When you need a good laugh, do you reach for a book? I don't. I

expect books to move me deeply and submerge me in another reality. So when a novel makes me roar with laughter, it's always a delightful surprise.
Maria Semple

As a political current, Maoism was always weak in Britain, confined largely to students from Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Tariq Ali

Children are wonderful, but they are not the center of the universe. The sooner their parents make them understand that, the better off we all will be.
LZ Granderson

The House of Representatives eliminated the filibuster way back in the 19th century, and somehow it managed to survive.
Timothy Noah

My mom was the center of my support system, that place I always went to talk things through, whether I was feeling joy or fear. She was always there with a huge, open heart and the best advice.
Corbin Bernsen

I love telling stories with images. But I think there's more to just saying a movie is great visually.
Asif Kapadia

I came from nothing and achieved humungous fame and fortune. But I worked hard. I had discipline and determination. I had that ice in me.
Sugar Ray Leonard

I'm drawn to people who find themselves on the outside of things. I'm moved by that in real life.
Rachel Joyce

Even with protection, even with death threats, I can publish, I can travel and I can live the life that I want and not the one my parents want or some imam somewhere thinks I should live.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali

The degree to which you're peculiar and different is the degree to which you must learn to hear people thinking. Just in self-defense you have to learn, where is their kindness? Where is their danger? Where is their generosity?
Mike Nichols

Gemeoss

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 ...

Having a clear faith, based on the creed of the church is often

labeled today as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and swept along by every wind of teaching, look like the only attitude acceptable to today's standards. Pope Benedict XVI The military destabilised my government on politically motivated charges. Benazir Bhutto The test of the artist does not lie in the will with which he goes to work, but in the excellence of the work he produces. Thomas Aquinas A liberal is a man or a woman or a child who looks forward to a better day, a more tranquil night, and a bright, infinite future. Leonard Bernstein Would that well-thinking people should be replaced by thinking ones. Natalie Clifford Barney

The important thing to remember with the Internet is that there are large companies that

have an interest in controlling how information flows in it. They're very effective at lobbying Congress, and that pattern has locked down other communication media in the past. And it will happen again unless we do something about it. Eli Pariser The concept of industry domination of regulatory agencies was well known and documented in the literature by the 1960s. Nick Johnson Movies are immortal art - the first new art since Greek drama. Eric Johnston That government is best which governs least. Henry David Thoreau Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body. Lucius Annaeus Seneca To be able to endure odium is the first art to be learned by those who aspire to power. Lucius Annaeus Seneca Thinking of disease constantly will intensify it. Feel always 'I am healthily in body and mind'. Swami Sivananda Terrorism is escalating to the point that Americans soon may have to choose between civil liberties and more intrusive means of protection. ...

There are many reasons why vulnerable young people join militant groups, but among

them are poverty and ignorance. Indeed Boko Haram - which translates in English, roughly, as 'Western Education Is Sinful' - preys on the perverted belief that the opportunities that education brings are sinful. Muhammadu Buhari The most satisfying accomplishment for me was winning the British Open in 1996. But the most rewarding times were the times on the mini tours. Tom Lehman We are one of the richest countries in the world, and there is absolutely no reason why anyone should have to live in poverty. Jeremy Corbyn On 'Scrubs,' I played a very unusual character who pretty much was defined by saying and doing strange things, so it was easy to improvise around that. Neil Flynn I've been evaluating how much I value happiness in my life. To be too driven takes away your happiness. Heather Graham I'm always really comfortable writing strong, smart ladies. That's kind of my bailiwick. Chris Roberson I love singers like Hayley Williams from Par...

I love meeting new people. I have been so lucky to meet some of my

closest friends on set like James Gunn, Nathan Fillion, and Aly Michalka. Mikaela Hoover Passover is the most widely observed of all the Jewish holidays, and the Passover Seder... is the most practiced of all the Jewish rituals. Gil Marks For 'For Real,' where I play a singer who has to give up her passion for her husband and family, I practised singing for hours, in bathroom, in subways, though I am tone deaf. Sarita Choudhury I think it's not about what you say; it's about what you don't say. Shawn Mendes In Brooklyn, all the kids call me the 'Willy Wonka of the Hood.' Jidenna I learned to write crime novels by reading people I hoped to emulate: people like James Lee Burke, Lawrence Block, Joseph Wambaugh, and Sue Grafton. Michael Connelly For my part, I would say that the male sperm and seeds of plants have been penetrated so far that there is nothing further to discover in this great secret, but I could err in my opinion. Antonie van L...

