As the eldest son of an Alabama sharecropper family, I was constantly troubled by a

collage of North American southern behaviors and notions in reference to the inhumanity of people. There were questions that I did not know how to ask but could, in my young, unsophisticated way, articulate a series of answers. John Henrik Clarke

Obama is defining himself in a way that will destroy him. John Podhoretz

If you're gonna tell your life story, you gotta be honest, or don't do it. R. Kelly

My home State of North Carolina ranks 12th in the United States for increased aging population and, according to a national report, 41st in overall health. According to this same report, individuals aged 50+ are the least healthy. Howard Coble

My most important professional accomplishment to date is the ability to keep working with absolutely no skills whatsoever. Colin Mochrie

Che came in 1963, shortly after I had come to power. Ahmed Ben Bella

My grandpa was a preacher. Dolly Parton

For me, words are just words, nothing else. Guillermo Cabrera Infante

Being a father to my family and a husband is to me much more important than what I did in the business. Tom Bosley

Gemeoss

Many believe - and I believe - that I have been designated for this work

by God. In spite of my old age, I do not want to give it up; I work out of love for God and I put all my hope in Him. Michelangelo The greatest problem all around the world today, whether in America, Japan, China Russia, India or anywhere else in the world, is that people are not in peace. People want peace. Prem Rawat Through selfless work, love of God grows in the heart. Then through his grace one realize him in course of time. God can be seen. One can talk to him as I am talking to you. Ramakrishna A wartime Minister of Information is compelled, in the national interest, to such continuous acts of duplicity that even his natural hair must grow to resemble a wig. Claud Cockburn I think she said I should seek help. Something like that, but it was in much cruder terms. And that I had a fascination with things coming out of people's mouths. Sam Raimi You know, if you're lucky enough to have two smash hit shows, the traffic of the world goes through your dressing r...

The writing is really important in books that affect me. I read for

the writing. The story is usually of less interest to me. It's the words that break your heart. James Salter Every view, and every object I studied attentively, by viewing them again and again on every side, for I was anxious to make a lasting impression of it on my imagination. Karl Philipp Moritz Some people come alive at night. I'm hopeless by 9 p.m. Coffee and Cadbury buy me an extra half hour. Often I can't get my clothes off I'm so far gone. Emily Mortimer People who say, 'Let the chips fall where they may,' usually figure they will not be hit by a chip. Bernard Williams In America today, the percentage of children and adolescents who are defined as overweight is more than double what it was in the early 1970s. Lois Capps Life is not about making dough or how many movies you can make in a year. It's about finding someone that you can share things with. Freddie Prinze, Jr. Cinematography is infinite in its possibilities... much more so...

The U.S. has been living in a situation of excesses for too long. Consumers were

out spending more than their income and the country was spending more than its income, running up large current-account deficits. Now we have to tighten our belts and save more. Nouriel Roubini We spend our spare time taking care of little things. I can watch a little bit of college and professional football if I want to... Our favorite pastime is trying to take pictures of our hometowns from space. Kevin A. Ford I get along great with directors, but I think some producers would tell you I'm a pain. They may say I'm tough to work with, but I have a great passion for what I do. I believe in fighting for it. Amy Irving I was born on the eighteenth of December, 1935, in the town Bourg-en-Bresse, about thirty miles northeast of Lyon, the second of three sons of Jeanne and Jean-Victor Pepin. Weighing only two and one half pounds, I nearly died at birth. Jacques Pepin Anytime someone says your God is ugly and you release your God and join their God, there is no hope for y...

The natural movement of one's soul is upwards. But just as any object is dragged

down when a heavy weight is tied to it, the burden of the body drags down the soul. Vinoba Bhave It is funny the two things most men are proudest of is the thing that any man can do and doing does in the same way, that is being drunk and being the father of their son. Gertrude Stein Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily. Every day one should meditate on being carried away by surging waves, falling from thousand-foot cliffs, dying of disease. Yamamoto Tsunetomo The awards world can be ridiculous, but I'm not one to bash it. I love awards! When I've been nominated for Emmys and when I won my DGA Award, I couldn't have been happier. I always liked getting a gold star in class. Paul Feig But in another, I think a woman's going to go into a shop to find a coat or a jacket and I just don't think she's not going to go into a shop because of a bad review she probably didn't even read. Marc Jacobs Baking is how you start kids at cook...

