Now, national conventions are largely an excuse for companies and party leaders to throw parties

for delegates to attend, to network and have a good time.
Bob Barr

Republican leadership in Congress let the energy companies write the energy bill that sent prices soaring, and has turned a blind eye to the struggles of working families trying to make ends meet.
Sherrod Brown

Everybody past a certain age, regardless of how they look on the outside, pretty much constantly dreams of being able to escape from their lives.
Douglas Coupland

Time and distance from the first and second world wars doesn't seem to lessen their horrors.
Doris Lessing

Trust cannot be commanded; and yet it is also correct that the only one who earns trust is the one who is prepared to grant trust.
Gustav Heinemann

West Side Story was terribly important because of the style of the dancing and the gangs of New York.
Vincente Minnelli

I worked in Hollywood as a reader and a would-be writer for about 6 years before I sold my first story.
Sidney Sheldon

When I go on holiday and people ask me what I do, I tell them I do some internet stuff and I've done a couple of books and I hope they just leave it at that.
Karl Pilkington

Who wants a world in which the guarantee that we shall not die of starvation entails the risk of dying of boredom?
Raoul Vaneigem

I made this film 'The Beach,' which didn't take place in a city, and it didn't really suit me.
Danny Boyle

Gemeoss

My first joke was about a company called Five Star Parking that was all over

Philadelphia: 'Who's reviewing parking lots?' Adam McKay I don't have to try to be perfect because I know that my fans like me for who I am. They like me because I am weird and kind of funky, but still really calm. Bella Thorne It's a funny feeling to work with people who you consider your colleagues and to realize that they actually are young enough to be your children. Alan Alda There was a time when cowboys respected their horses instead of riding them to death just to show off for a crowd. Tommy Lee My friends and family are amazed I've done so well. I was not a model student. No one expected that I'd build a Fortune 500 company at Symantec. John W. Thompson Before 'Moonrise,' I never thought I would be in a movie where I would be struck by lightning. Jared Gilman The theme of sisters - of missing sisters, of needing sisters, the special love that sisters share or the antagonism sisters share - is something that is very close to...

Think of it: television producers joining with newspapers to tell stories. It's journalism of the

future. Advertising will follow the crowd - the 'crowd' being viewers and readers, of course, which could bring revenue back into journalism. Bill Kurtis I've always known that I'm a little out of vogue. Kevin Costner And learn that when you do make a mistake, you'll surface that mistake so you can get it corrected, rather than trying to hide it and bury it, and it becomes a much bigger mistake, and maybe a fatal mistake. Sanford I. Weill I chose to have a career, and I enjoyed it while I had it. Nancy Reagan Mothers are all slightly insane. J. D. Salinger To be interested in food but not in food production is clearly absurd. Wendell Berry I'm tired of being treated like a second-class citizen. Rosa Parks These managers all know their onions and cut their cloth accordingly. Mark Lawrenson I think jazz is good, but I don't enjoy it. It's not for me. Ted Rall I seriously do not think Nirvana is grunge. Adam Jones

I have a Tinder account. Now I've done Bumble, and I've tried this other one,

and the way I justified it is that... because I'm on TV, I shouldn't be eliminated from participating in what's going on in the world. But people are always like, 'I can't believe you're on a dating app!' Eric Stonestreet I think to eat cake is very good for us, but it's the size of the slice and how often you have it. Mary Berry I think most politicians have almost no understanding of economics; otherwise, they wouldn't have become politicians. Roger Ver It's very important to go pitch-by-pitch and game-by-game and not getting too far ahead of myself. In the past, it was trying to make up for a bad game and thinking ahead and what do I have to do to fix this. Jason Hammel The U.S. is not a claimant state in the South China Sea or in the China-Japan dispute over the Senkaku Islands. But, of course, the 7th Fleet has been a presence in the region since the Second World War, and it is the most powerful fleet in the region. Lee Hsien Lo...

If I wrote a musical it wouldn't be about me. Although I do some magic,

so it would probably be about a magician who appeared and re-appeared all over the place. Neil Patrick Harris The majority of people in Angola were not provided with any kind of schooling and were completely illiterate, very badly paid, and treated almost as slaves. Louis Leakey Most enlightened men now recognize that General Jackson is not fitted to fill the office of President; his limited experience of anything to do with civil government and his great age make him incompetent. Jared Sparks I honestly, sincerely love what I do. Mary Hart I still believe that at any time the no-talent police will come and arrest me. Mike Myers We are like boxers, one never knows how much longer one has. Clint Eastwood George Martin, he's very good at a very sort of lush, sweet arrangement. Paul McCartney I approve of anyone wearing what the establishment says you must not wear. Florynce Kennedy I toyed with the idea of pursuing a career as a lawyer just because I like to a...

