Theodore Bikel

“I prefer to make common cause with those whose weapons are guitars, banjos, fiddles and words.”

“You can't expect the entire world to come to New York to see you. You have to travel to them.”

“Although I am deeply grateful to a great many people, I forgo the temptation of naming them for fear that I might slight any by omission.”

“The play is always fresh to me. It's not the audience's fault that I've said the words before.”

“I refuse to do shows that are narrowly constructed, that appeal to only one sentiment. I do a lot of Jewish material in front of non-Jews and a lot of non-Jewish material in front of Jews on the simple theory that the non-Jews are entitled to a glimpse of a Jewish world and the Jews are entitled to a glimpse of the world.”

“In my mind the city of Ariel is a thorn in Israel's side and a serious obstacle to peace.”

“I am determined to give the Yiddish language a fighting chance to survive.”

“You learn more from the flops than from the hits.”

“When something is moving you get that intake of breath and that stillness from the audience.”

“But, when I toil in the field of Jewish culture which I frequently do, I am indeed a Jewish artist.”

“'Retiring' - within that word is 'tiring,' and I'm not tired. I don't believe in retirement, really.”

“We live in a world of guns, bombs and terror. To conquer hate seems a nigh-impossible task.”

“I'm exceedingly proud of being an actor, but I never recommend it to anyone.”

“Right up to the middle of this century all perceptions of the world around us were delivered via the bookshelf or the paper route.”

“I created the role of Captain Von Trapp.”

“I am a Zionist, an ardent supporter of Israel, its defender when I deem Israel to be right and its critic when I deem it to be wrong.”

“After the advent of the written word, the masses who could not - or were not permitted to - read, were given sermons by the few who could.”

“I have always striven to raise the voice of hope for a world where hate gives way to respect and oppression to liberation.”

“You cannot please all of the people all of the time, and that is truer in the arts than anywhere else.”

“I know for certain of only one commandment, one obligation, that God imposes upon us, and that is to be compassionate toward other human beings.”