Each writer is born with a repertory company in his head. Shakespeare has perhaps 20 players. … I have 10 or so, and that’s a lot. As you get older, you become more skillful at casting them. - Gore Vidal

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I got my Actors' Equity card officially by playing Nana the dog in 'Peter Pan' at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. That was the first show I did as a full-fledged, dues-paying member; I earned points in my MFA program, then went into the company after I graduated. - Norbert Leo Butz

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Reading is solitude. One reads alone, even in another's presence.

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All my life, I’d shied away from human company, never sharing my thoughts with a soul. How pointless this seemed now, and how absurd!

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Other people's views and troubles can be contagious. Don't sabotage yourself by unwittingly adopting negative, unproductive attitudes through your associations with others. ― Epictetus

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I wake up every morning and think to myself, ‘How far can I push this company in the next 24 hours?’ — Leah Busque

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Any person capable of angering you becomes your master; he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him. ― Epictetus

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Sometimes I get so immersed in my own company, if I unexpectedly run into someone I know, it's a bit of a shock and takes me a while to adjust.

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I have possessed that heart, that noble soul, in whose presence I seemed to be more than I really was, because I was all that I could be.

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If you stay in the company of anger, pain, or hurt, happiness will find someone else to visit. Make the choice to view all of your past relationships as a gift. Throw out what hasn’t worked in the past and incorporate new concepts. Focus on being happy. ― Kristen Crockett

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