I wrote somewhere during the Cold War that I sometimes wish the Iron Curtain were

much taller than it is, so that you could see whether the development of science with no communication was parallel on the two sides. In this case it certainly wasn't.
Thomas Gold

Virtuous people often revenge themselves for the constraints to which they submit by the boredom which they inspire.
Confucius

Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up.
Donald Rumsfeld

Names are what people sometimes use to excuse their thoughts and actions towards you.
Simon Travaglia

Underneath this flabby exterior is an enormous lack of character.
Oscar Levant

I don't read Science Fiction.
Brent Spiner

Jokes are grievances.
Marshall McLuhan

Gemeoss

When I was 17, I worked in a mentoring program in Harlem designed to improve

the community. That's when I first gained an appreciation of the Harlem Renaissance, a time when African-Americans rose to prominence in American culture. For the first time, they were taken seriously as artists, musicians, writers, athletes, and as political thinkers. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar I only make movies that are interesting to me. Brian Grazer I wouldn't say I was organised at all. I just have to prioritise. Is it more important for them to be organised, or to have their dinner, do you know what I mean? Jo Brand The courage in journalism is sticking up for the unpopular, not the popular. Geraldo Rivera A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy dare live. Bertrand Russell I think Mick Jagger would be astounded and amazed if he realized that to many people he is not a sex symbol, but a mother image. David Bowie I enjoy my job as long as I can create a character, otherwise it's boring. Jav...

All I've been a part of has been thanks to the Disney company: the job,

experience, travel, opportunities have come thanks to Disney. Working for Disney was not part of my original plan, but it was part of God's, and it shows that God is still moving. Jodi Benson It almost goes without saying that when you are a startup, one of the first things you do is you start setting aside money to defend yourself from patent lawsuits, because any successful company, even moderately successful, is going to get hit by a patent lawsuit from someone who's just trying to look for a payout. Charles Duhigg People always ask me about 'Girls' with this kind of hesitation. What do I think of it? I love it. It's awesome. I get a lot of Where do you come down on this? I come down on the side of 'Yay, Lena Dunham. Congratulations. I'm jealous.' She's doing something so fantastic. Maybe it's not for everybody, but it certainly is for me. Callie Khouri I've never really understood the term 'Post-Impressionism' as more tha...

Given Pounds and five years, and an ordinary man can in the ordinary course, without

any undue haste or putting any pressure upon his taste, surround himself with books, all in his own language, and thence forward have at least one place in the world. Augustine Birrell 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. Linus Pauling A Bush Administration will, I believe, enjoy a better relationship with the new Congress, although President-elect Bush will be faced with real challenges in getting along with the Congress. Richard V. Allen I once thought that I was the only man that persevered to be the friend of the white man, but since they have come and cleaned out our lodges, horses, and everything else, it is hard for to believe the white man any more. Black Kettle When you finish a poem, it clicks shut like the top of a jewel box, but prose is endless. I haven't experienced an awful lot of clicking shut! Kenneth Koch I thin...

As a Midlander and a big walker, I'd always loved ridge and furrow

fields, the plough-marked land as it was when it was enclosed. It is the landscape giving you a story of lives that ended with the arrival of sheep. Jim Crace I think it's really rare to see women on television who are brilliant, selfish, vain, fallible - and I feel like I have all those capacities in myself, so it's good to see people in the media representing all of those things. Kerry Bishe I never went after fame. It fell into my lap. Caitlyn Jenner My mom and dad were actors when they were younger and had a horrible experience of it. My dad became a literary agent and my mom a casting director. Daniel Radcliffe I have this idea of trying to catalog all the genes on the planet. Craig Venter The wind from the Kingdom of Heaven has blown all over the world, and shall blow for centuries yet. George William Russell I always said if I played a drag queen, I'd want to create a template with the realness they talk about in 'Paris Is Burning.' Billy P...

I don't like the idea of being eaten by a shark. I like to swim

in the ocean, and I think much more about sharks than anyone should. I really resent the fact that my oceangoing experiences are ruined by 'Jaws.' David Duchovny It needs to be said, over and over again, that Stan the Man was voted by 'The Sporting News' as the best baseball player of the postwar decade, from 1946 through 1955. George Vecsey We don't take anything when we pass away, and we need to do with the sense of responsibility. Carlos Slim No-one has ever called me a cool dude. I'm somewhere between geek and normal. Linus Torvalds I think in any relationship, even in the healthiest of relationships, we are all parents to each other at times. I think that's a normal, healthy sort of relationship. I think there are times when we're each a mother and a father when we need to be. Christopher Stanley I don't know if I can prepare for what's to come because I don't know what will. Daisy Ridley If you've got a camera, go ...

