Harvey Fierstein

Harvey Fierstein

24 quotes

As an American actor and playwright (b. 1952), Harvey Fierstein contributed not just to their field but to the broader conversation about what it means to live well. Celebrated for his distinctive gravelly voice, Harvey Fierstein brought that same intensity to the written and spoken word. 27 of Harvey Fierstein's sharpest quotes live here, spanning themes of Work, Time, Movies, Power, and Change. One quote that captures their voice: "Beware of anyone who says they know. Trust me, they don't, or they wouldn't have to say they did."

“You know, I always got offered other stuff. Not the romantic leads, obviously. But very often it's a role that's underwritten, where the character has no personality at all. And they need a character actor who can fill it in.”

— Harvey Fierstein

Romantic

All Quotes by Harvey Fierstein

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

— Harvey Fierstein

Home

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

— Harvey Fierstein

Movies

“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!”

— Harvey Fierstein

Work

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

— Harvey Fierstein

Art

“I actually may do a musical next year... not one that I've written one that I may star in. Plus my concert and other people's work and all of a sudden you've got a very full life.”

— Harvey Fierstein

Work

“So, did I work with Warhol? I worked with him less on that play then I did on other things. He actually did a portrait of my rabbit and some other stuff. Warhol was definitely... Warhol.”

— Harvey Fierstein

Work

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

— Harvey Fierstein

Time

“The great thing about suicide is that it's not one of those things you have to do now or you lose your chance. I mean, you can always do it later.”

— Harvey Fierstein

Great

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

— Harvey Fierstein

God

“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.”

— Harvey Fierstein

Good

“My play Safe Sex was picked apart because critics thought it was untrue. It was a play in which no one had AIDS, but the characters talked about how it was going to change their lives.”

— Harvey Fierstein

Change

“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.”

— Harvey Fierstein

Failure

“Time will tell us what we did and didn't do.”

— Harvey Fierstein

Time

“You know, I always got offered other stuff. Not the romantic leads, obviously. But very often it's a role that's underwritten, where the character has no personality at all. And they need a character actor who can fill it in.”

— Harvey Fierstein

Romantic

“When I write stuff and I help cast it, I turn away good people all the time. I may turn them down because this one's too tall and that one doesn't have a high enough voice or this one looks to old to match up with that one - there's a billion reasons not to hire somebody.”

— Harvey Fierstein

Time

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

— Harvey Fierstein

Change

“Beware of anyone who says they know. Trust me, they don't, or they wouldn't have to say they did.”

— Harvey Fierstein

Trust

“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.”

— Harvey Fierstein

Work

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

— Harvey Fierstein

Movies

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

— Harvey Fierstein

Best