Theodore Bikel Quotes

Powerful Theodore Bikel for Daily Growth

About Theodore Bikel

Theodore Bikel (May 2, 1924 – July 21, 2015) was an Austrian-American actor, singer, musician, and political activist known for his versatile talents in theater, film, television, and music. Born in Vienna, Austria, as Tuvia Bikel, he immigrated to Mandate Palestine at the age of nine with his family, where he learned Hebrew, developed a love for Zionism, and started performing in Yiddish theater groups. In 1946, Bikel joined the British Army during the Mandate era, serving until 1948 when Israel declared independence. Post-military service, he continued his acting career in Jerusalem and later moved to New York City to study at the Actors Studio under Lee Strasberg. Bikel's breakthrough role came as Tevye in the original Broadway production of "Fiddler on the Roof" (1964), a performance he repeated over 2,000 times in various productions worldwide. His other notable roles include Captain von Trapp in the 1959 Broadway revival of "The Sound of Music," and Mr. Sullivan in the TV series "Homicide: Life on the Street." As a musician, Bikel was an accomplished guitarist, banjo player, and singer, releasing numerous albums throughout his career. He was also a dedicated political activist, advocating for social justice, civil rights, and Zionism. Throughout his life, he performed in concert halls, music festivals, and on television shows, sharing his passion for music and storytelling with audiences around the world. Quotes by Theodore Bikel: 1. "I don't believe in an afterlife, but I am bringing a change of underwear." 2. "My job is to help you find something about the character that speaks to you." 3. "Music is the language of the spirit. It cuts through all barriers and finds its mark." 4. "I have no patience for cynics, no interest in telling people what they don't want to hear. I want to tell them the truth, but with hope."

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"To live is to be musical, starting with the heart."

This quote suggests that life itself has an inherent rhythm, harmony, and emotional depth, akin to music. Just as a song moves us through its melody, tempo, and lyrics, so too does life move us with our experiences, emotions, and relationships. Moreover, the heart symbolizes both our physical organ and our emotional center, implying that our feelings play a significant role in our musical existence. In essence, Theodore Bikel is reminding us that to truly live is not only to exist but to feel deeply and express ourselves with the same passion and emotion as a piece of music.

"The more you know, the more you realize you don't know."

This quote by Theodore Bikel underscores the idea that knowledge is a never-ending journey, implying that the more we learn, the more we become aware of the vastness and complexity of the world around us. It encourages humility in our pursuit of understanding, suggesting that no matter how much we know, there will always be more to discover and explore. Essentially, it's a reminder that learning should inspire curiosity rather than satisfaction with what we already know.

"It takes a long time to become young."

This quote by Theodore Bikel suggests that maturity, wisdom, and self-understanding often come with age and life experiences, rather than youth itself. In other words, it's not just about the number of years one has lived, but also about personal growth, introspection, and the ability to embrace one's true identity over time. It implies that becoming 'young' – in a sense of being fully oneself, understanding oneself, and accepting oneself – is a lifelong process.

"I have found that the happiest people do not have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything."

This quote by Theodore Bikel emphasizes that true happiness doesn't come from having the most material possessions or ideal circumstances, but rather from a mindset that finds joy in making the most out of every situation. It suggests that finding contentment lies in appreciating what we have and learning to adapt and find fulfillment even when faced with challenges or limitations.

"There is no greater power in the universe than love, and there is no stronger weapon against the dark forces of hatred, fear, and ignorance than love."

This quote by Theodore Bikel highlights the transformative and protective nature of love. Love, in this context, is seen as a powerful force that can triumph over negative emotions such as hatred, fear, and ignorance. It suggests that love has an immense potential to counteract destructive forces and bring about positive change. In essence, love is posited as the ultimate weapon against darkness, fostering unity, understanding, and compassion in its wake.

By showing hunger, deprivation, starvation and brutality, as well as endurance and nobility, documentaries inform, prod our memories, even stir us to action. Such films do battle for our very soul.

- Theodore Bikel

Very, Nobility, Films, Stir

I am determined to give the Yiddish language a fighting chance to survive.

- Theodore Bikel

Chance, Give, Survive, Yiddish

You don't really need modernity in order to exist totally and fully. You need a mixture of modernity and tradition.

- Theodore Bikel

Need, Exist, Modernity, Mixture

We Jews have a special attachment to the Book. The study of page after page in tomes yellowing with age was obligatory.

- Theodore Bikel

Study, Special, Attachment, Obligatory

I have always striven to raise the voice of hope for a world where hate gives way to respect and oppression to liberation.

- Theodore Bikel

Hope, Voice, Always, Liberation

An actor is supposed to emulate life. Instead, alas, many are imitating other actors. You don't fashion your knowledge of theatre or your approach to a role on the basis of what other actors have done. This kind of thinking is a great danger, especially in dealing with TV producers who frequently say things like, 'This is a Sean Connery type.'

