John Patrick Shanley Quotes

There's something really magical about having a child - it's like permission to begin again, start over, reevaluate some things, check yourself. Recognize yourself. And that's kind of what happened with me - I realized, in a few places, I was going down the wrong path.

When you step away from doing something that you have always been doing and then you return to it, you have a different perspective. You get that desire and the will to strike at everything.

Sometimes you have to step away from what you love in order to learn how to love it again.

Sometimes the best thing we can ask for is change, and a fresh start forces us to confront change head-on.

Distance not only gives nostalgia, but perspective, and maybe objectivity.

Thou must be emptied of that wherewith thou art full, that thou mayest be filled with that whereof thou art empty.

In life sometimes, in the universe, you have to close some doors to have others open.

There is an opportunity for us to renew ourselves. There's an opportunity for us to leave the past behind and present something different for the future.

There are five great ages of man - five moments when you need to reevaluate everything, clear out the cupboard and the wardrobe, and most importantly, your head. They are 13, 20, 30, 40 and 60. All men need to know this.

Starting clean is a theme for me - starting fresh and understanding what's important about life.

After something has run its course, you either become a parody and keep doing it, or tear it down and know the truth about it, warts and all.

Motherhood has made me a much better person. I see everything from a new perspective - with a sense of wonderment.

Most of the time, I'm making music. There'll be moments of my life where I feel like I gotta to take a break and come back to the music. It's hard to explain, but you need to get a break from it and then come back to it. It's like you gotta lose something to appreciate it.

I think we all get a bit bogged down in our lives and our own careers and we have to take a step back and get a sense of proportion and perspective on things.

Sometimes, you don't see what you've got to change unless something happens, like a loss.

Having life taken away from you for a little while forces you to be more open-minded and to go live.

I left acting for 15 years, and I think it's really nice to have another life. I took too much for granted when I was younger. I didn't really want to be an actor. I didn't really love it. And so I made a lot of mistakes. Oddly, I care much more about it now. I feel like a complete novice.

We read so that we can be moved by a new way of looking at things.

I'm starting a new chapter in my [[life], and you have no idea how much that means.

It's important to cultivate detachment. One way to do this is to practice imagining yourself dead, or in the process of dying. If there's a window, you must imagine your body falling out the window. If there's a knife, you must imagine the knife piercing your skin. If there's a train coming, you must imagine your torso flattened under its wheels. These exercises are necessary to achieving the proper distance.

That is why it is so important to let certain things go. To release them. To cut loose. People need to understand that no one is playing with marked cards; sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Don't expect to get anything back, don't expect recognition for your efforts, don't expect your genius to be discovered or your love to be understood. Complete the circle. Not out of pride, inability or arrogance, but simply because whatever it is no longer fits in your life. Close the door, change the record, clean the house, get rid of the dust. Stop being who you were and become who you are.

Being the new guy's always great because you get to go in fresh with your own choices and you get to bring new life and breath and a new energy into something that's already established.

How can you say something's important if you don't first withdraw and feel how rich you've become? That way you can become really generous. Otherwise, what do you give?

What do I want to let go of and what do I want to give myself to?

...I am now watching the movie of my life as I live it.