Orson Welles

Orson Welles

21 quotes

Orson Welles, an American actor and filmmaker, is widely remembered for insights that continue to resonate with readers everywhere. Orson Welles's observations on Good are as sharp as their thoughts on Time, revealing genuine breadth of mind. Our collection holds 29 quotes from Orson Welles, each offering a different angle on Good, Time, Money, Dating, and Work. A favorite of many readers: "I passionately hate the idea of being with it I think an artist has always to be out of step with his time."

“The best thing commercially, which is the worst artistically, by and large, is the most successful.”

— Orson Welles

Best

All Quotes by Orson Welles

“I have a great love and respect for religion, great love and respect for atheism. What I hate is agnosticism, people who do not choose.”

— Orson Welles

Great

“I think an artist has always to be out of step with his time.”

— Orson Welles

Time

“I do not suppose I shall be remembered for anything. But I don't think about my work in those terms. It is just as vulgar to work for the sake of posterity as to work for the sake of money.”

— Orson Welles

Money

“Nobody gets justice. People only get good luck or bad luck.”

— Orson Welles

Good

“A film is never really good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet.”

— Orson Welles

Good

“Criminals are never very amusing. It's because they're failures. Those who make real money aren't counted as criminals. This is a class distinction, not an ethical problem.”

— Orson Welles

Money

“I passionately hate the idea of being with it I think an artist has always to be out of step with his time.”

— Orson Welles

Time

“Race hate isn't human nature race hate is the abandonment of human nature.”

— Orson Welles

Nature

“I don't pray because I don't want to bore God.”

— Orson Welles

God

“Did you ever stop to think why cops are always famous for being dumb? Simple. Because they don't have to be anything else.”

— Orson Welles

Famous

“My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people.”

— Orson Welles

Diet

“We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.”

— Orson Welles

Alone

“The best thing commercially, which is the worst artistically, by and large, is the most successful.”

— Orson Welles

Best

“The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.”

— Orson Welles

Art

“Only very intelligent people don't wish they were in politics, and I'm dumb enough to want to be in there.”

— Orson Welles

Politics

“A good artist should be isolated. If he isn't isolated, something is wrong.”

— Orson Welles

Good

“Now I'm an old Christmas tree, the roots of which have died. They just come along and while the little needles fall off me replace them with medallions.”

— Orson Welles

Christmas

“If there hadn't been women we'd still be squatting in a cave eating raw meat, because we made civilization in order to impress our girlfriends.”

— Orson Welles

Dating

“The enemy of society is middle class and the enemy of life is middle age.”

— Orson Welles

Age

“Personally, I don't like a girlfriend to have a husband. If she'll fool her husband, I figure she'll fool me.”

— Orson Welles

Dating