Skip to main content

Posts

In a world that is constantly changing, there is no one subject or set of

subjects that will serve you for the foreseeable future, let alone for the rest of your life. The most important skill to acquire now is learning how to learn. John Naisbitt Adam's abduction was our private hell - but it was not an isolated incident. On any given day, any number of children are absent from their homes for diverse and numerous reasons. John Walsh Men have the power of thinking that they may avoid sin. John Chrysostom My feeling is that when you're managing a baseball team, you have to pick the right people to play and then pray a lot. Robin Roberts I had an idea of what I thought was funny. It's kind of based on how I am. Jennifer Aniston I always try to be reasonable and effective. Ian Smith America's health care system is in crisis precisely because we systematically neglect wellness and prevention. Tom Harkin

Old age is far more than white hair, wrinkles, the feeling that it is too

late and the game finished, that the stage belongs to the rising generations. The true evil is not the weakening of the body, but the indifference of the soul. Andre Maurois One thing that stands out throughout the entire year was that in South Dakota we are much more united than we are divided. Now the divided part creates news, but the united part is what moves us forward. Mike Rounds Science has made us gods even before we are worthy of being men. Jean Rostand I don't set out to offend or shock, but I also don't do anything to avoid it. Sarah Silverman I'm at the age now where just putting my cigar in its holder is a thrill. George Burns Whenever anyone has offended me, I try to raise my soul so high that the offense cannot reach it. Rene Descartes A young man without ambition is an old man waiting to be. Steven Brust

In America, people rarely stay in the town where they grew up, rarely stay in

close proximity to their parents throughout their lives. You rarely find parents in their old age being taken care of by their children. Robert Benton Maybe there is no actual place called hell. Maybe hell is just having to listen to our grandparents breathe through their noses when they're eating sandwiches. Jim Carrey Now, I do come from a part of the country where the people say that the only thing in the middle of the road is a yellow line or roadkill. Blanche Lincoln I chose Tennessee because I thought they'd give me an opportunity to play. Jamal Lewis We can invent only with memory. Alphonse Karr Unless each man produces more than he receives, increases his output, there will be less for him than all the others. Bernard Baruch It's boring to have the same guy win. I'm actively rooting against myself. Ken Jennings

The public conviction that a railroad linking the West and the East was an absolute

necessity became so pronounced after the gold discoveries of '49 that Congress passed an act in 1853 providing for a survey of several lines from the Mississippi to the Pacific. John Moody Sooner or later something had to give. But President Bush, faced with the unprecedented affront of 9-11, could not wait to take action. So he had to do what we were capable of doing, and he did it brilliantly. Alexander Haig He who is not impressed by sound advice, lacks faith. Abu Bakr I have a different way of thinking. I think synergistically. I'm not linear in thinking, I'm not very logical. Imelda Marcos I am a businessman. This is what I do each and every day. I love it. I love coming to work. I never have a bad day. Magic Johnson I've been in the struggle over seventy years - it doesn't bother me I may not win. Al Lewis Do your duty and a little more and the future will take care of itself. Andrew Carnegie

If I wasn't doing this kind of exploration, I'd like to be doing some other

kind of exploration. It might be more risky, or less risky, but, in the business of exploration, risk is part of the territory. John L. Phillips It was at this moment that I wrote my first important paper in theoretical physics. I was 32 years old, 5 years beyond the alleged age of senility for theorists. Robert B. Laughlin How you play the game is for college ball. When you're playing for money, winning is the only thing that matters. Leo Durocher I am heartily rejoiced that my term is so near its close. I will soon cease to be a servant and will become a sovereign. James K. Polk Well, the way things are going, aside from wheat and auto parts, America's biggest export is now the Oscar. Billy Crystal Compared to today's salaries, our cut was minuscule but it was very good for the time. Robert Vaughn I grew up in a family in which political issues were often discussed, and debated intensely. Joseph Stiglitz

What I'm saying is that there are bargains right now, there are stocks right now

that if you're shrewd enough, you will be able to buy them at the opening today and I you'll make money in a year from now. Jim Cramer I knew there was something special about the theater for me something beyond the regular reality, something that I could get into and transcend and become something other than myself. Raul Julia One of the nicest things about NBC is that Tom Brokaw is not Dan Rather. Michael Gartner The winds and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators. Edward Gibbon It has a sound and rational circulating medium, a real and definite representative of wealth. Josiah Warren If thy heart fails thee, climb not at all. Elizabeth I The future lies in designing and selling computers that people don't realize are computers at all. Adam Osborne