Financial Aid Office (FAO) administrators are scrambling to educate students on repaying loans, but a

disparity in knowledge persists. David Fahrenthold We in the small developing countries are beginning to understand that our own citizens share a common fate requiring the active role of government to ensure that every citizen has a chance and means to participate productively within the society and to curb society's dangerous encroachment on the physical environment. Said Musa There's competition everywhere. Amy Jackson I'm not super-polite or civil - I try to be civil, but I'm not into Seattle's niceties, and I'm not hugely wired into Seattle's natural beauty. David Shields I lived in the library with my grandmother as a child. I still love the smell of books; the library card is still my friend. Dawn Richard At the end of the day, before basketball, before anything, I'm a man. Draymond Green You win football games by first getting possession and then running 3- and 5-yard plays. Not by Hail Mary passes. Common sense, elbow grease, an...

I have never insulted man or woman in my life, but if you knew what

a wholesome regard I have for damn liars and rascals, they would be liable to keep out of my way. Wild Bill Hickok Broadway is the same as Hollywood. Every few years we say we reached the mountaintop, then we take two steps back. Kenny Leon I love playing ping pong. Kristaps Porzingis I want to negotiate what I'm worth. I want to put my analytics forward, man-to-man, and to be like, 'This is what I'm owed now. Pay me.' And then we can talk. Conor McGregor Because of my grey hair and glasses, people think I'm Phil Donahue. Jeff MacNelly The people of Iraq have suffered greatly. John Chilcot Congress should... at least keep pace with technological advances. Suzan DelBene Part of me worries about upsetting people, because we all have perceptions about Olympic champions. Bradley Wiggins In my humble opinion, the ages 22 to about 27 are the most critical years of your adult life. It's your time to gestate in the cocoon of becoming. Mahershala...

Of course I party. Of course I go chase girls. Again, for me, balance is

important. One hundred per cent, my work goes first. Martin Garrix is my main priority. But to maintain Martin Garrix, I have to enjoy my downtime. Martin Garrix If Obama's enormous symbolic power draws primarily from being the country's first black president, it also draws from his membership in hip-hop's foundational generation. Ta-Nehisi Coates I did not grow up singing Yiddish. Mandy Patinkin We were, as Arabs in Israel, educated not to leave our villages, in order to protect our identity. Sayed Kashua I went to 17 different schools when I was a kid. Every time I went to school, no matter what I talked like, it was always from the wrong place. David Carradine I love being around people. Chelsea Manning People can be incredibly proprietary about Superman. They think that the character belongs to them. Elvis Mitchell I can't see myself doing anything else. I feel like I can touch more people with music. Trevor Jackson I remember watching 'T...

I was called really horrible, profane names very loudly in front of huge crowds of

people, and my schoolwork suffered at one point. Lady Gaga Just going on the road and entertaining the fans, that's amazing. Jordan Knight Many of us saw religion as harmless nonsense. Beliefs might lack all supporting evidence but, we thought, if people needed a crutch for consolation, where's the harm? September 11th changed all that. Richard Dawkins Usually when I see someone famous, for some reason, I think I know them. Leona Lewis You can learn not to want what you want, to recognize desires but not be controlled by them. Henepola Gunaratana I don't like how I have to always be judged for my weight - I hate that. Aubrey O'Day I view every film as a commitment to undertake a long journey. Arnon Goldfinger A man may be variously accomplished, and yet be a feeble poet. George Henry Lewes In any situation, I'm going to be good. James Harden We're an ideal political family, as accessible as Disneyland. Maureen Reagan

Music was the one thing that was just mine, and no one could take it

from me. I created it, dictated it, and it made me not able to let go of it. Mitski I'll be reaching across the aisle to find opportunities to work with Democrats on the issues that desperately need to be addressed. Thom Tillis Any sympathy won for Aileen Wuornos based on a lie is not sympathy at all. The question is, can we have sympathy for the circumstances of someone's life? That's what I was interested in. Patty Jenkins God only made one thing in this world that's perfect - and that's my boxing record. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. The fan mail I get every day is incredible. It piles through the door from not just Britain but everywhere. It is so great to have that support behind me - everyone says I am an inspiration. It is great. Charlotte Dujardin I'm not a natural. I had to teach myself - or be taught - everything I do. I just spent hours and hours in the mirror mimicking Michael Jackson. Ne-Yo For me, age doesn't matte...