Hamilton Quotes

I always had an eye toward the stage for the story of Hamilton‘s life, but I began with the idea of a concept album, the way Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Evita’ and ‘Jesus Christ Superstar‘ were albums before they were musicals.

Yeah, I’m the Brit who isn’t Lewis Hamilton that woke up and realised he was good. I got that tag because I was young, flying around in jets and driving fast cars. I always took my driving seriously, but I suppose I enjoyed life… But I’m not a playboy.

I’m sure there are many more people who can identify with failure and hardship in life than with the success of an Alexander Hamilton or a John D. Rockefeller.

‘Rent’ opened up my heart, my senses. I was never the same. I hadn’t been back in that place in the same way since. ‘Hamilton’ put me back in that place.

I am proud of Edinburgh‘s status as a financial centre, but where is it on the index of global financial centres? Sixty-fourth. Below Hamilton, Casablanca and Mauritius. London, by contrast, is second only to New York. That’s a link worth keeping.

When I saw ‘Hamilton,’ it changed my life. It’s one of the most beautiful things I saw on stage.

Hamilton had one of those extraordinary 18th-century minds that touched on virtually every major topic of the day.

I think ‘Hamilton’ has made me look at myself deeper as an artist and what I’m looking for as an artist.

I came to New York for school, and then I did this amazing show that was received very well, with a great group of people, and I felt like I was creating something that I was really proud of, and then ‘Hamilton’ was my next big thing in New York.

The music you love when you’re a teenager is always going to be the most important to you, and I find that it’s all over the score of ‘Hamilton.’

When I am driving to an audition, I listen to the ‘Hamilton: The Musical’ soundtrack. It’s super inspiring, but also, if I kind of sing-slash-rap along to it, it helps me with my pronunciation and dialect.

The producers, the creators, and the cast, we recognize that ‘Hamilton’ is an inherently American story told by the definition of an American community; we are men and women of different colors, creeds, and orientations.

‘Hamilton’ is a game-changer for the musical theater genre. It’s moved the art form forward so much and redefined so many things about what we do in theater, so it’s pretty hard to oversell it.

Hamilton’ has changed my life in so many ways. I really do have a family from that show. The people that I shared that stage with every night- they mean so much to me and they’re so special and so talented. I’m just a fan of every single one of them and it was an honor to share that stage with them.

In my vocal, I think you can hear something of my earlier times when I’d sing in subway halls for the echo and perform doo-wop on street corners. But I had a lot of influences, too – singers like Sam Cooke, Brook Benton and Roy Hamilton.

Even when I wasn’t a shooter, when I was younger, I used to watch Rip Hamilton. He was one of my favorite players with the way he moved without the ball.

Today‘s uses of the Second Amendment may invoke James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, but they have a lot more to do with interest-group politics.

I can only imagine what the show would have meant to me as a 16- or 17-year-old. I know what ‘Rent’ meant to me in my life, how that show changed the course of my life, and we can only hope that ‘Hamilton’ will have the same effect on a few kids.

Being on ‘Grease: Live’ was a massive mile marker. It ultimately led me to ‘Hamilton.’

Hamilton’ is as hard a job as anything I’ve ever done. It’s equally rewarding, but it’s very taxing. It’s just so hard physically and emotionally to do it, and it just empties you out.

I think for a lot of us, you know, what ‘Hamilton’ gave us the opportunity to, what it gave me the opportunity to do, was to go, ‘Here’s what I’ve learned in 35 years.’

In theater, you can be free. That’s how Lin-Manuel Miranda got to do the most revolutionary piece of theater with ‘Hamilton’: color-blind casting in roles in which they would never cast Latinos if it were a film or TV show. It just goes to show that Hollywood and cable are way behind.

When I was asked to do a song from ‘In the Heights‘ at the White House in 2009, I chose instead to do ‘Alexander Hamilton’ because I felt like I was meeting a moment.

If the Treasury Department should not remove Hamilton from the $10 bill, what should they do? The answer is fairly simple: Replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.

Going into Hamilton’ already was mind-blowing enough because I hadn’t really done much before that.

