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David Ogden Stiers Quotes

Powerful David Ogden Stiers for Daily Growth

About David Ogden Stiers

David Ogden Stiers, an accomplished American actor and conductor, was born on July 30, 1942, in Peoria, Illinois. He grew up in a musical family and developed a passion for music early on. After graduating from the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, Stiers pursued a Bachelor of Music degree from Cornell University. His love for theater led him to join the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where he honed his acting skills. Stiers' career took off in the late 1970s with his breakout role as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III on the popular television series "M*A*S*H." His wit and sophistication endeared him to audiences worldwide. In addition to acting, Stiers was an accomplished conductor who performed with numerous symphonies across the United States. As a voice actor, he lent his distinctive voice to various animated films and series, such as "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," and "An American Tail: Fievel Goes West." Stiers also voiced the character Cogsworth in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" video game. Beyond his acting and conducting careers, Stiers was a dedicated humanitarian who served as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. He passed away on March 3, 2018, due to bladder cancer complications. In memory of his contributions to entertainment and humanitarian efforts, fans remember him as a talented artist with a kind soul.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"We're not mice. We're men." (as Charles Emerson Winchester III in M*A*S*H)

This quote emphasizes the inherent dignity and worth of humans, implying that they should not behave like mere animals or live passively, but rather embrace their unique capacities and potential as intelligent beings with free will. In the context of M*A*S*H, it can be seen as Charles Winchester III's assertion of his intellectual superiority and refusal to accept the degradation of war and its impact on human life.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." (Winston Churchill quote during an interview)

This quote emphasizes the importance of perseverance in the face of success or failure. Success may be temporary, but it doesn't define one's journey; similarly, a setback or failure is not a definitive end. The true measure of one's character lies in the courage to keep going, to learn from mistakes and strive forward despite adversity. This quote underscores resilience, determination, and an unyielding spirit as essential qualities for personal growth and achieving long-term success.

"One of the many things nobody tells you about aging is that it is such a non-event, and such an anti-climax, that you start to think your elder years have begun way too early." (From the book "Inside Ma Housetop")

David Ogden Stiers' quote suggests that growing older is often perceived as a significant milestone in life, yet when it actually happens, it can seem underwhelming or anticlimactic. The passage of time might feel more rapid as we age, making us feel older than we are, hence the experience may begin earlier than expected. This perspective invites us to reconsider our relationship with aging and appreciate the journey rather than focusing solely on its endpoints.

"I can't tell you what I believe without offending somebody." (Interview with Wired Magazine)

This quote suggests that in a world with diverse beliefs, it is challenging to express one's convictions openly without potentially upsetting someone who holds different views. It underscores the complexity of expressing personal opinions in a society where various perspectives exist, which can lead to disagreements and offense.

"Theater is, at its best, about truth and artistry, and that's what makes it so compelling." (From an interview with The Oregonian)

David Ogden Stiers suggests that the essence of theater lies in its pursuit of truth and artistic expression. He implies that when a performance resonates with authenticity and skill, it becomes captivating. This profound quote emphasizes the transformative power of theater as a medium that allows artists to communicate deep truths about humanity while showcasing their artistry.

Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.

- David Ogden Stiers

Family, Behind, Means, Forgotten

Fun can happen on the interior. Nobody knows about it, but there are fireworks going on inside your spirit when you hear a great orchestra playing great music.

- David Ogden Stiers

Happen, Going, Great Music, Fireworks

The ebulliently sharp mind of 'White Christmas' director Walter Bobbie made me tremble and strive in the same breath. The deceptively 'simple' dialogue of David Ives, asking every actor to just. say. it. Float it on the breeze; it doesn't need 'explanation,' just energy and truth.

- David Ogden Stiers

Simple, Float, Asking, Sharp

I had a meeting in LA in which they took a really overstuffed hour and a half. It was as close to old Hollywood as I remembered it in the last 20 years.

- David Ogden Stiers

Which, Took, Half, Hour And A Half

I wish to spend my life's twilight being just who I am. I could claim noble reasons as coming out in order to move gay rights forward, but I must admit it is for far more selfish reasons. Now is the time I wish to find someone, and I do not desire to force any potential partner to live a life of extreme discretion with me.

