13+ Michael Chekhov Quotes On Education, Art And Friendship

Michael Chekhov was a Russian actor, director, and theatre practitioner. He was a leading member of the Moscow Art Theatre and is known for his development of the psychological gesture and his theories of acting. He is also the uncle of the famous actor, director, and producer, Sir Alfred Hitchcock. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Michael Chekhov on love, education, art.

All true artists, bear within themselves a deeply rooted and often unconscious desire for transformation. — Michael Chekhov

The inner life of the [imagination], and not the personal and tiny experiential resources of the actor, should be elaborated on the stage and shown to the audience. This life is rich and revealing for the audience as well as for the actor himself. — Michael Chekhov

Compassion may be called the fundamental of all good art because it alone can tell you what other beings feel and experience. Only compassion severs the bonds of your personal limitations, and gives you deep access into the inner life of the character you study, without which you cannot properly prepare it for the stage — Michael Chekhov

That is art: to give all you have. And what have you? Your life - nothing more. And to give life means to feel life throughout your whole being. — Michael Chekhov

Why be narrow-minded, why cut ourselves off from any of these rich heritages when… we have the freedom to make the most of the best in all techniques? There are no prohibitions against it. All it takes is a little wisdom, imagination and courageous experimentation. — Michael Chekhov

What is it that we in the theatre give? Instead of images on canvas or in the form of statuary or music, we give our body, voice, feelings, will, imagination — we give a form of pulsating art to life itself; we give it to our characters and we give it to our audiences. Nothing, absolutely nothing remains for us save the pleasure of having given pleasure. — Michael Chekhov

When you really concentrate, you will get a sense of expansion. You will feel that you are larger person than you are physically, as if you become a person two or three sizes bigger than your ordinary physical self, and that you are flowing with all your being toward the object of your concentration. Whether it is a physical thing or an image that you are concentrating on, your whole invisible person will be in movement. — Michael Chekhov

In every well-written play the battle rages between the primary powers of Good and Evil, and it is this battle which constitutes the life impulse of the play, its driving force, and is basic to all plot structures...In any true piece of art...the beginning and the end are, or should be, polar in principle. All the main qualities of the first section should transform themselves into their opposites in the last section. — Michael Chekhov

An actor has to burn inside with an outer ease. — Michael Chekhov

You cannot keep bumping your head against reality and saying it is not there. — Michael Chekhov

This longing for knowledge makes the real artist brave. He never adheres to the first image that appears to him, because he knows that this is not necessarily the richest and more correct. He sacrifices one images for another more intense and expressive, and he does this repeatedly until new and unknown visions strike him with their revealing spell. — Michael Chekhov

Real inspired acting is never DOING, it is always HAPPENING — Michael Chekhov

I am a creative artist. I have the ability to radiate. Lifting my arms above me, I soar above the earth. Lowering my arms, I continue to soar. In the air moving around my head and shoulders, I experience the power of thoughts. In the air moving around my chest, I experience the power of feelings. In the air moving around my legs and feet, I experience the power of will. I am that — Michael Chekhov

Life Lessons by Michael Chekhov

1. Michael Chekhov's work emphasizes the importance of physicality and imagination in the actor's craft, teaching us to be aware of the body and to use our imagination to create vivid characters.
2. He also emphasizes the importance of relaxation and concentration in order to create a truthful and dynamic performance.
3. Finally, he encourages us to take risks and to be creative in our approach to the craft of acting.