I was the feral, mud-bathing, tree-climbing variety of child. Why would I want to read

about pirates when I could build a raft and terrorise sheep along the riverbanks?
Sarah Hall

It's hard to find an emblem of cultural, national pride that burns as bright as Israel's success in classical music.
Zubin Mehta

What are called 'public schools' in many of America's wealthy communities aren't really 'public' at all. In effect, they're private schools, whose tuition is hidden away in the purchase price of upscale homes there, and in the corresponding property taxes.
Robert Reich

Democrats hate America being a world power because world power gives power to the nation instead of to Democrats.
P. J. O'Rourke

My work ethic I learned at Miami High, and I have taken that with me.
Udonis Haslem

Every single one of the guys that I've written songs about has been tracked down on MySpace by my fans.
Taylor Swift

Shareholders need to have a real interest in the companies they own. Too many are simply too busy - they are asleep at the wheel.
Nathan Kirsh

Take the perspective of a journalist or scientist. Really study what's around you. What are people wearing, what do the interiors of buildings look like, what noises do you hear? If you bring your analytical powers to bear, you can make almost anything interesting.
Gretchen Rubin

'What am I missing?' is a much more important question than 'How cool am I?'
Paul Singer

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Mental agitations and eating cares are more injurious to health, and destructive of life, than

is commonly imagined, and could their effects be collected, would make no inconsiderable figure in the bills of mortality. William Falconer It's a shame the Manchester United situation turned sour. Paul Ince We know the road to freedom has always been stalked by death. Angela Davis When you realize you're alive, you can live life! Chad Michael Murray I spent most of this afternoon writing a new introduction for my autobiography. June Foray Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it. Thomas Jefferson We are muddled into war. David Lloyd George

What makes me laugh about politics, sometimes, is it seems like once we get to

a point where our problems are seemingly unsolvable, it's because we're looking through a wrong point of view. If we turn the thing on its head, then maybe we might see it differently. Dave Davies When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle conceived Sherlock Holmes, why didn't he give the famous consulting detective a few more quirks: a wooden leg, say, and an Oedipus complex? Well, Holmes didn't need many physical tics or personality disorders; the very concept of a consulting detective was still fresh and original in 1887. Christopher Fowler The intensity with which Janis Joplin sings, you simply can't find a singer like that. It's almost scary the amount of emotion and energy and passion she puts into her performance. Michael Wadleigh I don't like sequels at all. If the movie's good the first time, why bother? Michael Lehmann The tenet of the separation of church and state is an unconstitutional doctrine. Sharron Angle Back in the day, the album was k...

Around the world, it is much more difficult for women than for men to run a

successful business. Even when laws are not explicitly biased against them, companies owned and operated by women often face discrimination every step of the way, from obtaining finance to finding customers. Arancha Gonzalez There are no rules in snowboarding. Amy Purdy When people get taken over by the ego to such an extent, there is nothing else in their mind except the ego. They can no longer feel or sense their humanity - what they share with other human beings, or even with other life forms on the planet. They are so identified with concepts in their minds that other human beings become concepts as well. Eckhart Tolle Foreclosure is nothing new. And it certainly will always be a fact of life for some. Lisa Madigan The prime reason behind making 'A Flying Jatt' was that there are barely any 'desi' superhero films in Bollywood which Indians can relate to. I wanted to exhibit that a superhero is more than just superpowers and leads a normal life like the others do. ...

The more specific we are, the more universal something can become. Life is

in the details. If you generalize, it doesn't resonate. The specificity of it is what resonates. Jacqueline Woodson You have to be pretty selfless to have a child, who doesn't give a lot back to you. Gillian Flynn We may have a tacit understanding of how our solar system works, but watching the sun disappear behind the moon reminds us of the vastness of space and the enduring mysteries of the universe we inhabit. Jenna Wortham You're going to find out who your friends are. Anything that happens in your life is one of those challenges. It may not be at the level of celebrity, but everybody's going to travel that road. Stanley A. McChrystal There are certainly things in live broadcasts that I've done that I wish I could have gone back to edit and make better. It's hard, because you want it to be perfect, and it just isn't. Even in the edited ones, it's not everything you want it to be - but it's closer. Lonny Price I was actually a really sort of ner...

I think that we could be more careful about what we're saying to young women

in terms of their expectations. It's unrealistic to expect people to always be in designer clothes. Girls growing up deserve more freedom in how they look and how they feel about how they look. Emily Procter I knew I was going to do a country album one day. But I was just trying to figure out for the life of me, what we were going to do to make it different, unique. Lionel Richie Our institute's agenda is relatively simple. We study the relationship between social-economic change and culture. By culture we mean beliefs, values and lifestyles. We cover a broad range of issues, and we work very internationally. Peter L. Berger So my answer is, YES, everyone can find a hedgehog concept. If these companies can do it, anyone can do it. And anybody who says they can't is simply whining. James Collins In the polls, over 80% support the right to die and have done for the last 25 years. Even 80% of practising Catholics and Protestants support it, plus 76% of Church Times...

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...

I think my parents recognised that I'd always wanted to be a writer, and so

they didn't think that this was some idle, faddish wish on my part. Chang-Rae Lee I never studied dance, but if you look at 'Wild At Heart,' my mother saw that movie and said, 'You are a dancer. Look at how you're moving: all that strange energy is like modern dance.' Nicolas Cage Show me a mall, and I'm happy. Julia Roberts Some believe that the FBI has these phenomenal capabilities to access any information at any time - that we can get what we want, when we want it, by flipping some sort of switch. It may be true in the movies or on TV. It is simply not the case in real life. James Comey After the French Revolution, the world money power shifted from Paris to London. For three generations, the British maintained an old-fashioned colonial empire, as well as a modern empire based on London's primacy in the money markets. Gore Vidal Songwriting is such an intricate part of me as an artist and as a person; I couldn't just let someone el...

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 ...

In the real world, there's probably nothing more horrifying than racism. Living

racism is a horrifying experience. And then, having to normalize it and internalize it. Daniel Kaluuya I'll be a mentor to those who want to create a business, product or service and aren't exactly sure how to do that. To me, it's a true sign of success if I can help someone have a better time of it. Joy Mangano I'm a fan at heart. Robert Kraft My mother graduated from high school at 15 and went to work to support the family because the eldest son went to college. Ruth Bader Ginsburg When he emerged Lou Dobbs the populist, he was so hard to peg. A mishmash of contradictions: anti-outsourcing, anti-globalization, pro-international-trade, pro-free-enterprise, anti-corporatism, pro-choice, pro-Second Amendment, pro-gay-marriage, pro-gays-serving-openly-in-the-military, pro-military, anti-war-in-Iraq-and-Afghanistan. Jeanne Marie Laskas I started out splitting my time between the Kansas City and St. Louis comedy scenes, which both had bluer sensibilities than other cities...

Al Gonzales is a dedicated public servant and exceptionally qualified to be our

nation's next Attorney General. I know that a lot has been said about Judge Gonzales' life story. It is a story of the fulfillment of the American Dream. Mel Martinez In politics, there is no use looking beyond the next fortnight. Joseph Chamberlain All some folks want is their fair share and yours. Arnold H. Glasow Everything will line up perfectly when knowing and living the truth becomes more important than looking good. Alan Cohen Nicolette, Kendalle, and Alexandra are my children. Their mother, Cynthia Beck, and I, love them very much. Gordon Getty Mr. Janet Reno? I think Mr. Janet Reno... I think he's one of the best hunting dogs in the world. Ted Nugent The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. Thomas Paine