Michael Hirst Quotes

Powerful Michael Hirst for Daily Growth

About Michael Hirst

Michael Hirst (born April 16, 1952) is an English screenwriter and producer renowned for his epic historical dramas. Born in Cambridge, England, Hirst was raised in a family of academics and developed a passion for literature at an early age. He attended Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he studied history. However, it was his love for storytelling that ultimately led him to a career in screenwriting. Hirst's professional journey began in the late 1970s when he wrote scripts for British television series such as "The Onedin Line" and "Edge of Darkness." His breakthrough came with the acclaimed miniseries "Elizabeth I" (1971), which earned him a BAFTA Award for Best Drama Serial. In the 1980s, Hirst moved to Hollywood where he wrote for several successful TV shows, including "Dynasty" and "Falcon Crest." However, it was his work on the historical epic "The Vikings" (1991) that solidified his reputation as a master of historical storytelling. Perhaps Hirst's most significant contribution to television is the critically acclaimed series "The Tudors" (2007-2010), which he created and wrote. The show, centered around the life of King Henry VIII, was praised for its historical accuracy and captivating storytelling. Hirst followed this success with another historical epic, "Vikings" (2013-2020), a series that explored the world of Viking society in a way never seen before on television. Hirst's works are characterized by their grand scale, rich characters, and intricate narratives. His influence can be seen in the growing trend of historical dramas on television, with many producers aiming to capture the same level of epic storytelling that Hirst has become known for.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Love is a powerful force. It can make us do things we never thought we were capable of, and it can also make us believe that the impossible is possible."

This quote suggests that love is an immensely potent emotion that has the ability to transform individuals beyond their perceived capabilities. It implies that when one is under its influence, they might accomplish feats they never thought possible due to its profound impact on their psyche. The quote also subtly highlights that love can instill faith in the seemingly impossible, implying that it can create a sense of optimism and hope even in situations where logic may dictate otherwise.


"Passion is an eternal flame that illuminates our soul, igniting the fire within us to dream and create, to love and inspire."

This quote suggests that passion is a powerful, enduring emotion that animates our inner being, driving us towards creative, loving, and inspiring pursuits. The "eternal flame" symbolizes the unwavering nature of passion, which provides light to guide us through our dreams and endeavors. By igniting our soul, passion fuels the fire within us, enabling us to be more productive and inspired in our personal and professional lives.


"The human heart is a mysterious and powerful force, capable of both great good and great evil. It's a paradox - a fragile and delicate organ, yet indestructible in its capacity for love and hate."

The quote emphasizes the complex and contradictory nature of the human heart, suggesting it is an intricate and potent entity with a dual capacity for compassion and malice. On one hand, the heart is delicate, symbolizing vulnerability and emotional sensitivity; on the other, it is indestructible, alluding to its ability to love deeply or harbor intense hatred. This paradox underscores the profound yet enigmatic character of the human spirit, demonstrating its capacity for both selfless benevolence and destructive animosity.


"We are all prisoners of our past, but the door to freedom is always open if we have the courage to walk through it."

This quote suggests that our past experiences shape us and, in some ways, confine us. However, the power to break free from these constraints lies within ourselves. The "door to freedom" symbolizes opportunities for change or growth, but it requires personal courage to leave behind old habits, thoughts, or behaviors to walk through it and embrace a new way of life. It's a call to take control of our lives by confronting and learning from our past, rather than being defined or limited by it.


"Fate is not always kind, but it's the choices we make that define us."

The quote emphasizes that while life may deal us circumstances beyond our control (fate), it's how we respond to those situations through our decisions and actions (choices) that ultimately shape who we are. It suggests that our character is defined by the choices we make amidst the challenges and opportunities presented by life, rather than solely by what life throws at us.


The Vikings certainly didn't write anything about themselves; it was not a literate, but rather a pagan, culture. So what we get was written later by Christian monks. But there were occasional reportings and recordings of people who had traded usually with the Vikings.

- Michael Hirst

Rather, About, Occasional, Monks

I got interested in the Vikings, and then you realize that there isn't much to be read about them because they did not write their history. It was written by hostile witnesses, by Christian monks and so on. From what I could see and understand, I was really excited about it. I loved their culture and loved their gods.

- Michael Hirst

Gods, About, Hostile, Monks

I've found that using historical material and being rooted in historical material is liberating because I always think to myself, 'Well, this actually happened, and this is fantastic!' That's why I don't like fantasy, in a way. Because it's sort of in emptiness.

- Michael Hirst

Why, Found, Historical, Liberating

If you're in America or Europe, walk for three blocks, and you'll pass about 14 Vikings. Their reach was immense.

- Michael Hirst

Reach, Pass, Blocks, Immense

I only have one idol: John Lennon.

- Michael Hirst

Only, Idol, John, Lennon

The American obsession with 'Downton' amuses me slightly because it's such a fiction. I've always been questioned about my historical veracity, and 'Downton' just flies past, when it's completely made up.

