--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You're always fighting the contradiction…" description: "\"You're always fighting the contradiction between the supposed intimacy of a two-person conversation and the blunt reality that you're trying to sell th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/wallace-shawn-7437_always-fighting_you-re-always-fighting-the-contradiction_3213623.jpg" --- # You're always fighting the contradiction between the… ![“You're always fighting the contradiction between the supposed intimacy of a two-person conversation and the blunt reality that you're trying to sell the play to people who are sitting maybe too far away from you.” quote by Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/wallace-shawn-7437_always-fighting_you-re-always-fighting-the-contradiction_3213623.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/wallace-shawn-7437_always-fighting_you-re-always-fighting-the-contradiction_3213623.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/wallace-shawn-7437_always-fighting_you-re-always-fighting-the-contradiction_3213623.jpg) > “You're always fighting the contradiction between the supposed intimacy of a two-person conversation and the blunt reality that you're trying to sell the play to people who are sitting maybe too far away from you.” [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The tension between intimate dialogue and commercial pressure creates a paradox for creators. **In simple terms:** Intimate talks clash with selling a product. Key Takeaway Balance authenticity with audience reach. Themes art commerce communication Mood reflective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - stage performance - selling ideas - public speaking Key Concepts authenticity marketing paradox Questions to Reflect On - How can creators stay true while promoting? - What compromises are acceptable in art? A Different Perspective Commercial goals can dilute genuine connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Always fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always-fighting/) [Away from you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away-from-you/) [Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blunt/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Contradiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradiction/) [Contradiction Supposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradiction-supposed-4549187/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Conversation Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation-blunt-5685095/) [Far away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/far-away/) [Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting/) [Fighting Contradiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting-contradiction-6013560/) [Intimacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimacy/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Sells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sells/) [Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting/) [Supposed Intimacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supposed-intimacy-6013561/) [Too far](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-far/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) ## Related quotes > [Trying to make conversation with blunt, boring people is impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/trying-to-make-conversation-with-blunt-boring-people-is-impossible/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Do not dismiss your inner thoughts and feelings, even if they are in contradiction to what you are supposed to be or what society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumar-anupam/do-not-dismiss-your-inner-thoughts-and-feelings-even-if-they-are-in/) [Kumar Anupam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumar-anupam/) > [I'm always fighting to make the team anyway. I'm always preparing like I'm one of the bottom guys, trying to make the team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/champ-bailey/i-m-always-fighting-to-make-the-team-anyway-i-m-always-preparing-like/) [Champ Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/champ-bailey/) > [I wish I was just a left-handed hitter. It's really tough having to keep both sides sharp, and that's one reason why you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-berkman/i-wish-i-was-just-a-left-handed-hitter-it-s-really-tough-having-to/) [Lance Berkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-berkman/) > [I'm always fighting either to have a house work with us or to head a house. It's a lifestyle I can totally see: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/i-m-always-fighting-either-to-have-a-house-work-with-us-or-to-head-a/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [ \[Ruslan Provodnikov\] s a fantastic fighter but in terms of his style and Manny's \[ Pacquiao\] they are completely different and the preparations for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-algieri/ruslan-provodnikov-s-a-fantastic-fighter-but-in-terms-of-his-style/) [Chris Algieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-algieri/) > [A lot of American actors when they do Shakespeare put on a phoney English accent and it drives me crazy. You're always fighting against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/a-lot-of-american-actors-when-they-do-shakespeare-put-on-a-phoney/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [People are disappearing from movies, and normal human behaviour is disappearing from movies... You are not always fighting a creature in life. That's part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-apatow/people-are-disappearing-from-movies-and-normal-human-behaviour-is/) [Judd Apatow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-apatow/) > [There's a place in me that can really relate to being the underdog. I'm always fighting to overcome the obstacle. I can really understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halle-berry/there-s-a-place-in-me-that-can-really-relate-to-being-the-underdog-i/) [Halle Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halle-berry/) > [To live, is to suffer; and the honest man is always fighting