We are victims of the post-Enlightenment view that the world functions like a sophisticated machine,

to be understood like a textbook engineering problem and run by wonks. In other words, like a home appliance, not like the human body.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb

And some of what we're doing in Government even now, some of the welfare reform programs that are helping lone mothers come into work are based on things that were very new under the Labour Government in the eighties.
Patricia Hewitt

I have so many opinions about everything it just comes out during my music. It's a battle for me. I try not to be preachy. That's a real danger.
Neil Young

First, I was Bavarian State Minister of Justice, and after the ministries of justice in the various states were dissolved I became Reich Minister without portfolio.
Hans Frank

Marxism conceives of the new system of socialism as the necessary outcome of all previous history made possible and necessary only by that previous history.
Earl Browder

We're into this barrage of pop culture - you know, TV, movies, the Internet. We become creatures that we've made up, made of certain different flotsam from pop culture and certain different personas that are in style.
Gillian Flynn

There is a certain age at which a child looks at you in all earnestness and delivers a long, pleased speech in all the true inflections of spoken English, but with not one recognizable syllable.
Annie Dillard

If children live with hostility, they learn to fight. If they live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive. If they live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
Ron Finley

My preferred environment is by the sea or somewhere rural. I don't want to be in a city, I don't want to visit New York and I don't want to go shopping.
Amanda Donohoe

Gemeoss

I fantasised about F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' - I loved it, and then

I read everything J. D. Salinger had to offer. Then I was turned on to Kerouac, and his spontaneous prose, his stream of consciousness way of writing. I admired him so much, and I romanticised so much about the '40s and '50s. Garrett Hedlund When I take a picture I take 10 percent of what I see. Annie Leibovitz I'm convinced that if we don't define ourselves, other people will do it for us, and inaccurately. Hasan M. Elahi There's an army story in me, and I think there's a WWII Brooks film somewhere. Mel Brooks Since being quite young, I've had a very strong sense of independence and survival. As a child, I was on my own two feet emotionally. Lena Headey I'm a leftover junkie. Kris Carr If you are supposed to be villainous and have some sort of agenda, I like the idea of delivering that kind of character in a perfectly well-mannered way. Bill Nighy The flattery is nice, but awards don't add up to writing quality songs. Chantal Kreviazuk...

I believe, literally, in the God of the Old Testament, whom I understand as the

Lord of the Jews and the Protestants. I'm a Christian Zionist, as well as a Christian feminist and a Christian socialist. Julie Burchill The Question to be considered is, Whether the Government have reason by a Law, to prohibit the taking more than 4 l. per cent Interest for Money lent, or to leave the Borrower and Lender to make their own Bargains. Dudley North I pretend I'm one of the royal family when I'm in a hotel and that the hotel belongs to me - it is a palace. Martin Short Product management really is the fusion between technology, what engineers do - and the business side. Marissa Mayer Mike Tyson would have been a good sparring partner for me and Muhammad Ali because Tyson was a fast fighter and he could punch and throw good combinations. Larry Holmes I went to Catholic school. Do as you're told; don't ask questions and you will be illuminated. Katherine Helmond From an early age, I learned to invest myself emotionally in what unfolded b...

That's my personal view I would say most in my caucus agree with that but

there are some who don't and I've always said that on these kinds of moral issues, people have the right to their own opinions. Stephen Harper When you're not blond and thin, you come up with a personality real quick. Kathy Najimy The first ingredient in conversation is truth, the next good sense, the third good humor, and the fourth wit. William Temple I would hope they would be our fellow artists, rather than trying to emulate or idolize clowns like us. Maynard James Keenan Let me give you a definition of ethics: It is good to maintain and further life it is bad to damage and destroy life. Albert Schweitzer The disappearance of a sense of responsibility is the most far-reaching consequence of submission to authority. Stanley Milgram Life is not over because you have diabetes. Make the most of what you have, be grateful. Dale Evans I am certainly not an intellectual relativist, nor a moral relativist. Edward Tufte

I think one of the funniest things about '30 Rock' is that Liz Lemon is

sort of like Buster Keaton - she's always the fool, the joke is always on her. Cristin Milioti There is this sense of David Cameron leading a Government that's badly out of touch with ordinary people's lives. I'd absolutely welcome the opportunity to show all political leaders what life is like for most people. Frances O'Grady This sweet, blessed, God-inspired place called America is a champion that has absorbed some blows. But while we bend, we don't break. This is no dark hour; this is the dawn before we remember who we are. Artur Davis As far as I'm concerned, I didn't dream - ever. Theodore Sturgeon Words fall short sometimes. Jeff Bridges Consciousness is the glory of creation. James Broughton I am very, very anti-slasher. Cassandra Peterson I try to avoid barbecue potato chips. They're my weakness. Gwyneth Paltrow All things are lessons that God would have us learn. Iyanla Vanzant I listen mostly to classical music. ...

