myself by taking my characters to the edges of human experience, to the edges of themselves and then, asking certain questions - about love, what does it mean to love? What's beauty? What is true beauty? What does it mean to be insane - crazy? Ted Dekker Women have always been the strong ones of the world. The men are always seeking from women a little pillow to put their heads down on. They are always longing for the mother who held them as infants. Coco Chanel I've always had a lot of ambivalence about fame and celebrity. Jane Pauley No Republican questions or disputes civil rights. I have never wavered in my support for civil rights or the civil rights act. Rand Paul Reality TV is set up to make people entertaining. A good person with values and principles is not good television. Ronda Rousey There's never been a culture that wasn't obsessed with food. The sort of sad thing is that our obsession is no longer with food, but with the price of food. Jona...

of my favorite stories - it still is. It's just such a bizarre yet true book. And I did well reading and writing as a kid throughout school. I think early on that's what made me realize what an advantage that is. Jon Scieszka In my mind I'm a blind man doin' time. Tupac Shakur My mom had me when she was 16, and I was an only child, which is probably why I received a lot of love and didn't miss that my father wasn't around. Brett Ratner Filmmaking is a very complex form - ya know, acting, lighting, screenwriting, storytelling, music, editing - all these things have to come together. Jay Duplass I have a passion to do theater. Amy Irving I don't know if you can articulate an instinct. Kristen Wiig Like all young men I set out to be a genius, but mercifully laughter intervened. Lawrence Durrell I don't like to generalize but I've had nothing but bad experiences with Mexican food in Europe. Ezra Koenig I've already figured out...

back in the day there was 'Armageddon' and then 'Deep Impact.' You know, 'Andromeda Strain' and then 'Outbreak.' Like, all of those things. It's common because basically studios have no imagination in making the decisions. Armie Hammer There would be nothing to get me to run for president. I don't even understand how anyone would want that job at all. Although I would be able to play golf which I don't seem to have time now. Ellen DeGeneres Don't be silly and don't waste your time. Bob Newhart My goal is to try to avoid a regular job. Clara Hughes There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Saddam Hussein had and used significant weapons of mass destruction on his own people, both the Kurds and the Iranians. Curt Weldon To be poor and independent is very nearly an impossibility. William Cobbett I wouldn't mind being taller or stronger. Mark Zupan If you're billed as a comedian, people will accept anything...

upbringing, the 1960s were an extremely difficult time. Even though religion was a big part of the civil rights and peace movements, in my college religion was treated as irrelevant, hopelessly stodgy, and behind the times. Feisal Abdul Rauf It isn't glamorous until after the film is finished, and you are at the premiere and getting your picture on the cover of magazines. Taylor Hackford My look is pretty low maintenance, I have a great team around me for hair and make-up, and they have also taught me some great tricks over the years for when I'm doing my own. Alexa Chung Once I should have been, if not satisfied, partially, at least, contented with suffrage for the intelligent and those who have been soldiers; now I am convinced that universal suffrage is demanded by sound policy and impartial justice. Salmon P. Chase Even if I don't want to slow down, I'm slowing down. Eli Wallach I look at actors very closely. It's not an accident when the actors e...

than I do, to see a plan adopted for the abolition of it - but there is only one proper and effectual mode by which it can be accomplished, and that is by Legislative authority: and this, as far as my suffrage will go, shall never be wanting. George Washington I'm a big fan of meat. Preet Bharara We all read news stories about the difficulties and tensions that the United States has with our allies and even with coalition partners in Iraq, but we rarely read about the good news. Michael K. Simpson I don't look like Halle Berry. But chances are she's going to end up looking like me. Whoopi Goldberg I like to break left when people think I'm going to go right. Justin Cronin If you give me the chance, I'll destroy America for you. John Lydon Two quilters who have just met will be strangers only until their mutual passion for quilting is revealed. Then they can talk for hours like the best of friends. Jennifer Chiaverini It is useless to contend wit...

