John Oates Quotes

I like being behind the scene.

The life of a congressional spouse is harder than the life of the member. They do all the work and get none of the recognition.

For me, staying ready has always been, like, the preparations: do the behind-the-scenes or do what you think that's not sexy that nobody will see, but when they do see it, it's like, 'Oh, snap... what she's doing on her own, we'll add to that, and it'll blow up.'

My life's work has been to prompt others and be forgotten. Remember that night when Christian came to your balcony? That moment sums up my life. While I was below in the shadows, others climbed up to kiss the sweet rose.

I'm not a media darling. I'm not on the cover of all these magazines. I just quietly do my thing.

I've been, for want of a better phrase, a supporting actress so much of my life.

I became obsessed with all these women who die never feeling they did anything extraordinary with their lives.

Behind every great man is his wife trying to keep him alive.

I don't consider myself a flashy director. A lot of times, people will look and don't even know what I do.

There's been a tremendous amount of work that's been done that you can't see in Columbia.

I'm a behind-the-scenes guy. I've got a face for radio.

If I could I would always work in silence and obscurity, and let my efforts be known by their results.

It's hard to be a clubhouse guy without being a great guy. I mean, the nature of the job is, you know, you're picking up dirty clothes and you're doing all the tasks that the players - that nobody else wants to do.

Growing up in Vermont, no matter what I did, I didn't get much recognition.

No TV, no acting for me. I'm kind of a more behind-the-scenes kind of woman even though what I do is very public. I'm really low-key and I don't need to be the center of attention.

He is remembered chiefly as the man about whom all is forgotten.

Don't I deserve just as much credit for picking out the man who could write it?

I think most of the impact I have over time most people will not actually know about.

I've kinda been an off-Broadway sensation. There aren't a lot of lights or big marquees around my name or my work, yet my core audience knows exactly where I am.

I've always said that I don't want to be in front of the camera.

Someone asked me who I would be if I were a character in the 'Wizard of Oz.' I would be the curtain. I would be the one who saw both sides that nobody noticed, that was pretty and there to be used and discarded when they were done.

I've always been one foot in, one foot out of this game because I'm not comfortable with being on the pedestal or the poster. That's just not who I am. I'm more like the grunt. I want to be the guy behind the guy.

This isn't an easy lifestyle for a coach's wife. The coach is the guy who stands up and hears everyone tell him how great he is. The wife is the one waiting at home alone while the coach is spending every night at the office.

What's funny about my resume is so much of what I've done has not been seen.

Merlin is the unsung hero who is often responsible for things turning out positively, but rarely gets credit for that.