Clive Barnes

“Theatre is a series of miracles.”

“To be a critic, you have to have a certain arrogance. You have to believe that your opinion is worth more than most people's.”

“It is the function of a genius to be vulnerable.”

“Television is the first truly democratic culture - the first culture available to everybody and entirely governed by what the people want. The most terrifying thing is what people do want.”

“A critic is a man who knows the way but can't drive the car.”

“I don't think there is any such thing as a bad audience. I think there is such a thing as a bad performance.”

“Criticism is a life of crime.”

“Art is the signature of civilizations.”

“I find the past so fascinating. The future is something that may or may not happen, but the past has already happened.”

“I love the theater as much as music, and the odd thing is that I love it in the same way.”

“The purpose of a critic is to be a voice, not an echo.”

“Success is a state of mind. If you want success, start thinking of yourself as a success.”

“I've always said that the only thing a critic needs to be is right.”

“The only thing I miss about being young is the assumption that you'll be alive forever.”