In Italy, for 30 years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed,

but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, they had 500 years of democracy and peace - and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.
Graham Greene

I can't wait to get my face lifted but my husband says, 'No, don't do it.' I think if it makes you feel better, go for it, but it would be nice if it looked good. There are a lot of people out there who are disasters and you think, 'Why did you do that?'
Felicity Huffman

Being a director, just to begin with, is just, I think, one of the hardest jobs just because you have to work in every way. You have to work with actors, you have to be involved with the producers and the writing and the action. Every department comes to you; you have to deal with everything.
Agnes Bruckner

Our enemy is motivated by hatred and will not stop planning more plots against until they are ultimately defeated. Today was an important and necessary victory in the war, but there is a long road ahead. We must remain committed if we are to succeed and protect our liberty.
Timothy Murphy

And I also serve on a caucus that addresses financial literacy for young people in this country. And it is so hypocritical that we want to talk to these kids about how to better manage their money when we are not doing a good job with our Nation's resources.
Melissa Bean

If China's expansion into Africa and Russia's into Latin America and the former Soviet Union are any indication, Silicon Valley's ability to expand globally will be severely limited, if only because Beijing and Moscow have no qualms about blending politics and business.
Evgeny Morozov

I think the truth is, we are all racist, really, when it comes down to it. I think all of us have to check ourselves from time to time, and say, 'Look, that sort of attitude isn't good enough.' It takes discipline to keep our prejudices out.
Peter Hollingworth

Gemeoss

There may be no issue that better illustrates the differences between Republicans and Democrats than

energy. Consider it the 'all of the above' strategy for reducing gas prices, versus the 'all pain, no gain' plan for punishing those who emit carbon (like you). Roy Blunt I don't believe in 'thinking' old. Although I've transitioned through many bodies - a baby, toddler, child, teen, young adult, mid-life and older adult - my spirit is unchanged. I support my body with exercise, my mind with reading and writing, and my spirit with the knowing that I am part of the Divine source of all life. Wayne Dyer The spiritual (i.e. the supersensory) has many degrees; thus, the term 'spiritual' is used both for the scale of degrees away from the physical towards the spirit, but also only for the spiritual proper. Piet Mondrian I always say: 'If I'm lucky enough to be given the opportunity to work again, that's it, I'm being wheeled on, sitting on a sofa, and someone's going to feed me grapes, and I'm not getting up.' Mic...

I have hundreds and hundreds of people from Brazil, Chile, Columbia and Argentina,

every day, buying my music and telling me about it online. Gabrielle Aplin The best way to look stylish on a budget is to try second-hand, bargain hunting, and vintage. Orlando Bloom It's actually the minority of religious people who rejects science or feel threatened by it or want to sort of undo or restrict the... where science can go. The rest, you know, are just fine with science. And it has been that way ever since the beginning. Neil deGrasse Tyson To ask a country with 750 million people living on less than a dollar a day to optimize their development for the environment as opposed to getting food in the mouths of these people and giving them a decent lifestyle, that's just a little bit too much to ask. Thomas P.M. Barnett I try to get away from the pits as quickly as I can. I speak to my engineer when I get out of the car, usually there's some press to do, then I will go off and have a shower and get my dry, clean overalls and clothing on. I'll have ...

I checked myself out in that funeral parlour scene. I saw myself laughing, because there

was a shot of Ed and I together and Mary was right in back of us. My head turned from the camera and I saw myself laughing, because Mary was absolutely brilliant in that thing. Gavin MacLeod It's funny, when I'm not on the road or doing stuff with Bad Company - or whatever- I've always written songs galore... a lot of stuff people don't even hear. Mick Ralphs Once you get yourselves into things that are working on a deeper level, you just have to keep going. When you reach that deeper level, you can't go back. Matt Stone I am making amends and seeking forgiveness. My only hope is that some good can come out of my situation. Jayson Blair We're not perfect. We're a work in progress. But man, America has gotten a lot of things right. Donna Edwards The world is starving for a new spiritual truth - a truth that works in sustaining life, not a truth that brings an end to life. Neale Donald Walsch Along the borders to Ethiopia and Somalia, anarchy...

Theo van Doesburg wanted to teach in the Bauhaus in 1922. I refused, however, to

appoint him since I considered him to be too aggressive and too rigidly theoretical: he would have wrought havoc in the Bauhaus through his fanatic attitude, which ran counter to my own broader approach. Walter Gropius I'm surprised how many people are into vinyl. Stephen Morris The first time I went to Cannes, Gus Van Sant was there in competition with 'Last Days.' Justin Kurzel My goal is to make a movie that no one would sort of expect me to make. Anya Taylor-Joy One of the depressing things one realizes as one gets older is how much of one's tastes and attitudes are simply products of economic circumstance at the time. Nick Hornby We worked with Max Martin's team, MXM, who are the best in the business as well. We worked with Stargate, which was phenomenal, and Victoria Monet. Ally Brooke I was going to go to a midnight screening of 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' in college, and it's the sort of thing where people dress up. So I got dressed up, and t...

