Christopher Hampton

“Translation is a kind of tightrope walk between the two languages.”

“Writing is a solitary occupation, but it's a profession that is also a kind of vocation. You do it because you have to do it.”

“The secret of a happy marriage is a secret.”

“I think the theatre is a place for ideas, and the cinema is a place for emotions.”

“I always feel that the best way to get over a period of depression is to work.”

“My advice to any young person who wants to be a writer is: read, read, read.”

“I've always been more interested in the intellectual and moral conflicts of the characters than in the physical ones.”

“I feel very strongly that the best movies are made by directors who are also writers.”

“When you start a play, you have to remember that you're going to be living with it for a very long time.”

“The main thing for a director is to know what they want, and to be able to explain it to people.”

“Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamppost what it thinks about dogs.”