I thought it must be pure science fiction. But when I checked it out I

found a lot of magazine articles that actually supported the theory behind the book which was incredible. That's when I decided to acquire the rights of the book and everything went from there. Roland Emmerich I've always loved airplanes and flight. The space program was really important to me as a kid. I still have a photo of Armstrong and Aldrin on the moon in my living room. Bill Nye The good historian is like the giant of the fairy tale. He knows that wherever he catches the scent of human flesh, there his quarry lies. Marc Bloch Love begins by taking care of the closest ones - the ones at home. Mother Teresa You get the best effort from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within. Bob Nelson The proper study of mankind is woman. Henry Adams In his state of complete powerlessness the individual perceives the time he has left to live as a brief reprieve. Theodor Adorno

Perhaps the old monks were right when they tried to root love out; perhaps the

poets are right when they try to water it. It is a blood-red flower, with the color of sin; but there is always the scent of a god about it. Olive Schreiner The little things, I can obey. But the big things - how we think, what we value - those you must choose yourself. You can't let anyone - or any society - determine those for you. Morrie Schwartz I'm sure they're investigating everyone who was in the area. Richard Jewell The 'Net is a waste of time, and that's exactly what's right about it. William Gibson The heart of standing is you cannot fly. William Empson Everybody thinks I'm, like, a bad boy. I've had my day, but I just sit at home and play the blues mostly. Brad Renfro Let not your mind run on what you lack as much as on what you have already. Marcus Aurelius

What are you going to do to preserve a tradition that is the peculiar and

unique culture that Judaism inculcates? The American Jewish community is not going to survive by lining up against its common enemy. Arthur Hertzberg The best servants of the people, like the best valets, must whisper unpleasant truths in the master's ear. It is the court fool, not the foolish courtier, whom the king can least afford to lose. Walter Lippmann Some directors cast you because they trust you to do the performance - but then they forget to direct you. Samantha Morton We must prefer real hell to an imaginary paradise. Simone Weil But wealth is a great means of refinement; and it is a security for gentleness, since it removes disturbing anxieties. Donald G. Mitchell What we feel and think and are is to a great extent determined by the state of our ductless glands and viscera. Aldous Huxley I sort of always like to write starting with when I learned how. Daniel Pinkwater

Nobody - myself included - believes that we could ever achieve total information awareness. But

the government needs to set goals and long-range objectives. Total information awareness is a good goal. John Poindexter Well, usually when you talk about a mandate, you're talking about an overwhelming win. I don't think by any measurement the 2004 election was an overwhelming win. Lincoln Chafee Radio is a bag of mediocrity where little men with carbon minds wallow in sluice of their own making. Fred Allen The great songs just come out. If it comes quick, just leave it that way. Marty Robbins Constantly talking isn't necessarily communicating. Charlie Kaufman A politician is a man who understands government. A statesman is a politician who's been dead for 15 years. Harry S Truman You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. Mike Murdock

My ambition was to stop waiting tables. That was how I measured success: finally, I

was able to stop waiting tables, and I was able to pay the rent, and that was by being a stand-up comic. Not a very good stand-up comic, but good enough to make a living. Graham Norton I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. John Steinbeck Some people would say I've made it now. David Wenham A lot of the great songwriters in history have been collaborators, with a separate lyricist. Mike Gordon Be fond of the man who jests at his scars, if you like; but never believe he is being on the level with you. Pamela Hansford Johnson People recognize something's going to happen, and they'd better get ready. Tim LaHaye All styles are good except the tiresome kind. Voltaire

In every aspect of life, including the economic dimension, we are always challenged to do

the right thing. In many cases in the market system, which allows a great deal of latitude for human choice, people can get carried away to excess. Lee R. Raymond I think that my vampires in general were influenced by my being allowed to watch the Hammer vampire films. Vampire Circus, also shown as Circus of Fear, was one of those movies. Laurell K. Hamilton We must have as clear a picture as we can of the Australia that we want to achieve at the end of that time. Lionel Murphy I don't think anyone could write about another culture and get it 100 percent accurate. Elizabeth George You can never turn your back on the ocean. Rip Torn I have only one yardstick by which I test every major problem - and that yardstick is: Is it good for America? Dwight D. Eisenhower Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact. George Eliot

