"I have the terrible feeling that, because I am wearing a white beard and am sitting in the back of the theatre, you expect me to tell you the truth about something. These are the cheap seats, not Mount Sinai"
- Orson Welles
About this Quote
In this quote, Orson Welles is expressing his disappointment with the audience's expectations of him. He feels that due to the fact that of his look (white beard) and his position in the back of the theatre (low-cost seats), the audience presumes that he is some sort of wise, all-knowing figure who can offer them with the supreme reality. Nevertheless, Welles rejects this notion and compares the low-cost seats to Mount Sinai, a scriptural area understood for its magnificent revelations. By saying "These are the inexpensive seats, not Mount Sinai," Welles is essentially saying that he is not a prophet or a divine being, and the audience should not anticipate him to have all the answers. He is advising them that he is simply a routine person, not some all-knowing being.
About the Author