Oscar Hammerstein II quotes

Oscar Hammerstein II was an American lyricist and musical theater producer, celebrated for his collaborations with composer Richard Rodgers. His creative work helped shape the golden age of Broadway musicals, contributing to classics like "The Sound of Music" and "Oklahoma!". He influenced generations of artists and transformed the landscape of American musical theater. Here are 15 of his quotes:

Be brave, young lovers, and follow your star.

Oscar Hammerstein II

A bell's not a bell 'til you ring it, A song's not a song 'til you sing it, Love in your heart wasn't put there to stay, Love isn't love 'til you give it away!

Oscar Hammerstein II

I know the world is filled with troubles and many injustices. But reality is as beautiful as it is ugly. I think it is just as important to sing about beautiful mornings as it is to talk about slums. I just couldn't write anything without hope in it.

Oscar Hammerstein II

Peace is not the product of a victory or a command. It has no finishing line, no final deadline, no fixed definition of achievement. Peace is a never-ending process, the work of many decisions.

Oscar Hammerstein II

You gotta have a dream. If you don't have a dream, how you gonna make a dream come true?

Oscar Hammerstein II

You've got to be taught to hate and fear.

Oscar Hammerstein II

The dearest things I know are what you are.

Oscar Hammerstein II

There is nothin' like a dame.

Oscar Hammerstein II

Do you love me because I'm beautiful, or am I beautiful because you love me?

Oscar Hammerstein II

I hand him a lyric and get out of his way.

Oscar Hammerstein II

What is a sophisticate? He is a man who thinks he can swim better than he can and sometimes he drowns.

Oscar Hammerstein II

The number of people who will not go to a show they do not want to see is unlimited.

Oscar Hammerstein II

All the sounds of the earth are like music.

Oscar Hammerstein II