Harvey Fierstein

“Beware of anyone who says they know. Trust me, they don't, or they wouldn't have to say they did.”

“When a politician like Marco Rubio is willing to sacrifice his career defining immigration reform legislation solely to insure that gays and lesbians are denied equal protection under the law, we have to admit that we're under attack. This is not pragmatic politics at work. These are the policies of bias, exclusion and unfairness.”

“State-sanctioned marriage is a civil contract, period. A contract is not a judgment of moral value. It is a legal agreement between two parties that testifies to a meeting of minds between those consenting entities. It is not a religious act or rite and so has nothing to do with Adam and Eve or Steve or even Harvey.”

“I often say that if you want to really want to understand the contract of marriage, just ask anyone who has been divorced. The marriage contract is one of property rights. Or maybe you can look in the Bible to see what Adam had to say about divorce, since Eve was his second wife.”

“You really, really, really have to love what you are going to do in theater because it is an unmerciful life. It's six days a week. It's eight performances a week. And that's doing the exact same thing over and over and over again.”

“If you deny yourself commitment, what can you do with your life?”

“Theater is my temple and my religion and my act of faith. Strangers sit in a room together and believe together.”

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.”

“As soon as I started writing, other writers stopped wanting me acting in their shows - maybe they thought I was going to rewrite them.”

“The world is full of more interesting things than my voice.”

“Theater has to resonate in your heart in a way that movies don't.”

“The great thing about suicide is that it's not one of those things you have to do now or you lose your chance. I mean, you can always do it later.”

“But I'm not adverse to the idea of Torch Song as a musical. It would just be different. Because the play will always be there exactly as it was, and in a musical you could tell a lot of the story through songs.”

“It would be nice to redefine ourselves - at the moment we are drowning in diversity. That's not a bad thing, its just going to take a while before we refocus.”

“It's a lot of fun to play someone you don't normally think of yourself as.”

“You may feel powerless as a child, but the world will one day be yours. And you're responsible for it. So, seize the day and take charge of it.”

“It's through sheer will that I can sing.”

“To me, if a heterosexual has a right to do it, then I have a right to do it. And if it's important to the gay youth - who are now setting the agenda - then its important to me.”

“Always admit when you're wrong. You'll save thousands in therapy... and a few friendships too.”

“I do believe we're all connected. I do believe in positive energy. I do believe in the power of prayer. I do believe in putting good out into the world. And I believe in taking care of each other.”