--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a playwright, you can cover a lot of…" description: "\"As a playwright, you can cover a lot of waterfront without being able to hold your own against an expert in any of those areas. I have no illusions abo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/tom-stoppard-437_able_as-a-playwright-you-can-cover-a-lot-of-w_2405619.png" --- # As a playwright, you can cover a lot of waterfront without… ![“As a playwright, you can cover a lot of waterfront without being able to hold your own against an expert in any of those areas. I have no illusions about that.” quote by Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/tom-stoppard-437_able_as-a-playwright-you-can-cover-a-lot-of-w_2405619.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/tom-stoppard-437_able_as-a-playwright-you-can-cover-a-lot-of-w_2405619.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/tom-stoppard-437_able_as-a-playwright-you-can-cover-a-lot-of-w_2405619.png) > “As a playwright, you can cover a lot of waterfront without being able to hold your own against an expert in any of those areas. I have no illusions about that.” [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A playwright can depict many scenes but may lack deep expertise in each. **In simple terms:** Broad knowledge without depth limits mastery. Key Takeaway Accept limits; seek specialists. Themes expertise humility craft Mood thoughtful realistic Type advice reflective When to use this quote - theatre production - writing workshops - creative projects Key Concepts artistic limitation collaboration Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance breadth and depth? - When should you defer to experts? A Different Perspective Depth can be achieved through collaboration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Expert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expert/) [Experts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experts/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Illusions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusions/) [Playwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playwright/) [Waterfront](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waterfront/) ## Related quotes > [My mum raised me on 'On the Waterfront,' 'Gone with the Wind' and 'Rear Window.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-momoa/my-mum-raised-me-on-on-the-waterfront-gone-with-the-wind-and-rear/) [Jason Momoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-momoa/) > [I'm really waterfront on a bitch!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-b/i-m-really-waterfront-on-a-bitch/) [Lil B](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-b/) > [As a planning board commissioner, I have to review the applications for development throughout the city, and the bulk of those applications have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-a-planning-board-commissioner-i-have-to-review-the-applications/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“waterfront little shanties like this one had”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-carr/waterfront-little-shanties-like-this-one-had/) [Robyn Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-carr/) > [As you get older, you're doing different parts, but the young people, like yourself, they keep you excited, because they'll see Waterfront, and they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-marie-saint/as-you-get-older-you-re-doing-different-parts-but-the-young-people/) [Eva Marie Saint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-marie-saint/) > [“The old frame house down near the waterfront had never held so many people since the day it was put up. It must have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/the-old-frame-house-down-near-the-waterfront-had-never-held-so-many/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [Some places you play in America, it's like 'On the Waterfront.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-becker/some-places-you-play-in-america-it-s-like-on-the-waterfront/) [Walter Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-becker/) > [The waterfront in Manila is really popular and somewhere I enjoyed visiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hardwell/the-waterfront-in-manila-is-really-popular-and-somewhere-i-enjoyed/) [Hardwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hardwell/) > [Alex Higgins was my hero, so to play in Belfast, at the superb Waterfront Hall, is very special to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-white/alex-higgins-was-my-hero-so-to-play-in-belfast-at-the-superb/) [Jimmy White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-white/) > [The waterfront without the Ferry Tower would be like a birthday cake without a candle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-caen/the-waterfront-without-the-ferry-tower-would-be-like-a-birthday-cake/) [Herb Caen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-caen/) > [“For some days before, as well as for some nights, Vincent had observed a shadow about the quays. First because it had tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-butts/for-some-days-before-as-well-as-for-some-nights-vincent-had-observed/) [Mary Butts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-butts/) > [Because theatre is a story-telling art form, we feel entitled to assume that the playwright got there before we got there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/because-theatre-is-a-story-telling-art-form-we-feel-entitled-to/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [For a long time I managed to think two things simultaneously, that I am actually a good playwright, and that the next time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/for-a-long-time-i-managed-to-think-two-things-simultaneously-that-i/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I'm a playwright who gets involved in movies when I'm not writing a play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-m-a-playwright-who-gets-involved-in-movies-when-i-m-not-writing-a/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Most British playwrights of my generation, as well as younger folks, apparently feel somewhat obliged to Russian literature - and not only those writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/most-british-playwrights-of-my-generation-as-well-as-younger-folks/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) ## More by Tom Stoppard > [If I wanted to change the world, the last thing I would do is write a play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-i-wanted-to-change-the-world-the-last-thing-i-would-do-is-write-a/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [If you want to change something by Tuesday, theater is no good. Journalism is what does that. But, if you want to just alter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-you-want-to-change-something-by-tuesday-theater-is-no-good/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [After all these years, I definitely associate having a pen in my hand with having an ashtray just out of eye line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/after-all-these-years-i-definitely-associate-having-a-pen-in-my-hand/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [The universe is deterministic all right, just like Newton said, I mean it's trying to be, but the only thing going wrong is people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/the-universe-is-deterministic-all-right-just-like-newton-said-i-mean/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [For me, human rights simply endorse a view of life and a set of moral values that are perfectly clear to an eight-year-old child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/for-me-human-rights-simply-endorse-a-view-of-life-and-a-set-of-moral/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [“What is an artist? For every thousand people there's nine hundred doing the work, ninety doing well, nine doing good, and one lucky bastard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/what-is-an-artist-for-every-thousand-people-there-s-nine-hundred/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Dying is not romantic, and death is not a game which will soon be over... Death is not anything... death is not... It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/dying-is-not-romantic-and-death-is-not-a-game-which-will-soon-be-over/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I'm not interested in clothes; I just like them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-m-not-interested-in-clothes-i-just-like-them/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [For 10 years of my life, 3 times a day, I thanked the Lord for what I was about to receive and thanked him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/for-10-years-of-my-life-3-times-a-day-i-thanked-the-lord-for-what-i/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [You should not translate for more than two hours at a time. After that, you lose your edge, the language becomes clumsy, rigid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-should-not-translate-for-more-than-two-hours-at-a-time-after-that/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [No matter how imperfect things are, if you've got a free press everything is correctable, and without it everything is concealable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/no-matter-how-imperfect-things-are-if-you-ve-got-a-free-press/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [We must be born with an intuition of mortality. Before we know the word for it. Before we know that there are words. Out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/we-must-be-born-with-an-intuition-of-mortality-before-we-know-the/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Eternity's a terrible thought. I mean, where's it all going to end?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/eternity-s-a-terrible-thought-i-mean-where-s-it-all-going-to-end/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [There is truth and falsehood in a comma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/there-is-truth-and-falsehood-in-a-comma/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) [Explore all 559 Tom Stoppard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As a playwright, you can cover a lot of waterfront without being able to hold your own against an expert in any of those areas. 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