Musical theatre is more than just a form of performance; it's an ongoing movement that packs a ton of creative punch.
Singers, dancers, writers, instrumentalists, and actors have put on so many great musical performances on and off Broadway or with West End that have left a huge mark on the whole world.
Musical theatre is simply epic, and so many exceptional talents that have helped the world of theatre have said some of the best quotable phrases that leave a lasting impression.
I want to share some of the most outstanding quotes I've seen that speak on the world of musical theatre, creativity, and the arts as a whole.
These can teach you things about music history, make you think, inspire you to write, and even work well as quotes to hang up on your wall or put on an item of clothing if you're a serious theatre nerd!
"The biggest lesson I had in my life was failure." - Tim Rice
"The fun for me in collaboration is, one, working with other people just makes you smarter; that's proven." - Lin-Manuel Miranda
"Dream on it. Let your mind take you to places you would like to go, and then think about it and plan it and celebrate the possibilities. And don't listen to anyone who doesn't know how to dream." - Liza Minnelli
"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." - Judy Garland
"Doubt can motivate you, so don't be afraid of it. Confidence and doubt are at two ends of the scale, and you need both. They balance each other out." - Barbra Streisand
"Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th." - Julie Andrews
"If you think you can do better, then do better. Don't compete with anyone; just yourself." - Bob Fosse
"If you can learn to love yourself and all the flaws, you can love other people so much better. And that makes you so happy." - Kristin Chenoweth
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"Look, I'm 40, I'm single, and I work in musical theater - you do the math!" - Nathan Lane
"I'm not a very good singer. I just know how to present a song, and honey, I think I've been through enough to do it right." - Liza Minnelli
"Life is a lot like jazz... it's best when you improvise." - George Gershwin
"I think musical theater fans - obsessive fans - are very much like Comic Con fans in our personalities. We're very possessive, and we're very obsessive, and we're very critical. So don't screw with our stuff." - Richard LaGravenese
"I'm a musical theater aficionado, a.k.a. loser." - Paulo Costanzo
"I don't smoke, I don't drink much, I don't eat red meat. I stay out of the sun." - Bernadette Peters
"I have to accept the fact that, no matter what I do, it's going to annoy someone." - Nathan Lane
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"The theater is a tough place. It's not cushioned the way it is in film and television." - Patti LuPone
"Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos." - Stephen Sondheim
"What strikes me is that there's a very fine line between success and failure. Just one ingredient can make the difference." - Andrew Lloyd Webber
"A well-rounded performer will listen to all kinds of music. I like classical, Middle Eastern, and rock a lot." - Patti LuPone
"Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable." - Leonard Bernstein
"You've gotta be original, because if you're like someone else, what do they need you for?" - Bernadette Peters
"There is a strange sort of reasoning in Hollywood that musicals are less worthy of Academy consideration than dramas. It's a form of snobbism, the same sort that perpetuates the idea that drama is more deserving of Awards than comedy." - Gene Kelly
"Stop the habit of wishful thinking and start the habit of thoughtful wishes." - Mary Martin
"As an artist, you have to express yourself. I make no excuses for my versatility. I grew up singing classical arias, but I love rock n' roll and jazz standards." - Idina Menzel
"Broadway has changed tremendously from the early days when the shows were referred to as musical comedies. Musical Theater is now a more expanded art form. Back then, singer/actors were not the norm. From the 60's to now, it is necessary to do it all to be a consummate Broadway performer." - Betty Buckley
"The musical theater is a glorious and distinctly American innovation in the history of theater." - Diane Paulus
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"I love the theater as much as music, and the whole idea of getting across to an audience and making them laugh, making them cry - just making them feel - is paramount to me." - Stephen Sondheim
"All you can do is do good work, and do the good work for the sake of doing the good work and your evolution as an artist. That's what's most important to me." - Audra McDonald
"The musicals that leave us kind of staggering on our feet are the ones that really reach for a lot." - Lin-Manuel Miranda
"The arts are so important not only to society but to ourselves as human beings. It keeps in touch with our own humanity. So access to the arts in any way, shape, or form is vital." - Audra McDonald
"You're the luckiest person in the entire world if you know what you really want to do, which I was lucky enough to know when I was very young. And you're the luckiest person in the world if you can then make a living out of it. " - Andrew Lloyd Webber
"I'm used to working hard. Theater can be very grueling, and that's all I've ever known. It's what I've done for 20 years, which is crazy." - Sutton Foster
"When you get to live your dream, with singing and dancing and acting and playing these wonderful stories, you really have already won, and you always have to remember that." - Renee Elise Goldsberry
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