--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I met Miller, for me it wasn't a…" description: "\"When I met Miller, for me it wasn't a question of wanting to meet him because it was Arthur Miller; it was a kind of astonishment that I could meet som..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6d/simon-mcburney-7667_arthur_when-i-met-miller-for-me-it-wasn-t-a-que_3188485.png" --- # When I met Miller, for me it wasn't a question of wanting… ![“When I met Miller, for me it wasn't a question of wanting to meet him because it was Arthur Miller; it was a kind of astonishment that I could meet someone who was so deeply embedded in the psyche of my artistic development.” quote by Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6d/simon-mcburney-7667_arthur_when-i-met-miller-for-me-it-wasn-t-a-que_3188485.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6d/simon-mcburney-7667_arthur_when-i-met-miller-for-me-it-wasn-t-a-que_3188485.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6d/simon-mcburney-7667_arthur_when-i-met-miller-for-me-it-wasn-t-a-que_3188485.png) > “When I met Miller, for me it wasn't a question of wanting to meet him because it was Arthur Miller; it was a kind of astonishment that I could meet someone who was so deeply embedded in the psyche of my artistic development.” [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encountering a revered creator can trigger awe, highlighting the impact of artistic lineage on personal development. **In simple terms:** Meeting a great artist can inspire and deepen your own creative path. Key Takeaway Seek mentorship or study the works of those who shaped your art. Themes artistic inspiration legacy creative identity Mood reflective inspirational Type creative thoughtful When to use this quote - theatre - writing - visual arts - personal development Key Concepts awe artistic lineage Questions to Reflect On - Who in your field inspires you? - How can you translate admiration into action? A Different Perspective Admiration may create distance rather than practical guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic/) [Astonishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishment/) [Psyche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psyche/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [I remember when I was doing 'The Crucible' on Broadway with Laura Linney, and Arthur Miller had been in rehearsal with us and was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-benjamin-hickey/i-remember-when-i-was-doing-the-crucible-on-broadway-with-laura/) [John Benjamin Hickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-benjamin-hickey/) > [Acting is rare. You can be rehearsing Ibsen with Sir Richard Eyre and suddenly he has to take a call on his mobile telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-sives/acting-is-rare-you-can-be-rehearsing-ibsen-with-sir-richard-eyre-and/) [Jamie Sives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-sives/) > [When I was an adolescent in England, at school we had to read 'Death of a Salesman.' I remember feeling incredibly moved by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/when-i-was-an-adolescent-in-england-at-school-we-had-to-read-death-of/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [What does Macbeth want? What does Shakespeare want? What does Othello want? What does James want? What does Arthur Miller want when he wrote?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kani/what-does-macbeth-want-what-does-shakespeare-want-what-does-othello/) [John Kani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kani/) > [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/) > [1 - 2 A child's spirit is like a child, you can never catch it by running after it; you must stand still, and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/1-2-a-child-s-spirit-is-like-a-child-you-can-never-catch-it-by/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [“IT HAS TO DO WITH ALL OF US,” said Owen Meany, when I called him that night. “SHE WAS JUST LIKE OUR WHOLE COUNTRY—NOT…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/it-has-to-do-with-all-of-us-said-owen-meany-when-i-called-him-that/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [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/) > [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 > [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/) > [“So I close this long reflection on what I hope is a not-too-quaveringly semi-Semitic note. When I am at home, I will only enter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/so-i-close-this-long-reflection-on-what-i-hope-is-a-not-too/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [1 - 2 If I see an ending, I can work backward. Arthur Miller In the theater, while you recognized that you were looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/1-2-if-i-see-an-ending-i-can-work-backward-arthur-miller-in-the/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [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/) ## More by Simon McBurney > [The brain constantly assures us, reassures us, that we are in control. But the closer you look, the more questions you have about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/the-brain-constantly-assures-us-reassures-us-that-we-are-in-control/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [Theatre artists are essentially sort of charlatans and thieves, I mean that's the tradition that we come from, so I have absolutely no, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/theatre-artists-are-essentially-sort-of-charlatans-and-thieves-i-mean/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [My work is not generally in the commercial sector. However, I'm not worried by the commercial sector. I refuse to work in any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/my-work-is-not-generally-in-the-commercial-sector-however-i-m-not/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [In my opinion, there's nothing new in the theatre, ever. Theatre-makers are thieves, in the honourable tradition of charlatans. They fake it very, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/in-my-opinion-there-s-nothing-new-in-the-theatre-ever-theatre-makers/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [Our lives are a sequence of things. When we're alive, they're continuing, just as my words now are an improvisation. So the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/our-lives-are-a-sequence-of-things-when-we-re-alive-they-re/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [We try to place the human body in relation to the image all the time, so it's never a kind of a backdrop, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/we-try-to-place-the-human-body-in-relation-to-the-image-all-the-time/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I constantly want to know - what is a table, or what is a cat?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-constantly-want-to-know-what-is-a-table-or-what-is-a-cat/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [The only reality of the theater exists in the mind of the audience. That audience looks collectively at what is going on on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/the-only-reality-of-the-theater-exists-in-the-mind-of-the-audience/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I suppose as an actor you become very sensitive to rhythm, not just rhythm as you look at it sort of from the, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-suppose-as-an-actor-you-become-very-sensitive-to-rhythm-not-just/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I remember the fact that milk was delivered every day by a milkman. In summer, my mother would make what now seem in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-remember-the-fact-that-milk-was-delivered-every-day-by-a-milkman-in/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > ['Mnemonic' is a play about memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/mnemonic-is-a-play-about-memory/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [I have always felt more at home in a culture that has nothing to do with the one I was born and brought up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-have-always-felt-more-at-home-in-a-culture-that-has-nothing-to-do/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [Yes it was chaos, working through chaos, you never quite knew what you were going to do each day, but you knew that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/yes-it-was-chaos-working-through-chaos-you-never-quite-knew-what-you/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [One of the things he liked about playwriting as to any other kind of writing is that a playwright is a w-r-i-g-h-t, not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/one-of-the-things-he-liked-about-playwriting-as-to-any-other-kind-of/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [With the theatre, for God's sake, everything makes sense. You create a clear sequential reality for a specific audience at one particular time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/with-the-theatre-for-god-s-sake-everything-makes-sense-you-create-a/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) [Explore all 89 Simon McBurney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) ## 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 ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I met Miller, for me it wasn't a question of wanting to meet him because it was Arthur Miller; it was a kind of astonishment that I could meet someone who was so deeply embedded in the psyche of my artistic development.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Simon McBurney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/when-i-met-miller-for-me-it-wasn-t-a-question-of-wanting-to-meet-him/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arthur" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/when-i-met-miller-for-me-it-wasn-t-a-question-of-wanting-to-meet-him/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6d/simon-mcburney-7667_arthur_when-i-met-miller-for-me-it-wasn-t-a-que_3188485.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6d/simon-mcburney-7667_arthur_when-i-met-miller-for-me-it-wasn-t-a-que_3188485.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6d/simon-mcburney-7667_arthur_when-i-met-miller-for-me-it-wasn-t-a-que_3188485.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I met Miller, for me it wasn't a question of wanting to meet him because it was Arthur Miller; it was a…” — Simon McBurney", "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": "Simon McBurney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I met Miller, for me...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/when-i-met-miller-for-me-it-wasn-t-a-question-of-wanting-to-meet-him/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/when-i-met-miller-for-me-it-wasn-t-a-question-of-wanting-to-meet-him/#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 } } ] } ```