David Mamet

The purpose of art is to make us question, not to give us answers.

We are all in the business of selling something, whether it's a product, an idea, or ourselves.

The truth is, we all lie. We lie to ourselves, we lie to others, we lie to make things easier, to make things harder, to get what we want.

Always tell the truth. It's the easiest thing to remember.

The audience is always smarter than you think, and they're always dumber than you think.

The job of the writer is to make the audience lean forward.

There is no such thing as a bad scene, only a bad writer.

The purpose of drama is to show people what they already know, but in a way they haven't seen before.

The only way to learn to write is to write.

The most important thing in writing is to be clear.

The theater is a place where we go to be reminded of what it means to be human.

The best plays are about people trying to get something they can't have.

The job of the actor is to tell the truth.

The director's job is to get out of the way.

The audience doesn't want to be told what to think, they want to be shown what to think about.

The purpose of a story is to engage the audience, not to educate them.

The most important thing in a play is the conflict.

The best dialogue is dialogue that reveals character and advances the plot.

The writer's job is to make the audience care.

The only thing that matters in a play is what happens next.