critics quotes

I think sometimes the critics want me to beat people down, and that’s not in me. I want to lift people up.

Of course, there are those critics – New York critics as a rule – who say, ‚Well, Maya Angelou has a new book out and of course it’s good but then she’s a natural writer.‘ Those are the ones I want to grab by the throat and wrestle to the floor because it takes me forever to get it to sing. I work at the language.

I don’t focus on the critics. Everyone who is making any difference in any field has critics. As long as I feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing, then I don’t worry about it.

If the critics are right that I’ve made all my decisions based on polls, then I must not be very good at reading them.

It’s easy to become very self-critical when you’re an actor. Then you get critiqued by the critics. Whether you agree with them or not, people are passing judgment on you.

Contrary to the claims of some of my critics and some of the editorial pages, I am an ardent believer in the free market.

If you can’t tolerate critics, don’t do anything new or interesting.

An author ought to write for the youth of his own generation, the critics of the next, and the schoolmaster of ever afterwards.

My idea is always to reach my generation. The wise writer writes for the youth of his own generation, the critics of the next, and the schoolmasters of ever afterward.

A true artist is expected to be all that is noble-minded, and this is not altogether a mistake; on the other hand, however, in what a mean way are critics allowed to pounce upon us.

Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today – but the core of science fiction, its essence has become crucial to our salvation if we are to be saved at all.

You pick up some fans and a handful of haters along the way.

Everybody is going to have their critics. It’s easy to get discouraged in life.

If my critics saw me walking over the Thames they would say it was because I couldn’t swim.

A lot of critics object to what I do, but I got into comedy to make people laugh, and I’ve always worked hard.

It is healthier, in any case, to write for the adults one’s children will become than for the children one’s ‚mature‘ critics often are.

These critics with the illusions they’ve created about artists – it’s like idol worship. They only like people when they’re on their way up… I cannot be on the way up again.

We are not trying to entertain the critics. I’ll take my chances with the public.

Writers are lampposts and critics are dogs. Ask lampposts what they think about dogs. Does the dog hurt the lamppost?