Growing up in Britain as a rather loose Jew, the two things that didn't belong

together were freedom and religious intensity. In America, they do. The Founding Fathers made a bet that if you didn't force everyone to profess religion in their own particular way, you could protect intellectual freedom, and religion would flourish.
Simon Schama

When I was 13, I told my dad I needed to record myself because I sounded awesome, even though I didn't. By 18, I was a lot better. Then I got a publishing deal, so I was writing songs for other people professionally.
Meghan Trainor

For the serious biographer, history and the life story of a real individual are inseparably intertwined. Get the facts wrong, or distort them, and the life story gets distorted: becomes fiction.
Nigel Hamilton

I think Mariska Hargitay on 'Law and Order: SVU' is a really good example of a female lead I'd like to emulate.
Spencer Grammer

I'll tell you what I do have: I have a good feel for ordinary people, for politics, and those are my strengths. I understand, I hope instinctively, where many of our Armed Forces come from.
Bob Ainsworth

Man is never perfect nor contented.
Jules Verne

Writing fiction was a way to take the ideas that troubled me or confused me and put them under pressure.
Phil Klay

Adventure games are all about details - if you happen to take this one object and use it with this other object, in a really weird place, at a weird time. If you happen to write a really funny dialogue line for that, even if it didn't solve the puzzle, people will appreciate that.
Tim Schafer

Taking time to contemplate what you're grateful for isn't merely the 'right' thing to do. It also improves your mood because it reduces the stress hormone cortisol by 23%.
Travis Bradberry

Billy Barnes signed me and got me my first role in an interracial love story filmed in Atlanta called 'Together For Days' with Clifton Davis. My mother thinks it was my best work. You cannot find a copy of it.
Lois Chiles

There are 15 main theories in physics, and we know all of them. If there weren't a finite number of theories, there would not be a point to physics.
Ivar Giaever

Gemeoss

I feel my work is made for one being, one individual. You could say that's

me, but that's not really true. It's for an idealized viewer. James Turrell The only thing we know for sure about superiority in sports in the United States of America in the 20th century is that Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics teams he led stand alone as the ultimate winners. Frank Deford I love yoga. There's a lot of stretching involved, which helps with my flexibility and injury prevention. Vinyasa is my favorite as a recovery tool and for me to continue having my legs feel good. Alex Morgan When you get on the back side of your 60s, most people aren't working. Tom Petty God doesn't give you more than you can handle. Leanne Caret For as long as I can remember, I've just loved Chanel. Lily-Rose Depp I always dreamed of going to the Olympics. To be going to the Games in your own country is another thing; to do it as a potential medallist is another thing again. Hannah Mills To me, Berlin is as much a conceit as a reality. Why? Because t...

Native Americans' families experience living surrounded, living in increasingly small reservations surrounded by the society

that destroyed their civilization, and are still stigmatized. For decades and decades, for hundreds of years except in Indian schools, they weren't allowed to speak their language. That stigma takes a terrible toll. Joshua Oppenheimer Someone once accused me of slumming. I don't know what that means. I play basketball. And through that, I get to see a world that is not smart-kid world. Nick McDonell My father had a piano that was a nickelodeon - put a nickel, and the roller would play. Frank Sinatra As a child, I spent a lot of time at the library. Tracy Chapman It's such a cliche thing to say. I want to choreograph, I want to direct, I want to act, I want to write music, I want to play music, I want to sing. For me, it's never-ending. I want to do it all, really. Derek Hough Before someone can change his ideas, he has to open his heart. Maajid Nawaz In the IPL, you are often single-handedly responsible for the fortunes of your team. It makes you more ...

When 'The Dark Side of the Moon' was a new album in 1973, a friend

of mine walked into my room where I was working with a copy in his hand and said, 'You really have to do a play about this album.' Tom Stoppard I realised success as an actor alone wouldn't make me happy. I needed to explore my spiritual side in more depth. Linus Roache I think 'lunch' is one of the funniest words in the world. Stephen Sondheim Because there's no structural barrier to joining 4chan, the community is really dynamic; for every five people that leave, five new people join, bringing their perspective and culture. A lot of other communities get set in their ways. Christopher Poole Money has never been my drive. I have never seen the shortage of money in my life, so for me, I don't want to buy a silk pillow or a private jet... My drive is to achieve more than what my grandfather achieved; my drive is to make a name for myself, get rid of this 'star son' tag that has been attached to me. Ranbir Kapoor I used to work as a volu...

The fact that I'm shouting that I have Gangnam style makes people crack up. Imagine

if Brad Pitt was singing the song - would it be funny? A twist is important when it comes to writing lyrics. Psy It was so weird that I would end up directing 'The Greatest Game Ever Played,' because, y'know, I'm not a big golfer myself. But I grew up around the game. My mom and dad kind of built their dream house off the 11th fairway of Shady Oaks Country Club in Fort Worth. Bill Paxton Every time I was driving on the L.A. freeway in a small car, it was very unnerving for me. One time I rented an SUV, and it just changed my whole perspective of driving, and I was converted to SUVs from that day on. Lauren Lee Smith One of the toughest guys in the world is Randy Couture - he is the true epitome of what a tough guy is. Jason Statham There are millions and billions of atoms of memory of all kinds of musical themes in me. Erykah Badu Even something as stupid as Vine videos makes you feel like you're making things on your own. Gillian Jacobs I am oppos...

