-schuller/so-now-thirty-years-forty-years-later-i-mean-i-could-find-a-whole/) [Gunther Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunther-schuller/) > [If you have written really well, people will swear that it happened to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/if-you-have-written-really-well-people-will-swear-that-it-happened-to/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [People often swear the first time they see my work. I like that,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/people-often-swear-the-first-time-they-see-my-work-i-like-that/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) > [People who swear a lot tend to be more honest, loyal and upfront with their friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-who-swear-a-lot-tend-to-be-more-honest-loyal-and-upfront-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Gramps always says people only swear because their vocabulary is limited...In certain trying circumstances, urgent circumstances, desperate circumstances, profanity furnishes a relief denied even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherise-sinclair/gramps-always-says-people-only-swear-because-their-vocabulary-is/) [Cherise Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherise-sinclair/) > [I don't think it's natural for two people to swear to be together for the rest of their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/i-don-t-think-it-s-natural-for-two-people-to-swear-to-be-together-for/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [We cannot sacrifice innocent human life now for vague and exaggerated promises of medical treatments thirty of forty years from now. There are ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-istook/we-cannot-sacrifice-innocent-human-life-now-for-vague-and-exaggerated/) [Ernest Istook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-istook/) > [A close friend of mine, Annie Leibovitz, who I've known for forty years, photographs celebrities every single day of the week but they all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-schiller/a-close-friend-of-mine-annie-leibovitz-who-i-ve-known-for-forty-years/) [Lawrence Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-schiller/) > [I've been married to the same woman for forty years, and whenever people ask us how we managed to stay married for so long,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wavy-gravy/i-ve-been-married-to-the-same-woman-for-forty-years-and-whenever/) [Wavy Gravy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wavy-gravy/) > [We have all been guilty of complaining, but God does not look at it as lightly as we may think. Complaining was the reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-johnson/we-have-all-been-guilty-of-complaining-but-god-does-not-look-at-it-as/) [Monica Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-johnson/) > [There was a point where there was a vision that we'll get to a certain age, and then we'll retire and be happy. Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lipton/there-was-a-point-where-there-was-a-vision-that-we-ll-get-to-a/) [Bruce Lipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lipton/) > [The idea that America elected a black man to be its president forty years after it declined to allow Martin Luther King Jr. to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-pierce/the-idea-that-america-elected-a-black-man-to-be-its-president-forty/) [Charlie Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-pierce/) > [Israel is slightly smaller than New Jersey. Moses in effect led the tribes of Israel out of the District of Columbia, parted Chesapeake Bay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/israel-is-slightly-smaller-than-new-jersey-moses-in-effect-led-the/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I feel very proud that we have managed to stay together. In these forty years we have made forty-six films. Each one has brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-merchant/i-feel-very-proud-that-we-have-managed-to-stay-together-in-these/) [Ismail Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-merchant/) ## More by Robert Brustein > [The love that previously dared not speak its name has now grown hoarse from screaming it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brustein/the-love-that-previously-dared-not-speak-its-name-has-now-grown/) [Robert Brustein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brustein/) > [Theatergoing is a communal act, movie going a solitary one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brustein/theatergoing-is-a-communal-act-movie-going-a-solitary-one/) [Robert Brustein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brustein/) > [Without an elite in the arts, we have no leaders, which is to say we have no vision, which is to say we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brustein/without-an-elite-in-the-arts-we-have-no-leaders-which-is-to-say-we/) [Robert Brustein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brustein/) > [The invention of film has given our generation the dubious advantage of watching our acting heroes deteriorate before our eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brustein/the-invention-of-film-has-given-our-generation-the-dubious-advantage/) [Robert Brustein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brustein/) > [Olivier's idea of introspection was to hood his eyes, dentalize his consonants and let the camera circle his blondined head like a sparrow looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brustein/olivier-s-idea-of-introspection-was-to-hood-his-eyes-dentalize-his/) [Robert Brustein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brustein/) > [Theater going is a communal act, movie going a solitary one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brustein/theater-going-is-a-communal-act-movie-going-a-solitary-one/) [Robert Brustein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brustein/) > [No enlightened person would deny its premise, but as an ongoing program it is monotonous, limited, locked in a perception of victimization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brustein/no-enlightened-person-would-deny-its-premise-but-as-an-ongoing/) [Robert Brustein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brustein/) > [On Laurence Olivier as Hamlet in a 1948 film: Olivier's idea of introspection was to hood his eyes, dentalize his consonants and let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brustein/on-laurence-olivier-as-hamlet-in-a-1948-film-olivier-s-idea-of/) [Robert