We had had several mine disasters where workers, some of the workers were rescued. It

was, you know, who was lucky and who weren't. Some would find the air pockets But, in this one, bam, it was just, everybody was gone and it greatly depressed the state. Richard Grimes One always has to remember these days where the garbage pail is, because it's so easy to make sounds, and to put sounds together into something that appears to be music, but it's just as hard as it always was to make good music. Robert Moog My friend is he who will tell me my faults in private. Solomon Ibn Gabirol You have to have a dream so you can get up in the morning. Billy Wilder Nudity... I have to say I will never do it again. Moira Kelly The word 'potential' used to hang over me like a cloud. Randy Johnson Never, never, never give up. Winston Churchill

The thoughts of my emotionally so disturbed days must be found again, shifted and developed

further. Here and there something of the loose remarks I make must be used, but only when it finds my attention again. Robert Musil Immigrants are people who leave one country, one society, and move to another society. But there has to be a recipient society to which the immigrants move. Samuel P. Huntington O man you are busy working for the world, and the world is busy trying to turn you out. Abu Bakr I wanted to take up music, so my father bought me a blunt instrument. He told me to knock myself out. Jay London He knows much of what men paint themselves would blister in the light of what they are. Edwin Arlington Robinson I think being funny is not anyone's first choice. Woody Allen Not that being so mature is a bad thing, but there are times to be mature and there are times to be loose. David Gallagher

History proves that all dictatorships, all authoritarian forms of government are transient. Only democratic systems

are not transient. Whatever the shortcomings, mankind has not devised anything superior. Vladimir Putin I have the soul of a singer and do splendidly in the shower but the world will never hear it. Basically, I'm the only Irish person who can't carry a tune. Roma Downey Unfortunately, we don't get a second chance. We've already played them twice. Trevor Brooking Reason is our soul's left hand, faith her right. John Donne Riches cover a multitude of woes. Menander The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall. Che Guevara There is nothing more poetic and terrible than the skyscrapers' battle with the heavens that cover them. Federico Garcia Lorca

Gemeoss

In 2003, I almost died of an intestinal blockage when I was on a mountain

in Chile, filming a segment for 'Scientific American Frontiers.' Alan Alda But I feel truly wowed by the architecture and the meaning of the architecture if you get lost in it and think about the man hours in the smallest little chapel, and the love involved. God it's fantastic. Paul Bettany If only Coca-Cola had had the kind of message to accompany its addictive deliciousness that Fox News has, we'd all be speaking Cokelish today. Steven Weber I do not believe that friends are necessarily the people you like best, they are merely the people who got there first. Peter Ustinov I have never seen a bad television program, because I refuse to. God gave me a mind, and a wrist that turns things off. Jack Paar Philosophy of science without history of science is empty; history of science without philosophy of science is blind. Imre Lakatos My advice to new artists is to embrace a broader concept of timelessness than vintage or retro. Brandi Carlile Every em...

I repeat that the distance between the earth and her satellite is a mere trifle,

and undeserving of serious consideration. I am convinced that before twenty years are over, one-half of our earth will have paid a visit to the moon. Jules Verne What I love about 'The Chew' is that we have these celebrities come on, and you get to see them in a different light, cooking or enjoying food, when we usually don't see them in that setting. So it's a lot of fun for their fans to see them be normal people and having that commonality of food. Carla Hall I don't want the big flashing lights and red carpet, like, 'Here comes another Bon Iver album!' I just want it to be my bedroom-y thing. But that'll take a while to figure out. Justin Vernon The very essence of architecture consists of a variety and development reminiscent of natural organic life. This is the only true style in architecture. Alvar Aalto I came to architecture from building. Because my father was a builder, everybody was - and is - a builder in my family. Renzo Piano ...

My brother was a great audience, and if he liked the picture, he would laugh

and laugh and laugh, and he would want to keep the picture. Making people laugh with an image I had created... what power that was! Lynn Johnston Mies van der Rohe's architecture and modern architecture in general suffered from not only being repetitive, but not explaining to the populous what the different rooms were for. Charles Jencks I feel now it's useless to keep hoping. The way things are today, we live in a world that needs laughter, and I've decided if I can make people laugh, I'm making a more important contribution. Paul Lynde At that time, we were in charge. We didn't ask. We just did. We just did what was in our heart. Ben E. King The care of a wise and good man for his only son is inferior to the regard of the great Parent of the universe for his creatures. John Woolman My mother still calls me Jim and that is about it. Everyone else calls me Lee. My wife calls me whatever. Lee Child My grandmother gave birth to 13 children and I come...

