Quotes from Eugene O'Neill

Why am I afraid to live, I who love life and the beauty of flesh and the living colors of earth and sky and sea? Why am I afraid of love, I who love love?.. Why was I born without a skin, O God, that I must wear armor in order to touch or to be touched?

Well, you wanted me to be a hero in blue, so you better be resigned! Murdering doesn't improve one's manners!

it will be faithful realism, at least. Stammering is the native eloquence of us fog people.

On my solemn oath, Edmund, I'd gladly face not having an acre of land to call my own, nor a penny in the bank, I'd be willing to have no home but the poorhouse in my old age, if I could look back now on having been the fine artist I might have been.

You'll say to yourself, I'm just an old man who is scared of life, but even more scared of dying. So I'm keeping drunk and hanging on to life at any price, and what of it?

Because any fool knows that to work hard at something you want to accomplish is the only way to be happy. But beyond that it is entirely up to you. You've got to do for yourself all the seeking and finding concerned with what you want to do. Anyone but yourself is useless to you there.

Happy roads is bunk. Weary roads is right. Get you nowhere fast. That's where I've got—nowhere. Where everyone lands in the end, even if most of the suckers won't admit it.

And I took a seat in the grandstand of philosophical detachment to fall asleep observing the cannibals do their death dance.

As it is, I will always be a stranger who never feels at home, who does not really want and is not really wanted, who can never belong, who must always be a little in love with death.

Then in the spring something happened to me. Yes, I remember. I fell in love with James Tyrone and was so happy for time.

Yes, facts don't mean a thing, do they? What you want to believe, that's the only truth!

HOGAN-No, I wouldn't think it, but my motto in life is never trust anyone too far, not even myself.

I know it's useless to talk. But sometimes I feel so lonely.

LAVINIA: I love everything that grows simply-- up toward the sun-- everything that's straight and strong! I hate what's warped and twists and eats into itself and dies for a lifetime in shadow...

No matter how deep my sleep I shall hear you, and not all the power of death can keep my spirit from wagging a grateful tail. I will always love you as only a dog can.

Well, they say a good cry does you a lot of good.

LAVINIA: I want to feel love! Love is all beautiful! I never used to know that! I was a fool! We'll be married soon... We'll make an island for ourselves on land and we'll have children and love them and teach them to love life so that they can never be possessed by hate and death!

Who wants to see life as it is, if they can help it?

EDMUND: [...] A fost o mare greÈ™eal? c? m-am n?scut om. M-aÈ™ fi descurcat mai bine ca pesc?ruÈ™ ori peÈ™te. AÈ™a, o s? fiu mereu un str?in care nu se simte niciodat? în largul lui, care nu doreÈ™te cu adev?rat È™i nu e dorit cu adev?rat, care nu poate s?-È™i g?seasc? niciodat? locul È™i care trebuie s? fie tot timpul un pic indr?gostit de moarte. (Eugene O'Neill - Lungul drum al zilei c?tre noapte)

Dreaming, not keeping lookout, feeling alone, and above, and apart, watching the dawn creep like a painted dream over the sky and sea which slept together.

If that ghost have money I tells him never to haunt you -- less'n he wants to lose it!

Where am I? What the hell difference is it? There's plenty o' fresh air and the moon fur a glim. Don't be so damn pertic'lar!

Only the past when you were happy is real.

you got him alone tonight--there'll be a beautiful moon to fill him with poetry and loneliness