A collection of thoughts and quotations by David Mamet on dessert, stress, film, writing, survival, trial, drama, death, acting, genius and inspiration.
David Alan Mamet is an American director, playwright, author and essayist, who rose to prominence as a playwright in the 1970s. He is counted among the distinguished playwrights in the world. He studied at Francis W. Parker School and then went to attend Goddard College. Mamet’s rise as a playwright started after the success of trio off-Broadway plays that were staged in 1976. They were ‘American Buffalo’, ‘The Duck Variations’ and ‘Sexual Perversity in Chicago’. Some of his other well-known plays include ‘The Water Engine’, ‘A Life in the Theatre’, ‘Squirrels’, ‘Mr. Happiness’, ‘Edmond’, ‘The Shawl’ and ‘Bobby Gould in Hell’ among others. His 1984 play ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ is particularly famous and Mamet was awarded the ‘Pulitzer Prize’ for the same. He has also worked as the director and writer of motion pictures and some of the noted ones include ‘Spartan’, ‘House of Games’, ‘Oleanna’, ‘The Spanish Prisoner’ and ‘The Winslow Boy’ among others. Mamet is also an accomplished writer and some of his renowned books include ‘The Old Religion’, ‘The Wicked Son’ and ‘Three War Stories’. The below collection of David Mamet’s most famous quotes have been excerpted from his writings, papers, books, plays, essays, interviews and thoughts. We bring to you a collection of sayings and quotes by David Mamet on plays, truth, humor, aphorism and drama.
As you all know first prize is a Cadillac El Dorado. Anyone wanna see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you're fired.
My motto is “Be Prepared.” I am told this is also the motto of the Boy Scouts, but, if so, this only proves that they were acting according to my motto earlier than I.
We can only interpret the behavior of others through the screen we create.
David Mamet
How can I be secure? (Pause.) Through amassing wealth beyond all measure? No. And what’s beyond measure? That’s a sickness. That’s a trap. There is no measure. Only greed.
I pray you indulge me for a space, for I am going to set out on a speech which may have some duration, but whose theme may be gleaned from its opening phrase: how dare you.
FAUSTUS. To have fooled the philosopher.
MAGUS. One finds, in my profession, sir, the greater the intellect, the more ease in its misdirection.
FAUSTUS. One finds the same in mine.
David Mamet
The leaf of the camomile, parboiled in water, conduces to calm. And yet I do not worship it.
 it’s looking forward or it’s looking back. And that’s our life. That’s it. Where is the moment? )
 Through amassing wealth beyond all measure? No. And what’s beyond measure? That’s a sickness. That’s a trap. There is no measure. Only greed. )