Brustein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brustein/) > [The primary function of a theater is not to please itself, or even to please its audience. It is to serve talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brustein/the-primary-function-of-a-theater-is-not-to-please-itself-or-even-to/) [Robert Brustein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brustein/) > [The commercial theatre may still be considered one of New York's primary tourist attractions, but . . . there is no longer an audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brustein/the-commercial-theatre-may-still-be-considered-one-of-new-york-s/) [Robert Brustein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brustein/) > [The primary function of a theatre is not to please itself, or even to please its audience. It is to serve talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brustein/the-primary-function-of-a-theatre-is-not-to-please-itself-or-even-to/) [Robert Brustein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brustein/) [Explore all 12 Robert Brustein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brustein/) ## More Forty quotes > [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Whether one is twenty, forty, or sixty; whether one has succeeded, failed or just muddled along; whether yesterday was full of sun or storm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-mitchell-hodges/whether-one-is-twenty-forty-or-sixty-whether-one-has-succeeded-failed/) Leigh Mitchell Hodges > [In the olden days in England, you could be hung for stealing a sheep or a loaf of bread. However, if a sheep stole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-harding/in-the-olden-days-in-england-you-could-be-hung-for-stealing-a-sheep/) [Mike Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-harding/) > [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [I may be forty, but every morning when I get up, I feel like a twenty-year-old. Unfortunately, there's never one around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/i-may-be-forty-but-every-morning-when-i-get-up-i-feel-like-a-twenty/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [Being an actor is easy, just picture someone in a room and you outside waiting for your cue to go in. Elliot Gould's been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/being-an-actor-is-easy-just-picture-someone-in-a-room-and-you-outside/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [Be wise with speed; a fool at forty is a fool indeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/be-wise-with-speed-a-fool-at-forty-is-a-fool-indeed/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [As it can be maintained that all the great advances have come from men under forty, so the history of the world shows that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/as-it-can-be-maintained-that-all-the-great-advances-have-come-from/) [William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) > [I am supremely humbled to receive the 40 Under Forty honor by Stony Brook University in the category of Civil Service and Activism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momina-mustehsan/i-am-supremely-humbled-to-receive-the-40-under-forty-honor-by-stony/) [Momina Mustehsan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momina-mustehsan/) > [In my forties, my optimism was boundless. I had really good health and tremendous success which allowed me to do anything I wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-cornwell/in-my-forties-my-optimism-was-boundless-i-had-really-good-health-and/) [Patricia Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-cornwell/) > [Rincewind could scream for mercy in nineteen languages, and just scream in another forty-four.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/rincewind-could-scream-for-mercy-in-nineteen-languages-and-just/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [ I know that some of the folks in the press are uptight about this \[moving the press corps out of the West Wing \],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reince-priebus/i-know-that-some-of-the-folks-in-the-press-are-uptight-about-this/) [Reince Priebus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reince-priebus/) > [It's crazy for somebody who's kind of empowered and wealthy like myself to say, "Oh, I don't need to be patronized by the state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/it-s-crazy-for-somebody-who-s-kind-of-empowered-and-wealthy-like/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [I was given the gifts of the artist, and the trouble that goes with them: So I have that blessing, and there was never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-berliawsky-nevelson/i-was-given-the-gifts-of-the-artist-and-the-trouble-that-goes-with/) [Louise Berliawsky Nevelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-berliawsky-nevelson/) Browse all 1,077 Forty quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Forty years later, people still swear they can hear his offstage scream.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Brustein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brustein/forty-years-later-people-still-swear-they-can-hear-his-offstage-scream/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Forty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brustein/forty-years-later-people-still-swear-they-can-hear-his-offstage-scream/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/robert-brustein-36796_forty_forty-years-later-people-still-swear-the_361914.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/robert-brustein-36796_forty_forty-years-later-people-still-swear-the_361914.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/608/robert-brustein-36796_forty_forty-years-later-people-still-swear-the_361914.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Forty years later, people still swear they can hear his offstage scream.” — Robert Brustein", "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": "Robert Brustein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brustein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Forty years later, people still swear...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brustein/forty-years-later-people-still-swear-they-can-hear-his-offstage-scream/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brustein/forty-years-later-people-still-swear-they-can-hear-his-offstage-scream/#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 } } ] } ```