The power of the print reviewer is one of those urban myths. There have always

been shows that slipped under the critical radar to become popular successes: 'Tobacco Road', 'Abie's Irish Rose' and our old friend 'Spider-Man', which got the worst reviews in theatre history and is still apparently going strong. Ben Brantley

Deadlines are meant to be broken. And I just keep breaking them. Sarah McLachlan

To sit for one's portrait is like being present at one's own creation. Alexander Smith

The novels take longer to write than the picture book texts, and they do take a different sort of concentration. However, a very short, simple story that works well is just as exciting to me as any longer and more complex book. Margaret Mahy

I would have hated to been locked into music for the last 20 years and not been able to have a family. Jerry Only

If you're all loaded up on love, you haven't got anywhere else to go. John Cale

Every time I start a new piece of work, I spend a long while under the duvet thinking I can't do it. Sue Townsend

I've always believed the mission is greater than the man. Rick Perry

Because everything about the voice interests me, I felt it would be fascinating to learn a completely different style of singing. Renee Fleming

Gemeoss

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...

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...

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...

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...

What formed me as a musician, a songwriter, the sound and personality of

my band, a whole lot of that happened well before 1991. Chris Cornell For me, integrity is the consistency of words and actions. Part of the way that you do that is to ask people questions on some of the most difficult issues that you confront. 'Take me through where you felt you had to compromise your values.' Kenneth Chenault He who improves an opportunity sows a seed which will yield fruit in opportunity for himself and others. Orison Swett Marden I have been doing this since I was 10 years old. It wasn't like I was an overnight hit. I think when that happens to some actors - they just don't know what to do with themselves. You don't know how to cope with friends and all of a sudden not being able to go out. It's such a shock to your system. Eliza Dushku One of the reasons that I take such joy in being a trustee of the New York Public Library is the love of reading that I found as a child in the Saturday morning library events for preschoolers and...

Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants. People have the

right to expect that these wants will be provided for by this wisdom. Jimmy Carter Ideology... is indispensable in any society if men are to be formed, transformed and equipped to respond to the demands of their conditions of existence. Louis Althusser Negroes who have been so long inconvenienced and denied opportunities for development are naturally afraid of anything that sounds like discrimination. Carter G. Woodson The credit which the apparent conformity with recognized scientific standards can gain for seemingly simple but false theories may, as the present instance shows, have grave consequences. Friedrich August von Hayek You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters. Saint Bernard Our faith is faith in someone else's faith, and in the greatest matters this is most the case. William James The logic of the world is prior to all truth and falsehood. Ludwig Wittgenstein Poli...

Many years ago, I concluded that a few hair shirts were part of the mental

wardrobe of every man. The president differs from other men in that he has a more extensive wardrobe. Herbert Hoover Parents with meager means have the same aspirations for their children as other parents. Children from poor families have the same needs as other children. Mark Sanford People don't realize you're blowing over changes, time changes, harmony, different keys. I mark a point in my solo where it's got to peak at point D I go to A, B, C D then I'm home. James McBride In today's knowledge-based economy, what you earn depends on what you learn. Jobs in the information technology sector, for example, pay 85 percent more than the private sector average. William J. Clinton It's in the act of having to do things that you don't want to that you learn something about moving past the self. Past the ego. bell hooks None so deaf as those that will not hear. None so blind as those that will not see. Matthew Henry Well, you know, if you get in...

I don't know if you've ever tried writing a Doctor Who story, but

it's a lot more difficult than it initially appears, especially if you've got more than one assistant. Sarah Sutton It is completely surreal because two years ago I wasn't swimming, I was 10 kilos heavier and was on a completely different path in my life, I was still living in Sydney, I'm just so happy now. Libby Trickett Wars will remain while human nature remains. I believe in my soul in cooperation, in arbitration; but the soldier's occupation we cannot say is gone until human nature is gone. Rutherford B. Hayes Any time you're working in the world of taming animals, you're going to get hurt. But it's a rush that we get. Cesar Millan I suppose when I started out I would have liked to have been the darling of critics or something, but everybody wants to be loved and admired. John Milius Some people are going to be happy with my decision, some people aren't... But I must live my life. Thomas Hearns If my kid couldn't draw I...

Most recently, I learned another hobby: baking. It's so much fun to mix all the

ingredients and to see the cake come out nice. It's so rewarding when the cake comes out great and tastes great. Yani Tseng We were going to have to experiment, and we needed to develop our younger players. And a lot of the changes were because of injuries. But that's where I give a lot of credit to the group in terms of being able to maintain things. Isaiah Thomas Do it no matter what. If you believe in it, it is something very honorable. If somebody around you or your family does not understand it, then that's their problem. But if you do have a passion, an honest passion, just do it. Mario Andretti I like to think there are a lot of balls in the air, and the kids are not one that I choose to drop. They have been a priority and I have a career that allows for a little more flexibility at times and hours that are quite mom-friendly. Elisabeth Hasselbeck All men, even those we call savages, have been so tormented by the passion for strong drinks, that limited as...