I think one of the basic tasks in life

I think one of the basic tasks in life - one of the nice things

we can do for each other - is to take things that are horrible and scary and make them acceptable and less frightening and, if possible, funny. It feels great to succeed at that.
Julia Sweeney

I feel like the people from Iceland have a different relationship with their country than other places. Most Icelandic people are really proud to be from there, and we don't have embarrassments like World War II where we were cruel to other people.
Bjork

The extraordinary exertions of the colonies, in cooperation with British measures, against the French, in the late war, were acknowledged by the British parliament to be more than adequate to their ability.
Mercy Otis Warren

Some types of environmental restoration projects are well-known; restored wetlands, for instance, or coal mine reclamation projects. Recently though, larger dam removal projects have started, a number of them in Washington state.
Matt Gonzalez

It is we the workers who built these palaces and cities here in Spain and in America and everywhere. We, the workers, can build others to take their place. And better ones! We are not in the least afraid of ruins.
Buenaventura Durruti

It is hard to think of practical applications of the black hole. Because practical applications are so remote, many people assume we should not be interested. But this quest to understand the world is what defines us as human beings.
Yuri Milner

And we lost a lot because of that, and I think this is future gymnastics to separate ages. Because kids can do it more than adult. A woman and adult woman can show more than the small kids.
Olga Korbut

People who grow up in a region doubtless have a better cultural awareness of their own cuisine, but it's also true that a lot of locals go to McDonald's, Applebee's and the like.
Nathan Myhrvold

We need safe communities that are free from methamphetamine and a federal commitment to stand next to state leadership and law enforcement in the fight against this epidemic.
Rick Larsen

Gemeoss

I remember I was unsure about doing 'Shameless.' I'd never acted in anything so commercial.

I read the script in the garden with my mum, Mary. She said it's filthy dirty, but she said these people have love and sex and nothing else. That made me take the role. Anne-Marie Duff When you're mid-season, in very intense situations, it's hard not to take that home with you. Especially when you're sleeping, you can't control what you dream about. And it sneaks into the unconscious. Aaron Paul Millennials regularly draw ire for their cell phone usage. They're mobile natives, having come of age when landlines were well on their way out and payphones had gone the way of dinosaurs. Because of their native fluency, Millennials recognize mobile phones can do a whole lot more than make calls, enable texting between friends or tweeting. Chelsea Clinton 'Saw VI' has a really interesting theme about the ripple effect. Everything you do affects the guy next to you, which affects the guy next to him, which affects her over here. And you might think that ...

Persuasiveness is really just about getting your ideas across without being forceful.

It's a skill that can be learned and is useful for anyone who works in a team environment. Amanda de Cadenet I was an extra in a Tia Carrere music video. Adam Scott When people start to think they're figuring out 'The Vampire Diaries,' it switches on you. Kat Graham It's a huge blessing to know you've done something that has affected people the way 'The Matrix' has. It's like, there's 'Star Wars,' and then there's 'The Matrix.' It's cool to be a part of that. Laurence Fishburne Voters aren't asking to be pandered to and aren't asking to be tricked. Jason Kander I'm a pretty controlled and disciplined person, but my real vice is buying plants and food shopping. Zac Posen Barack Obama was a president who understood not only how technology could transform the way government services worked but also technology itself. He got it. Steven Levy Positivity, confidence, and persistence are key in life, so never give up...

There is constant talk about the intermarriage crisis: who is a Jew and how

we define a Jew. That doesn't go over well with young Jews trying to figure out whether they want to be a part of this thing or not. Tahl Raz I've been studying voice for quite a while, especially opera, for at least seven or eight years. Shelly Burch Like anything, I remember who I work for. You work for the people who sent you to office. Darryl Glenn For the bourgeoisie, the main danger against which it had to be protected, that which had to be avoided at all costs, was armed uprising, was the armed people, was the workers taking to the streets in an assault against the government. Michel Foucault My grandmother is a huge part of my life. She's just a great woman: a woman of the church. Chance The Rapper I don't think we can fix poverty without fixing housing, and I don't think we can address housing without understanding landlords. Matthew Desmond One of my best friends since I was eleven years old is a gay man, and I knew his struggle. It was a tough life, you ...

I would say that it's mainly about the director. It's a hard quality to find,

but I always know whether I want to do something or not. The character is important to me, as is getting to work with people that I feel like I can learn from and make a great movie with. Alden Ehrenreich Viewers make online requests to their favorite video-making whisperers to do the things that trigger their head tingles. Everyone's needs are different. It's like an interactive choose-your-own-adventure. Andrea Seigel As you know, I was a solo singer, something I just got very much used to. Turns out I'm quite enjoying being in a band! Gareth Gates When you're six years old, you do not appreciate that you're living in the Alps. My sisters and I, all we wanted was to go to Disneyland. Ahna O'Reilly I don't think Beethoven expresses religious truth. He expresses a human truth. John Tavener In the suffragist and abolitionist era, there were a lot of white women and some black men and women who argued for the old hierarchy and against universal ...