For those who are able to work, work has to be seen as the best

route out of poverty. For work is not just about more money - it is transformative. It's about taking responsibility for yourself and your family. Iain Duncan Smith I like making songs up. Whether or not they're great songs or good songs, whatever. It's something I've always done, and I definitely feel like I've gotten better at it. Jeff Tweedy It's interesting that so many books now are published as the first in a series. It never occurred to me. Although 'The Giver' does have an ambiguous ending. I've heard about that from readers over the years. Lois Lowry I no longer buy papers or tabloids or magazines or read blogs. I used to. But it was just filling up my day with hatred. Adele When I get dolled up to go out, men turn their heads and I'm used to it. But I think all women are sexy and should embrace that side of themselves. Malin Akerman With fitness, I do Bikrams hot yoga. The gym that I have in my building is amazing. I love...

One of the things I try to do with my writing is try to evoke

the spirit of the place. I think these things imprint on the landscape and the culture. Sarah Hall I'm not the kind of filmmaker who's going to go from one thing to the next. I often wish I was that filmmaker, but I'm just not. Jonathan Glazer Once I'm on stage, there's just no time for a sip of water - I've always got my hands in puppets! My voice is raw by the time I finish. Nina Conti When the Mets were on their run in the 1980s, Gary Carter was often seen hugging somebody. It was easy to joke about that. The best hug of all was with Jesse Orosco at the end of the 1986 World Series. George Vecsey I do love the evolution of people in general. I think it's a beautiful thing when someone progresses and evolves in life. Khloe Kardashian There are over 50 brilliant scientists working at my lab, and being sensitive to their needs is among the top skill sets that scientists like me have to learn. Peter Agre I am well aware that there are prison...

One of the most painful things in the Western States and Territories is the extinction

of childhood. I have never seen any children - only debased imitations of men and women, cankered by greed and selfishness, and asserting and gaining complete independence of their parents at ten years old. Isabella Bird What I would say to young entrepreneurs is there's so many moments in your life where you have these dreams, and people are trying to protect you, and they say, perhaps, friends, family, parents sometimes, they don't agree with it, they think, 'This is just too high of a hurdle.' And I don't agree with that. Howard Schultz Being shoved into the top-40 scene was an unusual experience. It was great I'd become accessible to a huge audience but not terribly fulfilling. David Bowie There is no shame in my saying that we all want to be loved by someone. As I look back over my life in romance, I don't feel I've ever had that. Sean Penn I like Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Common. But I like the underground stuff like Young Jeezy, Black Rob and...

Books on their own aren't insanely expensive compared to other things; three large cappuccinos cost

more than a paperback, and two and a half gallons of gas cost more than a paperback. M. J. Rose Some people think fashion is frivolous but it's not... it's just that some ideas come and go quickly, and that's the nature of the language of fashion. Douglas Coupland 'Danger Girl' can be ridiculous, but sometimes it's funny. Megan Fox I've sort of become the poster boy for quitting your job and following your dreams. John Tesh My father had no influence on my political beliefs, and to imply otherwise is wrong and irresponsible. M.I.A. There will never be a right or wrong way to cook something, but there will always be a more informed way. Wylie Dufresne I realized I love motivating and I love empowering and I love inspiring people. I did that as an athlete for 18 years, and I am able to do that as a motivational speaker now as well as doing work on television. Dominique Dawes A company's best advantage should be a quality product offere...

The public is upset. If they haven't lost their job, they know somebody that has.

If they haven't lost their house, they know somebody that has. What do you do? When something's wrong, it's government's job to fix it, it must be government that's responsible for causing it. Michael Bloomberg People who are pierced should not be snickered at, should not become the object of ridicule, should not be singled out for special and uneven and unequal treatment. They should be respected just like everybody else. Gloria Allred Usually when I'm making a movie, what I have in mind first, for the visuals, is how we can stage the scenes to bring them more to life in the most interesting way, and then how we can make a world for the story that the audience hasn't quite been in before. Wes Anderson Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence. When the mind has settled, we are established in our essential nature, which is unbounded Consciousness. Our essential nature is usually overshadowed by the activity of the mind. Patanjali You can rest...

I'm always amazed when a pitcher becomes angry at a hitter for hitting a home

run off him. When I strike out, I don't get angry at the pitcher, I get angry at myself. I would think that if a pitcher threw up a home run ball, he should be angry at himself. Willie Stargell All the world wondered as they witnessed... a people lift themselves from humiliation to the greatest pride. Corazon Aquino Man alone is born crying, lives complaining, and dies disappointed. Samuel Johnson How is the world ruled and led to war? Diplomats lie to journalists and believe these lies when they see them in print. Karl Kraus I am not drinking now but I cannot guarantee tomorrow. Kelly McGillis