--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Speaking about myself, I've been…" description: "\"Speaking about myself, I've been pleasantly surprised that my older plays are still being performed. Most important is that they still have something t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/vaclav-havel-2013_audience_speaking-about-myself-i-ve-been-pleasant_1017068.jpg" --- # Speaking about myself, I've been pleasantly surprised that… ![“Speaking about myself, I've been pleasantly surprised that my older plays are still being performed. Most important is that they still have something to say to today's audience, in particular the young people who enjoy my plays. That's the best I could hope for, that the plays aren't single-use…” quote by Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/vaclav-havel-2013_audience_speaking-about-myself-i-ve-been-pleasant_1017068.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/vaclav-havel-2013_audience_speaking-about-myself-i-ve-been-pleasant_1017068.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07e/vaclav-havel-2013_audience_speaking-about-myself-i-ve-been-pleasant_1017068.jpg) > “Speaking about myself, I've been pleasantly surprised that my older plays are still being performed. Most important is that they still have something to say to today's audience, in particular the young people who enjoy my plays. That's the best I could hope for, that the plays aren't single-use products of one era.” [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) ## 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 values works that remain relevant across generations, speaking to contemporary audiences especially youth. **In simple terms:** Plays should stay meaningful over time. Key Takeaway Create timeless, resonant art. Themes legacy relevance youth theatre Mood reflective hopeful Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - school curricula - community theater - festival programming - online streaming Key Concepts cultural continuity intergenerational dialogue Questions to Reflect On - How can you ensure your art speaks to future generations? - What themes stay universal? A Different Perspective Works may be misinterpreted by modern audiences, losing original nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy/) [Enjoy Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy-plays-2244804/) [Eras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eras/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Older Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/older-plays-2244803/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plays/) [Plays Aren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plays-aren-2244805/) [Plays Performed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plays-performed-598876/) [Products](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/products/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/) ## Related quotes > [When I got a bit older, I put on my own plays and forced my friends to perform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-scanlen/when-i-got-a-bit-older-i-put-on-my-own-plays-and-forced-my-friends-to/) [Eliza Scanlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-scanlen/) > [A great many quite good plays could be performed with rhythmic howls in the place of dialogue and lose almost nothing by the change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/a-great-many-quite-good-plays-could-be-performed-with-rhythmic-howls/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [If you want to see your plays performed the way you wrote them, become President.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/if-you-want-to-see-your-plays-performed-the-way-you-wrote-them-become/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [I'd love to have written a film and it to be regarded as good. I'd just like to be doing things that are good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-corden/i-d-love-to-have-written-a-film-and-it-to-be-regarded-as-good-i-d/) [James Corden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-corden/) > [And people do enjoy the plays at completely different levels. And, likewise, they enjoy the authorship question... at completely different levels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rylance/and-people-do-enjoy-the-plays-at-completely-different-levels-and/) [Mark Rylance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rylance/) > [The plays that I performed in the '70s are not the same plays that I perform today. However, what they have in common is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/y-g-mahendran/the-plays-that-i-performed-in-the-70s-are-not-the-same-plays-that-i/) [Y. G. Mahendran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/y-g-mahendran/) > [My plays aren't stylistically the same. Just being an African-American woman playwright on Broadway is experimental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzan-lori-parks/my-plays-aren-t-stylistically-the-same-just-being-an-african-american/) [Suzan-Lori Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzan-lori-parks/) > [It's funny, oftentimes the really great roles that I enjoy are in classic plays, and there aren't many theatres in New York who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-robins/it-s-funny-oftentimes-the-really-great-roles-that-i-enjoy-are-in/) [Laila Robins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-robins/) > [The truth is that a lot of plays aren't political at all. In American theater history, political theater has tended to crop up when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-rich/the-truth-is-that-a-lot-of-plays-aren-t-political-at-all-in-american/) [Frank Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-rich/) > [I find it very strange when people say that they are trying to solve 'Uncle Vanya' or find a solution for 'Henry V.' Plays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lepage/i-find-it-very-strange-when-people-say-that-they-are-trying-to-solve/) [Robert Lepage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lepage/) > [I particularly enjoy cello music because our daughter plays the cello. I have listened to her practice for so many hours that I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-cleary/i-particularly-enjoy-cello-music-because-our-daughter-plays-the-cello/) [Beverly Cleary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-cleary/) > [“O, thou art fairer than the evening air Clad in the beauty of a thousand stars; Brighter art thou than flaming Jupiter When he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-marlowe/o-thou-art-fairer-than-the-evening-air-clad-in-the-beauty-of-a/) [Christopher Marlowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-marlowe/) > [Big plays come when they come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minkah-fitzpatrick/big-plays-come-when-they-come/) [Minkah Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minkah-fitzpatrick/) > [I don't mind watching plays once in a while, but as long as I don't have to be in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-mind-watching-plays-once-in-a-while-but-as-long-as-i-don-t/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I don't do plays without jokes anymore. I've retired from those plays. I think it's bad manners to invite people to sit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-don-t-do-plays-without-jokes-anymore-i-ve-retired-from-those-plays/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) ## More by Vaclav Havel > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [People who live in the post-totalitarian system know only too well that the question of whether one or several political parties are in power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/people-who-live-in-the-post-totalitarian-system-know-only-too-well/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [“For by this very fact, individuals confirm the system, fulfill the system, make the system, are the system.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/for-by-this-very-fact-individuals-confirm-the-system-fulfill-the/) [Václav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Hope is not a feeling of certainty that everything ends well. Hope is just a feeling that life and work have a meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/hope-is-not-a-feeling-of-certainty-that-everything-ends-well-hope-is/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [This is a confusing and uncertain period, when a thousand wise words can go completely unnoticed, and one thoughtless word can provoke an utterly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/this-is-a-confusing-and-uncertain-period-when-a-thousand-wise-words/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [If by believing you mean praying to an anthropomorphic deity who created the world and half controls it and half observes it, then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/if-by-believing-you-mean-praying-to-an-anthropomorphic-deity-who/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Human beings are compelled to live within a lie, but they can be compelled to do so only because they are in fact capable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/human-beings-are-compelled-to-live-within-a-lie-but-they-can-be/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Our country, if that is what we want, can now permanently radiate love, understanding, the power of the spirit and of ideas. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/our-country-if-that-is-what-we-want-can-now-permanently-radiate-love/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [I cannot imagine that I could strive for something if I did not carry hope in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-cannot-imagine-that-i-could-strive-for-something-if-i-did-not-carry/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [People, your Government has returned to you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/people-your-government-has-returned-to-you/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [A person who has been seduced by the consumer value system, whose identity is dissolved in an amalgam of the accouterments trappings of mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/a-person-who-has-been-seduced-by-the-consumer-value-system-whose/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Whether all is really lost or not depends entirely on whether or not I am lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/whether-all-is-really-lost-or-not-depends-entirely-on-whether-or-not/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Sober perseverance is more effective than enthusiastic emotions, which are all too capable of being transferred, with little difficulty, to something different each day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/sober-perseverance-is-more-effective-than-enthusiastic-emotions-which/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [The exercise of power is determined by thousands of interactions between the world of the powerful and that of the powerless, all the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/the-exercise-of-power-is-determined-by-thousands-of-interactions/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [It's not true that you should first think up an idea for a better world and only then "put it into practice," but, rather,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/it-s-not-true-that-you-should-first-think-up-an-idea-for-a-better/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) [Explore all 190 Vaclav Havel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) ## 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": "Speaking about myself, I've been pleasantly surprised that my older plays are still being performed. Most important is that they still have something to say to today's audience, in particular the young people who enjoy my plays. 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