Chris Abani Quotes
We often think that language mirrors the world in which we live, and I find that's not true. The language actually makes the world in which we live. Language is not - I mean, things don't have any mutable value by themselves; we ascribe them a value.
Quotes to Explore
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Afrikaans culture is very right-wing and conservative, very proper, and you get this hidden underbelly, the zef side of Afrikaans which no one knows about.
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Normally, I rely heavily on my director to massage me out of my actor comfort zones.
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Balance is key in cooking - you want a little acid, a little sweet, a little savory - the flavors should be harmonious.
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Nobody, I think, ought to read poetry, or look at pictures or statues, who cannot find a great deal more in them than the poet or artist has actually expressed. Their highest merit is suggestiveness.
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People don't understand that all presidents, the minute they become president, get a knock at the door. And there's a man there saying, 'Let's talk about your funeral.' At the time I thought, God, that's a terrible thing. Later on, I thought it was pretty wise.
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Throwing money at something doesn't really create - forgive me that onerous word - art.
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No one can end it, but incidents of corruption can be reduced.
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War has been good to me from a financial standpoint but I don't want to make money that way. I don't want blood money.
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Everyone should learn to tango in Argentina before they die.
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I was lucky that I started very young, since I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to do. But my father is very conservative, and he never considered fashion to be a real career but something I could pursue as a hobby. He wanted me to be a doctor, and at one point, I thought of becoming a plastic surgeon.
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I've seen descriptions of advanced TV systems in which a simulation of reality is computer-controlled; the TV viewer of the future will wear a special helmet. You'll no longer be an external spectator to fiction created by others, but an active participant in your own fantasies/dramas.
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I do two months of strict dieting, so after fight night, I go for whatever my body is craving. It's usually sushi. But after that, I go home to Guadalajara and indulge in a lot of tacos before I have to start getting in shape for another fight.
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YouTube, as longer form, the content you make there has to keep you entertained for three minutes - or five minutes.
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I think happiness is a combination of pleasure, engagement and meaningfulness.
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I just want to be myself and be real and be funny.
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I always say that I don't like it when people follow trends too much, just because it is on the runway. I think what you wear really does need to reflect what your own personal style is.
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I know I am a writer; it is the only thing I am sure of.
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I try to avoid conflict. I don't want people to be unhappy.
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Probably the best advertising jobs of all are done by governments to convince people to go to war.
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I'm a relatively ugly character who's done pretty damn well in film.
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I have lived in one house in Baltimore for nearly forty-five years. It has changed in that time, as I have - but somehow it still remains the same. No conceivable decorator's masterpiece could give me the same ease. It is as much a part of me as my two hands. If I had to leave it I'd be as certainly crippled as if I lost a leg.
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I won't change and my perspective won't change. I want to continue my life the way I live it, and I'm not going to let anything stop me from doing that. It isn't all about acting. There's a lot more to life than Hollywood.
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If some people can imagine that a person they love is alive in another world, why can't I imagine Maurice is alive in this one An artist is a person who uses art to run away from reality. It's not wrong – it's survival. There's nothing wrong with me creating a world in which Maurice is alive.
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We often think that language mirrors the world in which we live, and I find that's not true. The language actually makes the world in which we live. Language is not - I mean, things don't have any mutable value by themselves; we ascribe them a value.
