“In the first act get your principal character up a tree; in the second act, throw stones at him; in the third, get him down gracefully.”

Anonymous

Note: this quote is often attributed to one of various playwrights. However, according to this article on the Quote Investigator, the actual source is unknown. The first known occurrence of the quote is from November 1897 in the “Bridgeport Herald” of Bridgeport, Connecticut, but they do not attribute the quote.