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Stephen Sondheim Quotes

Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist known for more than a half-century of contributions to musical theatre. Sondheim has received an Academy Award, eight Tony Awards , eight Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, a Laurence Olivier Award, and a 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom. He has been described by Frank Rich of The New York Times as "now the greatest and perhaps best-known artist in the American musical theater." His best-known works as composer and lyricist include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Assassins, and Passion. He also wrote the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy.

Sondheim has also written film music, contributing "Goodbye for Now" to Warren Beatty's 1981 Reds. He wrote five songs for 1990's Dick Tracy, including "Sooner or Later " by Madonna, which won the Academy Award for Best Song.

The composer was president of the Dramatists Guild from 1973 to 1981. To celebrate his 80th birthday, the former Henry Miller's Theatre was renamed the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on September 15, 2010, and the BBC Proms held a concert in his honor. Cameron Mackintosh has called Sondheim "possibly the greatest lyricist ever."

✵ 22. March 1930
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Stephen Sondheim: 16 quotes0 likes

Famous Stephen Sondheim Quotes

“You're so nice. You're not good, you're not bad, You're just nice. I'm not good, I'm not nice, I'm just right. I'm the witch. You're the world.”

Stephen Sondheim

Source: Into the Woods

“Work is what you do for others, liebchen. Art is what you do for yourself.”

Stephen Sondheim

Source: Sunday in the Park With George

“Sometimes people leave you
Halfway through the wood
Others may decieve you
You decide what's good
You decide alone
But no one is alone”

Stephen Sondheim

Source: Into the Woods

“The difference between a cow and a bean is a bean can begin an adventure.”

Stephen Sondheim

Source: Into the Woods

Stephen Sondheim Quotes

“If I cannot fly, let me sing.”

Stephen Sondheim

“At last, my arm is complete again”

Stephen Sondheim

Source: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

“They all deserve to die.
Even you, Mrs. Lovett
Even I.

Because the lives of the wicked should be made brief
For the rest of us death would be relief.”

Stephen Sondheim

Source: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

“The worst thing you can do is censor yourself as the pencil hits the paper. You must not edit until you get it all on paper. If you can put everything down, stream-of-consciousness, you'll do yourself a service.”

Stephen Sondheim

“Oh if life were made of moments
Even now and then a bad one--!
But if life were only moments,
Then you'd never know you had one.”

Stephen Sondheim

Source: Into the Woods

“One difference between poetry and lyrics is that lyrics sort of fade into the background. They fade on the page and live on the stage when set to music.”

Stephen Sondheim

“The dumbing down of the country reflects itself on Broadway. The shows get dumber, and the public gets used to them.”

Stephen Sondheim

“Nice is different than good.”

Stephen Sondheim

“I'm a lazy writer. My idea of heaven is not writing. On the other hand, I'm obviously compulsive about it.”

Stephen Sondheim

Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies (2001 ed): Art. Stephen Sondheim p. 408

“Without question, Steve is the best Broadway lyricist, past or present.”

Stephen Sondheim

Source: Arthur Laurents; in Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies (2001 ed): Art. Stephen Sondheim p. 408

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