Art is a private thing, the artist makes it for himself; a comprehensible work is the product of a journalist. We need works that are strong, straight, precise, and forever beyond understanding.

A novel is a static thing that one moves through; a play is a dynamic thing that moves past one.

Pornography is writing that seeks primarily, even exclusively, to bring about sexual stimulation. This can be done crudely or delicately. In the former case it would be bad literature; in the latter good.

It is Ireland's sacred duty to send over, every few years, a playwright to save the English theater from inarticulate glumness.

Not content to have the audience in the palm of his hand, he goes one further and clenches his fist.

A good drama critic is one who perceives what is happening in the theatre of his time. A great drama critic also perceives what is not happening.

The unique thing about Margaret Rutherford is that she can act with her chin alone. Among its many moods I especially cherish the chin commanding, the chin in doubt, and the chin at bay.