Tony Kushner Quotes

Originality is the only thing that counts. But the originator uses material and ideas that occur round him and pass through him. And out of his experience comes the original creation.

The truth is, it is hard to know where ideas come from.

Originality is only variation.

I never feel I repeat myself. I really go out of my way to amuse myself. I would be bored stiff. If I feel the déjavu when I'm doing something, I stop and rethink and rework it.

People are looking for something new at the end of the day, and I think when people can do something new and unique to get people's attention, that's what is needed. There's so many people that follow the trend, and then it gets to a point where it gets a little stale. So, in music, I mean, whoever's the new trendsetter, that's who people follow.

Make something new, and define territory that's never been. I fall in love with shows because I've never see that before. I fall in love with new vocabularies.

There is no subject so old that something new cannot be said about it.

Good literature can be created only with something that is different from literature.

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.

Originality is simply a pair of fresh eyes.

I have to believe everything I write is brand new and I'm writing in this way about these people in a completely new situation for the very first time.

In the creative industries, there are few things more exciting than a zinger - a thought, idea, line, plot device - anything really, that just totally works in a fundamentally new and fresh way. It's like a uniquely lovely melody or a new taste idea in cooking. Something special, something new, something wonderful. They're also very rare.

I am not interested in shooting new things - I am interested to see things new.

The element of truth in the concept of genius is to be sought in the object, in what is open, not confined by repetition.

You have to be as original as possible. It's a tough thing to come up with something totally original.

What makes a book unique isn't always about having one big grand new idea. It's about combining many different ideas in new and interesting ways.

It's hard to find things that haven't been said before or drawn before, but I'm trying.

Novelty always sparks ideas.

Originality will be rewarded in any line.

I want to go out there and do some different things that people are like, "Wow. That's crazy. Why didn't I think of that?"

I always want to try to bring something fresh to every book. It's getting harder instead of easier. I feel like I work harder with each book. But I don't want it to show on the pages, that's for sure.

... the genius never makes anything new, but always something that is just different, and the average talents provide him the possibility within which his genius condenses into achievements.

Truth is the nursing mother of genius.

If there's an original thought out there, I could use one right now.

I think it's better to have ideas.