I have long been one of those tedious people who rails against the coronation of

'student-athletes.' I have heard the argument that big-time athletics bring in loads of money to universities. I don't believe the money goes anywhere other than back into the sports teams, but that's another story. Susan Orlean

My publisher, who was so good as a taster and editor, when she became a writer, lo and behold, it was all this feminine tosh. V. S. Naipaul

It is so common to write autobiographical fiction in which your own experience is thinly disguised. David Leavitt

Winning the ACM, winning the CMA, my first time on the Opry and having Grammy nominations were all a big deal to me. Joe Nichols

Cooking is like snow skiing: If you don't fall at least 10 times, then you're not skiing hard enough. Guy Fieri

I don't think there's ever a right time to have kids. I'm actually pretty glad it's happened quite young. Dan Stevens

When a human being without amplification makes a sound that is high and loud, it is almost unworldly. Renee Fleming

I am a huge fan of gays. They love me, and I love them. They think of me as sort of a gay icon. Tori Spelling

What I want is the same opportunities as anyone to get a part. Ming-Na Wen

Gemeoss

I repeat that the distance between the earth and her satellite is a mere trifle,

and undeserving of serious consideration. I am convinced that before twenty years are over, one-half of our earth will have paid a visit to the moon. Jules Verne What I love about 'The Chew' is that we have these celebrities come on, and you get to see them in a different light, cooking or enjoying food, when we usually don't see them in that setting. So it's a lot of fun for their fans to see them be normal people and having that commonality of food. Carla Hall I don't want the big flashing lights and red carpet, like, 'Here comes another Bon Iver album!' I just want it to be my bedroom-y thing. But that'll take a while to figure out. Justin Vernon The very essence of architecture consists of a variety and development reminiscent of natural organic life. This is the only true style in architecture. Alvar Aalto I came to architecture from building. Because my father was a builder, everybody was - and is - a builder in my family. Renzo Piano ...

My brother was a great audience, and if he liked the picture, he would laugh

and laugh and laugh, and he would want to keep the picture. Making people laugh with an image I had created... what power that was! Lynn Johnston Mies van der Rohe's architecture and modern architecture in general suffered from not only being repetitive, but not explaining to the populous what the different rooms were for. Charles Jencks I feel now it's useless to keep hoping. The way things are today, we live in a world that needs laughter, and I've decided if I can make people laugh, I'm making a more important contribution. Paul Lynde At that time, we were in charge. We didn't ask. We just did. We just did what was in our heart. Ben E. King The care of a wise and good man for his only son is inferior to the regard of the great Parent of the universe for his creatures. John Woolman My mother still calls me Jim and that is about it. Everyone else calls me Lee. My wife calls me whatever. Lee Child My grandmother gave birth to 13 children and I come...

In 2003, I almost died of an intestinal blockage when I was on a mountain

in Chile, filming a segment for 'Scientific American Frontiers.' Alan Alda But I feel truly wowed by the architecture and the meaning of the architecture if you get lost in it and think about the man hours in the smallest little chapel, and the love involved. God it's fantastic. Paul Bettany If only Coca-Cola had had the kind of message to accompany its addictive deliciousness that Fox News has, we'd all be speaking Cokelish today. Steven Weber I do not believe that friends are necessarily the people you like best, they are merely the people who got there first. Peter Ustinov I have never seen a bad television program, because I refuse to. God gave me a mind, and a wrist that turns things off. Jack Paar Philosophy of science without history of science is empty; history of science without philosophy of science is blind. Imre Lakatos My advice to new artists is to embrace a broader concept of timelessness than vintage or retro. Brandi Carlile Every em...

Theatres, along with the likes of the Ulster Orchestra, for example, are the cultural heartbeats

of our towns and cities, and without them, we are much poorer for it. James Nesbitt I was a huge fan of 'Game Of Thrones.' I hadn't read the books but had watched the series from the beginning. Nathalie Emmanuel I used to like Barbra Streisand films. It was 'Funny Girl' that really turned me on, in a sense, to acting. I remember it specifically being a rainy Saturday afternoon. I couldn't play football, so I stayed in, and I watched 'Funny Girl.' Sean Harris I only take vitamin B complex. Before World War II, I used to take ionized yeast, because in the pre-war era we never heard about vitamins. John Gokongwei Everything you could imagine Robin Williams being, he was and more. Roberto Aguire I like movies that resonate, that give voice to the voiceless. Kimberly Elise Airbnb is undervalued. Peter Thiel 'The Voice Kids' was a tremendous success in Holland. There was a big emotional reaction from the parents of the children tak...