I served seven years as the chair of the Princeton economics department where I had

responsibility for major policy decisions, such as whether to serve bagels or doughnuts at the department coffee hour. Ben Bernanke Head Start is designed to ensure that all children - regardless of their family's income, race, or ethnic background - are able to enter kindergarten ready to learn. Lucille Roybal-Allard There was a time when meanings were focused and reality could be fixed; when that sort of belief disappeared, things became uncertain and open to interpretation. Bridget Riley The big risk to British lives in 2013 is in Afghanistan. Our troops, diplomats and aid workers have made a big contribution there. But while there is an end date for Western engagement, 2014, there isn't a proper end game. David Miliband Every president becomes a caricature. The press, partisans, late-night shows, and other arbiters of our culture these days boil down complicated and multi-faceted personalities into one-dimensional punchlines. Mark McKinnon My chefs don't ...

All my graduation money went to paying for bartending classes so I could

have a side gig. I bartended for two months before I was supposed to move to New York and then two months later I got the job as an understudy in 'Sister Act' and haven't looked back since. Patina Miller Potentially significant, by the way, because we don't know exactly what's in Matt Cooper's notes, and we don't know - and we don't still know the answer to the crucial question of whether it was Rove or somebody else that revealed Valerie Plame's name to him. Michael Isikoff I was playing little league baseball when Bruce Jenner was winning the gold, but I don't think I was really paying attention at that time. It wasn't until 1980 - I think I was 12 years old - that I thought, 'Wow that's what I want to do. I want to be on the Olympic team.' Dan O'Brien A corporation is organized as a system - it has this department, that department, that department... they don't have any meaning separately; they only can functio...

The most important thing is to live an interesting life. Keep your eyes, ears and

heart open. Talk to people and visit interesting places, and don't forget to ask questions. To be a writer you need to drink in the world around you so it's always there in your head. Michael Morpurgo I think a major cause of present Asian economic difficulties that mainly come from, you know, lack of market economy. Kim Dae Jung I think I'm just really in love with women, and I love to see them looking incredibly, truly beautiful. I think every time a woman wears one of my dresses, you know, in a matter of speaking, I'm having a little love affair with her! Prabal Gurung Duh! So, we're asking you now, what are some of your favorite lines that this warlock brain produced? Charlie Sheen Things of this world are in so constant a flux, that nothing remains long in the same state. John Locke I think it's naive to pray for world peace if we're not going to change the form in which we live. Godfrey Reggio I wasn't really a work-conscious type...

America and the world are paying a high price for devotion to the extreme anti-government

ideology embraced by Donald Trump and his Republican party. Joseph Stiglitz Bitcoin is probably the most portable money in the history of the world. I can download any amount onto a thumb drive and walk across any border without any problems. Or, I could commit to memory a line of code that I can then input into the network and save or spend Bitcoins. Max Keiser You can laugh at anything. It depends on the joke. Ricky Gervais When you make a film, you never know how it will turn out, especially when you improvise it. Thomas Middleditch For any writer, a red pen is such a trigger. Jason Isbell For me, my music is fun. I don't really take my music that serious. Selena Gomez I can tell you I have dealt with mania my whole life. Juliette Lewis If given a chance, I would like to work with Surender Reddy. Varun Dhawan If you actually hang out in the countryside, which I did, it's actually quite peaceful. John Sandford I think, as an artist, I wear a lot of different hats, and people...

Whatever you may think of the proposed mosque and community center, lost in

the heat of the debate has been a basic question: Should government attempt to deny private citizens the right to build a house of worship on private property based on their particular religion? Michael Bloomberg Sometimes, when I have a lot of ideas and I want to do a lot of things, or when I'm traveling, I lose energy and I can't do as many things as I want. So I have to plan days when I'm not doing anything. I find that a bit boring, but it's necessary. Bjork And let me make this very clear - unlike President Obama, I will not raise taxes on the middle class. As president, I will protect the sanctity of life. I will honor the institution of marriage. And I will guarantee America's first liberty: the freedom of religion. Mitt Romney The intention was to shoot short films that can exist as shorts independently, but when I put them all together, there are things that echo through them like the dialogue repeats; the situation is always the same, the way they...

I love the way this sport has evolved and impacted every segment of society.

Now you have cross training and weight training in every sport and from middle school kids to senior citizens. Lee Haney People make a mistake thinking that two people with identical mindset gel well. Gautam Gambhir If money is tight, or you're on a limited budget, then consider DIY or used gifts. DIY could be something like baked goods for your friends, family, and neighbors. Plus, if you have children, it's a great activity to do with them during the holidays. John Rampton The custom of clasping hands is thought to date back thousands of years, as proof of not holding any weapons. Faith Salie I believe in term limits. I believe the country would be hugely better off if we had more turnover in Congress. Bill Flores When we demand Woman Suffrage, we can only do so on the ground, not that it should be a right attached to the possession of a certain amount of property, but that it should be inherent in the woman herself. Clara Zetkin I stopped acting a long time ago and my prim...