to be master of his own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/to-live-is-to-suffer-and-the-honest-man-is-always-fighting-to-be/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [I wish those people who write so glibly about this being a holy war and the orators who talk so much about going on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/i-wish-those-people-who-write-so-glibly-about-this-being-a-holy-war/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [The truly liberated human being is not always fighting against something, but more frequently is fighting for something or someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/the-truly-liberated-human-being-is-not-always-fighting-against/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [I was born just after the end of World War II, and with my friends in our little suburban backyards in New Jersey, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-was-born-just-after-the-end-of-world-war-ii-and-with-my-friends-in/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I've never felt Truth was Beauty. Never. I've always felt that people can't take too much reality. I like being in Ingmar Bergman's world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-ve-never-felt-truth-was-beauty-never-i-ve-always-felt-that-people/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [America is always fighting. We're the one that wants to go to World War III with Russia over Ukraine. So we're the ones always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/america-is-always-fighting-we-re-the-one-that-wants-to-go-to-world/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) ## More by Wallace Shawn > [Acting is an escape from the boring person that I am in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/acting-is-an-escape-from-the-boring-person-that-i-am-in-real-life/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [You can go to a play that is enjoyable because it's funny, and then on the next night you can go to a play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/you-can-go-to-a-play-that-is-enjoyable-because-it-s-funny-and-then-on/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [The actor's role in the community is quite unlike anyone else's. Businessmen, for example, don't take their clothes off or cry in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/the-actor-s-role-in-the-community-is-quite-unlike-anyone-else-s/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [From being a writer of plays, it was not that surprising that somebody thought of giving me a job as an actor. After I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/from-being-a-writer-of-plays-it-was-not-that-surprising-that-somebody/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I have more free time than a lot of individuals, so, instead of talking, I sometimes write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-have-more-free-time-than-a-lot-of-individuals-so-instead-of-talking/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [My personal life is lived as 'me,' but my professional life is lived as other people. In other words, when I go to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/my-personal-life-is-lived-as-me-but-my-professional-life-is-lived-as/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [There's nothing regular about my life at all, really. I don't keep a regular schedule and every day is different. It's all rather chaotic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/there-s-nothing-regular-about-my-life-at-all-really-i-don-t-keep-a/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I am recognized a lot for 'Clueless,' but I am recognized a great deal for 'The Princess Bride.' I don't know... maybe everybody who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-am-recognized-a-lot-for-clueless-but-i-am-recognized-a-great-deal/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [Sleep: a poor substitute for caffeine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/sleep-a-poor-substitute-for-caffeine/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I'm a very lucky man. It's a beautiful thing for a writer, to see people allowing your words to enter their own unconscious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-m-a-very-lucky-man-it-s-a-beautiful-thing-for-a-writer-to-see/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [And my singing, I don't think I could sing Wagner or opera, but I could probably carry a tune. I was in a musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/and-my-singing-i-don-t-think-i-could-sing-wagner-or-opera-but-i-could/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I think I'm trying to write truthfully about life, and naturalism, or the way people normally talk in movies, is a convention. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-think-i-m-trying-to-write-truthfully-about-life-and-naturalism-or/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I'm trying to write truthfully about life, and naturalism, or the way people normally talk in movies, is a convention. The way I write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-m-trying-to-write-truthfully-about-life-and-naturalism-or-the-way/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [When I was first starting to write plays, I quite literally had never heard of the idea of studying playwriting. I wouldn't have studied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/when-i-was-first-starting-to-write-plays-i-quite-literally-had-never/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [When I was a child, I did always feel that people were hiding things, and that they weren't expressing their true feelings. When adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/when-i-was-a-child-i-did-always-feel-that-people-were-hiding-things/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) [Explore all 91 Wallace Shawn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) ## More Always fighting quotes > [I'm always fighting to make the team anyway. I'm always preparing like I'm one of the bottom guys, trying to make the