- Michael Hirst

Flies, Been, Slightly, Veracity

First episodes are difficult things to write.

- Michael Hirst

Difficult, Write, Things, Episodes

People love cliches. If you can give people cliches, that's very good TV, then.

- Michael Hirst

Love, Give, Very, Cliches

For 'Vikings,' we have to do so much outside shooting, and it's normally - I think with American shows, it'll be 60 or 70 percent inside and a little bit outside, but with us, it's almost 70 percent outside, and that's huge and really difficult.

- Michael Hirst

Shooting, I Think, Almost, Normally

When you're making a TV drama, the showrunner is God, and so however onerous and difficult and consuming that responsibility is, you're being treated with respect, so it changes your whole outlook to the production. You're being asked about costumes, set design, music, every aspect of the show.

- Michael Hirst

Production, However, TV, Costumes

TV drama - not always, but on the whole - were pretty appalling and very secondary, too. No one expected it to be like watching a movie; that was the point. But I think when you start watching 'Vikings,' it is like watching a movie - you're taken somewhere else.

- Michael Hirst

I Think, Very, TV, Appalling

I felt that a lot of Viking culture had been caricatured and misconstrued. After all, they were far more democratic than the Saxons and the Francs, who were exercising really hierarchical social structures at that time. The Vikings had popular meetings where everything could be discussed.

- Michael Hirst

Been, Had, Exercising, Hierarchical

My instinct is to absolutely recoil when talking about writing in a mechanistic way. Nothing could be dumber than writing a film or TV script based on prescriptions, on other peoples' ideas of what character should be.

- Michael Hirst

Other, TV, Based, Dumber

'Downton Abbey' is just one cliche after another, and it is a really, really poor piece of drama. But that's only me talking. That's just my take on it.

- Michael Hirst

Another, Downton Abbey, Abbey

Once I engage in something, I really engage in it, and I love the process of reading and researching because I come from an academic background.

- Michael Hirst

Love, Reading, Process, Engage

You have to create characters - certainly in series TV - who people engage with. They don't have to be nice; you don't have to agree with them. But they do have to be compulsively watchable and believable and human, and you want to know what happens to them.

- Michael Hirst

Want, TV, Certainly, Engage

The key for me with historical characters is they're interesting because they're human beings. A little bit of Hemingway goes a long way here, but journalists and writers should honestly look at their material and have a real interest, a real passion in what they want to write, and they should also have a lot of knowledge as well.

- Michael Hirst

Here, Historical, Bit, Hemingway

Of course I had written a film about Elizabeth I, and I loved the Tudor period, and I think at the time Working Title and I had debated on whether to do Elizabeth I or Henry VIII. I'd always wanted to do Henry VIII. Like Elizabeth, I'd had this feeling that it had never properly been addressed.

- Michael Hirst

Been, I Think, About, Debated

I wasn't setting out to write a documentary; if I had, I would have done it in a completely different way. I was asked to write a drama that would appeal to a big audience in America that had no knowledge or interest in The Tudors at all.

- Michael Hirst

Big, Audience, Different Way, Documentary

It works better if your lead character is complex and interesting and not perfect.

- Michael Hirst

Character, Better, Works, Lead Character

Everything in 'The Tudors' is initially based on my historical research, and the fact is that the most unlikely scenes were the ones which were probably most based on reality. I prefer to be as real as possible, and there is so much of that story that you just can't make up.

- Michael Hirst

Fact, Historical, Prefer, Scenes

When you're a screenwriter working on a film, you're not really even welcome on set, even if you know... When I wrote 'Elizabeth' and Shekhar Kapur was a friend of mine, but I wasn't really welcome on set, because the director is God and it's a very difficult position for a screenwriter who's put so much passion into that, into the writing.

- Michael Hirst

Writing, Very, Put, Welcome

With 'The Tudors,' I had a huge amount of material, I mean so many books and so much stuff about what they really said. So, in a way it was kind of trying to strip it out and find the stories inside all this material.

- Michael Hirst

Inside, About, Had, Strip

I'm very bad at delegating writing responsibilities, because I've never been able to do it; I've never had any help or looked for any help.

- Michael Hirst

Bad, Been, Very, Responsibilities

When I did 'The Tudors,' there was massive information available and a ready-made market.

- Michael Hirst

Market, Available, Massive, Ready-Made

Nobody knows what really happened in any historical period. There are some periods where we know more than others, though.

- Michael Hirst

Some, Period, Though, Periods

People offer me loads of stuff, and some of it I like, but I just can't do it because I can't write it all. So I might get in the position where I have some sort of company and just write maybe the first episode, but these are love projects, in a way.

- Michael Hirst

Love, Some, Projects, Episode

With 'Vikings,' I had the task of making these people interesting and, to a point, sympathetic.

- Michael Hirst

Interesting, Task, Making, Sympathetic

I couldn't give 'Vikings' away - I mean, I love these people. And I'm not sure anyone else writing it would necessarily have the same feeling towards the characters that I do.

- Michael Hirst

Love, Give, Away, Anyone Else

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