Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting

Robert McKee

Top 10 Best Quotes

“True character is revealed in the choices a human being makes under pressure - the greater the pressure, the deeper the revelation, the truer the choice to the character's essential nature.”

“A fine work of art - music, dance, painting, story - has the power to silence the chatter in the mind and lift us to another place.”

“Do research. Feed your talent. Research not only wins the war on cliche, it's the key to victory over fear and it's cousin, depression.”

“In a world of lies and liars, an honest work of art is always an act of social responsibility.”

“When we want mood experiences, we go to concerts or museums. When we want meaningful emotional experience, we go to the storyteller.”

“If the story you're telling, is the story you're telling, you're in deep shit.”

“No matter our talent, we all know in the midnight of our souls that 90 percent of what we do is less than our best.”

“Most of life's actions are within our reach, but decisions take willpower.”

“(...)while it's true that the unexamined life is not worth living, it's also true that the unlived life isn't worth examining.”

“When talented people write badly, it's generally for one of two reasons: Either they're blinded by an idea they feel compelled to prove of they're driven by an emotion they must express. When talented people write well, it is generally for this reason: They're moved by a desire to touch the audience.”

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