I have not made any suggestions about climate change. This is more about blending or

shifting the conversation about the environment versus the economy. It's just such an old, outdated conversation. Jennifer Granholm Sometimes shooting on a smaller scale, as long as things don't blow out of proportion, is very liberating. Daniel Craig Because I'm so known as a meat-chef, when I talk about Meatless Monday some people look at me like I've lost my mind. I'm like, look, I'm not saying beef and pork is bad, I love it and I eat it six days a week. Michael Symon I think character is permanent, and issues are transient. James Stockdale It is true that I was born in Iowa, but I can't speak for my twin sister. Pauline Phillips I came from a town of maybe 30,000 people. Jim Caviezel The rights of homosexual people are human rights, and human rights are for everyone. Ricky Martin I'm pretty much honest to a fault. It's my best and my worst quality. Jennifer Westfeldt I loved Australia. I was very successful there. Todd B...

The New Testament is of full authority and open to the understanding of simple men

as to the points most needful to salvation. John Wycliffe It's funny, because there are so many stereotypes out there about actors and movie stars in general, but I've had a great opportunity to meet a lot of them, and maybe it's just because they don't behave that way around me, but I rarely see that kind of abuse of power. Ryan Reynolds At the suggestion of Professor Itaru Watanabe, and with his help, I left Japan at the age of twenty-three to pursue graduate study at the University of California at San Diego. Susumu Tonegawa Not everybody is a great rapper; not everybody lives for the art of lyricism. Wale From my perspective, I absolutely believe in a greater spiritual power, far greater than I am, from which I have derived strength in moments of sadness or fear. That's what I believe, and it was very, very strong in the forest. Jane Goodall You must make some decisions Wall Street dislikes. Nelson Peltz Debt, we've learned, is the match th...

I just try to keep the same people I've had around me from Day One.

Keep it a real small circle because if you do that, not too much is going to go bad for you. Kevin Love I may not be as visible as I used to be, and by that I mean being in the clubhouse or on the field. But I'm just as invested as I've always been. Billy Beane I was a dancer for many years. I was a premier dancer with 'Porgy and Bess,' the opera. And I taught dance some, in different places. Maya Angelou I steal things from people, characteristics, and I just stock them in my head like a library to use for characters in the future. Luke Mably To the extent that we have a better understanding of the brain, we will have a richer appreciation of ourselves, of our fellow men and of society and, in fact, of the whole world and its problems. John Eccles I think what you wear really does need to reflect what your own personal style is. Rachel Zoe Write that novel. Start that business you've always wanted to. The ultimate high of life is the commitment to...

I think copyright has its right to exist, absolutely, and I think that

it's up to copyright creators to come up with new solutions that deal with the reality of the world we're living in today. Kim Dotcom I don't commit to things unless I have my A-team to do it. And I'm not trying to be cocky, but that shows in my productions. They are top notch! Cameron Mackintosh Unfortunately, in a recession, the people who suffer the most aren't the rich, but the wanna-be rich and the poor. Robert Kiyosaki We can have a new vision, one even greater than the system they gave us after World War II. Everyone can pursue happiness and freedom and peace. Condoleezza Rice An unvirtuous citizenry tend to elect representatives who will pander to their covetous lustings. Ezra Taft Benson I've certainly written a lot of things that have more or less come true. But I don't have a gift for prophecy. Charles McCarry I'm grateful for every day I'm still alive. Everything is still working. I attribute it to eating a lot of proces...

I wrote 'Actor' all on the computer. I didn't touch any instruments until I was

in the studio. So while I had all these ornate arrangements, I didn't have any songs. St. Vincent I'm an American. I'm for prosperity. I've discovered, from 40 years of reporting, that what creates prosperity is limited government. John Stossel That's one of the things I hope that the book can do, is to restore some dignity to Joe Cinque. Helen Garner I was brought up in a very small town in upstate New York. Bill Pullman It always matters whether or not you can trust your government. Trey Gowdy I always feel like I want to do my career my own way. Famke Janssen You're not allowed to be an eccentric in the world, you have to fit it. Rupert Everett The wisdom of the wise is an uncommon degree of common sense. Dean Inge In every parting there is an image of death. George Eliot Special effects movies have taken over the universe. That and scary movies. Jami Gertz

There are more books in the world than hours in which to read them. We

are thus deeply influenced by books we haven't read, that we haven't had the time to read. Umberto Eco Parents are the designated caregivers and are best suited for being able to raise children. Gordon Neufeld I started racing BMX when I was five years old. I followed in my brother's footsteps, and I was a little tomboy. When I came into the sport, there wasn't many women. I raced with the boys; I looked up to the boys, and all my mentors were boys. Caroline Buchanan I adored my mother, and I will always have extraordinary memories about her and remember her, and she opened the doors for me to appreciate arts. Mikhail Baryshnikov There's a stage where you're desperate to get a job, and you're waving your hands in a sea of nothingness, going, 'Please, please, please! I'm over here - give me a job!' Joel Edgerton Everyone loved Steve Jobs and the idea of Steve Jobs. Like a lot of people, I loved a man I never knew. Ashton Kutcher ...