My old man tried to force on me a notion of what it was to be a 'man.' And it destroyed my dad. Sam Shepard Dad
For me, playwriting is and has always been like making a chair. Your concerns are balance, form, timing, lights, space, music. If you don't have these essentials, you might as well be writing a theoretical essay, not a play. Sam Shepard Space
The funny thing about having all this so-called success is that behind it is a certain horrible emptiness. Sam Shepard Funny
When you write a play, you work out like a musician on a piece of music. You find all the rhythms and the melody and the harmonies and take them as they come. Sam Shepard Music
For me, playwriting is and has always been like making a chair. Your concerns are balance, form, timing, lights, space, music. If you don't have these essentials, you might as well be writing a theoretical essay, not a play. Sam Shepard Music
I feel like I've never had a home, you know? I feel related to the country, to this country, and yet I don't know exactly where I fit in... There's always this kind of nostalgia for a place, a place where you can reckon with yourself. Sam Shepard Home
On stage, you're not limited at all because you're free in language: language is the source of the imagination. You can travel farther in language than you can in any film. Sam Shepard Imagination
The funny thing about having all this so-called success is that behind it is a certain horrible emptiness. Sam Shepard Success
My dad had a lot of bad luck. You could see his suffering, his terrible suffering, living a life that was disappointing and looking for another one. Sam Shepard Dad
It's funny, in a way the actor is a writer. It's not like the two things are so separate as to be like apples and oranges. The writer and the actor are one. Sam Shepard Funny
Sides are being divided now. It's very obvious. So if you're on the other side of the fence, you're suddenly anti-American. It's breeding fear of being on the wrong side. Sam Shepard Fear
My father had a real short fuse. He had a tough life - had to support his mother and brother at a very young age when his dad's farm collapsed. You could see his suffering, his terrible suffering, living a life that was disappointing and looking for another one. My father was full of terrifying anger. Sam Shepard Anger
On stage, you're not limited at all because you're free in language: language is the source of the imagination. You can travel farther in language than you can in any film. Sam Shepard Travel