--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a play that was written by who…" description: "\"There was a play that was written by who I think is America's greatest playwright, and he wrote a small part in it for me. It was going to open in Chic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/scott-glenn-13067_arthur_there-was-a-play-that-was-written-by-who_2674590.jpg" --- # There was a play that was written by who I think is… ![“There was a play that was written by who I think is America's greatest playwright, and he wrote a small part in it for me. It was going to open in Chicago, and then go to New York. But then, he died. It was Arthur Miller. That was the reason I turned Lost down.” quote by Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/scott-glenn-13067_arthur_there-was-a-play-that-was-written-by-who_2674590.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/scott-glenn-13067_arthur_there-was-a-play-that-was-written-by-who_2674590.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/scott-glenn-13067_arthur_there-was-a-play-that-was-written-by-who_2674590.jpg) > “There was a play that was written by who I think is America's greatest playwright, and he wrote a small part in it for me. It was going to open in Chicago, and then go to New York. But then, he died. It was Arthur Miller. That was the reason I turned Lost down.” [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He turned down a role after the playwright died, showing respect for the creator. **In simple terms:** Respect for the creator led to declining a role. Key Takeaway Honor creators’ legacies. Themes career artistic integrity loss Mood reflective respectful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - theater auditions - film offers - career choices Key Concepts legacy personal values Questions to Reflect On - When is it right to decline a role? - How do you honor a creator’s memory? A Different Perspective May limit opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arthur/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arthur-miller/) [Greatest Playwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-playwright-2529765/) [Play Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-written-736415/) [Playwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playwright/) [Playwright Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playwright-wrote-2529764/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [When I was sixteen or seventeen, I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to be a playwright. But everything I wrote, I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/when-i-was-sixteen-or-seventeen-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-i-wanted-to/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [I'm one of those lazy actors; I like to take what the playwright wrote and work with that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherry-jones/i-m-one-of-those-lazy-actors-i-like-to-take-what-the-playwright-wrote/) [Cherry Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherry-jones/) > [Some playwrights are obvious influences on younger writers. Arthur Miller (realistic, politically engaged dramas) and Christopher Durang (satirical dark comedies) are examples. But August…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-sullivan/some-playwrights-are-obvious-influences-on-younger-writers-arthur/) [Daniel J. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-sullivan/) > [Most playwrights go wrong on the fifth word. When you start a play and you type 'Act one, scene one,' your writing is every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-willson/most-playwrights-go-wrong-on-the-fifth-word-when-you-start-a-play-and/) [Meredith Willson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-willson/) > [And it was the idea that you can do a play - like a Shakespeare play, or any well-written play, Arthur Miller, whatever -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-earl-jones/and-it-was-the-idea-that-you-can-do-a-play-like-a-shakespeare-play-or/) [James Earl Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-earl-jones/) > [Everybody gets a little dose of Shakespeare. He's the greatest playwright in the English language, but his politics are fairly square.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cox/everybody-gets-a-little-dose-of-shakespeare-he-s-the-greatest/) [Alex Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cox/) > [If you are in an Edward Albee play, you say Edward Albee is the greatest playwright of all time... If you're in an Israel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-pullman/if-you-are-in-an-edward-albee-play-you-say-edward-albee-is-the/) [Bill Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-pullman/) > [ He \[Arthur Miller\] wouldn't have married me if I had been nothing but a dumb blonde. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/he-arthur-miller-wouldn-t-have-married-me-if-i-had-been-nothing-but-a/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [Arthur Miller once payed me a great compliment saying that my plays were 'necessary.' I will go one step further and say that Arthur's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/arthur-miller-once-payed-me-a-great-compliment-saying-that-my-plays/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [The great writers like Chekhov know that tragedy and laughter are just a few steps from each other ... but it took me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-redgrave/the-great-writers-like-chekhov-know-that-tragedy-and-laughter-are/) [Vanessa Redgrave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-redgrave/) > [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/) > [I come from the theatre where there are no boundaries to the style you're doing; you're doing Molière, then you're doing Chekhov and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-come-from-the-theatre-where-there-are-no-boundaries-to-the-style/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I take pictures, and they are there for the taking. I'll tell you a quote that I have always thought about. Arthur Miller said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-maisel/i-take-pictures-and-they-are-there-for-the-taking-i-ll-tell-you-a/) [Jay Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-maisel/) > [Now that Marilyn Monroe is kosher, Arthur Miller can eat her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-levant/now-that-marilyn-monroe-is-kosher-arthur-miller-can-eat-her/) [Oscar Levant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-levant/) > [And then, all of a sudden, you're like, all that's great and fun, but Arthur Miller's in my dressing room. This is the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-krause/and-then-all-of-a-sudden-you-re-like-all-that-s-great-and-fun-but/) [Peter Krause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-krause/) ## More by Scott Glenn > [Rodeo riders are the last of the true chivalrous groups of people. It's a place where the competition is really pure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/rodeo-riders-are-the-last-of-the-true-chivalrous-groups-of-people-it/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [I've always been addicted to adrenaline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/i-ve-always-been-addicted-to-adrenaline/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [That one long scene in the Leftovers I have with David Gulpilil was seven pages long. When we finished it, Mimi Leder said, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/that-one-long-scene-in-the-leftovers-i-have-with-david-gulpilil-was/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [J.J. Abrams wanted me to do a part in Lost and we probably had three meetings, and I finally turned it down, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/j-j-abrams-wanted-me-to-do-a-part-in-lost-and-we-probably-had-three/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [I'm not a comic book guy. I've never been to Comic-Con. I