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" All too often arrogance accompanies strength, and we must never assume that justice is on the side of the strong. The use of power must always be accompanied by moral choice. "
Theodore Bikel
Strong
Choice
Justice
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" While we all could agree that the Zionist ideal is alive and well, there is serious doubt whether the Zionist movement can be said to be an ongoing proposition, fragmented as its components are in ideology and in practice. "
Theodore Bikel
Serious
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Doubt
" I know for certain of only one commandment, one obligation, that God imposes upon us, and that is to be compassionate toward other human beings. "
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God
Human
Obligation
" Throughout my life I have cared as deeply about the songs of all peoples as I have about the rights of all peoples. "
Theodore Bikel
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My Life
" I am not, and have never been, in favor of boycotting Israel. "
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Been
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Never
" You don't really need modernity in order to exist totally and fully. You need a mixture of modernity and tradition. "
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" 'Retiring' - within that word is 'tiring,' and I'm not tired. I don't believe in retirement, really. "
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" I am a Zionist, an ardent supporter of Israel, its defender when I deem Israel to be right and its critic when I deem it to be wrong. "
Theodore Bikel
Right
Critic
Am
" I always sang, I always acted, I always played. "
Theodore Bikel
Sang
Played
Always
" No heirloom of humankind captures the past as do art and language. "
Theodore Bikel
Humankind
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Captures
" I remain convinced that I can be a true universalist only when I am a better Jew. "
Theodore Bikel
I Can
Better
I Am
" When something is moving you get that intake of breath and that stillness from the audience. "
Theodore Bikel
Breath
You
Stillness
" You learn more from the flops than from the hits. "
Theodore Bikel
More
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Flops
" What moves me is neither ethnocentric pride nor sectarian arrogance. I make no claim that Jewish culture is superior to other cultures. But it is mine. "
Theodore Bikel
Pride
Me
Cultures
" I am determined to give the Yiddish language a fighting chance to survive. "
Theodore Bikel
Fighting
I Am
Language
" I do prefer the stage. It's really the granddaddy of them all. "
Theodore Bikel
Granddaddy
Really
Prefer
" I make no claim that Jewish culture is superior to other cultures or that the Jewish song is better than the song of my neighbor. "
Theodore Bikel
Song
Better
Claim
" I refuse to do shows that are narrowly constructed, that appeal to only one sentiment. I do a lot of Jewish material in front of non-Jews and a lot of non-Jewish material in front of Jews on the simple theory that the non-Jews are entitled to a glimpse of a Jewish world and the Jews are entitled to a glimpse of the world. "
Theodore Bikel
Simple
World
Theory
" But, when I toil in the field of Jewish culture which I frequently do, I am indeed a Jewish artist. "
Theodore Bikel
I Am
Am
Jewish
" For I firmly believe that Jewish life, indeed any communal life, can only be organized according to democratic principles. "
Theodore Bikel
Organized
Principles
Believe
" If I have one vanity wish, it would be to direct. It's the only thing I haven't done yet that I would like to. "
Theodore Bikel
Vanity
Direct
Done
" You can't expect the entire world to come to New York to see you. You have to travel to them. "
Theodore Bikel
Travel
World
You
" You cannot please all of the people all of the time, and that is truer in the arts than anywhere else. "
Theodore Bikel
Than
Arts
Cannot
" Accents. I'm very good with accents. I'm exceedingly good. "
Theodore Bikel
Very
Accents
Exceedingly
" There is no role I cannot play except a midget. "
Theodore Bikel
Play
Except
Midget
" 'Visiting Mr. Green' is a good play. I enjoy being in it, and I have a wonderful colleague, Aidan deSalaiz, to work with. Audiences like it a lot. What's not to like? "
Theodore Bikel
Play
Good
Green
" We Jews have a special attachment to the Book. The study of page after page in tomes yellowing with age was obligatory. "
Theodore Bikel
Age
Page
Special
" You always draw on your experiences with live audiences to know how to do comedy on films. You're working for a laugh that may or may not come six months later, but you're working in a vacuum at the time you are doing it. "
Theodore Bikel
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" An actor is supposed to emulate life. Instead, alas, many are imitating other actors. You don't fashion your knowledge of theatre or your approach to a role on the basis of what other actors have done. This kind of thinking is a great danger, especially in dealing with TV producers who frequently say things like, 'This is a Sean Connery type.' "
Theodore Bikel
Theatre
Knowledge
Life
" I'm exceedingly proud of being an actor, but I never recommend it to anyone. "
Theodore Bikel
Actor
Recommend
Being
" Must we be put to shame by much smaller and poorer countries, by Ireland, France, Austria or Sweden, who have understood that a nation's support of its arts is a matter of both national pride and cultural survival? "
Theodore Bikel
Survival
Support
Pride