I feel like my whole career has been a blessing. In particular, the opportunity to be a part of ‘Hamilton’ was life-changing.

I have become that middle-aged woman who listens to the ‘Hamilton’ soundtrack in my kitchen.

Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson hated each other so much. But that hate that they had for each other did not come before the love of their country.

I love television, and I get so spoiled because I’m coming from such an amazing ensemble in ‘Hamilton’ to such an amazing ensemble on ‘Bull.’

I would love to play for Leonard Hamilton and follow in the footsteps of my father at Florida State, where he played wide receiver and after a great career as a Seminole was drafted into the NFL.

I remember going on iTunes and ‘Hamilton’ was like the number one rap album, above like Fetty Wap, which is just impossible, like a Broadway cast album.

We lost our jobs at ‘Heart and Lights‘ at one-o’clock that day. At two-o’clock, I got the call from Telsey telling me I was cast in ‘Hamilton.’

Ever since I did ‘Hamilton’ I’m really specific with the projects that I choose and the characters I choose and how they’re portrayed. I was meaningful with my craft before, but I think after doing something that can change people, the direction in how I go within this business has changed too.

People forget that even the biggest hit shows, like ‘Hamilton,’ started off-Broadway.

When I saw ‘Hamilton,’ there was so much information so fast, I had to keep up with it. I find that quality in art exhilarating.

I’m obsessed with ‘Hamilton.’ I’ve seen it, like, three times, and if I could get a weekly pass, I would.

The record company felt wisely that we should get something out before I left ‘Hamilton’ or around awards time, and that deadline was not easy.

‘The Irish Duke‘ is a sequel to ‘The Decadent Duke’ about Lady Georgina Gordon who married the Duke of Bedford. ‘The Irish Duke’ tells the story of their daughter, Lady Louisa, who married James Hamilton, the powerful and wealthy Duke of Abercorn.

What goes up must come down; I’m not going to be in ‘Hamilton’ forever. Everything I work on won’t have this kind of success.

I never imagined that Hamilton would be turned into a musical, much less a hip-hop musical. I think I can safely say that that’s the last thing I would have expected.

There are few people who exemplify the ideals of opportunity, entrepreneurship and commitment to the collective good than the great New Yorker and the face of the $10 bill, Alexander Hamilton.

I believe in myself as I look forward to graduating from Hamilton Heights High School in 1991.

I got to be good friends with Scott Hamilton.

What’s incredible about ‘Hamilton,’ and the reason you can’t get a ticket, is because everyone‘s responding to it. Everyone is seeing a bit of themselves in it.

It’s not about doing something that’s as big as ‘Hamilton.’ That may never happen again, and that’s okay.

Linda Hamilton is my hero. She was so tough and so strong and so vulnerable at the same time. I think that’s what woman action figures are allowed to be: vulnerable, in a way that women are.

Oh my God, when I auditioned for ‘Hamilton,’ I kept messing up the words to ‘Say No To This.’

I felt somehow for many years that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake. But through the process of amendment, interpretation, and court decision, I have finally been included in ‘We, the people.’

Hamilton was young, dashing, and romantic. He lent himself perfectly to be the star of a musical.

As Alexander Hamilton said in ‘The Federalist Papers,’ law is about the exercise of judgment and not will. Judicial activism is best understood as substituting judicial opinion for the command of law. The law is not an infinitely malleable tool.

I started singing backgrounds for Mary Mary and Usher during ‘Confessions.’ Then I jumped to working with Anthony Hamilton, Jill Scott; jumped again to Kanye West, The Killers. I kept saying, ‘OK, this is the last time; then I get to do my music.’

There was a Burger King in Hamilton, N.Y., where Colgate is, that had three sizes: Small, Medium, and Liter. I would go in there and order a large. And they’d say, ‘We don’t have large; we have liters.’ So they’d make us order liters of cola, which I found to be just anti-American.

I grew up dreaming of being on Broadway and being able to do that – and ‘Hamilton’ – was awesome, and it was the hardest thing for the first few weeks, and then it was the easiest thing.

I recognise the pure gold that runs in Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin’s work for ‘Outnumbered‘ on TV. And on radio, I really enjoy John Finnemore.