- David Ogden Stiers

Life, Twilight, Reasons, Claim

The simple act of sitting down and playing something enormously complex and spiritually uplifting on a harpsichord just bores kids to tears. There's no sizzle, there's no grab. But it's the great lesson of serious music, that it invites you to listen, rather than demands that you listen.

- David Ogden Stiers

Simple, Tears, Rather, Uplifting

You hear the same work by different orchestras, different conductors, violinists, pianists, singers, and slowly, the work reveals itself and begins to live deeper in you.

- David Ogden Stiers

Work, Singers, Reveals, Conductors

A lot of my income has been derived from voicing Disney and family programming.

- David Ogden Stiers

Income, Been, Lot, Programming

A lot affects the outcome. It boils down to scheduling and the commitment of the network.

- David Ogden Stiers

Commitment, Lot, Affects, Scheduling

People ordinarily don't think of their orchestras as important as we'd like them to be. People don't care about their friends and neighbors who sit down to commit excellence three or four times a year, but they will go see the tall bald guy with three names from television.

- David Ogden Stiers

Excellence, Year, About, Bald

What we have to get clear to kids is that when you offer your stillness and open yourself to the experience of music, it pays you back more than you give.

- David Ogden Stiers

Give, More, Clear, Stillness

Kids now are so used to surround sound and the power in theater speakers, that the concert hall is a disappointment to them.

- David Ogden Stiers

Concert, Sound, Hall, Surround

I am not a long-run actor. I admire actors who can do that.

- David Ogden Stiers

I Am, Admire, Actor, Long-Run

In television you go in with this operating system that it is a crapshoot.

- David Ogden Stiers

Television, Go, System, Operating

People are nice enough, but you can hear the giant tick of the second hand. People are so harried.

- David Ogden Stiers

People, Enough, Giant, Tick

I will never master this craft. Orchestras are very, very forthcoming with me.

- David Ogden Stiers

Never, Will, Very, Orchestra

Because I don't take money, I'll go anywhere and do a benefit concert with almost any orchestra.

- David Ogden Stiers

Concert, Go, Almost, Orchestra

I think the preservation of orchestras and what they do is worth expending all the ways there are to reach out to people who might not otherwise go.

- David Ogden Stiers

Think, I Think, Otherwise, Orchestra

Very often when I go in to meet for movies or pilots, I'm put on videotape. I hate the notion that that tape is going to sit on a shelf and never get better.

- David Ogden Stiers

Going, Pilots, Very, Shelf

I've played Lear three times, I would love to do it again.

- David Ogden Stiers

Love, Times, Would, Lear

Cogsworth, the character I did on 'Beauty and the Beast,' could be a bit flamboyant onscreen, because basically, he is a cartoon. But they didn't want Cogsworth to become Disney's gay character, because it got around a gay man was playing him.

- David Ogden Stiers

Beauty, Cartoon, Could, Gay

My father, who died a few years ago, was a good, simple, very honest man. His faith and affection for his family was just unassailable, without question.

- David Ogden Stiers

Father, Question, Very, Affection

When something really extreme happens, you have to find a way to embrace that and include it in how you think about the character. Sometimes it's not easy.

- David Ogden Stiers

Think, Embrace, Include, Extreme

I'd forgotten I'd done the anime called Spirited Away, the English version of a Japanese film.

- David Ogden Stiers

Forgotten, Away, Japanese, Spirited

It's rare to be treated like a friend you haven't met in a Hollywood meeting.

- David Ogden Stiers

Hollywood, Like, Treated, Meeting

I am certainly not a mainstream religious man.

- David Ogden Stiers

I Am, Religious, Certainly, Mainstream

Every time I hear, Cut. Print, something cold and electrical goes off in my head, because I'm never going to change that film.

- David Ogden Stiers

Goes, Going, Cut, Electrical

Writing is hard work. Generating stories that catch people's attention and holding it are very difficult.

- David Ogden Stiers

Work, Very, Stories, Catch

I love pulling people into concert halls who might not otherwise go and getting their ears tuned.

- David Ogden Stiers

Love, Might, Otherwise, Pulling

We lament the speed of our society and the lack of depth and the nature of disposable information.

- David Ogden Stiers

Nature, Society, Lament, Depth

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