I think of myself as writing realist American fiction. 'Cynical but hopeful' wouldn't be the

worst thing I've ever been called.
Walter Kirn

People can easily make millions of dollars without much work in America.
Jason Calacanis

When I was around 9 years old, I was watching TV one day. I was looking at this commercial, with a kid in the bathtub playing with a rubber ducky or something, and I said, 'Where do those kids come from? How come they get to be on TV? I could do that stuff.'
Kristy Swanson

As I travelled around Australia, strangers in pubs, on airplanes, in beach parking lots would bring up Gina Rinehart, not knowing I was writing about her. Everybody had something to say, some of it thoughtful, some of it poorly informed, some of it vividly obscene.
William Finnegan

We in Tunisia have no problem with respecting other people's religion, and we have a long tradition of that.
Rashid al-Ghannushi

You have to remember: what are incomes to banks are outgoes to families.
Elizabeth Warren

Despite the Obama administration's proclaimed commitment to global Internet freedom, the executive branch is not transparent about the types and capabilities of surveillance technologies it is sourcing and purchasing - or about what other governments are purchasing the same technology.
Rebecca MacKinnon

Every vote should carry a serial number, so that responsibility for harmful or careless use of the vote can be traced. Concealed voting should be outlawed.
P. J. O'Rourke

My mother worked in the white world, but I lived almost exclusively in a black world. I don't think I had ever seen a white teacher until I got to high school.
Edward P. Jones

I'm just someone who likes cooking and for whom sharing food is a form of expression.
Maya Angelou

If a woman wants to take her husband's name, that's her choice, and I still think she can be feminist while doing that.
Roxane Gay

Gemeoss

I did really well at school, and I would have loved to have gone to

Oxford or Cambridge. I would have read English, and I'm really interested in politics. Emma Rigby Every book in the 'Dreams' cycle dramatizes a particular epoch in the ongoing cultural collision between North America's native peoples and its European colonizers. Tom Bissell I cannot live without art: it excites me, it challenges me, and it leads me to the next thing. Francisco Costa I understand there's damage control to do on my image, but people are always gonna have their opinion of me no matter what. I understand 100 people may like me and 1,000 people may hate me. That's fine. Ndamukong Suh I did not want to write one of those sequels that famous first-book authors get into where everybody says, 'Oh yeah.' Robert M. Pirsig I am always happiest in an ensemble. Blythe Danner The first thing I said to myself on 9/11 was, 'There go our civil rights.' I found out by comparing notes later that George Carlin and I both said that a...

The only advice I would give Christians entering the world of arts: give yourself a

period of time, maybe three or four years. If you haven't made it in your chosen art form, dump it. Cliff Richard If most American cities are about the consumption of culture, Los Angeles and New York are about the production of culture - not only national culture but global culture. Barbara Kruger When we finished the tour we had been writing together for a year. We moved forward from there and have just now finished our record. We're having a new record out in the Spring. Kathy Valentine I hate the idea of getting in a building that someone else has designed and having to do something to it yourself to sort of dress it up - it's like using presets in your tracks. Sean Booth The Indian Summer of life should be a little sunny and a little sad, like the season, and infinite in wealth and depth of tone, but never hustled. Henry Adams Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action. Peter Drucker E...

There's this wonderful first assistant and he'll be saying, 'Now Harry goes down among the

dragons.' You have to hold yourself together. Because if you lose it for a second then you're sunk. Maggie Smith We believe we've got the skill base and the techniques to supply the chips that really enable the end manufacturers to develop exciting, innovative products themselves. David Milne Oscar Wilde said the rich and the poor are equal - they can both sleep under the bridge. Right? Do they have a right? You're damn right they have a right! Al Lewis If we'd have said we were not upset, they would have thought we were so rich it meant nothing to us, and if we say we're upset about it, they'll say money is all we care about. John Bonham We... are not really free if we can't control our own government and its policies. And we will never do that if we remain ignorant. Charley Reese Our universities and museums are respected around the country. Jane Byrne George W. Bush bought the election - period. End of story. There is no argument. Yo...

It's a different thing playing in a smaller venue where you can actually see people's

faces and reactions. It's so much more intimate. You walk away with a more personal experience. Jann Klose I love the theater. I love being on stage; I love the live audience. I also love dressing up and all of the make-believe. Nicole Ari Parker This is sort of not expected, but I would love to produce a record for Missy Elliott. It would be totally different, but she makes party music. 'Lose Control' was my favorite song when I was in 5th or 6th grade. Ansel Elgort I sculpted for four or five years. Mostly for my own amusement, I decided to do a picture book, and that was kind of a turning point. Chris Van Allsburg Circumstances in life often take us places that we never intended to go. We visit some places of beauty, others of pain and desolation. Kristin Armstrong I like John McCain. He can always be counted on for a good quote. Ted Cruz Practices such as arranged marriages and restrictions on girls attending school have deep roots, and changing them i...

