Harvey Fierstein Quotes

I have a lot of faith in President Obama. The thing that seems to be true of him is that he doesn't speak when you would expect him to speak. He's very measured in his response to things. He likes to get all the facts first before he shoots his mouth off. It makes me crazy; it makes a lot of people crazy.

How often are the perpetrators of hate-crimes discovered to be self-loathing? Valued individuals do not strike out against strangers.

It's a lot of fun to play someone you don't normally think of yourself as.

A thing of beauty is a joy till sunrise.

Art has the power to transform, to illuminate, to educate, inspire and motivate.

I have the world's worst taste in men, so now I simply have wonderful relationships of the friend kind, but trying to settle down with somebody? No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm beyond that.

Actually, I think the average voice is like 70 percent tone and 30 percent noise. My voice is 95 percent noise.

Of course people are afraid. But honestly facing that fear, seeing it for what it is, is the only way of putting it to rest.

To work all the time is to be incredibly lucky.

I just want to be loved, is that so wrong?!

I have to work really hard, eight shows a week, to get a nice check as an actor. But when I write a play, and it's a - knock wood - hit, the checks come in for many years.

Movies are all about plot. Theater, even if it's story heavy, it's about ideas.

But I'm not adverse to the idea of Torch Song as a musical. It would just be different. Because the play will always be there exactly as it was, and in a musical you could tell a lot of the story through songs.

I do believe we're all connected. I do believe in positive energy. I do believe in the power of prayer. I do believe in putting good out into the world. And I believe in taking care of each other.

But actually just yesterday we raised the key of one of my songs two steps up, so my voice is obviously responding. It's a muscle, and the more you use it, the more you use it right, the more you should get out of it. So yes, I sing.

And I believe that you never be limited in what you do, so I like to do movies, I like to do television.

The real point is that you cannot harbor malice toward others and then cry foul when someone displays intolerance against you. Prejudice tolerated is intolerance encouraged. Rise up in righteousness when you witness the words and deeds of hate, but only if you are willing to rise up against them all, including your own. Otherwise suffer the slings and arrows of disrespect silently.

The world is full of more interesting things than my voice.

How time flies when you're doin all the talking.

What looks absolutely fabulous in rehearsal can fall flat in front of an audience. The audience dictates what you do or don't change.

Please, people, do not f- with depression. It's merciless. All it wants is to get you in a room alone and kill you. Take care of yourself.

When a politician like Marco Rubio is willing to sacrifice his career defining immigration reform legislation solely to insure that gays and lesbians are denied equal protection under the law, we have to admit that we’re under attack. This is not pragmatic politics at work. These are the policies of bias, exclusion and unfairness.

I was exposed to a mix of cultures, lots of different religions and beliefs. I was a spiritual kid and went to Indian powwows and Buddhist temples. But over a period of time, with reading and thinking, I started to feel it was all so absurd: The whole idea of life after death is ridiculous.

As soon as I started writing, other writers stopped wanting me acting in their shows - maybe they thought I was going to rewrite them.

Somebody should talk to Dan Quayle and tell him natural blondes don't have dark grey stripes on the sides.

Well, I always looked at Mulan as a movie about a lesbian coming out.

Change your mind as often as possible. Just because you thought something yesterday doesn't mean you have to think it today. Don't ever become a prisoner of your own opinion

Always admit when you're wrong. You'll save thousands in therapy... and a few friendships too.

I got the regular call, that they were doing a Broadway musical of Hairspray, and would I come and audition. I was familiar with the movie, because at the time it came out my lover wrote for Premiere magazine, and we had to see everything.

How time files when you's doin' all the talking.

I got a lovely check today from being a writer that I earned by sitting at home. That's rewarding.

If you deny yourself commitment, what can you do with your life?

I actually pray everyday, but I don't believe in God.

Political movements always belong to the young.

You may feel powerless as a child, but the world will one day be yours. And you're responsible for it. So, seize the day and take charge of it.

Is a gay play a play that has sex with other plays?

I have great faith in the United States. It's the only country I would ever live in.

I am thrilled - I can't stress that enough - thrilled when I see kids getting active.

I burned out on AIDS and did no AIDS work for a couple of years. I was so angry that people were still getting this disease that nobody can give you - you have to go out and get it!

I don't believe in the afterlife, so I do think when somebody passes, it's worthy of note.

Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.

Never be bullied into silence.

In London they don't like you if you're still alive.

Pork was in 1971, and I stopped hanging out at The Factory by like 1973.

Also, if you want to reach people, theatre is not always the best way to do it.

With Russia about to hold the Winter Games in Sochi, the country is open to pressure. American and world leaders must speak out against Mr. Putin's attacks and the violence they foster. The Olympic Committee must demand the retraction of these laws under threat of boycott.

In Torch Song, I did that character almost non-stop from 1978 until I made the movie in 1987. Then I had some failure, which also colors how you react to doing other things.

There are easier things in life than being a drag queen. But I ain't got no choice. Try as I may, I just can't walk in flats.