Who said “The theater, which is in no thing, but makes use of everything -- gestures, sounds,…”?

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Antonin Artaud. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourcePreface: The Theater and Culture

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“The theater, which is in no thing, but makes use of everything -- gestures, sounds, words, screams, light, darkness -- rediscovers itself at precisely the point where the mind requires a language to express its manifestations. To break through language in order to touch life is to create or recreate the theatre.”
— Antonin Artaud
VerifiedPreface: The Theater and Culture · evidenceTheater
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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Preface: The Theater and Culture.

APA

Artaud, A. (n.d.). The theater, which is in no thing, but makes use of everything -- gestures, sounds, words, screams, light, darkness -- rediscovers itself at precisely the point where the mind requires a language to express its manifestations. To break through language in order to touch life is to create or recreate the theatre. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/39517-the-theater-which-is-in-no-thing-but/

MLA

Artaud, Antonin. “The theater, which is in no thing, but makes use of everything -- gestures, sounds, words, screams, light, darkness -- rediscovers itself at precisely the point where the mind requires a language to express its manifestations. To break through language in order to touch life is to create or recreate the theatre.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/39517-the-theater-which-is-in-no-thing-but/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Artaud, Antonin. “The theater, which is in no thing, but makes use of everything -- gestures, sounds, words, screams, light, darkness -- rediscovers itself at precisely the point where the mind requires a language to express its manifestations. To break through language in order to touch life is to create or recreate the theatre.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/39517-the-theater-which-is-in-no-thing-but/.

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All 24 Antonin Artaud quotes →