Quotes & anectdotes from the wise, the foolish, the courageous & the drunk

John Osborne Playwright

  • Gender: Male
  • Citizenship: United Kingdom
  • Born: Dec 12, 1929
  • Died: Dec 24, 1994

John James Osborne was an English playwright, screenwriter, actor and critic of the Establishment. The success of his 1956 play Look Back in Anger transformed English theatre.

In a productive life of more than 40 years, Osborne explored many themes and genres, writing for stage, film and TV. His personal life was extravagant and iconoclastic. He was notorious for the ornate violence of his language, not only on behalf of the political causes he supported but also against his own family, including his wives and children.

Osborne was one of the first writers to address Britain's purpose in the post-imperial age. He was the first to question the point of the monarchy on a prominent public stage. During his peak, he helped make contempt an acceptable and now even cliched onstage emotion, argued for the cleansing wisdom of bad behaviour and bad taste, and combined unsparing truthfulness with devastating wit.

There's no such thing as failure - just waiting for success. failure

Don't clap too hard - it's a very old building. architecture

St. Patrick's Day March 17, 2025

There is no language like the Irish for soothing and quieting. 3 other thoughts from John Millington Synge

3 other thoughts from John Millington Synge

Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy. 28 quotes from William Butler Yeats

28 quotes from William Butler Yeats

Geographically, Ireland is a medium-sized rural island that is slowly but steadily being consumed by sheep. 27 more views from Dave Barry

27 more views from Dave Barry

We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English. 74 more views from Winston Churchill

74 more views from Winston Churchill