Seeing Taylor Swift live in 2013 is seeing a maestro at the top of her

or anyone's game. No other pop auteur can touch her right now for emotional excess or musical reach - her punk is so punk, her disco is so disco. The red sequins on her guitar match the ones on her microphone, her shoes and 80 percent of the crowd. Rob Sheffield

On December 18, 1940, Hitler signed Directive Number 21, better known as Operation Barbarossa. Leopold Trepper

Let nobody be fooled, the next two quarters are not going to be easy either in terms of growth or employment. Luis de Guindos

And, gentlemen, they have not yet done so, and it is quite clear that no Americans, no people in the world probably, are going to war with the Soviet Union. Paul Robeson

I love New York City. Li Na

I do more work in Britain than I do anywhere else in the world. Edwin Starr

I've never made any money off of any of my films. Statement of fact. So without commercial work, I would be in big trouble. Errol Morris

I love being black in America, and especially being black in Hollywood. Will Smith

I love getting stuff, and if I give a present to someone and don't get one back, you can bet your life they won't be getting one next year. David Morrissey

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...

I saw music as a way to entertain people and take them away from their

daily lives and put smiles on their faces, as opposed to what I see it being now, which is a way for me to actually communicate, and a way for me to tap into my subconscious. Alanis Morissette You and I are essentially infinite choice-makers. In every moment of our existence, we are in that field of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices. Deepak Chopra Some people come to our shows and think they're gonna spend the night just listening to love songs, and they're pretty much surprised cause we do a lot of rock and roll. Bobby Hatfield Always there has been some terrible evil at home or some monstrous foreign power that was going to gobble us up if we did not blindly rally behind it. Douglas MacArthur It's good to have a title that's not just one word. If you're gonna title it, you might as well try and say something. Damien Hirst I think that one of the most fundamental responsibilities is to give testimony in a court of law, ...

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 thought I'd have a career playing women in the vein of Ruth Gordon, and

we've seen that type almost disappear. Parker Posey I don't like it when a player says, 'I like freedom; I want to play for myself.' Because the player has to understand he is part of a team with 10 other players. If everyone wants to be a jazz musician, it will be chaos. They will not be a team, and nothing will be possible. Pep Guardiola I went from basically filming in my bedroom by myself, filming some funny videos, and then overnight, I switched into filming in some studios and some warehouses and family homes. I started filming with directors and producers and editors, and there were so many people in the room, so it was definitely weird. Kian Lawley 'Weekend Update' can be presented as a full 20-minute sketch, and there's a lot of room there. Chevy Chase Especially since having children, a lot of the time if you ask me, 'Have you read that book?' the answer would be 'not personally.' Claire Messud Oh, I'd never put m...

I am honored to have served as our great nation's first National Ambassador for Young

People's Literature. I will continue to serve as Ambassador Emeritus. And I will make good on my Ambassadorial promise to my wife to stop playing the 'Fanfare' every time I walk into or out of a room. Jon Scieszka No collection without compensation. Jeff Rich The worst is still ahead of us. But no one in Washington has the spine to tell you that. Glenn Beck I love any and all situations where you celebrate creativity. Brad Paisley At the time, we thought it was a nice way to say something unique about the group to make us different from all the other bands kicking around in London. Gerry Beckley The joy of the mind is the measure of its strength. Ninon de L'Enclos And then, when I left Princeton in the middle of my sophomore year, I went into the navy. Harry Mathews Cary and I are working together on another movie, Charlotte's Web. Thomas Haden Church The water in a vessel is sparkling; the water in the sea is dark. The small truth has words which ar...

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...

With 'Good Will Hunting,' Miramax made certain the recruited audience wasn't expecting to laugh at

Robin Williams like they normally do. From my limited experience, you can really blow test screenings by conducting them in the wrong way. Gus Van Sant I certainly have opportunities many can only dream of - but in most ways I'm a typical girl in her 20s trying to forge a career and represent herself in what can sometimes seem rather strange circumstances. One of the most attractive has been the chance to publish 'Celebrate.' Pippa Middleton I realized early on, maybe better than some of my competitors did, that a textile business can run only if you have scale. I decided to horizontally and vertically integrate, adding everything from spinning, dyeing, weaving, and stitching to processing and packing. Mian Muhammad Mansha Research shows that children do better in school and are less likely to drop out when fathers are involved. Engaged parents can strengthen communities, mentor and tutor students, and demonstrate through their actions how much they value their chi...

When I'm speaking of love, when I'm speaking of reversing hate, I'm speaking not only

of reconciliation - even I don't use that word - I use another word in Spanish, that's called 'reencuentro' - it's not reconciliation. Michelle Bachelet Am I a frustrated performer? My wife would say I am! I guess there has to be something of the performer in you if you build a global business. Lloyd Dorfman Colonel Parker asked Henry and me to come to Elvis' suite and have breakfast. There were at least five policemen stationed up there. He was talking on the telephone. Minnie Pearl One thing I'm not going to do is chase staying alive. You spend so much time chasing staying alive, you won't live. Patrick Swayze I'm always storing away phrases and ideas and things that I think might turn into songs. Mose Allison I've gotten to know a number of readers from being online, and really treasure the time I've spent with them. Nora Roberts But, as my mother used to tell me, two wrongs don't make a right. But I soon figured out ...