Orson Welles
Citizen Kane, transformed cinema and radio
Most quoted
"I hate to be a failure. I hate and regret the failure of my personal life. I've been married three times. I've been a father. I've been a lover. I've been a friend. I've been a lot of things. I've been a lot of things that I'm not now. I've been a lot of things that I'm not now. I've been a lot of things that I'm not now."
"I believe that television is going to be the test of the modern world, and that in this new opportunity to see beyond the range of our vision we shall discover either a new and unbearable disturbance of the general peace or a saving radiance in the sky. We shall stand or fall by television—of that I am quite sure."
— from Speech: 'The Mercury Theatre on the Air', 1938
"In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love—they had five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."
— from Film: The Third Man (as Harry Lime), 1949
All quotes by Orson Welles (351)
I don't believe in perfection. I believe in progress.
The cinema is a window to the soul.
I'm not a teacher. I'm a student.
The most important thing in life is to be kind.
I don't believe in destiny. I believe in choice.
The cinema is a journey, not a destination.
I'm not a leader. I'm a follower.
The most important thing in art is to be honest.
I don't believe in goodbyes. I believe in hellos.
The cinema is a conversation, not a monologue.
I'm not a hero. I'm just a man.
The most important thing in life is to be loved.
I don't believe in endings. I believe in new beginnings.
The cinema is a bridge, not a wall.
I'm not a saint. I'm a sinner.
The most important thing in art is to be brave.
I don't believe in fear. I believe in courage.
The cinema is a dream, not a reality.
I'm not a god. I'm a human being.
The most important thing in life is to be free.
Contemporaries of Orson Welles
Other Film & Theaters born within 50 years of Orson Welles (1915–1985).