Stephen Sondheim Way Quotations

One of the hardest things about writing lyrics is to make the lyrics sit on the music in such a way that you're not aware there was a writer there.

When you know your cast well and their strengths and weaknesses, you can start writing for them, just the way Shakespeare wrote for his actors.

Every writer I've ever spoken to feels fraudulent in some way or other.

I don't listen to recordings of my songs. I don't avoid it, I just don't go out of my way to do it.

Generally, the best recording is the original cast, because that's the way the piece grew: integrally, with them.

Into the woods--you have to grope, But that's the way you learn to cope. Into the woods to find there's hope Of getting through the journey.

Over a period of time it's been driven home to me that I'm not going to be the most popular writer in the world, so I'm always happy when anything in any way is accepted.

I don't like the word 'career'. When somebody says to me, 'oh, you've had such a wonderful career', I think, 'career - that's after you're dead.' I just don't think that way.