--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Audiences know what to expect, and that…" description: "\"Audiences know what to expect, and that is all that they are prepared to believe in.\" — Tom Stoppard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f62/tom-stoppard-437_audience_audiences-know-what-to-expect-and-that-i_1378906.png" --- # Audiences know what to expect, and that is all that they… ![“Audiences know what to expect, and that is all that they are prepared to believe in.” quote by Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f62/tom-stoppard-437_audience_audiences-know-what-to-expect-and-that-i_1378906.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f62/tom-stoppard-437_audience_audiences-know-what-to-expect-and-that-i_1378906.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f62/tom-stoppard-437_audience_audiences-know-what-to-expect-and-that-i_1378906.png) > “Audiences know what to expect, and that is all that they are prepared to believe in.” [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. Audiences accept only what they are prepared to believe, limiting expectations. **In simple terms:** Expectations shape perception. Key Takeaway Challenge audience expectations. Themes perception expectation audience Mood thoughtful provocative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - film - politics - advertising - education Key Concepts theatre communication Questions to Reflect On - How to expand audience openness? - What breaks preconceived notions? A Different Perspective Rigid expectations can stifle innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Audiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audiences/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) ## Related quotes > [Life can be as easy as you wish to make it, or as difficult as you are prepared to believe it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/life-can-be-as-easy-as-you-wish-to-make-it-or-as-difficult-as-you-are/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [I find it odd seeing a DJ playing to huge audiences. I know that people have been doing it for a while, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gore/i-find-it-odd-seeing-a-dj-playing-to-huge-audiences-i-know-that/) [Martin Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gore/) > [Audiences know exactly what's coming and they know from the beginning of the movie that everything's going to be OK and there will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-fox/audiences-know-exactly-what-s-coming-and-they-know-from-the-beginning/) [Dana Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-fox/) > [You can sustain visual beauty and innovative visual ideas for a certain length of time, but in a two-hour experience, which is really what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavid-hood/you-can-sustain-visual-beauty-and-innovative-visual-ideas-for-a/) [Gavid Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavid-hood/) > [I don't have the ability to find a middle ground with my audiences, and I know this too well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/i-don-t-have-the-ability-to-find-a-middle-ground-with-my-audiences/) [Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/) > [I'm thrilled at the moment because our audiences, you know, they... the demographic is 50% male.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-murphy/i-m-thrilled-at-the-moment-because-our-audiences-you-know-they-the/) [Graeme Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-murphy/) > [We expect everything and are prepared for nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/we-expect-everything-and-are-prepared-for-nothing/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) > [“Life gives you what you expect, what you are prepared to put up with or change.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/life-gives-you-what-you-expect-what-you-are-prepared-to-put-up-with/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [You must never ask or expect anyone to do anything that you would not be prepared to do yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ball/you-must-never-ask-or-expect-anyone-to-do-anything-that-you-would-not/) [Michael Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ball/) > [I had never doubted my own abilities, but I was quite prepared to believe that "the world" would decline to recognize them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-wilson/i-had-never-doubted-my-own-abilities-but-i-was-quite-prepared-to/) [Colin Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-wilson/) > [I say to people today, 'You must be prepared if you believe in something. If you believe in something, you have to go for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/i-say-to-people-today-you-must-be-prepared-if-you-believe-in/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [We signal that good can be achieved amongst human beings who are prepared to trust, prepared to believe in the goodness of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-signal-that-good-can-be-achieved-amongst-human-beings-who-are/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“Reality is whatever you are prepared to believe it is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/reality-is-whatever-you-are-prepared-to-believe-it-is/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [You can't ignore the Asian and Hispanic populations in L.A. We can let audiences know independent film is not just about white men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/you-can-t-ignore-the-asian-and-hispanic-populations-in-l-a-we-can-let/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [I relate to the audiences and they know me. It's pretty real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-forbert/i-relate-to-the-audiences-and-they-know-me-it-s-pretty-real/) [Steve Forbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-forbert/) ## 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 Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Audiences know what to expect, and that is all that they are prepared to believe in.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Stoppard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/audiences-know-what-to-expect-and-that-is-all-that-they-are-prepared/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/audiences-know-what-to-expect-and-that-is-all-that-they-are-prepared/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f62/tom-stoppard-437_audience_audiences-know-what-to-expect-and-that-i_1378906.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f62/tom-stoppard-437_audience_audiences-know-what-to-expect-and-that-i_1378906.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f62/tom-stoppard-437_audience_audiences-know-what-to-expect-and-that-i_1378906.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Audiences know what to expect, and that is all that they are prepared to believe in.” — Tom Stoppard", "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": "Tom Stoppard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Audiences know what to expect, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/audiences-know-what-to-expect-and-that-is-all-that-they-are-prepared/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/audiences-know-what-to-expect-and-that-is-all-that-they-are-prepared/#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 } } ] } ```