You need to get in studio; we're excited about the Pay 1 opportunity with Disney

because those movies are not just movies. They're amazing family content that get flexed over and over again, forms great loyalty with our subscribers, and it's a real trust brand for parents as well. Ted Sarandos The trophy wife must be in her 20s to earn the title 'trophy wife.' Marcia Gay Harden Many key concepts concerning the nature of immunity have originated from the very practical need to control virus infections. Peter C. Doherty I have been beset night and day at Alton. And now, if I leave here and go elsewhere, violence may overtake me in my retreat, and I have no more claim upon the protection of any other community than I have upon this. Elijah Parish Lovejoy In villages across the developing world, governments have provided reasonable enough latrines that have again and again been turned into storage spaces or simply abandoned. In India alone, millions of government-funded latrines have become goat-sheds. Some had been built near kitchens, a ta...

American actors who voice animated movies are so brilliant at it, because by the nature

of American speak, it's full of energy and full of commitment. And as a British actor, we have to kind of learn that. Helen Mirren For me, that's natural. The instinct to score comes naturally and if you have it, you've got to go to it. Reggie Lewis The resistance does not mean that everyone can carry a weapon. The weapon is only for the people of the weapons. Muqtada al Sadr On the iPhone I tended to draw with my thumb. Whereas the moment I got to the iPad, I found myself using every finger. David Hockney Portraying as human the people you hear about on the news doing bad things is dangerous. But it's also necessary and important. Domhnall Gleeson I like the idea of shows where I don't know where I'll be at the end of the season. Amy Acker A life without fame can be a good life, but fame without a life is no life at all. Clive James I do as much debugging as possible on the Mac, but I occasionally must debug problems in the PC world, which ...

One of the first things a British visitor to Southern California discovers is that he

must have a car. Freeways. Bad public transport. I took driving lessons. Christopher Lee Corporations are economic entities or structures, and yet they're allowed to fund political candidates, and when those candidates are elected, guess who gets in the door first? It's corporations. David Suzuki As an actor, acting is like playing a sport. You do this thing that's intangible, and while it's happening, it's great. But then when it's done, there's really no tangible product. Someone else is capturing it and turning it into something tangible. Chris Evans I'm always excited when I make it on anyone's list - even if it's for affirmative action. My attitude is, 'Am I the token woman on this list? Because I'll take it.' Julie Klausner I love making people laugh and by the way I still do that with the charitable efforts on my part because I believe that people need to laugh. Goldie Hawn In my day-to-day life, I'm kind of ...

I was fortunate to have had a lively, happy childhood, but somewhere along the way

I convinced myself I wasn't wanted anywhere or by anyone if I wasn't thin. Lucy Davis WWE asked me to be in the Hall of Fame, and I turned it down. You know why? They put Pete Rose in the wrestling Hall of Fame. This guy can't even get into his own Hall of Fame. Mr. T Credit markets were originally created to serve human needs; to provide businesses and individuals with capital to start or expand businesses or fulfill other financial needs. Muhammad Yunus I'm not somebody who likes to show off my cleavage, and I don't dress up for the papers. Louise Nurding The reviewers tear me apart. I bleed. I'm a favorite target. They go along for six months looking at movies, praying for rain, and then a new Sandra Dee movie comes out, and their eyes open, and they lick their lips. Before they've ever seen it. Sandra Dee I personally do not find puke funny. I find it disgusting. Lucy Punch I don't live a lie. You have to understand that people who ...

This battle for 'common-sense' gun control laws pits emotion and passion against logic and reason.

All too often in such a contest, logic loses. So, expect more meaningless, if not harmful, 'gun control' legislation. Good news - if you're a crook. Larry Elder I drive a lot. Just for pleasure. Sometimes I'll get in the Cadillac and drive around the city or the country, kind of trying to get lost basically. Y'know, just see where roads lead. Frank Black You and I will meet again, When we're least expecting it, One day in some far off place, I will recognize your face, I won't say goodbye my friend, For you and I will meet again. Tom Petty We must dare to think 'unthinkable' thoughts. We must learn to explore all the options and possibilities that confront us in a complex and rapidly changing world. J. William Fulbright Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose - a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye. Mary Shelley Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such fr...

Melody is the single most important thing to any song, period. I don't care what

anybody says, it trumps everything. Not because that's my opinion but because I think it's actually indisputable fact. The human brain retains melody easier than it retains words. It's that simple. Ryan Tedder Today, if you want to access a typical out-of-print book, you have only one choice - fly to one of a handful of leading libraries in the country and hope to find it in the stacks. Sergey Brin Leadership is possible in all different ways, and in all different areas of life. Whether it is with friends or family, I expect them to set a great example for me, and hopefully I will do the same for them. And that is all part of being a leader. Steve Nash It was so wonderful outside that even the wild senselessness of this enormous death, whose music I hear again and again, could not disturb me from my great enjoyment! Max Beckmann What I try to do is tell my constituents that this is what I believe and this is why I made that vote. And I think that that makes more...