Quotes from Conor McPherson

We're all ordinary in a way. We can all be hurt. We can all be unbalanced. We all have feelings. Life can treat us harshly, even shockingly sometimes.

I have a theory about Ireland, being at the edge of Europe. For 1,000 years, people didn't know what was beyond. But we thought about it - a lot. And that 'beyond' became internalized in our psyche.

I'm living as an artist, and that's a staggering feeling, it's a total luxury. And because you have this amazing chance, with so much freedom, I'm determined to make something that is worth that. I feel this responsibility - to create something that makes an audience feel, which takes them somewhere. But that's very hard to achieve.

I love stories that frame that: This is what life is about - you don't have a clue.

I'm anxious about work, the future, friendships, past relationships... I'm just one of those people that, whatever I'm doing, it's a big worry.

I guess I'm attracted and repelled by isolation. It scares me. And it's why I tend to write about older characters, too, because for them the stakes are somewhat higher.

If I wasn't plagued by needing to write things, that would perhaps be a blessing.

I'm not a good storyteller - I much prefer to be with people who are chatty, to have the luxury of listening.

Directing is such a crucial part of the writing process; you start directing and you see what does not work. "Oh, God, what was I thinking?" and then you can rearrange it.

I just want the actors to put their faith in the language. Just let the words do the work.

We know so little of the why, what the universe is, what infinity is. The veil around us is very fragile.