- Theodore Bikel

Other, Role, TV, None

In my mind the city of Ariel is a thorn in Israel's side and a serious obstacle to peace.

- Theodore Bikel

Mind, City, Side, Thorn

Right up to the middle of this century all perceptions of the world around us were delivered via the bookshelf or the paper route.

- Theodore Bikel

Middle, Bookshelf, Delivered, Perceptions

For I firmly believe that Jewish life, indeed any communal life, can only be organized according to democratic principles.

- Theodore Bikel

Jewish, Firmly, According, Communal

But there is a difference here: When Jewish children are murdered, Arabs celebrate the deed. The death of an Arab child is no cause for celebration in Israel.

- Theodore Bikel

Death, Celebrate, Here, Arabs

I know for certain of only one commandment, one obligation, that God imposes upon us, and that is to be compassionate toward other human beings.

- Theodore Bikel

Other, Compassionate, Beings, Commandment

As an artist I have an even more abiding interest in the compact between the Arts and Government.

- Theodore Bikel

Government, Artist, Compact, Abide

What moves me is neither ethnocentric pride nor sectarian arrogance. I make no claim that Jewish culture is superior to other cultures. But it is mine.

- Theodore Bikel

Jewish, Other, Mine, Claim

I do not know who there is among us that can claim to know God's purpose and God's intent.

- Theodore Bikel

Purpose, Know, Among, Claim

I make no claim that Jewish culture is superior to other cultures or that the Jewish song is better than the song of my neighbor.

- Theodore Bikel

Song, Jewish, Other, Claim

When something is moving you get that intake of breath and that stillness from the audience.

- Theodore Bikel

Audience, Breath, Get, Stillness

No movement can afford to be caught in a time warp and exist in a state of suspended animation.

- Theodore Bikel

Caught, Exist, Afford, Suspended

It's a sad thing to contemplate, but I'm the last surviving cast member of 'The African Queen.'

- Theodore Bikel

Queen, Last, Cast, Sad Thing

You learn more from the flops than from the hits.

- Theodore Bikel

Learn, More, Hits, Flops

There is no role I cannot play except a midget.

- Theodore Bikel

Play, Role, Cannot, Midget

Although I am deeply grateful to a great many people, I forgo the temptation of naming them for fear that I might slight any by omission.

- Theodore Bikel

Grateful, Might, Slight, Forgo

After the advent of the written word, the masses who could not - or were not permitted to - read, were given sermons by the few who could.

- Theodore Bikel

Written Word, Given, Read, Permitted

I prefer to make common cause with those whose weapons are guitars, banjos, fiddles and words.

- Theodore Bikel

Words, Cause, Prefer, Common Cause

On the stage you're there, it's live. There's a beginning, a middle, an end. When something is funny you hear it right away.

- Theodore Bikel

Beginning, Middle, Away, Right Away

I am not a specialist but a general practitioner in the world of the arts.

- Theodore Bikel

I Am, World, General, Specialist

I am a universalist, passionately devoted to the cause of equality within the human family.

- Theodore Bikel

I Am, Devoted, Passionately, Universalist

I remain convinced that I can be a true universalist only when I am a better Jew.

- Theodore Bikel

I Am, Better, Convinced, Universalist

In my world, history comes down to language and art. No one cares much about what battles were fought, who won them and who lost them - unless there is a painting, a play, a song or a poem that speaks of the event.

- Theodore Bikel

Play, About, Fought, Battles

Must we be put to shame by much smaller and poorer countries, by Ireland, France, Austria or Sweden, who have understood that a nation's support of its arts is a matter of both national pride and cultural survival?

- Theodore Bikel

Shame, Poorer, Smaller, Understood

All too often arrogance accompanies strength, and we must never assume that justice is on the side of the strong. The use of power must always be accompanied by moral choice.

- Theodore Bikel

Always, Side, Accompanies, Assume

The play is always fresh to me. It's not the audience's fault that I've said the words before.

- Theodore Bikel

Play, Audience, Always, Fresh

I tried for a while to be an agricultural worker and was hopelessly bored. I would stand around in heaps of manure and sing about the beauty of the work I wasn't doing.

- Theodore Bikel

Beauty, Doing, Manure, Bored

I prefer to choose which traditions to keep and which to let go.

- Theodore Bikel

Keep, Which, Prefer, Traditions

'Visiting Mr. Green' is a good play. I enjoy being in it, and I have a wonderful colleague, Aidan deSalaiz, to work with. Audiences like it a lot. What's not to like?

- Theodore Bikel

Green, Play, Visiting, Colleague

I do prefer the stage. It's really the granddaddy of them all.

