The Theatre Is The Involuntary Reflex Of

Alas, We Are The Victims Of Advertisement. Those Who Taste The Joys And Sorrows Of Fame When They Have Passed Forty, Know How To Look After Themselves. They Know What Is Concealed Beneath The Flowers, And What The Gossip, The Calumnies, And The Praise Are Worth. But As For Those Who Win Fame When They Are Twenty, They Know Nothing, And Are Caught Up In The Whirlpool.

We Must Live For The Few Who Know And Appreciate Us, Who Judge And Absolve Us, And For Whom We Have The Same Affection And Indulgence. The Rest I Look Upon As A Mere Crowd, Lively Or Sad, Loyal Or Corrupt, From Whom There Is Nothing To Be Expected But Fleeting Emotions, Either Pleasant Or Unpleasant, Which Leave No Trace Behind Them.

The Artist's Personality Must Be Left In His Dressing-room; His Soul Must Be Denuded Of Its Own Sensations And Clothed With The Base Or Noble Qualities He Is Called Upon To Exhibit.... [he] Must Leave Behind Him The Cares And Vexations Of Life, Throw Aside His Personality For Several Hours, And Move In The Dream Of Another Life, Forgetting Everything.

To Be A Good Actor... It Is Necessary To Have A Firmly Tempered Soul, To Be Surprised At Nothing, To Resume Each Minute The Laborious Task That Has Barely Just Been Finished.

For The Theatre One Needs Long Arms... An Artiste With Short Arms Can Never Make A Fine Gesture.