William Goldman Quotes

81 Sourced Quotes

There is one crucial rule that must be followed in all creative meetings: Never speak first. At least at the start, your job is to shut up.

William Goldman
Life is pain, highness! Anyone who says differently is selling something.

William Goldman
Life isn't fair. It's just fairer than death, that's all.

William Goldman
There are always too few perfect breasts in this world; leave yours alone.

William Goldman
I could give you my word as a Spaniard," Inigo said. "No good," the man in black replied. "I've known too many Spaniards.

William Goldman
Buttercup's mother whirled on him. 'Did you forget to pay your taxes?' (This was after taxes. But everything is after taxes. Taxes were here even before stew.)

William Goldman
And what have I done?" What? WHAT?...You've stolen them." With that, Cornelia fled, but Buttercup understood; she knew who "them" was. The boys. The beef-witted featherbrained rattledskulled clodpated dim-domed noodle-noggined sapheaded lunk-knobbed BOYS.

William Goldman
It's an accepted fact that all writers are crazy, even the normal ones are weird.

William Goldman
Sonny, true love is the greatest thing in the world — except for a nice MLT — mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is lean and the tomato is ripe.

William Goldman
I must be overtired', Buttercup managed. 'The excitement and all.' 'Rest then', her mother cautioned. 'Terrible things can happen when you're overtired. I was overtired the night your father proposed.

William Goldman
Westley: This is true love — you think this happens every day?

William Goldman
I am your Prince and you will marry me," Humperdinck said. Buttercup whispered, "I am your servant and I refuse." "I am you Prince and you cannot refuse." "I am your loyal servant and I just did." "Refusal means death." "Kill me then.

William Goldman
I love you, Buttercup said. I know this must come as something of a surprise, since all I've ever done is scorn you and degrade you and taunt you, but I have loved you for several hours now, and every second, more.

William Goldman
There have been five great kisses since 1642 B.C...(before then couples hooked thumbs.) And the precise rating of kisses is a terribly difficult thing, often leading to great controversy.... Well, this one left them all behind.

William Goldman
No. Not yet. A craftsman only. But I dream to be an artist. I pray that someday, if I work with enough care, if I am very very lucky, I will make a weapon that is a work of art. Call me an artist then, and I will answer.

William Goldman
Someone would have to keep his wits, and he had assumed automatically that since Fezzik had so few, he would find retaining them not all that difficult.

William Goldman
Let's look on the bright side: we're having an adventure, Fezzik, and most people live and die without being as lucky as we are.

William Goldman
I just know once you're over your emotional outbursts, you'll come up with-' I mean if we even had a wheelbarrow, that would be something,' Westley said.

William Goldman
Studio executives are intelligent, brutally overworked men and women who share one thing in common with baseball managers: They wake up every morning of the world with the knowledge that sooner or later they're going to get fired.

William Goldman
You could concentrate much more deeply when you were alone with agony.

William Goldman
I don't guess. I think. I ponder. I deduce. Then I decide. But I never guess.

William Goldman
Enough about my beauty," Buttercup said. "Everybody always talks about how beautiful I am. I've got a mind, Westley. Talk about that.

William Goldman
I love you. Okay? Want it louder? I LOVE YOU. Spell it out, should I? I ell-oh-vee-ee why-oh-you. Want it backward? You love I.

William Goldman
The tears that kept Buttercup company the remainder of the day were not at all like those that had blinded her into the tree trunk. Those were noisy and hot; they pulsed. These were silent and steady and all they did was remind her that she wasn't good enough. She was seventeen, and every male she'd ever known had crumbled at her feet and it meant nothing. The one time it really mattered, she wasn't good enough.

William Goldman
Now what happens?" asked the man in black. "We face each other as God intended," Fezzik said. "No tricks, no weapons, skill against skill alone." "You mean you'll put down your rock and I'll put down my sword and we'll try to kill each other like civilized people, is that it?

William Goldman