what their constituents want. So unless there is a grass root green movement in a nation the politicians will not be willing to spend money on curbing emissions. More awareness is needed amongst the people to effect the real change in how governments spend. Wilbur Smith In that I found being able to talk to my family about my feelings, praying for strength and realizing that our lives have a deep purpose and the journey of our lives is to find out what that is and express it, was the only way I could have gotten through it. Marlo Thomas I was happy as an only child, but I've always wanted to be part of a bigger family. Benedict Cumberbatch Playing live if the thing I love doing best. Bob Geldof Zombies let us explore notions of the apocalypse - no water, food, medical care, the government imploding - while letting us sleep at night. Max Brooks History repeats itself. Historians repeat each other. Philip Guedalla The most exciting thing in the twentieth century is ...

history. Religion was our first attempt at literature, the texts, our first attempt at cosmology, making sense of where we are in the universe, our first attempt at health care, believing in faith healing, our first attempt at philosophy. Christopher Hitchens Ecclesiasticism in science is only unfaithfulness to truth. Thomas Huxley There are certain shades of limelight that can wreck a girl's complexion. Audrey Hepburn Two-thirds of the directors at the New York Fed are hand-picked by the same bankers that the Fed is in charge of regulating. Bernie Sanders I think that there's a tendency for actors who play strong women to have them take on all the worst characteristics of men, to become cold and detached and hardened. Carla Gugino By the time I returned to Czechoslovakia, I had an understanding of the principles of the market. Vaclav Klaus I'll play what you want or I won't play at all. George Harrison I'm still strongly opposed to antismoking ...

to act in theater that has to do with her school or a kids' improvisational thing. There are ways to do it where you're not on a movie set with 60 adults, which I loved at the time, but as a parent, I don't know that I'd be dying to put her in that spot. Helen Hunt I never talk about 'Harry Potter' because I think that would rob children of something that's private to them. I think too many things get explained, so I hate talking about it. Alan Rickman It was a very stupid thing to do, I'll admit, but I hardly didn't even know I was doing it. J. D. Salinger I have this thing I say to myself that 'tomorrow can be better.' And I remember that period in my life where I never felt like tomorrow could be better. It was always dread for the next day. Clara Hughes You can't study the darkness by flooding it with light. Edward Abbey It was Dr. King's tireless activism that fostered our modern way of relating to one another. Wy...

didn't have cable. There wasn't any admiration of glamour, no, 'I want to look like them or have that lifestyle', because everyone in my town had the same lifestyle. So I didn't think, 'Ooh, a movie star's birthday!' I just thought, 'What?' Christina Hendricks I was a big fan of Jean-Claude Van-Damme growing up, and I always wanted to be a martial artist 'cause of him. Georges St-Pierre Listen, everything I have in my life is because of the NHL and because of hockey, and I love the game and I loved every minute of being a player, I loved coaching, I loved being involved in the NHL. Wayne Gretzky The citizens of America expect more. They deserve and they want more than a recital of problems. Barbara Jordan There's something very strange about Sherlock Holmes, especially if you're an English schoolboy. When you read the stories, they stay with you forever. Anthony Horowitz I cannot consent to be led three or four hundred ...

kids had a phone line of their own, and long-distance phone calls were made after eleven, when the rates went down, unless you were flamboyant with your spending. Then phone calls became as cheap as dirt and as constant as rain, and I was on the phone all the time. Susan Orlean Art is subject to arbitrary fashion. Kary Mullis Athletes are extremists. When they're training, it's laser focus. Hope Solo Crime is a very hard genre to feminise. If you have a female protagonist she is going to be looking after her mum when she gets older; she is going to be worried about her brother and sister; she will be making a living while bringing up kids. Denise Mina Even in times when it's difficult to figure out, how do you go forward, art - and books - always help. Alice Hoffman It's bad writing, however naturalistic it's written, that's where you have to do your best acting. Adam Brody I try to teach my heart not to want things it can't have. Alice Wa...

play in bands and record and play songs with other people, but for me it's a form of expression that all I need is me. I don't need cameras or agents, I can just have a piano and sing and feel totally verified. Jeremy Renner The meals were served in a large hall, in which Moctezuma was accustomed to eat, and the dishes quite filled the room, which was covered with mats and kept very clean. Hernan Cortes I suppose the reason I chose electrical engineering was because I had always been interested in electricity, involving myself in such projects as building radios from the time I was a child. Koichi Tanaka Committing yourself to some kind of job that isn't committed to God is going to bring so much trouble into your life. It's not good and not something I would suggest that someone seek. Angus T. Jones I made more decisions in a half-day as governor than you can make in a whole week in the Senate... it's too slow for me. Chuck Robb I went to a Gestalt t...

