“If you believe, as the Greeks did, that man is at the mercy of the gods, then you write tragedy. The end is inevitable from the beginning. But if you believe that man can solve his own problems and is at nobody's mercy, then you will probably write melodrama.”
Other Lillian Hellman Quotes
Failure in the theater is more dramatic and uglier than any other form of writing. It costs so much, you feel so guilty.
Lillian Hellman 
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Success isn't everything but it makes a man stand straight.
Lillian Hellman
57% of people like this quote
They're fancy talkers about themselves, writers. If I had to give young writers advice, I would say don't listen to writers talking about writing or themselves.
Lillian Hellman
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It is a mark of many famous people that they cannot part with their brightest hour.
Lillian Hellman
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Nothing you write, if you hope to be good, will ever come out as you first hoped.
Lillian Hellman
54% of people like this quote