Mike Bartlett Quotes

Powerful Mike Bartlett for Daily Growth

About Mike Bartlett

Mike Bartlett (b. 1983) is a prolific British playwright, screenwriter, and director who has made significant contributions to contemporary theatre and television. Born in Bromley, London, Bartlett grew up in the suburbs, an experience that often informs his work. He studied Drama at Hertford College, Oxford University, where he was President of the Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS). Bartlett's professional career began in 2006 with his first play, 'Cock,' a drama about sexual identity that won the George Devine Award. This was followed by '13,' a series of 13 short plays set in the same room, each depicting a different time in the same relationship. In 2012, Bartlett's most celebrated work, 'King Charles III,' premiered at the Royal Court Theatre and later transferred to the West End and Broadway, earning multiple Olivier Award nominations. Bartlett's television career includes adaptations of his plays for BBC Four, such as 'Earthquakes in London' (2015) and 'King Charles III' (2017), as well as original series like the critically acclaimed 'Doctor Foster' (2015-2019). His works often explore contemporary social issues and politics, with a keen eye for human relationships and a unique narrative structure. Bartlett is known for his innovative storytelling and thought-provoking themes, making him one of the most exciting and relevant voices in British theatre and television today. He continues to write plays and scripts, pushing boundaries and challenging audiences with his insightful and compelling works.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"People don't change - they stop having the opportunity to."

This quote suggests that personal growth and transformation are not inherent but depend on the opportunities or experiences we encounter throughout our lives. The idea is that if we do not have the chance to learn, grow, or adapt in a particular environment or situation, we may stagnate rather than change. It implies that while individuals can't physically transform, they can metaphorically do so by seizing new opportunities and challenging themselves to evolve.


"The future is already here - it's just not very evenly distributed."

This quote emphasizes that advancements, technologies, or ideas of the future are not uniformly available to everyone across society, but rather concentrated in certain areas or groups. It highlights the disparity between those who have access to the latest innovations and the majority who do not, suggesting a need for more equitable distribution of resources, opportunities, and progress.


"Truth isn't something that happens. It's what we do with what happens."

This quote suggests that truth is not a static, unchanging entity that simply "happens" or occurs independently. Instead, it implies that truth is actively constructed by how we respond to events, experiences, or facts. In other words, the way we interpret, process, and act upon what happens shapes our understanding of what is true. It encourages us to be mindful of our actions, decisions, and perspectives in determining the nature of reality.


"Everything you need to know about human beings, you can learn from watching them fall in love."

This quote suggests that understanding the complexities, nuances, and intricacies of human nature can be achieved by observing people as they experience romantic love. It implies that love reveals essential aspects of our emotions, behaviors, motivations, vulnerabilities, and aspirations – offering insights into what makes us human. Falling in love often exposes our capacity for empathy, resilience, growth, joy, pain, and the many facets of our relationships with others.


"The present is a pointless time. The past and future are where it's at."

This quote implies that the present moment, as it stands, lacks significance or value compared to the past and future. The past holds our memories, experiences, and lessons learned, while the future offers possibilities, aspirations, and growth. Essentially, Mike Bartlett suggests that the richness of life is found in reflecting on the past and planning for the future, rather than solely focusing on the immediate present.


The days of print media are numbered. Some papers will be around for a few years, but everyone knows news is going online. Then you have to ask, who pays for it? How do you deliver it? Is there any money for proper investigative reporting?

- Mike Bartlett

Some, Deliver, Proper, Numbered

In Britain, many people love the royal family, and other people don't - but either way, we own them, and we have an opinion, and we know a lot about them. It's as though they're our own family.

- Mike Bartlett

Love, Other, Britain, Royal Family

Theatre tends to be more metaphorical and intense, as you're locked in one room and focused on one thing. Television can hop around, and you need to invest in its naturalistic reality more. But I love writing both, precisely because they're so different.

- Mike Bartlett

Love, Invest, Hop, Locked

When I can find a story that explores something that I don't know what I think, I've got a play. If I knew the answer, I would write a speech or an essay.

- Mike Bartlett

Play, Think, I Think, Essay

In the process of writing '13,' friends were asking if I was OK because I was saying things about religion or about intervening in other countries militarily that I wouldn't normally spout over dinner. In the moment of writing the play, I genuinely changed what I thought.

- Mike Bartlett

Thought, Play, Other, Intervening

I don't think anyone is boring, actually, if you ask the right questions and look at them the right way.

- Mike Bartlett

Questions, Think, Them, Right Way

I am not entirely off grid. I send a lot of email. But the way Facebook constantly alters its privacy settings to bamboozle you into giving more away is just underhand.

- Mike Bartlett

More, Away, Settings, Grid

What's great about theater and drama is it thrives on dialogue, and dialogue thrives on people with different points of view fighting for what they want.

- Mike Bartlett

Fighting, Want, About, Thrive

You go to a protest, and you've got all these different groups saying things you don't necessarily agree with. If I went to a protest, my placard would have to be very long, explaining the ins and outs of my position.

- Mike Bartlett

Got, Very, Necessarily, Explaining

I wrote a very bad play about Prince William when I was 23 in which he went off to the island of Iona to discover himself. It was very long, and audiences should probably be very pleased that the computer it was on blew up.

- Mike Bartlett

Play, Bad, Very, Blew

The worst thing is where the world people experience before they go into the theatre is far more interesting than what they encounter on stage.

- Mike Bartlett

More, Worst Thing, Before, Encounter

Most theatre is still really bad. It has to appeal to people who do jobs and have lives. Theatre about theatre is the most awful, terminal nonsense.

- Mike Bartlett

Bad, Still, Lives, Terminal

When I was nine, I found a copy of 'Doctor Who: the Making of a Television Series' in the school library. It had a picture of Peter Davison on the front, and it was a formative book for me. It explained all the different departments like the script, cameras, and sets and explained how a television show is put together.

- Mike Bartlett

Book, Show, Nine, Doctor Who

I don't tend to write articles and blogs because, I think, if you went into the theatre knowing that this is the writer's view on x, y, and z, it's just game over for the play.

- Mike Bartlett

Game, Play, I Think, Articles

One question you ask as a writer or any kind of artist when you start making something is, 'Does this have reason to exist in the world?' And you're reassured when you get little confirmations that people are pleased it did exist - whether they buy a ticket, whether it gets good reviews, whether it transfers.

- Mike Bartlett

Reason, Artist, Buy, Ticket

Where do we invest our trust now? In politicians? Most people would say not. In banks, in religion, in a sense of nationhood? In each other? Even that has been complicated. It feels like there's a total collapse of trust, but without trust, it's impossible to have any sense of who one is.

- Mike Bartlett

Trust, Other, Feels, Politicians

If people are going to spend a night out at the theatre, they don't just want 'good' - we can watch box sets for that - they want it to be totally remarkable.

- Mike Bartlett

Night, Going, Sets, Box

I don't care more about '13' because it's in the Olivier than I did about 'Cock' in a 100-seat studio. They both matter because it's still a person sat there watching your play. And the play has to be good enough - because there are a hundred other writers out there who deserve to have their play on instead.

- Mike Bartlett

Play, Studio, Hundred, Sat

What I've found is if you get the right characters in the right story and put them in the right setting - and let them go - they tend to do all the exploring of the issues for you. Because people are interesting and political and funny and sad.

- Mike Bartlett

Political, Interesting, Go, Setting

Quite a few plays I have written have an implicit critique of capitalism in that, if you follow it through to its end, what happens to the people who are left behind?

- Mike Bartlett

Behind, Through, Implicit, Critique

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.