that I was too masculine. I was a 16-year-old girl with ringworm and cauliflower ears. People made fun of my arms and called me 'Miss Man.' It wasn't until I got older that I realized: These people are idiots. I'm fabulous. Ronda Rousey We will not take Arsenal lightly for one minute, as they showed in the two matches against us last season that they can be dangerous opponents if we lose our concentration for a moment. Lionel Messi The worst, most dangerous person to America is clearly Paula Deen. Anthony Bourdain Life is a matter of really tough choices. Joe Biden No good fish goes anywhere without a porpoise. Lewis Carroll I have never had a problem with people not being able to understand the words and the meanings in Titus. Julie Taymor We are creating a unique experience. It's starts with how you see the building from a distance. Helmut Jahn Not having an administrator sends the wrong message to the airline industry. Maria Cantwell Blind...

think otherwise. They believe in word magic: that uttering a spell, incantation, curse, or prayer can change the world. Don't snicker: Would you ever say, 'Nothing has gone wrong yet' without looking for wood to knock? Steven Pinker The Democratic party of Florida has put a temperance plank in its platform and the Republican party of every state would nail that plank in their platform if they thought it would carry the election. Billy Sunday When the motor was completed and tested, we found that it would develop 16 horse power for a few seconds, but that the power rapidly dropped till, at the end of a minute, it was only 12 horse power. Orville Wright I take ballet class as often as possible - up to 5 times a week - and try to go to the gym on the days that I don't take class. I also do a floor barre/Pilates mat class almost everyday. Amanda Schull Everyone has an hour in their day to go and do something for somebody else; I don't care how busy they are....

because my publisher wanted me to promote the book and the organizers invited me and it seemed silly not to go, especially for a relatively unknown first-time author. This is just not my cup of tea; the fewer such events I do on an annual basis, the happier I feel. Evgeny Morozov No I don't think it was a myth at all, anymore than what the recession that the whole country was experiencing was a myth, which obviously seems like it's going to get worse and worse. Lester Bangs We're all on a continuous journey to try and fix our mistakes and flaws. And, believe me, I've got plenty of them. Ezekiel Emanuel To know what that true self is without social pressure is to know your true nature. Martha Beck Today, I'm very happy about myself, because I realized my dreams. I learned how to understand what people want. Roberto Cavalli The financial costs of family breakdown are incredibly high. Iain Duncan Smith I like BBC news; I like some London news because ...

were making great sacrifices for me. Every morning I saw my father get up and go to a job that he didn't really like. They came to France for the same reasons all immigrants move to another country - so their kids could have a better way of life. Omar Sy When you go in and do a cool, small character, it feels less like work and more like fun. Balthazar Getty Kristina has been to the Maldives but never to Venice, and I have been to Venice but never to the Maldives. Roger Moore If you're acting, then there's a prescribed way to behave; whereas in life, there's no prescribed way. So acting feels like a comfortable way to get through the day. Jesse Eisenberg That's what the cat said to the canary when he swallowed him - 'You'll be all right.' Alvah Bessie I don't want to be on stage when I'm 57, talking about... 'Let's Get It Started.' will.i.am I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention. To not be like your paren...

and take photos around school and at sporting events and things like that. We had a darkroom as well. I just loved it. I also saved up for a video camera to video my friends and cut and paste the videos together and I gave them to all of my friends for graduation. Dianna Agron America has everything, why should they want us. George Harrison Oh, I am a prompt person! Josh Hutcherson I grew up like Huck Finn, always outdoors, exploring, collecting frogs - there was space everywhere. I want my kids to experience that too. I love being outside. Josh Duhamel When I'm left on my own I'm my own worst enemy. Ron Wood I'm showing the younger generation your career doesn't have to be over when you're 16-years-old. Nastia Liukin I would rather have a cup of tea than sex. Boy George Also see how many quarters of corn you will spend in a week in dispensable bread, how much in alms. Robert Grosseteste The person whose face is between your legs is gonna get...

