Lillian Hellman Quotes
I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions, even though I long ago came to the conclusion that I was not a political person and could have no comfortable place in any political group.
Hellman, Lillian. Letter to the House Un-American Activities Committee, 19 May 1952. Reprinted in Scoundrel Time, Little, Brown, 1976.
In reference to impending legislation involving Missouri, Clay was admonished that his stand would offend "ultras" of both parties, to his political discredit. Clay replied: Also attributed to Clay during the Senate debates on the Compromise of 1850
Lillian Florence Hellman was an American playwright, author, and screenwriter known for her success on Broadway, as well as her communist sympathies and political activism. She was blacklisted after her appearance before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) at the height of the anti-communist campaigns of 1947–1952. Although she continued to work on Broadway in the 1950s, her blacklisting by the American film industry caused a drop in her income. Many praised Hellman for refusing to answer questions by HUAC, but others believed, despite her denial, that she had belonged to the Communist Party.