What I know is that the possibilities are always endless when it comes to ‘Hamilton.’ It’s broken several records. Audiences are really being touched by it, they’re being moved by it, and they’re in love with the music.

I did an open call for some random show, and afterwards, they said they wanted to meet me for a thing called ‘Hamilton’s Mixtape.’ I was like, ‘What? That’s not what I auditioned for, but cool, I guess.’

I’ve been telling people that ‘Hamilton’ is very much a glimpse of what it’s like to be inside Lin’s brain.

‘Hamilton’ and ‘Shuffle Along’ are closely connected because the ensembles are all friends, and they both deal with historical figures and the impact they’ve made on American life.

I’ve wrestled in Hamilton and Toronto and the fans have always received me well there… It’s always been one of my favorite areas to come in.

Hamilton is my favorite political entrepreneur.

The reason ‘Hamilton’ works is because there is no distance between that story that happened 200-some-odd years ago and now, because it looks like America now. It helps create a connection that wouldn’t have been there if it was 20 white guys on stage.

In ‘Hamilton,’ we’re telling the stories of old, dead white men, but we’re using actors of color, and that makes the story more immediate and more accessible to a contemporary audience.

Everyone at Arclight has been very supportive, professional, and warm, and working with producers Mike Gabrowy and Gary Hamilton has been a wonderful experience.

‘Hamilton’ is a story about America, and the most beautiful thing about it is… it’s told by such a diverse cast with a such diverse styles of music. We have the opportunity to reclaim a history that some of us don’t necessarily think is our own.

Being a part of the ‘Hamilton’ family has been the most thrilling and rewarding experience of my career.

I wish that I could take credit for the success of ‘Frozen‘ and ‘Hamilton.’ But I just feel lucky to be in ’em.

A staunch abolitionist, Hamilton was one of the founding members of the New York Manumission Society. He was a trustee and namesake of Hamilton-Oneida Academy, an upstate New York school dedicated to educating Native-American boys.

Through the eight books in ‘The Treasure Chest‘ series, readers will meet twins Maisie and Felix and learn the secrets and rules of time travel, where they will encounter some of these famous and forgotten people. In Book 1, Clara Barton, then Alexander Hamilton, Pearl Buck, Harry Houdini, and on and on.

After being Washington’s aide for four years and becoming the hero of Yorktown, Hamilton was viewed with a great deal of suspicion because of his association with Tories.

If Hamilton were on Twitter, he would have been a worse oversharer than me.

Because of the success of ‘Hamilton’ and ‘On Your Feet!’ you can’t hide behind the old argument of, ‘It needs to be bankable, so we can’t put all these people of color in the show.’ We are bankable.

I’m just one of the kids, and all because the students at Hamilton Heights High School listened to the facts, educated their parents and themselves, and believed in me.

I did a ‘Children of the Corn’ remake for Sci Fi Channel. I play the Peter Horton role from the original, and Candace McClure from ‘Battlestar Galactica’ is my Linda Hamilton.

I didn’t know anything about Eliza when I first got the call about ‘Hamilton.’ Tommy Kail, the director, asked me if I wanted to be a part of it. I knew what he was talking about because I’d seen the video of Lin performing it at the White House for Barack and Michelle Obama.

‘Hamilton’ is revolutionary in terms of writing.

Conservative statesmen from Alexander Hamilton to Ronald Reagan sometimes supported protectionism, and at other times, they leaned toward lowering barriers. But they always understood that trade policy was merely a tool for building a strong and independent country with a prosperous middle class.

Everything we know about Hamilton, we knew when he was alive, because he told us.

I was not expecting Linda Hamilton to be there auditioning with me. I never would’ve imagined that. I didn’t recognize her. We went into a room with four people, and the scene was really emotional. She held my hand and hugged me. She was so loving.

My harmony is passable but is usually made more eloquent at the hands of Steve Hamilton.

You know, another jazz drummer, Ed Thigpen, who played with Oscar Peterson way back – it was the first time I ever heard rivets in a cymbal. And then I heard that Chico Hamilton had them too, and I went, ‘Oh, that’s it. I’m taking that for my sound.’ And it worked well on ‘Riders On The Storm,’ so that’s one thing.

