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Lin-Manuel Miranda

Lin-Manuel Miranda Quotes

Composer

Lin-Manuel Miranda is an American composer, actor, and songwriter born on January 16, 1980, in New York City. He is renowned for blending hip-hop and traditional Broadway musical theater, creating a revolutionary style that transformed contemporary musical theater. His breakthrough works include the Tony-winning musicals 'In the Heights' and 'Hamilton,' the latter earning him numerous awards including Tony Awards, Grammy Awards, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He also composed songs for Disney's 'Moana.' As a Puerto Rican American, he is actively involved in relief efforts for Puerto Rico.

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Famous Lin-Manuel Miranda Quotes

“[Opetaia Foa'i] brought in the melody and the lyrics, but the lyrics were in Tokelauan, and so, we talked about what it could mean and whether this could be the ancestor song. So, I started writing English lyrics to sort of the same melody.”

Writing Mean Song Melody Ancestor

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I came up with the "We are explorers," with sort of a counter-melody to [Opetaia Foa'i] melody. And so, it happened so organically, that it really, to me, is the most emblematic of our collaboration.”

Happened Melody Collaboration Explorers

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“You know, you're doing the same show every day, and your inspiration, you have to look no further than the fact that you know people travel across the country to see you. In a lot of cases, this is that audience's only chance to see the thing, and so, that's what gets you up in the morning, and that's what gets you giving your best performance on stage, is the awareness that this audience is ready for it, and here to have an experience, and so in turn are you.”

People Knows Giving Looks Country Facts Shows Inspiration Turns Chance Morning Cases Audience Stage Awareness Ready Performances Best Performance

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“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.”

People Want Shows Form Stage Theater Musical Manage Leap Translations Hamilton Musical Theater

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“Lamplighters are the guys who manually turned on all the street lamps in London and turned them off. That was the gig in the 1930s in London.”

Guy Streets London Lamps Gigs 1930s

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“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.”

Looks Stills Water Building Hair Happenings Musical Incredibles Mastery Layers Wizardry Really Pretty

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I felt so nourished by the process of making [Moana], of you're always engaged with other artists from different disciplines, and it's about bringing your art form to the table. It's so many art forms mashed together.”

Art Different Together Form Artist Felt Process Discipline Tables Engaged

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“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.”

Able Guy Levels Rooms Hats Thrill That Guy Caliber

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“Tuesdays and Thursdays, I didn't do any press, I didn't do any meetings, I just wrote all day, 'cause I'd meet, via Skype, with the creative team, at five p.m., and then I would have my seven o'clock curtain.”

Causes Creative Five Team Presses Meetings Seven Clock Curtains Tuesday Thursday Skype Creative Team

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“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.”

Men Feels Strong Style Accents

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“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.”

Thinking Writing Wanted Song House Parent Childhood Proud Couple Method Locked Bedroom

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I've had a little Hollywood experience, and there's nothing like the Disney story experience.”

Littles Stories Hollywood

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“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.”

Thinking Said Might Father Morning Wife Changed Six Meetings My Wife Lawyer Flight Planes Airports Somewhere Else Noon Changed My Life Wednesday Business Meeting Weird Day

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“People who don't like musicals like, 'why are they singing? Why aren't they just talking? If you make the lyric feel really conversational, it's much easier for them to bridge that gap.”

People Ifs Feels Talking Easier Singing Bridges Gaps

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“My kid gets me out of bed in the morning.”

Kids Morning Bed

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I think you balance the things you've been dying to do all your life. And the opportunities that come along, that you didn't maybe think of, that are so amazing, that you'd kick yourself if you didn't try to be a part of them.”

Ifs Thinking Trying Opportunity Dying Balance Kicks

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I think every writer's had the experience of having a really good idea, waiting to write it, and then once you write it, you're like, "Oh I kind of got past the sell by date on this." I'm not connected to the initial spark that was the idea. A lot of that's about staying open.”

Thinking Writing Kind Ideas Past Waiting Sells Connected Staying Sparks Good Ideas Initials

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“If you're thinking about the idea in the shower. If you're thinking about the idea while you're walking your dog, there's probably something to it.”

Ifs Thinking Ideas Dog Walking Showers

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“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.”

Ifs Knows Trying Able Lying Next Stuff Like You Sticks Guts Ems Reviews Next Day

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“Sebastian, en Español, is a bad ass name.”

