Tennessee Williams Quotes

If only,’ Shiroyama dreams, ‘human beings were not masks behind masks behind masks. If only this world was a clean board of lines and intersections. If only time was a sequence of considered moves and not a chaos of slippages and blunders.

If people could be as honest as animals, what a different world it would be.

The greatest cunning is to have none at all.

The most sophisticated people I know - inside they are all children.

Good and bad men are less than they seem.

People are trying to act like they're balling all day with cars, their house, like there's no problems. I feel like a lot of people are trying to be someone they're not, and when you're just yourself, life is so much easier because you don't have to keep up this facade.

The simple-hearted and sincere never do more than half deceive themselves.

Most portraits are lies. People are rarely what they appear to be, especially in front of a camera. You might know me your entire lifetime and never reveal yourself to me. To interpret wrinkles as character is insult not insight.

A German writer observes: "The noblest characters only show themselves in their real light. All others act comedy with their fellow-men even unto the grave.

In most cases, people, even wicked people, are far more naive and simple-hearted than one generally assumes. And so are we.

Truth looks tawdry when she is overdressed.

...no cat out of its first fur can ever be deceived by appearances. Unlike human beings, who enjoy them.

The gentleman is solid mahogany; the fashionable man is only veneer.

The more stupid one is, the closer one is to reality. The more stupid one is, the clearer one is. Stupidity is brief and artless, while intelligence squirms and hides itself. Intelligence is unprincipled, but stupidity is honest and straightforward.

Formed on the good old plan, A true and brave and downright honest man! He blew no trumpet in the market-place, Nor in the church with hypocritic face Supplied with cant the lack of Christian grace; Loathing pretence, he did with cheerful will What others talked of while their hands were still.

We are what we seem to be.

Lying is too much trouble. You have to make sure to taste each word before letting it off your tongue. I hate that. It's hard enough making people understand without lying.

Men should be what they seem.

This is personal, she'd said. Real. This moment was too, even if you couldn't see it at first glance. It was fake on the outside, but so true within. You only had to look, really look to tell.

It was a style not of perfection, but warmth. Even mistakes had a good feeling about them

Nothing is true, but that which is simple.

Too great cleverness is but deceptive delicacy, true delicacy is the most substantial cleverness.

Intelligence makes sincerity difficult.

You can't say you want things to be simple and then in the next breath ask me to be honest.

There's an honesty to the wolf world that is liberating. There's no diplomacy, no decorum. You tell your enemy you hate him; you show your admiration by confessing the truth. That directness doesn't work with humans, who are masters of subterfuge. Does this dress make me look fat? Do you really love me? Did you miss me? When a person asks this, she doesn't want to know the real answer. She wants you to lie to her. After two years of living with wolves, I had forgotten how many lies it takes to build a relationship.