I know Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin of old, having worked with them for many years on ‘Outnumbered.’

It can feel a bit surreal. Sometimes you’re talking to famous people and you think, ‘Oh gosh, I’m talking to Lewis Hamilton.’

Partly because his life ended before the age of 50, Hamilton was defined by the other founding fathers, and he managed, with amazing consistency, to alienate most of them.

I don’t cook, and I don’t care to, but Gabrielle Hamilton made me realize that food is about love and connection. And she has had a hell of an interesting life.

I like the quiet it takes to pursue an idea the way I pursued ‘Hamilton,’ but I couldn’t write a book, because there’s no applause at the end of writing a book.

The reach of ‘Hamilton’ never surprises me. It’s always a delight to meet someone who’s seen the show.

Hamilton’ doesn’t compare to anything I’ve ever done.

The United States established itself as a trustworthy new nation in its first two decades after the Revolutionary War by paying its debts, even when many in the country believed it had no obligation to do so. Alexander Hamilton, the founder of this newspaper, insisted on it.

Fletcher Jones, is that not a quarterback‘s name? My kid is going to be a quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger Cats one day.

What built America’s called the American system, from Hamilton to Polk to Henry Clay to Lincoln to the Roosevelts. A system of protection of our manufacturing, financial system that lends to manufacturers, OK, and the control of our borders.

‘Hamilton’ is not just the best musical I’ve ever seen. It may be the best thing I’ve ever seen.

My husband, Steve Hamilton – an actor/producer and co-Director of the Southampton Playwriting Conference – and I had been working in the theatre in New York for many years.

I took a trip to D.C. before the Off Broadway production started, and one of the things that was really telling is that Hamilton has probably the smallest statue in all of the Mall area, and yet he’s got the greatest monument of any of them because we’re all walking around with him in our pockets.

I love going to black churches, and I love some of these black preachers. The best preacher I ever saw in my life was a 93-year-old in a black church in Hamilton, Virginia. What a preacher!

You could do a ‘Les Mis’-type musical about Hamilton, but it would have to be 12 hours long, because the amount of words on the bars when you’re writing a typical song – that’s maybe got 10 words per line.

I can close my eyes and start walking through ‘Hamilton’ at any given time, and I’ll tear up because I remember day in and day out, eight shows a week, walking on stage, seeing everybody that I love.

My editor picked out the name she wanted. I was either going to be Kim Harrison or Lisa Harrison, because she wanted me shelved right next to Hamilton.

One of the beautiful parts about Hamilton is it takes these figures that we’ve always revered as figures of antiquity and there’s real blood flowing through their veins. There’s real conflict. There’s real life.

A majority of Americans oppose partial-birth abortion, and Judge Hamilton’s decision flies in the face of Congress passing and President Bush signing legislation banning such horrible acts of violence.

The American tradition of Washington and Hamilton and Madison and Lincoln and TR and Pat Buchanan is of economic nationalism – making America an independent, self-sufficient, sovereign forever country that’s able to stand on its own feet.

I like that Amelie is strange, just like me. I’m happy I’ve gotten to be on this journey following my ‘Hamilton’ journey because they’re so different.

The first few times I was asked to audition for the part of Angelica Schuyler in ‘Hamilton,’ I turned it down. I was convinced I was too over-the-hill to play a Nicki Minaj-type rapper. When I finally showed up, the role was waiting for me. But I almost missed it.

The story of Alexander Hamilton lends itself to hip-hop treatment. Hamilton’s personality is driven and unrelenting, and the music has that same quality. The music and the man mirror each other.

Hating Wall Street is an American tradition that dates back even to the days when Thomas Jefferson cursed that money lover Alexander Hamilton. And for centuries, the complaints about it have largely stayed the same: ‘It does nothing! It creates chaos! It’s a parasite that sucks hardworking Americans dry!’

I am part of a team organising an Emma Hamilton exhibition for the National Maritime Museum for 2016, and the amount of planning is a revelation – borrowing from museums and collections all over the world.