I remember when I got my first (and only) iPad - excitement filled the air

as I opened the box and stared at what was essentially a big iPhone but without the phone part. I knew I really wanted it, and at the same time, I knew I didn't need it. Rhys Darby When I was 28 years old, I thought it would be great to have a movie about my life. I was egotistical and self-centered. Frank Abagnale The pitch that works best in tough economic times is, 'I can do that for less.' Greg Gianforte I think using anti-aging products really helps; the sooner the better, you know? Song Hye-kyo Being in Jamaica, I feel comfortable there. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce I think that, anybody with a strong will to tell a story, then that is fantastic. I think it's fantastic. I think sometimes people have what I'll call an ulterior motive with a story. John Lee Hancock If you really think about the fabric of the United States, or the finance of any economy, finance is a true underpinning of what makes the economy great - if it can be done successfully, ...

I never remember having a plan. All I could think about was how I was

going to afford to get into college or where I was going to stay because I hated being at home. I didn't really have time to think about anything in the future. I didn't think about a career or anything. I went to uni, got a couple of jobs, so I sort of funded it myself. Ellie Goulding I've always had great faith in the Man Upstairs. Wayne Newton The government can still conduct clandestine searches of innocent people's private information such as library, medical, and financial records. This is wrong and should have been addressed in a true compromise. Jose Serrano I had a job at a movie theater for like a year and a half and then a job at a health food store for, like, two years. Those were the only two jobs I ever had. Reggie Watts Clearly, high energy prices will have a large negative effect on the California economy and could possibly drag the rest of the nation into a recession. Doug Ose Every breath we take as human beings damages the planet. Kevi...

I remember at 16 years old, growing up in Queens, we were punks, but hey,

when we went to the theater, we wore a shirt and tie! Similarly, I believe that to keep movie theaters in existence, they're gonna have to make 'em an event, have a couch, a table and drinks or something. Otherwise, there's no reason to get out of your bed! James Caan The only reason I went to college was to play basketball. I injured my knee and couldn't play. Jeffrey Dean Morgan Going out and playing football or baseball with the boys, when I was a tomboy, was a great way to learn about winning and losing, and most girls didn't have that experience. Hillary Clinton If I wasn't performing, I wasn't alive. That's the truth. My parents had absolutely no interest in the business, but they knew it made me happy, so they said 'Go for it, girl!' Samantha Barks When approved, the SAFE Port Act will make progress toward protecting the physical infrastructure of our seaports as well as our national economy which is so clearly dependent on the com...

I don't know the accident of still being married. I was the worst human being.

But we were, I guess, in love. So much has happened to us to bring us together and keep us together. Shelley Berman My first time overseas was taking 10,000 tons of beer to Vietnam. John F. Kelly In the beginning, I was riddled with major complexes about my looks. Even now, here and there, these complexes crop up. But as the days progressed, I learnt to handle them much better. Dhanush A lot of times, I don't want to listen to my stuff, because I'm thinking maybe I didn't do my best. Darius Rucker I don't feel that I'm particularly political. I'm interested in politics; I'll express my view if I feel strongly about something, but humanitarian issues, I think, are slightly different. Gary Lineker I was never drawn just into fashion. I was drawn into it because I am really interested in serving women and providing women with solutions, trying to figure out what we need and why we need that and why we wear stuff, how it makes us feel. That was al...

You can give men food and leisure and amusements and good conditions of work, and

still they will remain unsatisfied. You can deny them all these things, and they will not complain so long as they feel that they have something to die for. Christopher Dawson Apart from that Mrs Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play? Tom Lehrer This is the precept by which I have lived: Prepare for the worst; expect the best; and take what comes. Hannah Arendt I will fight for my children on any level so they can reach their potential as human beings and in their public duties. Princess Diana Rarely do members of the same family grow up under the same roof. Richard Bach