Names Ass Bad Ass

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

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

Girl Calling Remembered Islands

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“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.”

Should Writing Two Shows Wanted Parent Creative Path Wonderful Like You Safe Lawyer Practicals Supportive

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I am not throwing away my shot.”

Shots Throwing Throwing Away

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I'm just like my country, I'm young, scrappy and hungry, and I'm not throwing away my shot.”

Country Young Shots Hungry Throwing Throwing Away

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

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

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

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

Problem Brain Polish

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I got to holler just to be heard.”

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“With every word, I drop knowledge.”

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I'm a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal trying to reach my goal.”

Trying Goal Pieces Rough Diamond Coal Diamond In The Rough

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“My power of speech, unimpeachable. Only 19 but my mind is older.”

Mind Speech Power Of Speech

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“These New York City streets get colder, I shoulder every burden every disadvantage I've learned to manage. I don't have a gun to brandish. I walk these streets famished.”

Walks Cities Streets New York Gun Burden Shoulders Manage I've Learned New York City Disadvantages City Streets These Streets

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I know the action in the street is excitin' But Jesus, between all the bleedin’ ‘n fightin’ I’ve been readin’ ‘n writin’.”

Knows Writing Action Fighting Reading Jesus Streets Exciting Bleeding Reading And Writing

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“The fact that I'm a performer helps me enormously as a lyricist.”

Facts Helping Help Me Performers Lyricists

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I wouldn't give a performer something I couldn't deliver myself.”

Giving Performers

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I'm not trying to make something that is difficult to perform every night. It needs to proceed at the speed of that character's thought because that's the only way it's actable.”

Way Needs Trying Character Night Difficult Speed Every Night

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

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

Writing War Fall Winning Nations Falling In Love Inspired

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“No one wants to hear me crooning a ballad.”

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“The theater should always be a safe space.”

Should Space Safe Theater Safe Space

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I think one of the things that makes theater special is first of all, it's one of the last places you put your phone away. And second of all, it's one of the last places where we all have a common experience together.”

Thinking Firsts Together Lasts Common Special Theater Phones Last Place Common Experience

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“We get the job done. So what happens if we win?”

Ifs Done Happens Jobs Winning Get The Job Done

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I think if you want to make a recipe for making a writer, have them feel a little out of place everywhere, have them be an observer kind of all the time. And that's a great way to make a writer.”

Ifs Thinking Way Want Feels Kind Littles Recipes Observers

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“My sister is as responsible for anyone for giving me good taste in music.”

Giving Taste Responsible My Sister Good Taste Taste In Music

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“The music you love when you're a teenager is always going to be the most important to you.”

Important Teenager

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“Well, hello. My name is Lin. But if you're dyslexic, call me Nil.”

Ifs Wells Names Call Me Hello Dyslexic

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“My rhymes are gonna kill, so I suggest you write your will and leave your [expletive] to me.”

Writing Rhyme Expletives

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I am the epitome of coolness.”

Epitome Coolness

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I liked writing the negative ads more than - because it's more minor chords.”

Writing Negative Ads Minors Chords

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I loved musicals. I loved being in the school play and being lucky enough to get parts in the school play. But they always took place in some other time and place.”

Enough Play School Lucky School Plays

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“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.”

Thinking Knows Writing Musical

Author:Lin-Manuel Miranda

“I grew up in the time just when cassettes were waning and CDs were growing. And so mix tapes - and not mix CDs - mix tapes were an important part of the friendship and mating rituals of New York adolescents. If you were a girl and I wanted you - to show you I like you, I would make you a 90-minute cassette wherein I would show off my tastes. I would play you a musical theater song next to a hip-hop song next to an oldie next to some pop song you maybe never heard, also subliminally telling you how much I like you with all these songs.”

About the Author

Born: January 16, 1980
Known for: Composer
Quotes: 115

Related Topics

Writing Thinking Ifs Hamilton Lin Manuel Miranda Inspirational Knows Musical Trying Good Morning

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & YouRelated source material

Hamilton: The RevolutionRelated source material

Hamilton - Vocal Selections | Piano/Vocal Songbook with 17 Broadway Musical Hits | Beginner to Intermediate Piano and Voice Sheet Music Book for Singers, Accompanists, and Theatre FansRelated source material

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