three seemingly superhuman feats. You have to memorize 1,000 digits in under an hour, the precise order of 10 shuffled decks of playing cards in the same amount of time, and one shuffled deck in less than two minutes. There are 36 grand masters of memory in the world. Joshua Foer The healthcare bill not only is a monstrosity in terms of growing the government and cutting out the private sector, the way it was passed was sleazy. Every old Washington trick was used to pass the healthcare bill. Lindsey Graham It's been a great honor for me to be a player for the Detroit Red Wings, to play for an Original Six franchise. I know I'm far from perfect, but I learned a lot. Steve Yzerman I'm excited to doing more scoring work in the future. Mike Shinoda I am very proud to follow the rules of our company. Ingvar Kamprad All men are liable to error; and most men are, in many points, by passion or interest, under temptation to it. John Locke Officially I'm not pla...

time, you still hope. You think, 'Maybe I can do it,' but you know you can't. But gosh, if I had to rely on giving people what they wanted, I would have had to write 40 billion different books and even then, I wouldn't get it right. Stephenie Meyer It is the lives we encounter that make life worth living. Guy de Maupassant All I can say is that I've always felt like a very old soul. When I was 3, I felt 60. Faith Prince Health food shops can make people feel very important; it's like a brand new religion with people trying to convert you to quinoa. Pippa Evans I am privileged to do a job I love to do. I would never change any moment from my life. Enya With some actors, you can tell when they're acting all by themselves, no matter who else is in the screen. John Travolta I really enjoy the football season. Jimmie Johnson The easiest way to be cheated is to believe yourself to be more cunning than others. Pierre Charron I depleted mysel...

make a regimen just a part of my life. When I can't, for instance if I'm in a location someplace and I can't work out because of the schedule of the picture or whatever it is, as much as I normally do when I'm home, I still do something. Carl Weathers Everybody's constantly being destroyed and rebuilding themselves, some more drastically than others. Michael Shannon If I could be anyone, it would be Brad Pitt. David Fincher I'm a lifelong stutterer. Bill Walton I almost bought a DeLorean the other day just because. If I see something that I think is cool and I like it, I'll go for it. Gabriel Iglesias Maybe! Maybe! Maybe if your aunt had a beard, she'd be your uncle. Alvah Bessie I just moved to Florida to seek out opportunities. Kevin Richardson 'Lincoln' is a powerful film. It's one of those epic films that talk about this very specific issue in history of the United States. Demian Bichir I love people and I love to ...

that I would love it if we could stop having the race conversation so that we can get women further on. You know, a female president now that we have an African American president. Maybe we can get an Asian female, a gay person? Octavia Spencer If we live in a world where information drives what we do, the information we get becomes the most important thing. The person who chooses that information has power. Seth Godin I'd like to do my first record I ever made, A Church, a Courtroom, and Then Goodbye. Patsy Cline In the past I've worked with directors who saw very much their scene in their head and knew exactly how they were going to cut it. Colm Meaney I can't lie... My face always gives me away. I'm also pathetically bad at poker! Cat Deeley If someone is making a judgment when they don't have firsthand experience, it's intolerant. How can you make a judgment on something you don't know about? Beck Conventionally, one looks at history as...

guard; you're watching the Martina McBrides and the Faith Hills and all of them that have been the big stars for the last however many years, and the next generation is coming in: Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, those girls. Callie Khouri You learn different things through fiction. Historians are always making a plot about how certain things came to happen. Whereas a novelist looks at tiny little things and builds up a sort of map, like a painting, so that you see the shapes of things. A. S. Byatt There's a higher form of happiness in commitment. I'm counting on it. Claire Forlani I'm very much a bit of a ghost presence. Eric Bana The question whether the long effort to put an end to war can succeed without another major convulsion challenges not only our minds but our sense of responsibility. Emily Greene Balch Delays in granting of justice very often reduce the speed with which investment could be undertaken, discouraging investors. Lucas Papademos ...

therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power to that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared. J. K. Rowling There was really a snobbery from people in film - they did not want people who had come from television. It was the poor relation of show business, and especially situation comedy. Sally Field The superhero is a really popular figure in the West. In Asia or Korea, the young viewers are amused by the figure, but it is not really so sensational. Bong Joon-ho I think anyone who doesn't say that they'd like people to think that they're doing the right thing is wrong. I mean, I'd like it to be that way, but I've never allowed it to influence my actions. David Stern People all over the nation are starved for honesty and common sense. Ben Carson Please ignore rumors! I've had them for years and you have to just let them go over yo...

to know the facts. You don't try to give them half the story. You don't try to hide the story. You treat them as - as true equals, and you communicate and you communicate and communicate. Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. My grandfather was coloured, my father was Negro, and I am Black. Henry Louis Gates It's so much easier to tell people what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear. Phil McGraw Life presents itself in constantly changing ways, but you're able to accept the challenges, rather than recoil, throw up your hands, and go on a binge. Carnie Wilson I like to disappear in my roles because I don't have an assistant. Taraji P. Henson When I was a kid, it wasn't very often that I could go to the movies and see an entire movie carried on the shoulders of someone who looked like me. Aimee Garcia I went to the premiere of The Detective with Sinatra, and perhaps people jumped to conclusions. He was very protective towards me and never came o...

on. But I would imagine there's no set that's run quite like it. It's big, it's loud, it's powerful, it's intense, it's dirty, it's hot, it's sweaty - and it's really exciting. There's never a dull moment; there's never a quiet moment. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley In the fashion world if you're successful, everyone loves you, and you have available every service. It's hard to walk away, except it wasn't hard for me. I had my mind completely made up. Helmut Lang What do you do with people in same-sex relationships that are committed, loving and Christian? Would you rather bless a sheep and a tree, and not them? John Sentamu The International Brigades and the British volunteers were, numerically, only a small part of the Republican forces, but nearly all had accepted the need for organization and order in civilian life. Bill Alexander My mother was the sweetest lady who ever lived on this planet, but if you tried to tel...

seeing good acting is how authentic it is. How true is this to what I know of the world that's been created for me? The ultimate test for me is, like, if I heard a clip of it on the radio, I'd like the audience not to know if I'm acting. Alex Karpovsky I drink because I'm thirsty. Shane MacGowan I go through phases when I've been filming where I wake up in the middle of the night and I think I'm being filmed. Lauren Conrad I love theatrics and have a huge imagination: Why would I want to sit onstage and sing a bunch of ballads back-to-back? Christina Aguilera I think same sex couples should be able to get married. Barack Obama It was an amazing experience to work with Michael Jackson, who is a legend. Mario Vazquez Sex in space is not just a good idea, it's survival. Vanna Bonta I feel I am very fortunate to have a job that I really like. Yani Tseng 'Let God be true but every man a liar' is the language of true faith. Aiden W...

takes a small furry animal that's lonely to find friends, or a small furry animal that's lost to find its parents; it lasts as long as a quick avowal of love; it lasts precisely as long as the average parent is disposed on a Tuesday night to spend reading aloud to children. Rachel Cusk Washington is a very easy city for you to forget where you came from and why you got there in the first place. Harry S Truman I can write absolutely anywhere. All I need is a laptop. Joanne Harris You can't copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you're working without any real feeling. Billie Holiday My husband and I both have our bucket lists. Running a marathon was on mine. Alison Sweeney I don't believe I've ever played a hip dude. I don't think I would have the wherewithal to do that. Eugene Levy We ought not to treat living creatures like shoes or household belongings, which when worn with use we throw away. Plutarch Playing the gam...

If they are older they probably don't have the luxury of retiring - and generally sixty something-year-old men don't choose to have a child and spend all their time with that child. So it was a very unique situation. Jennifer Grant I'm healthy now. I probably wouldn't say I'm at my best fitness level and I haven't played that much lately, but I'm healthy and that's all that matters. Mary Pierce So when we start talking about the state and all those that are so important and engaged and supportive around Florida, we've gotten overwhelming support, and it's so exciting. Katherine Harris When I'm writing a book, you can't think about your audience. You're going to be in big trouble if you think about it. You're got to write from deep inside. Judy Blume What underlies great science is what underlies great art, whether it is visual or written, and that is the ability to distinguish patterns out of chaos. Diana Gabaldon O...