team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/champ-bailey/i-m-always-fighting-to-make-the-team-anyway-i-m-always-preparing-like/) [Champ Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/champ-bailey/) > [I've never felt Truth was Beauty. Never. I've always felt that people can't take too much reality. I like being in Ingmar Bergman's world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-ve-never-felt-truth-was-beauty-never-i-ve-always-felt-that-people/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [I was born just after the end of World War II, and with my friends in our little suburban backyards in New Jersey, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-was-born-just-after-the-end-of-world-war-ii-and-with-my-friends-in/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [The truly liberated human being is not always fighting against something, but more frequently is fighting for something or someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/the-truly-liberated-human-being-is-not-always-fighting-against/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [I wish those people who write so glibly about this being a holy war and the orators who talk so much about going on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/i-wish-those-people-who-write-so-glibly-about-this-being-a-holy-war/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [To live, is to suffer; and the honest man is always fighting to be master of his own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/to-live-is-to-suffer-and-the-honest-man-is-always-fighting-to-be/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [There's a place in me that can really relate to being the underdog. I'm always fighting to overcome the obstacle. I can really understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halle-berry/there-s-a-place-in-me-that-can-really-relate-to-being-the-underdog-i/) [Halle Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halle-berry/) > [People are disappearing from movies, and normal human behaviour is disappearing from movies... You are not always fighting a creature in life. That's part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-apatow/people-are-disappearing-from-movies-and-normal-human-behaviour-is/) [Judd Apatow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-apatow/) > [A lot of American actors when they do Shakespeare put on a phoney English accent and it drives me crazy. You're always fighting against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/a-lot-of-american-actors-when-they-do-shakespeare-put-on-a-phoney/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [ \[Ruslan Provodnikov\] s a fantastic fighter but in terms of his style and Manny's \[ Pacquiao\] they are completely different and the preparations for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-algieri/ruslan-provodnikov-s-a-fantastic-fighter-but-in-terms-of-his-style/) [Chris Algieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-algieri/) > [I'm always fighting either to have a house work with us or to head a house. It's a lifestyle I can totally see: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/i-m-always-fighting-either-to-have-a-house-work-with-us-or-to-head-a/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [I wish I was just a left-handed hitter. It's really tough having to keep both sides sharp, and that's one reason why you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-berkman/i-wish-i-was-just-a-left-handed-hitter-it-s-really-tough-having-to/) [Lance Berkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-berkman/) > [America is always fighting. We're the one that wants to go to World War III with Russia over Ukraine. So we're the ones always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/america-is-always-fighting-we-re-the-one-that-wants-to-go-to-world/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Someone is always fighting for something, and they're always fighting for something better. Now, how that gets done is the true question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hodge/someone-is-always-fighting-for-something-and-they-re-always-fighting/) [Edwin Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hodge/) > [Most artists are always fighting for their fame. They have that fear, like the saying goes, "out of sight, out of mind." They need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/most-artists-are-always-fighting-for-their-fame-they-have-that-fear/) [Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/) [Browse all 22 Always fighting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always-fighting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You're always fighting the contradiction between the supposed intimacy of a two-person conversation and the blunt reality that you're trying to sell the play to people who are sitting maybe too far away from you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wallace Shawn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/you-re-always-fighting-the-contradiction-between-the-supposed/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Always fighting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/you-re-always-fighting-the-contradiction-between-the-supposed/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/wallace-shawn-7437_always-fighting_you-re-always-fighting-the-contradiction_3213623.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/wallace-shawn-7437_always-fighting_you-re-always-fighting-the-contradiction_3213623.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/wallace-shawn-7437_always-fighting_you-re-always-fighting-the-contradiction_3213623.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You're always fighting the contradiction between the supposed intimacy of a two-person conversation and the…” — Wallace Shawn", "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": "Wallace Shawn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You're always fighting the contradiction between...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/you-re-always-fighting-the-contradiction-between-the-supposed/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/you-re-always-fighting-the-contradiction-between-the-supposed/#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 } } ] } ```