Forget about someone's resume or how they present themselves at a party. Can they blog

or not? The blog doesn't lie. Nick Denton My New Year's resolution is to stick to a good workout plan that will keep me healthy and happy. James Lafferty I was very, very financially secure my whole life. I have been very lucky to say that. Brian Wilson I'm a little more of a lead instrument in the Meatbats. Chad Smith I think the blues will always be around. People need it. Johnny Winter Wisdom finds its literary expression in wisdom literature. Paul Ricoeur Dreams take you beyond what you think you can do in life. Vikram Chatwal Any goal worth achieving involves an element of risk. Dean Karnazes I mean, yeah, I want to lose some weight! I'm doing the best I can. Billy Gardell I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I wanted to definitely be a musician or a good preacher or a heck of

a baseball player. I couldn't play ball too good - I hurt my finger, and I stopped that. I couldn't preach, and well, all I had left was getting into the music thing. Muddy Waters I confess that I listen to my own music for my own pleasure. Herb Alpert How can you not like Britney Spears? Lindsay Lohan It has never been my object to record my dreams, just the determination to realize them. Man Ray Reality isn't the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. Robert J. Ringer And to any new fans we made along the way, I say... welcome to our party. It's just starting to get going. Richard Marx I know it can be dangerous, but I love racing. I worry my wife, but she knows it's important to me. Patrick Dempsey The true statesman is the one who is willing to take risks. Charles de Gaulle

Do whatever rejuvenates you. It might be a cooking class, cocktails with the girls, or

just private time with the hubby. We all have our moments where we run out of steam because we've given everything we've got to everyone else. Whoever decided that was a good thing? It's not. Everyone needs to refuel. Jada Pinkett Smith I realised one day that men are emotional cripples. We can't express ourselves emotionally, we can only do it with anger and humour. Emotional stability and expression comes from women. Bob Hoskins If you really want to be world class - to be the best you can be - it comes down to preparation and practice. Robin S. Sharma The oil market is especially sensitive even to a hint of expansion or contraction in supply. James Surowiecki When it comes to letting people marry whomever they love, Mitt Romney says, 'No.' Julian Castro What's really fun is to write under different names. Tom Verlaine Listen to your inner-voice: Surround yourself with loving, nurturing people. Fall in love with your art and find yourself...

Though Nathalie Dupree did not remember much about my presence in her class, it marked

me forever. I remain her enthusiast, her evangelist, her acolyte, and her grateful student. She taught me that cooking and storytelling make the most delightful coconspirators. Pat Conroy I was a good student. My mom is a teacher, and her side of the family is all teachers. She put a big emphasis on getting good grades. Tyler Hilton One of the challenges for sub-Saharan Africa is that markets are of modest size. This makes regional integration important. Robert Zoellick Here in Tennessee, instead of the big spending, big government, job killing agenda of the Obama Administration, Tennesseans have tightened their belts and are struggling to find jobs that will enable them to support their families. Marsha Blackburn I like a challenge. The fact that these are secret organizations, and also very important organizations that can engage in abuses that are so important to our national security - all that attracts me. Ronald Kessler I think ad networks is an ongoing story. Fede...

You have to know how to use the accident, how to recognise it, how to

control it, and ways to eliminate it so that the whole surface looks felt and born all at once. Helen Frankenthaler I think I have been very lucky as far as my acting career goes. Natasha Henstridge In film, I find it very useful always to do some preparation before you start rehearsals or start shooting, because there's so much that's against you on a film set. Ben Whishaw Even at my peak, I never went too over the top. Pauly Shore I'm the quiet bass player. Colin Hanks When things are bad, it's the best time to reinvent yourself. George Lopez A good director's not sure when he gets on the set what he's going to do. Elia Kazan I am suffocated and lost when I have not the bright feeling of progression. Margaret Fuller To me, Darth Vader is the epitome of evil. Manu Bennett I like to make the mundane fabulous whenever I can. Rufus Wainwright

Photographic memory is often confused with another bizarre - but real - perceptual phenomenon called

eidetic memory, which occurs in between 2 and 15 percent of children and very rarely in adults. An eidetic image is essentially a vivid afterimage that lingers in the mind's eye for up to a few minutes before fading away. Joshua Foer One of my favorite films is 'Dumb and Dumber.' I'd love to do some really silly comedy someday. Paul Dano In my family, as in most middle-class Indian families I knew when I was growing up, science and mathematics were held in awe. Aravind Adiga I give the spectator the possibility of participating. The audience completes the film by thinking about it; those who watch must not be just consumers ingesting spoon-fed images. Michael Haneke Even The Impostors, as silly as it is, is a very intimate film, in a way. Stanley Tucci There's no doubt I'm emotional. Sidney Crosby Knowledge is ancient error reflecting on its youth. Francis Picabia I can only be who I am. Enya The South African government, unlike a lot of ...