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Derelict Quotes

On what gets left to rot, and who's responsible for it.

These quotes use derelict in two senses - literal ruin, like touring theatres left empty until a treasury grant saved them, and moral failure, as when research bodies are called derelict in their duty. One even recalls the shell of the Roundhouse standing empty for years.

In 1968 the Arts Council managed to get a grant from the treasury to buy up a lot of derelict touring theatres and put them back in the hands of the local authorities.

Quotes by Timothy West

The Roundhouse was a complete shell. It was absolutely empty, lying derelict for years.

Quotes by Richard Stanley

Everyone should know that most cancer research is largely a fraud, and that the major cancer research organizations are derelict in their duties to the people who support them.

Quotes by Linus Pauling

My acting career began on the streets of New York. When I was a cop, I played many impressive roles, from derelict to a doctor, and my life often depended on my performance.

Quotes by Frank Serpico

Acting Career Quotes

I buy most of my plants from nurseries outside London these days, but there is a man who mysteriously appears each February to sell plants from a derelict site in Market Road. I think he's Greek, but people say he...

Quotes by Diana Quick

Freedom isn't free. It shouldn't be a bragging point that 'Oh, I don't get involved in politics,' as if that makes someone cleaner. No, that makes you derelict of duty in a republic. Liars and panderers in government would have...

Quotes by Bill Maher

Frequently Asked Questions

How did derelict theatres get saved, according to these quotes?
One quote credits a 1968 Arts Council grant from the treasury with buying up derelict touring theatres and returning them to local authorities, related to arts.
What does 'derelict in their duties' mean in one of these quotes?
It refers to organizations failing the people they're supposed to serve - one quote applies this directly to major cancer research bodies accused of neglecting real accountability.
Is the Roundhouse mentioned as an example of a derelict building?
Yes - one quote describes the Roundhouse as a complete, empty shell that stood derelict for years before any renovation took place.
Did an actor ever play a literal derelict character?
One quote recalls playing a derelict among other roles like a doctor while working as a cop, describing how performance became part of daily undercover work, tied to acting career.
Does 'derelict' always refer to physical buildings in these quotes?
No - it also describes institutional failure, showing the word applies as much to neglected responsibility as to abandoned property.

An actor's memory of playing a derelict on stage before eventually landing bigger roles closes out the theme. See also back and acting career.