- Theodore Bikel

Stage, Them, Prefer, Granddaddy

I don't speak out because I am an actor nor will I keep silent because I am an actor. I respect my profession, but it endows me with no special privileges; but it also does not limit me or muzzle me. I am a person and a citizen with the attendant responsibilities of voice and vote.

- Theodore Bikel

Voice, Out, Privileges, Vote

I glory in the fact that a human being has multiple talents and exercises them all with a degree of integrity and artistic proficiency. That's what I do.

- Theodore Bikel

Fact, Human Being, Multiple, Talents

'Retiring' - within that word is 'tiring,' and I'm not tired. I don't believe in retirement, really.

- Theodore Bikel

Tired, Within, Retiring, Tiring

I always sang, I always acted, I always played.

- Theodore Bikel

Always, Played, Sang, Acted

But, when I toil in the field of Jewish culture which I frequently do, I am indeed a Jewish artist.

- Theodore Bikel

Artist, Which, Frequently, Toil

I created the role of Captain Von Trapp.

- Theodore Bikel

Captain, Role, Created, Von

I am filled with awe that filmmakers have the capacity to stir us and give us back a sense of wonder.

- Theodore Bikel

Give, Back, Filled, Awe

Throughout my life I have cared as deeply about the songs of all peoples as I have about the rights of all peoples.

- Theodore Bikel

My Life, Rights, Songs, Cared

I refuse to do shows that are narrowly constructed, that appeal to only one sentiment. I do a lot of Jewish material in front of non-Jews and a lot of non-Jewish material in front of Jews on the simple theory that the non-Jews are entitled to a glimpse of a Jewish world and the Jews are entitled to a glimpse of the world.

- Theodore Bikel

Jews, Sentiment, Entitled, Narrowly

One might have thought the world would stop ascribing moral equivalence between acts of terrorism and acts of punishing terrorism. It has not happened that way.

- Theodore Bikel

Thought, Might, Acts, Punishing

While we all could agree that the Zionist ideal is alive and well, there is serious doubt whether the Zionist movement can be said to be an ongoing proposition, fragmented as its components are in ideology and in practice.

- Theodore Bikel

Practice, Ideal, Components, Fragmented

Having come to live in this age is as though one were to have entered another country. Learn its language or risk being left out.

- Theodore Bikel

Country, Having, Though, Risk

Despite a large body of work in films, TV, theatre and concerts, I am viewed by many as a Jewish artist. I do not resent the label, except for the fact that I disapprove of labels in general.

- Theodore Bikel

Fact, TV, Films, Label

Accents. I'm very good with accents. I'm exceedingly good.

- Theodore Bikel

Good, Very, Exceedingly, Accents

No doubt, unity is something to be desired, to be striven for, but it cannot be willed by mere declarations.

- Theodore Bikel

Unity, Mere, No Doubt, Desired

No doubt unity is something to be desired, to be striven for, but it cannot be willed into being by mere declarations.

- Theodore Bikel

Unity, Mere, No Doubt, Desired

Epistemology is the study of knowledge. By what conduit do we know what we know?

- Theodore Bikel

Study, Know, Conduit, Epistemology

I am first, and foremost, an actor. That's what I am. To me, a song is a mini-drama. My musical ability informs the actor as well because it gives me a sense of timing that non-musicians don't have. So, one hand washes the other.

- Theodore Bikel

Me, Ability, Other, Informs

You cannot please all of the people all of the time, and that is truer in the arts than anywhere else.

- Theodore Bikel

Than, Cannot, Else, Anywhere Else

Audiences are audiences.

- Theodore Bikel

Audiences

You always draw on your experiences with live audiences to know how to do comedy on films. You're working for a laugh that may or may not come six months later, but you're working in a vacuum at the time you are doing it.

- Theodore Bikel

Doing, Always, Films, Audiences

No heirloom of humankind captures the past as do art and language.

- Theodore Bikel

Art, Past, Humankind, Captures

I am not, and have never been, in favor of boycotting Israel.

- Theodore Bikel

I Am, Never, Been, Favor

If I have one vanity wish, it would be to direct. It's the only thing I haven't done yet that I would like to.

- Theodore Bikel

Like, The Only Thing, Direct, Vanity

I'm exceedingly proud of being an actor, but I never recommend it to anyone.

- Theodore Bikel

Proud, Never, Actor, Exceedingly

I am a Zionist, an ardent supporter of Israel, its defender when I deem Israel to be right and its critic when I deem it to be wrong.

- Theodore Bikel

Ardent, Deem, Zionist, Critic

We live in a world of guns, bombs and terror. To conquer hate seems a nigh-impossible task.

- Theodore Bikel

World, Guns, Task, Terror

Every actor wants to direct.

- Theodore Bikel

Actor, Wants, Every, Direct

You can't expect the entire world to come to New York to see you. You have to travel to them.

- Theodore Bikel

New, Come, Them, Entire World

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