The central premise behind Oslo was that if Arafat were given enough legitimacy,

territory, weapons and money, he would use his power to fight terror and make peace with Israel. Natan Sharansky The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them... Whether you find satisfaction in life depends not on your tale of years, but on your will. Michel de Montaigne You can give some kind of spark of life to a comic that a photograph doesn't really have. A photograph, even if it's connecting with you, it seems very dead on the page sometimes. Daniel Clowes In my opinion, if we have not achieved peace, it is because people forget its most fundamental aspect. Before we talk about peace among nations, we must settle our peace with God. Sun Myung Moon So I rang up a local building firm, I said 'I want a skip outside my house.' He said 'I'm not stopping you.' Tommy Cooper If somebody plans to carry out a series of murders... then this is obviously an evil and pre-meditated attack and in that case, there coul...

I think when people mean that Discworld books have become darker they really mean the

series is growing up. In 'The Colour of Magic' most of the city is set alight. It's a joke, in much the same way that the Earth is destroyed almost at the start of Douglas Adams's 'The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.' Terry Pratchett So much of what makes a room great is how you enter and circulate through it, how it addresses the body. Annabelle Selldorf The blind must not only be fed and housed and cared for; they must learn to make thir lives useful to the community. Julia Ward Howe I have a tremendous desire to learn, and to grow, and to develop whatever I have that will make for any kind of improvement in me. Lawrence Welk Here in the big city people spend their time thinking about work and about money; they don't give some value to friendships and it can be depressing. Adriana Lima As much as you put into it is as much as you get out of it. Nuno Bettencourt I'd just rather have a really sharp, interesting, smart gay son than some big d...

The calls that I have received from President Bush and Vice President

Cheney, the fact that there are other people that are suffering every bit as much as I am, and that our whole nation is going through a tragedy together, I think we have to think about those things. Ted Olson In the beginning, it wasn't even a question of deciding I'm going to do independent film and not commercial films - I wasn't being offered any commercial films, and there wasn't an independent scene. Steve Buscemi Thousands across America are glued to their web cast to hear this. And actually, I've never met one human being who said that they had seen one of those. Spencer Abraham When I left HEEP I didn't know what I wanted! It took me a long time to adjust to life away from the band and the only thing I knew was that I didn't want to repeat my mistakes! Ken Hensley I used to work a lot on food issues and every time somebody predicted that production would be inadequate they got egg on their face a year or two later. Susan George Someti...

In the lexicon of the political class, the word 'sacrifice' means that the citizens are

supposed to mail even more of their income to Washington so that the political class will not have to sacrifice the pleasure of spending it. George Will Whether or not we can save Lake Michigan, whether or not we can avoid a breakdown in our criminal justice system are more important than whether or not I'm going to be governor. Bill Scott You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas. Shirley Chisholm Show people tend to treat their finances like their dentistry. They assume the man handling it knows what he is doing. Dick Cavett If you're bored with life - you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enough goals. Lou Holtz I feel that my whole life is a contribution. Pete Seeger Then the war became a real problem and along with other shortages, they started to have paper problems. Gil Kane

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 am totally, completely, 100% in love with fashion. I would wear Chanel gowns to

the grocery store if I could. I'm a huge fan of Chanel and Versace, and I actually have always dreamed of designing my own line one day. Ksenia Solo History is hereditary only in this way: we, all of us, inherit everything, and then we choose what to cherish, what to disavow, and what to do next, which is why it's worth trying to know where things come from. Jill Lepore Men know something that women don't know. Never ask directions of a stranger. Craig Brown It would be unthinkable to have a top-ten list of multiple narrative novels that doesn't include David Mitchell. 'Cloud Atlas' is the most obvious choice, but I have opted for Mitchell's slightly lesser known debut, 'Ghostwritten.' Susan Barker I think there's a culture in Rajasthan Royals that has been there before I got here, so I've come into it. I've enjoyed being part of it and embraced it. They are quite clear about the fact that bottom lines are important, and there...

The types of melodies I tend to write kind of have this bittersweet quality; they're meant to be

  uplifting but kind of have this melancholy vibe to it. Washed Out I would be concerned if one of my children were constantly watching nothing but horror films or indulging in gothic literature without the balance of other types of art and entertainment. I do think that's a danger. Scott Derrickson In recent years, Republicans have argued that Congress is a more responsible policymaker than the executive branch. But when it comes to regulation, Congress is often much worse, and for just one reason: Executive agencies almost always focus on both costs and benefits, and Congress usually doesn't. Cass Sunstein I've done acupuncture, and I believe in it. That's the first place I go if I'm having any particular pain anywhere. Renee Elise Goldsberry People just can't wrap their heads around two young black women in a major production. Laura Harrier Confidence and belief in yourself and your vision is absolutely paramount. The fashion industry is tough - be prepared t...