Our ascendancy of the past two centuries - first Europe and then the U.S. -

has bred a western-centric mentality: the West is the fount of all wisdom. We think of ourselves as open-minded, but our sense of superiority has closed our minds. We never entertained the idea that China could surpass the U.S.
Martin Jacques

From age nine, my friends and I were on the streets, walking home, going to each other's houses, going to the store. I really wanted to write about that: the independence that's a little bit scary but also a really positive thing in a lot of ways.
Rebecca Stead

I found myself at dusk in the bewitching Roman city of Jerash with H.M. Queen Rania of Jordan one year, and scrambling with hardened paparazzi to get an image of the Princess of Wales in a tiny Nepalese clinic in the foothills of the Himalayas another.
Hamish Bowles

My instinct is probably one of the strongest assets I've got, workwise.
Gina McKee

I didn't plan on going into show business. Show business picked me. And it's been fun. One of the best things about being in show business is people think they know me, and they feel like they grew up with me.
Vicki Lawrence

A book doesn't have to be a literary classic, of course, to change us forever.
Pico Iyer

We have a broad range of snackers - moms, kids and healthy active people.
Keith Belling

I hate this idea in the Cinematheque that you must watch silent movies with no music, like it's a piece of art. It's not true.
Arnaud Desplechin

I was on a path that could've really led to disaster, and the one thing for me that really kept me focused and gave me something to believe in and a sense of self-worth and a discipline was music.
Flea

I'm interested in internationalism. It's the new multiculturalism. How we deal with each other isn't sufficient any more. It's about time we examine how we interact with the rest of the world we live in.
David Henry Hwang

My life has become a reality show. When I am home, people are climbing trees with cameras. I feel that my personal space is being encroached upon. I will try and protect it as much as I can.
Ranbir Kapoor

Gemeoss

When I was 17, I worked in a mentoring program in Harlem designed to improve

the community. That's when I first gained an appreciation of the Harlem Renaissance, a time when African-Americans rose to prominence in American culture. For the first time, they were taken seriously as artists, musicians, writers, athletes, and as political thinkers. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar I only make movies that are interesting to me. Brian Grazer I wouldn't say I was organised at all. I just have to prioritise. Is it more important for them to be organised, or to have their dinner, do you know what I mean? Jo Brand The courage in journalism is sticking up for the unpopular, not the popular. Geraldo Rivera A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy dare live. Bertrand Russell I think Mick Jagger would be astounded and amazed if he realized that to many people he is not a sex symbol, but a mother image. David Bowie I enjoy my job as long as I can create a character, otherwise it's boring. Jav...

It had to happen to me sometime: sooner or later, I would have to lose

sight of the cutting edge. That moment every technical person fears - the fall into knowledge exhaustion, obsolescence, techno-fuddy-duddyism - there was no reason to think I could escape it forever. Ellen Ullman Innovation and its allure can be dangerous. It can draw you away from the user, from the intended outcome, and may be the ultimate demise of otherwise great intentions. Mark Brand My voice is different, but I don't think I'm the only one with a different take on pop music. Charli XCX In South Africa, we drive on the left-hand side, and most of the cars are standard, so I learned with a full-gear transmission with a clutch and hill starts. I've never driven an automatic until I came to Canada. Jodi Balfour Mexico has 44 treaties with other countries that make it very advantageous to do international shipping from Mexico rather than from the United States. Wilbur Ross Winning HOYS set me up for the future and prepared me for riding in front of lots of ...

Given Pounds and five years, and an ordinary man can in the ordinary course, without

any undue haste or putting any pressure upon his taste, surround himself with books, all in his own language, and thence forward have at least one place in the world. Augustine Birrell Everyone should know that most cancer research is largely a fraud, and that the major cancer research organizations are derelict in their duties to the people who support them. Linus Pauling A Bush Administration will, I believe, enjoy a better relationship with the new Congress, although President-elect Bush will be faced with real challenges in getting along with the Congress. Richard V. Allen I once thought that I was the only man that persevered to be the friend of the white man, but since they have come and cleaned out our lodges, horses, and everything else, it is hard for to believe the white man any more. Black Kettle When you finish a poem, it clicks shut like the top of a jewel box, but prose is endless. I haven't experienced an awful lot of clicking shut! Kenneth Koch I thin...

As a Midlander and a big walker, I'd always loved ridge and furrow

fields, the plough-marked land as it was when it was enclosed. It is the landscape giving you a story of lives that ended with the arrival of sheep. Jim Crace I think it's really rare to see women on television who are brilliant, selfish, vain, fallible - and I feel like I have all those capacities in myself, so it's good to see people in the media representing all of those things. Kerry Bishe I never went after fame. It fell into my lap. Caitlyn Jenner My mom and dad were actors when they were younger and had a horrible experience of it. My dad became a literary agent and my mom a casting director. Daniel Radcliffe I have this idea of trying to catalog all the genes on the planet. Craig Venter The wind from the Kingdom of Heaven has blown all over the world, and shall blow for centuries yet. George William Russell I always said if I played a drag queen, I'd want to create a template with the realness they talk about in 'Paris Is Burning.' Billy P...