The idea of being a young 50 sounds like you're trying to kid yourself, like

a Harley-Davidson or something. I've bought a dressage horse instead. Martin Clunes There is not a lot of money in competition dancing. There never has been; it's all about winning the trophies, really. It's not like golf. Anton du Beke The best way to honor someone who has passed is to live. Marvin Sapp Mixing in some rusty oranges is a warm way to update your place for fall. Nate Berkus I wanted to write about racism and xenophobia in 21st Century England and Ireland, but I wanted to do it in an exciting way so that I could reach more readers. Zombies seemed like a good way to do that. Darren Shan I am the type of girl with zero fashion sense, but I am getting into it now. It's becoming important for me. I saw a lot of girls were beginning to notice what I wear, and I feel a kind of responsibility because there aren't any women in Hollywood my size and age. Rebel Wilson I can't deal with someone wanting to take a relationship backward or need...

I love building spaces: architecture, furniture, all of it, probably

more than fashion. The development procedure is more tactile. It's about space and form and it's something you can share with other people. Donna Karan What we have in us of the image of God is the love of truth and justice. Demosthenes There was no television, so the radio provided you with everything. Ruben Blades All the beasts in Howling Forest were safe in their caves, nests, and burrows. Michael Ende If I wasn't Bob Dylan, I'd probably think that Bob Dylan has a lot of answers myself. Bob Dylan

It seems to me like Mother Nature's mercy and forgiveness have run dry, as we

ceaselessly abuse her and take her for granted in order for us to continue our addiction to using fossil fuels. I've gotta say, I don't blame her. Not one bit. Gloria Reuben Well, I used to have a sister, but I never got to meet her because she died after two days, I think. So if I got a tattoo, it would probably have to be something to do with my sister. I actually want to get a tattoo when I'm older of something about her. Chloe Grace Moretz But I knew - in the old days, if a song was a good song, I don't care if it was 'Yellow Submarine' or, you know, or 'The Times They Are a-Changin' or 'Don't Be Cruel', you knew it, you know? You heard that song, and you were talking about it, and you knew it. Don McLean You develop a third eye where you kind of know where they are in a room at all times but no matter how vigilant you are as a parent, at some point, you'll look around a room and can't find them and there's a searing ...

As I have discovered by examining my past, I started out as a child.

Coincidentally, so did my brother. My mother did not put all her eggs in one basket, so to speak: she gave me a younger brother named Russell, who taught me what was meant by 'survival of the fittest.' Bill Cosby There was a war crimes trial because an American prisoner had been shot trying to escape. He had obviously been recaptured and shot, and that violated the Geneva Convention. Charles Guggenheim He who reigns within himself and rules passions, desires, and fears is more than a king. John Milton Everyone confesses that exertion which brings out all the powers of body and mind is the best thing for us; but most people do all they can to get rid of it, and as a general rule nobody does much more than circumstances drive them to do. Harriet Beecher Stowe If that's the way the game is played, I don't want to play anymore. Joyce DeWitt

I was very lucky. Things happened, both bad and good, but I never got into

real, deep trouble. But it wore me down. By the time I was 18, I was done. I didn't want to live the life any more. I needed to develop past the point that busking takes you to. Madeleine Peyroux We wanted to be certain they didn't have a bigger deficit, and Kennedy agreed with me. Wilbur Mills If I'm in a slump, I ask myself for advice. Ichiro Suzuki A kingdom founded on injustice never lasts. Lucius Annaeus Seneca We gained his operational capabilities and he gained our marketing skills. Mercer Reynolds Innocence is like a dumb leper who has lost his bell, wandering the world, meaning no harm. Graham Greene Life is largely a matter of expectation. Horace

The purposes of the United States should not be doubted. The Security Council resolutions will

be enforced - the just demands of peace and security will be met - or action will be unavoidable. And a regime that has lost its legitimacy will also lose its power. Colin Powell I am emphatically against the privatization of Social Security. It is going to hurt millions of American women, American families and ultimately the whole country. Barbara Mikulski Science is the knowledge of consequences, and dependence of one fact upon another. Thomas Hobbes People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it. Unknown We talked about Tootsie, the idea in Tootsie is that a man becomes a better man for having been a woman. Sydney Pollack