"The theatre is supremely fitted to say: 'Behold! These things are.' Yet most dramatists employ it to say: 'This moral truth can be learned from beholding this action.'"

This quote by Thornton Wilder talks to the power of theatre to show us the world as it is. He recommends that theatre is distinctively suited to provide us with a sensible view of the world, and yet, a lot of dramatists use it to impart an ethical lesson. Wilder is recommending that theatre needs to be used to reveal us the world as it is, rather than to teach us an ethical lesson. He is stressing the value of theatre as a tool for presenting us with a sensible view of the world, rather than as a tool for teaching us a moral lesson. By doing so, Wilder is suggesting that theatre can be utilized to open our eyes to the world around us, and to help us acquire a better understanding of the world.