I'm very interested in film, but any more involvement would happen organically. I'm not really

seeking anything out, just looking at projects that come up that interest me.Tavi Gevinson For Komen, for myself, the mission was always foremost in everyone's mind. The mission and the women that we serve. The only group that made this issue political has been Planned Parenthood.Karen Handel I am quite proud that I managed to prove that you don't have to be able to afford drama school or have the right connections to do well.Kaya Scodelario Fear is a waste of time.Jeanine Pirro At first, I was hesitant when it came to giving autographs, thinking that I am not even worth giving one. But slowly I got over that phase.Nawazuddin Siddiqui Above all else, protect your brand. If you or your company doesn't live up to your brand's promise, own up to your error.Judy Smith I live the life of a farmer. I don't see how I could wear Lagerfeld's designs while feeding my goats. I have respect for Lagerfeld as a man, but I would have so much more for him if h...

There are many individuals, companies and even countries operating in what I call a 'me

first' mentality, which is effectively a purely competitive approach to life, treating the planet as if it has infinite resources and pitting one country against another for supremacy. Simon Mainwaring Religiosity turns out to be the best indicator of civic involvement: it's more accurate than education, age, income, gender or race. Jonathan Sacks I'm very good at delegating - people work much better when they have a real sense of responsibility. But at the same time, I don't like surprises. I don't pore over every shoot, but I do like to be aware at all times of what's going on. Anna Wintour Art is the close scrutiny of reality and therefore I put on the stage only those things that I know happen in our society. Edward Bond All too often the Democratic Party has taken the black vote for granted, and all too often the Republican Party has written it off. Jack Kemp Honestly, most of the stuff I made for 'TV on the Radio,' I write in the stu...

I remember seeing war hero Jimmy Doolittle fly a Gee Bee racer there. He was

my childhood hero. Many years later, I was lucky enough to go hunting with him. Wally Schirra House Democrats have tried to increase port security funding on this House floor four times over the last 4 years, and House Republicans have defeated our efforts every single time. Dennis Cardoza Conway Twitty was always our local hero while I was growing up. He had a series of good bands. I wanted to sit in, if Conway would let me. And he did a couple of times. Levon Helm I've been lucky enough to work with extraordinary teachers along the way, and I'm excited to share what I've learned with graduate students at SNHU. I'm just as excited for what I'll learn from them. Leslie Jamison I took all my wax studies and threw them in the fire... that's the way it is when something unpleasant happens to me. I take my hammer and I squash a figure. Camille Claudel Better treatment and detection methods have also improved the survival rate for people with cancer, a...

When I talk football with my friends, I don't talk about Tom Brady's hair. I

talk about how he handles the blitz, or how he runs his offense. I talk as a fan. I don't want pink jerseys, and I don't want dumbed-down content. I want to be treated as a real fan - because I am proud to be one. Indra Nooyi Abandoned homes are everyone's problem, afflicting communities all over the state. Eric Schneiderman I know how to deal with jet lag, and I know just how much rest I need and when I need to take naps. When you walk on stage, you need your brain working at its highest and most fully-functioning, so it's not always easy, but I sort of figure it out. Joshua Bell It's all about being comfortable, being easy and having you be able to wear something and not having it wear you. It's classic. Every time I've tried to be bold and crazy, I feel like a Japanese animated cartoon character. Jennifer Aniston Silverstone is challenging, but it has a good feel. It's one of the quickest tracks of the year, with legendary corners like the...

I remember in high school thinking that I wanted to be a lawyer, and now

I realize I saw that movie 'And Justice for All' when I was a kid and thought, 'That's what lawyers do, and I want to get up and yell and scream in the middle of a courtroom.' Aaron Douglas I got a couple of different contacts from publishing companies saying they'd be interested in a book about my work: not a kiss-and-tell book, which I specifically put in the contract. Just a book about my work and what I did. Linda Ronstadt Preventing liquidation of an unbalanced market will leave you in tears. Ben Bernanke Like ministers of information, consultants condense the message, smooth out the dissonances, unify the rhetoric, and then repeat and amplify it ad nauseam through the client's rank and file. Matthew Stewart I'm actually banned from the Himalayas, because I'm too good at yoga. Judah Friedlander When I had the wonderful occasion to play a goofball, Jane, in 'Coupling,' it was definitely an homage to Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who...

I remember the first time I heard a co-worker refer to himself as a foodie.

It immediately irritated me. Was he implying that he appreciated food more than other people? That his love of eating was somehow more evolved than mine? Don't all people love the thing we can't live without? Jessi Klein Many writers will get a contract by selling chapters and outlines or something like that. I wrote the entire novel, and when it was all finished, I would give it to my agent and say, 'Well, here's a novel; sell it if you can.' And they would do that, and it was good because I never had anyone looking over my shoulder. George R. R. Martin Death and genitals are things that frighten people, and when people are frightened, they develop means of concealment and aggression. It is common sense. Noam Chomsky Although fostering a peaceful, prosperous and equitable hemisphere is clearly in the best interest of the United States, Washington has not always supported Central America's struggle for economic survival. Óscar Arias I wanted to be a...