Yeston Quotes & Sayings

The second-class couple is far closer to what the audience is today. It's who we are. — Maury Yeston

I started playing the piano, pretty much on my own, when I was 5, and I started writing music when I was 7. In fact, I won a composition award. It was a crummy little piece, but I won with it. — Maury Yeston

I like the facts. I find them interesting. — Maury Yeston

Not every story in history has a beginning, a middle and an end, but the wreck of the Titanic does. It begins when they leave, in the middle it hits an iceberg, and in the final two hours, the ship sinks. — Maury Yeston

I'm not a master; I'm just a hard-working filmmaker. I would like everyone to see me as a friend rather than a master. — John Woo

Musical theatre is now a worldwide conversation. — Maury Yeston

Today, you're a piranha if you are seen having coffee with somebody from the other party in many cases. — Michael Bloomberg

Back in the Stone Age, before there were workshops, it was a very difficult idea to get into musical theatre. Normally, you would be a chorus girl or boy and write something. People would get their start as rehearsal pianists or dance assistants. — Maury Yeston

I am usually a pacer. I go to the balcony to check the sight lines way up there, to check the sound system to see how the balance is. — Maury Yeston

Obviously this stuff takes a bit of planning, but I've always been someone that sets achievable short-term goals. I've never been someone that's had a five-year plan, or a three-year plan. That just seems to lead to a lot of disappointment, and doesn't give you the chance to be flexible. So I've just always been someone that's sort of reassessed where I'm at, and set goals that are realistic. And luckily, I've had plenty of chances to recalibrate and adjust, and good fortune's come my way. — Eric Bana

As we get older ... I don't know a single person who has devoted their life to musical theatre who hasn't had a couple of misses as well as a bunch of hits. The misses, we learn a great deal from them. — Maury Yeston

When we take all thoughts captive and trust God with our well being, fear departs. Our faith in His power will remove our insecurities, wobbly uncertainty, and unstable nervousness. — Cheryl Zelenka

For me, when you are talking about perfect songs, you're talking about Gershwin, 'Someone To Watch Over Me.' Or Larry Hart and Richard Rodgers. Or some of the great Cole Porter songs, whether it's 'Night and Day' or some of the comedy songs. Or Irving Berlin, of course. — Maury Yeston

Believing time is on our side is difficult because the lens of our lives is too narrowly focused. We see only what is in our direct view, whether trials or bliss. We hold so tightly to the positive experiences for fear we won't have another just as good and those that are negative we hope will disappear.
With our vision set to the crown of our nose, we miss being exposed to a world of possibility lying in the vastness of our periphery. — Tina Leigh

Great Britain has lost an empire and has not yet found a role. — Dean Acheson

If I had a soul I sold it for pretty words If I had a body I used it up spurting my essence Allen Ginsberg warns you dont follow my path to extinction — Allen Ginsberg

The extraordinary thing about Irving Berlin is that he's like the American Mozart! It seems as if his songs were always there. How do you put together songs like 'Always' or 'Cheek To Cheek'? Songs of his are, frankly, perfect. — Maury Yeston

What you get at the BMI Workshop is the rarest commodity in New York City: Friendly criticism; people who genuinely root for you; and a chance to rewrite your work, try it again, and hone your craft. — Maury Yeston

In a play, a man comes out and says something. Another man comes out and says something. And by the end of the night, we've learned something we didn't know, In a musical, there is singing and dancing for two hours, but you've got to know everything in 5 minutes. Do it in those 5 minutes or you'll lose them. — Maury Yeston

Every show is a mess at its first preview. No one's had enough time to rehearse in costumes, traffic patterns backstage haven't been worked out, machinery weighing thousands of pounds is being operated for the first time. And, also, it's the first time all the material you've written is before the public. — Maury Yeston

Rodgers & Hart had a few flops before they clicked. You know, it happens. I don't know anyone who always gets away with everything. — Maury Yeston