don't know anything about that. It's a whole different world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/i-m-not-a-comic-book-guy-i-ve-never-been-to-comic-con-i-don-t-know/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > ['The Leftovers' is my favorite job I've ever had in my life, anywhere, ever. It is one of the greatest TV shows ever made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/the-leftovers-is-my-favorite-job-i-ve-ever-had-in-my-life-anywhere/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [I got into an argument with someone because I said I think 2Pac will be regarded as a great poet. They said he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/i-got-into-an-argument-with-someone-because-i-said-i-think-2pac-will/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [The hard part about playing 'chicken' is knowing when to flinch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/the-hard-part-about-playing-chicken-is-knowing-when-to-flinch/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [They say God looks after kids and idiots, and I think actors are probably a combination of the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/they-say-god-looks-after-kids-and-idiots-and-i-think-actors-are/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [I don't think rodeo is cruel at all. Bullriding is the only man-animal event that makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/i-don-t-think-rodeo-is-cruel-at-all-bullriding-is-the-only-man-animal/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [We were talking about television one time, and Damon Lindelof said he felt that, if Ernst Hemingway was writing for media, he would write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/we-were-talking-about-television-one-time-and-damon-lindelof-said-he/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [I used to be an open-spear fisherman, and if you're looking for fish, you're never going to see them. In an almost meditative state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/i-used-to-be-an-open-spear-fisherman-and-if-you-re-looking-for-fish/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [What I didn't realize about television was that's true of acting, as well. You have that space of time to develop who you are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/what-i-didn-t-realize-about-television-was-that-s-true-of-acting-as/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [My metaphor for acting in movies - not on stage because it's completely different on stage - is to put colors on an easel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/my-metaphor-for-acting-in-movies-not-on-stage-because-it-s-completely/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) > [I love the way Damon Lindelof writes. It's almost like he was channeling me and he had my voice, even though the territory that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-glenn/i-love-the-way-damon-lindelof-writes-it-s-almost-like-he-was/) [Scott Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) [Explore all 52 Scott Glenn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-glenn/) ## More Arthur quotes > [... Arthur Gride, whose bleared eyes gloated only over the outward beauties, and were blind to the spirit which reigned within, evinced - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/arthur-gride-whose-bleared-eyes-gloated-only-over-the-outward/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Merlin' was awesome, but the costumes would drive you insane. Every day, you'd get into chain mail and wear 30 pounds of that stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-macken/merlin-was-awesome-but-the-costumes-would-drive-you-insane-every-day/) [Eoin Macken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-macken/) > [What a wonderfully exciting cough,' said the little man, quite startled by it, 'do you mind if I join you?' And with that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-a-wonderfully-exciting-cough-said-the-little-man-quite-startled/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [A guy called Arthur Brown... was a big influence of mine... and also Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-dickinson/a-guy-called-arthur-brown-was-a-big-influence-of-mine-and-also-ian/) [Bruce Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-dickinson/) > [I have a sense of them being Easter religions, for some reason. Christianity, of course, is a mystery religion, too, and I believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-have-a-sense-of-them-being-easter-religions-for-some-reason/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [And then, all of a sudden, you're like, all that's great and fun, but Arthur Miller's in my dressing room. This is the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-krause/and-then-all-of-a-sudden-you-re-like-all-that-s-great-and-fun-but/) [Peter Krause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-krause/) > [For five hundred dollars, I'll name a subatomic particle after you. Some of my satisfied customers include Arthur C. Quark and George Meson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/for-five-hundred-dollars-i-ll-name-a-subatomic-particle-after-you/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [Arthur Conan Doyle was entranced by the notion of a brilliant detective who can deduce everything a stranger has been up to from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-yglesias/arthur-conan-doyle-was-entranced-by-the-notion-of-a-brilliant/) [Rafael Yglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-yglesias/) > [“That boy had wanted to be Ser Arthur Dayne, but someplace along the way he had become the Smiling Knight instead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/that-boy-had-wanted-to-be-ser-arthur-dayne-but-someplace-along-the/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [The book that really, really shaped my politics and has forever is Arthur Koestler's "Darkness at Noon," which is a novel based on terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/the-book-that-really-really-shaped-my-politics-and-has-forever-is/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [Since I came here I have learned that Chester A. Arthur is one man and the President of the United States is another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-a-arthur/since-i-came-here-i-have-learned-that-chester-a-arthur-is-one-man-and/) [Chester A. Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-a-arthur/) > [“In the energies of the Green Knight, we have an Elder who comes to the entire court of Arthur to challenge and "open a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-chandler/in-the-energies-of-the-green-knight-we-have-an-elder-who-comes-to-the/) [Virginia Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-chandler/) > [“AT&T developed cross-country systems of microwave relay towers, which marched across the countryside from coast to coast and border to border, every 20 to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-t-developed-cross-country-systems-of-microwave-relay-towers-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Now that Marilyn Monroe is kosher, Arthur Miller can eat her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-levant/now-that-marilyn-monroe-is-kosher-arthur-miller-can-eat-her/) [Oscar Levant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-levant/) > [You don't have to believe that there was a King Arthur to get the significance of those stories, but Christians say we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/you-don-t-have-to-believe-that-there-was-a-king-arthur-to-get-the/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) [Browse all 340 Arthur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arthur/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There was a play that was written by who I think is America's greatest playwright, and he wrote a small part in it for me. 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