Lin-Manuel Miranda Quotes - Page 2

With every word, I drop knowledge. I'm a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal trying to reach my goal.

I'm not going to hang out with celebrities, I'm not going to parties. I have two songs due for Moana next week, and I'm going to go and spend some time with Maui and Moana in the ocean, in my mind.

I 've got this weird day that changed my life. I woke up one Wednesday, and my wife's a lawyer, she was off to get on a plane, to go to a business meeting somewhere else, and she said, "I think you might be a father. I have to go to the airport." It was like, six in the morning, and I was like, "That's great - what?!" I called her at noon once her flight landed, to confirm that I hadn't dreamt the thing she told me.

I just remembered when I was an adolescent girl wanting to leave my island and find my calling.

I got to fall in love. I got to win a war. I got to write words that inspired a nation.

I had the good fortune of being 9 years old when The Little Mermaid came out, that whole run of really beautiful Disney musicals, and so, the fact that I got to interview with Ron [Clements] and John [Musker], who directed The Little Mermaid, I was, like, I just walked in and said, "You're the reason I'm even here."

I want as many people to see the show [Hamilton] in its musical theater form as possible before it's translated, and whether it's a good act of translation or a bad act of translation, it's a leap, and very few stage shows manage the leap successfully.

I'm the music guy, I get to wear the music hat, but being able to be that guy in the room is a thrill at this level and caliber.

I think I started writing because no one had ever told me you can write about the things you know in a musical. They don't have to come from some far off place.

If you know the voice you're writing for it's such a shortcut. It's such a catalyst to creating the kind of energy you want.

I feel like style is like accent. You don't hear it on yourself, and then everyone's like, man, you got a strong accent.

The biggest secret weapon we had in regards to really being true to this part of the world, and making sure this part of the world could see themselves in this film [Moana] in a way that felt positive and accurate, was Opetaia, my co-writer, Opetaia Foa'i, who has a great band called Te Vaka and is an amazing musical and cultural ambassador.

I am not throwing away my shot.

I will lay down my life if it sets us free.

I read reviews, I'm not going to lie to y'all. Like you know, I'll read 'em, but then, the next day I'm able to sort of shrug them off. But if something sort of sticks the next day, there's probably something to it. I just sort of really try to trust my gut on, on all that stuff.

I still look at that water, and I look at Moana's hair, and I'm just like, "How is this even happening?" It's such an incredible mix of technical mastery and wizardry. It's really incredible. It's layers and layers and layers. It's not unlike building a musical. It's really pretty cool.

The reason I make that distinction cassette before CD is you have to listen to it in the order in which I've curated it for you. You know, side A to side B is our act break.

It's an enormous relief to go to work and be an actor and not be worried about writing.

I think, there are a couple of songs. I'm really proud of How far I'll Go. I literally locked myself up in my childhood bedroom at my parents' house to write those lyrics. I wanted to get to my angstiest possible place. So I went method on that.

Sebastian, en Español, is a bad ass name.

With every word, I drop knowledge.

No one wants to hear me crooning a ballad.

I have two wonderful, supportive and very practical parents who were like, you're really talented and really creative. You should be a lawyer because there's a safe path there. And I knew that I was never going to be a lawyer. And I knew that I wanted to make movies, and I wanted to write shows.

I probably shouldn't brag, but dag I amaze and astonish.

The problem is I got a lot of brains but no polish.