It is extraordinary how safe flying has become. You are now statistically more likely to

be elected president of the United States in your lifetime than you are to die in a plane crash. What an amazing achievement as a society! But what we end up focusing on are the catastrophic failures that are incredibly rare but happen every now and then.
Steven Johnson

Divide and rule, the politician cries; unite and lead, is watchword of the wise.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

No one can go on being a rebel too long without turning into an autocrat.
Lawrence Durrell

Neither facts nor pictures seem to sink into our centers of feeling any more.
Robert W. Welch, Jr.

The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do.
Ted Nelson

Shyness is just egoism out of its depth.
Penelope Keith

We have no words for speaking of wisdom to the stupid. He who understands the wise is wise already.
Georg C. Lichtenberg

Slaves are generally expected to sing as well as to work.
Frederick Douglass

Her great merit is finding out mine - there is nothing so amiable as discernment.
Lord Byron

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...

It had to happen to me sometime: sooner or later, I would have to lose

sight of the cutting edge. That moment every technical person fears - the fall into knowledge exhaustion, obsolescence, techno-fuddy-duddyism - there was no reason to think I could escape it forever. Ellen Ullman Innovation and its allure can be dangerous. It can draw you away from the user, from the intended outcome, and may be the ultimate demise of otherwise great intentions. Mark Brand My voice is different, but I don't think I'm the only one with a different take on pop music. Charli XCX In South Africa, we drive on the left-hand side, and most of the cars are standard, so I learned with a full-gear transmission with a clutch and hill starts. I've never driven an automatic until I came to Canada. Jodi Balfour Mexico has 44 treaties with other countries that make it very advantageous to do international shipping from Mexico rather than from the United States. Wilbur Ross Winning HOYS set me up for the future and prepared me for riding in front of lots of ...

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...

We've got fifty people at Gitmo that are too dangerous to be let go that

will never go through a normal criminal trial. Let's create a new legal system, so they'll have their day in court. Lindsey Graham I am a living illustration of Bosnian mixing and converting. My grandparents lived in eastern Herzegovina. Very poor. The Turks came and brought Islam. There were three brothers in the family. One was Orthodox Christian. The other two took Islam to survive. Emir Kusturica I was a typical farm boy. I liked the farm. I enjoyed the things that you do on a farm, go down to the drainage ditch and fish, and look at the crawfish and pick a little cotton. Sam Donaldson You always have certain strengths and certain weaknesses, and you want to compensate for your weaknesses... I have a real duty to earn the trust of the faculty. I don't just deserve it. I have to earn it. Erskine Bowles The report of this made me exceedingly angry, for I could not see why information which a middle-class woman could get from her doctor should be withheld from ...

Throughout human history, some of our most influential inventors, entrepreneurs, and leaders have had disabilities.

For example, Bill Gates, Sir Richard Branson, and Charles Schwab are all dyslexic, while scientist Stephen Hawking has used a wheelchair for decades. Cathy McMorris Rodgers I've patterned myself after my musical heroes. Trisha Yearwood I value teaching. It's one of the places I get inspiration, engagement. Terrance Hayes Waking up early was the first example I noticed in the SEAL Teams in which discipline was really the difference between being good and being exceptional. Jocko Willink Walking strengthens my legs, and I swing my arms to tone my upper body. Christy Turlington As it turns out, my grandmother, my mother, my wife, and my daughter are all women, and I like those people. I'm concerned about the issues that they face in their lives. So I'm a feminist, but that's not all I am. Tommy Lee Jones When I am in front of the camera or on stage, I am not me. Sushant Singh Rajput When I talk, it shouldn't just be black girls listening. Alek...

I quite like the idea of family. That's probably the greatest achievement in the world.

I've got a lot to achieve workwise - I'd love to direct - but family would be good. Matt Smith Even in the hardest circumstances, dreams can give you the courage to live, and I hope I can share that message with children in need. Kim Yuna Outlets are turning away from phone polling, which can be problematic. For example, we did a poll for NBC around the Ebola crisis; we provided results in 24 hours. Their traditional phone poll would have taken a week to turn around. We're showing people we can do high-quality work: we've proved that with the work we do with the media. Dave Goldberg I wanted more control of my life. I wanted work to fit in, not to dominate; to support, not to lead the pattern of my life. Tim O'Reilly I was terrified the first time that I had a big problem in my business. I was obviously terrified when they diagnosed me with cancer in 1994. I was terrified when my son used to drive too fast. But I do believe in the fact that fear is not a...

There is nothing on earth so easy as to forget, if a person chooses to

set about it. I'm sure I have as much forgot your poor, dear uncle, as if he had never existed; and I thought it my duty to do so. Richard Brinsley Sheridan Regaining the Champions Cup is not going to be easy. Luis Figo I think anyone would want to see their favorite band in a small club over a large stadium. Bill Wyman I'm told leather drives men up the wall. I like wearing it because it because it feels nice. Honor Blackman There lives more faith in honest doubt, believe me, than in half the creeds. Alfred Lord Tennyson The trouble with baseball is that it is not played the year round. Gaylord Perry The luxury of our position now is that we can almost assemble any team to address any issue. Rem Koolhaas

Jane was my wicked stepmother: she was generous, affectionate and resourceful; she salvaged my schooling

and I owe her an unknowable debt for that. One flaw: sometimes, early on, she would tell me things designed to make me think less of my mother, and I would wave her away, saying, 'Jane, this just backfires and makes me think less of you.' Martin Amis Honesty is the most single most important factor having a direct bearing on the final success of an individual, corporation, or product. Ed McMahon Man always dies before he is fully born. Erich Fromm I would have liked it to have stayed serious and have the adventures of a family lost in space. This isn't to take anything away from Jonathan and the Robot. I watch his performance today and he still makes me laugh. Mark Goddard I could eat gazpacho three times a day. Tory Burch The business of peace requires more than showing up with paint brushes, foodstuffs and an oil pipeline or two. Tony Snow I've always wanted to play a role in inspiring people to be better, to live higher quality lives and to feel good abou...