If most people were to take a moment to picture in their minds the average,

not-for-profit, save-the-world girl, they... well, they probably wouldn't, because who wants to think about hemp, hairy legs, and Birkenstocks? But I'd rather eat a pair of Birkenstocks than put them on my feet, and I love, love, love my Christian Louboutins. Nancy Lublin Every morning when I woke up, my mother was already in the kitchen making breakfast. It was always the same: steamed rice, pickled vegetables, grilled fish and miso soup. Each day there was something different in the soup such as tofu or potatoes. Nobu Matsuhisa My son was born during my last semester in college. His due date was Thanksgiving, but he didn't show up until finals week. I brought my books to the hospital and didn't think anything of it. That is what a father is supposed to do. LZ Granderson Unless it's a dead-straight short putt, you should focus on a spot somewhere along the line you want to roll the ball on. Ernie Els Ukippers are the kinds of fools who haven't notic...

You come across words all the time that are everyday sexism. I was described as

'competently bossy' and 'bossily competent' by a male journalist, and I thought, 'Gosh, 'bossy' is never used of a man.' Clare Balding I think that anyone who likes writing views 'The New Yorker' as the, you know, pinnacle of the publishing world. If you get 50 words published in 'The New Yorker,' it's more important than 50 articles in other places. So, would I love to one day write for them? I guess. But that's not my sole ambition. Lauren Weisberger While Ebola's deadly reach has proven to be a complex and unique international challenge, the many uncertainties surrounding this virus continue to threaten U.S. national security. Marco Rubio I crave deadlines. If I don't have a deadline, I become a total slacker, which is why I always have so much on my plate. Lori Wilde I can't take much pride in my childhood acting. It feels like it happened in another lifetime, and even then, it felt like a hobby. Mara ...

I didn't have any aspirations of becoming famous or successful; in fact I was scared

to death of all that. I remember somebody once said that if a rock musician goes on tour, he goes insane. I was very impressionable and I carried this useless weight of fear around with me about going on tour, all because of this thing somebody said. Steve Vai In 1940 I came across a record by Jimmy Yancey. I can't say how important that record is. From then on, all I wanted to do was play the blues. Alexis Korner If the greatest god is the stillness all the motions add up to, then we must ineluctably be included. A. R. Ammons The effect of studying masterpieces is to make me admire and do otherwise. Gerard Manley Hopkins Being in the public eye, I have certainly gone through the tabloid situation where they come out with stories that are not true. I don't read or pay attention to it. Cheryl Tiegs If I wasn't a film-maker, I'd be a film critic. It's the only thing I'd be qualified to do. Quentin Tarantino New discoveries in science will continue to c...

Bush administration officials, of course, deny that they didn't take the threat urgently enough, but

there is no debating that in their public utterances, private meetings, and actions, the al Qaeda threat barely registered. Peter Bergen I consider myself a gladiator. Bruce Smith There are a lot of Israeli musicians in New York because you want to grow and go onstage, and eventually you have to get out of Israel to do that because there aren't enough places to play. Anat Cohen I love, love, love, love, love, love Naeem Khan. Every dress he makes looks like it belongs in a museum. You put it on, and you feel like royalty. Ellie Kemper I was always bit of a jock. Duncan Jones I kick it with a whole bunch of people, whereas some people only want you to kick it with one race, you know. Ty Dolla Sign I love that fans feel comfortable enough to send us their artwork. Rich Moore Saying that you are advocating on behalf of small business does not grant a license to spend at will on more and more programs without congressional input, oversight, or statutory authority. ...

If you want to do interesting software, you have to have a bunch of people

do it, because the amount of software that one person can do isn't that interesting. Nathan Myhrvold I mean, I think I liked every band I ever played in because each band was different, each band had a different concept, and each band leader was different... different personalities and musical tastes. Buddy Rich I still want to be as approachable and relatable as possible - when I meet fans and they're crying, I'll say, 'Calm down, there's nothing to cry about.' Katy Perry There's an awful temptation to just keep on researching. There comes a point where you just have to stop, and start writing. David McCullough My upbringing was absolutely not the archetypal writer's upbringing. Even, arguably, the opposite. Graham Swift I'm not afraid of werewolves or vampires or haunted hotels, I'm afraid of what real human beings to do other real human beings. Walter Jon Williams When I'm writing, I try to have the mask of my character o...

Very few people know anybody like John McCain, someone who suffered and had his body,

yet not his spirit, broken for six years as a POW and who has served his nation. Kellyanne Conway I was once so terrified of acting that I used to pretend I was ill to get out of drama. Amy Jackson I like to play people who are deeply flawed, and I want to find the good nature in them. I even try to be kind to myself when I've made big mistakes. Laura Dern It's a matter of priorities. Do you want to win, or would you like to sleep? Do you want to win, or would you like to take a day off? David Boies The idea of just sitting at home on Facebook worries me. I think we should all get out more. Irvine Welsh I can remember when President Nixon basically said, 'All troops have been withdrawn from the delta.' And I said, 'Wait, I'm still here.' Rodney Frelinghuysen Forgiveness is a very personal and intimate thing. Forgiveness is not something that you can speak for others because it includes not only your desire and will, your reflection and inte...