The first record I bought myself could have been 'Oh Lonesome Me' by Don Gibson

or 'Wake Up Little Susie' by the Everly Brothers. John Oates People expect comedy from me but I am not just a stand-up comedian anymore. I act on stage, host 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa' and also conduct interviews on my show. I have grown as a person and an artiste. Kapil Sharma I think comics are really part of The Zeitgeist. They reflect back to us the issues that we're concerned about in the time they are written. G. Willow Wilson When I can see things through the lens of the director, it's like being able to see the whole puzzle - it's not just about my role, but the whole script. Justin Baldoni I never wanted to look back on my career and be embarrassed about work that I chose to do. I never wanted to look at character I've done and cringe. Malcolm-Jamal Warner I do have impossibly high standards. Kate Winslet Whatever is conventional, I am the opposite. So if you want to walk in a straight line, I am going to walk in zigzags. If you want...

I think when people mean that Discworld books have become darker they really mean the

series is growing up. In 'The Colour of Magic' most of the city is set alight. It's a joke, in much the same way that the Earth is destroyed almost at the start of Douglas Adams's 'The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.' Terry Pratchett So much of what makes a room great is how you enter and circulate through it, how it addresses the body. Annabelle Selldorf The blind must not only be fed and housed and cared for; they must learn to make thir lives useful to the community. Julia Ward Howe I have a tremendous desire to learn, and to grow, and to develop whatever I have that will make for any kind of improvement in me. Lawrence Welk Here in the big city people spend their time thinking about work and about money; they don't give some value to friendships and it can be depressing. Adriana Lima As much as you put into it is as much as you get out of it. Nuno Bettencourt I'd just rather have a really sharp, interesting, smart gay son than some big d...

'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' is one of the most famous books of

all Japanese literature, written by the great poet Basho in 1689. Richard Flanagan It was no mystery why Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold had singled me out as a prime prospect for their heinous crime. My grandfather, Julius Rosenwald, was the chairman of the board of Sears, Roebuck and Co. His prominence made me an ideal choice. Armand Deutsch I like sundresses with cowboy boots, little shorts with big wedge heels and a big piece of turquoise. I also love classic, Old Hollywood romantic styles. I'm 'country girl meets city girl' circa 1930. Kirsten Prout Scientists who study play, in animals and humans alike, are developing a consensus view that play is something more than a way for restless kids to work off steam; more than a way for chubby kids to burn off calories; more than a frivolous luxury. Robin Marantz Henig The '60s weren't my cup of tea. I never bought that philosophy that, you know, we're all brothers and that'll solve everything. And...

Rainer Maria Rilke was admittedly not a Dockers tagger, but a sort of European equivalent:

a German poet - in many respects, a charlatan masquerading as a genius who turned out to be a genius. Richard Flanagan I prefer doing things rather than sitting around talking about doing things. George Kaiser I taught world history. I understand there was an Ice Age... seasons come and seasons go. I do not believe the world's going to end because of the 2 percent man-made greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. And even if it were, we're not going to stop it. John Shimkus The process of doing films is not my favorite, but I love television. Television is a quicker turnaround. You shoot more during the day, which makes me feel more productive. It would be like, 'I did five scenes today and ten pages.' That's television. Jaime Pressly My mother died when I was 12, and right after, my dad died in a car crash. I was 15 and had no family. The court sent me to live with my uncle and aunt in Missouri. Karolyn Grimes For better or worse, when you're ...

You can have many different selection systems, but the bottom line has to be a

system that, once the judge takes office that judge will feel that he or she is to decide the case without reference to the popular thing or the popular will of the moment. Stephen Breyer Make women rational creatures, and free citizens, and they will quickly become good wives; - that is, if men do not neglect the duties of husbands and fathers. Mary Wollstonecraft Our moments of inspiration are not lost though we have no particular poem to show for them; for those experiences have left an indelible impression, and we are ever and anon reminded of them. Henry David Thoreau I was delighted to have lines when they came - learning lines for film isn't a problem, but television is a little different, because we shot those shows the whole way through. David Selby A particular shot or way of moving the ball can be a player's personal signature, but efficiency of performance is what wins the game for the team. Pat Riley I have a great respect for the academics who are w...

English food writer Elizabeth David, cook and author Richard Olney and the owner of Domaine

Tempier Lulu Peyraud have all really inspired the way I think about food. Alice Waters Food is intensely pleasurable, and people are afraid that if they change the way they eat, they'll stop having pleasure. John Mackey Thank God for YouTube. Every Thanksgiving, I'm bombarded with 'Turkey Lurkey Time.' Donna McKechnie My childhood is always going to limit me. Lynda Barry Only time will tell in what ways Freud was prescient and in what ways he failed to understand how the mind functions. For example, no scientist and very few psychoanalysts still embrace Freud's death instinct. Siri Hustvedt Of course I have bad hair days; I'm human. Ryan Lochte Be careful of success; it has a dark side. Robert Redford Initially, I thought problems on how the brain works to be the most interesting. But it was necessary to be practical and concentrate on less obscure matters when I entered Washington State College. Besides, there were no courses given in neuro...