Janet Suzman Quotes

Powerful Janet Suzman for Daily Growth

About Janet Suzman

Janet Suzman, born on May 17, 1939, in Johannesburg, South Africa, is a renowned actress, director, and literary critic, best known for her exceptional contributions to theatre and literature. Raised in a family that encouraged intellectual curiosity and creative pursuits, Suzman developed an early interest in acting and literature. She moved to London in the late 1950s to pursue her passion, and it was here that she began her illustrious career on stage. Suzman's breakthrough role came in 1964 when she played Titania in Peter Hall's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). Her portrayal earned critical acclaim, launching her into stardom. Over the years, she has graced numerous stages and screens with her compelling performances, including roles in Shakespearean classics like Antony and Cleopatra, Macbeth, and King Lear. In addition to acting, Suzman has directed several productions for the RSC, the National Theatre, and other prestigious institutions. Her directorial debut was Julius Caesar at the RSC in 1978. She is also an acclaimed literary critic, writing insightful essays and reviews for The Guardian and other publications. Throughout her career, Suzman has been instrumental in advocating for gender equality in theatre and championing the works of female playwrights. Her major works include "Theatre & Ethics" (1985), a collection of essays exploring the ethical implications of theatre, and "Shakespeare's Greatest Roles: Actor to actor" (2006), a series of interviews with fellow actors about their experiences playing iconic Shakespearean roles. Janet Suzman's enduring impact on literature and theatre makes her an influential figure in the arts, continuing to inspire new generations of artists and critics alike.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it."

This quote suggests that art is not merely reflective or imitative of reality, but rather a tool for transforming and shaping it. Artists are not mere observers, passively mirroring the world around them; they actively engage with their environment and, through their creative work, influence it. They use their artistic abilities to mold and shape perceptions, attitudes, and even society itself. This perspective highlights the powerful role that art plays in impacting reality beyond mere representation.

"Theatre is the greatest of all the arts because it is the only one which aims at living and not merely at imitating life."

This quote by Janet Suzman highlights the unique power of theatre, distinguishing it from other art forms. Unlike visual or musical arts that primarily seek to replicate life, theatre strives to embody and enact it authentically, aiming for a living, breathing experience. This interactive element is what makes theatre a transformative medium, inviting audiences to immerse themselves in stories, emotions, and ideas. Theatre not only imitates life but offers an opportunity for active participation in it, fostering empathy, understanding, and personal growth.

"Acting is not about being someone different. It's finding the similarity in what is apparently dissimilar."

This quote emphasizes that the essence of acting lies in recognizing and portraying shared traits between oneself and characters that, at first glance, may seem vastly different. The idea here is not to mimic or merely imitate, but rather to identify and express universal human experiences and emotions through diverse personas. In other words, a great actor doesn't "become" the character but illuminates the commonalities between themselves and the characters they play.

"I believe that theatre can change the world, but I don't think it changes people's minds about anything. It might make them look at things from a different angle, but it doesn't change their minds."

Janet Suzman's quote suggests that theater, as an art form, has the power to affect societal transformation, yet it may not directly alter people's beliefs or opinions. Instead, theater provokes thought, stimulates empathy, and broadens perspectives, allowing individuals to reconsider issues from various angles. While it may not change minds in a strict sense, its impact on fostering understanding and emotional engagement can contribute to broader societal shifts over time.

"An actor must be sensitive to every nuance of the human condition and be able to project that sensitivity onto the stage or screen."

This quote emphasizes the importance of emotional depth and empathy in acting. A great actor, according to Janet Suzman, is one who deeply understands and connects with the complexities of the human condition. They must be adept at translating these insights into their performances on stage or screen, thereby projecting genuine emotion that resonates with the audience. It suggests that the role of an actor transcends mere mimicry; they should strive to create a believable and impactful portrayal of human experiences through emotional sensitivity.

I still find that a kind of stricture of the heart happens when I see any form of bigoted or racist behaviour. I get an actual pain in my heart.

- Janet Suzman

Pain, Still, Actual, Bigoted

I find its attention to living this life rather than the next one exhilarating because I think even independently of Judaism that that's the right way to go about life.

- Janet Suzman

Think, Next, I Think, Right Way

OK, well maybe I have to get back to Judaism. In the sense that if I look at me and my forebears forever stretching back to I don't know, whenever there's no sense of place and therefore no sense of nationality.

- Janet Suzman

Back, No Sense, Maybe, OK

But now I've got a young son and his interest is in science and now when I talk to him, I see that in the science sphere of our lives there is new, there is progress.

- Janet Suzman

New, Young, Lives, Sphere

Now that we have a democracy and you can go back and the airport air is not laden with evil any more, you can actually breathe oxygen when you land in Johannesburg.

- Janet Suzman

Go, More, Back, Oxygen

But I think the possibility of a black and white society feeding each other's expertises, living harmoniously, will probably go along in fits and starts now but at least it has a great constitution now to back it up.

- Janet Suzman

Constitution, Other, I Think, Possibility

I suppose meeting people whether it's in real life and actually shaking their flesh and blood hand or shaking the mystical hand of the character all rub off on you in some way.

- Janet Suzman

Real, Some, Suppose, Flesh

My mother was very agnostic. She would never set foot in the synagogue, she couldn't be doing with it.

- Janet Suzman

Mother, She, Very, Agnostic

Jews have had to carry around their own sense of self in a carpet bag and I think perhaps too much emphasis might be being put on nationality and on the other hand patriotism, that sort of thing.

- Janet Suzman

Own, Other, I Think, Nationality

This is always a pain because it's injustice too and so my response to it, I tell you what I am more surprised or horrified at Jews who forget to be humanists than I am at anybody else.

- Janet Suzman

Injustice, Tell, Anybody, Horrified

It was but then, when you're, one of the great poisonous events that have infected us all who were in South Africa is that the idea of difference is drip fed into your veins. It's that that you fight.

- Janet Suzman

South Africa, Infected, Fed, Drip

So we do have our exits and our entrances and we are perhaps mere, but I think if one keep a certain joyousness in life which should be in playing, then good for one, but it's slightly more serious than that.

- Janet Suzman

I Think, Slightly, Our, Entrance

I think it's a very central tenet to it yes, it is. I can't bear it, I can't bear inequality, I can't bear bad behaviour to other people. I cannot bear it that people are mean to people who can't help what they are.

- Janet Suzman

Think, Other, Very, Behaviour

Always you find that the more decisive event wins so my father's sort of annual decisiveness which came upon him on the Day of Atonement every year, he suddenly remembered that he was Jewish.

- Janet Suzman

Father, Year, Decisiveness, Atonement

You learn from mistakes, but Shakespeare is one big non mistake isn't he? He just got everything right really.

- Janet Suzman

Mistake, Learn, Big, Shakespeare

And I think that that emphasis on keeping a family together, alike, I think it's important.

- Janet Suzman

Think, Important, Alike, Emphasis

But I think theatre in a repressive society is an immensely exciting event and theatre in a luxurious old, affluent old society like ours is an entertaining event.

- Janet Suzman

Think, I Think, Luxurious, Repressive

I mean one of the basic rules when you're acting is that you mustn't stand in judgement on a character, you mustn't say Hitler was a bad man because you can't act in that way.

- Janet Suzman

Rules, Judgement, Bad, Bad Man

One tries to be an observer as an actor and indeed as a director because the small things, the give-away things are what are really interesting to a performer.

- Janet Suzman

Small, Performer, Tries, Observer

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