Van Wyck Brooks Quotes
Nothing is so soothing to our self-esteem as to find our bad traits in our forebears. It seems to absolve us.
Quotes to Explore
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Perfection is immutable. But for things imperfect, change is the way to perfect them.
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I love to sit and watch people. I love to sit and listen to people.
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The signs of climate change are visible across the nation, from the drought-stricken fields of Central California to the flooded streets of Michigan. Extreme weather is turning people's lives upside down and costing communities millions of dollars in damaged infrastructure and added health care costs.
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But you see, I have played more good guys than I have played villains.
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I think if you give in and accept society's stereotypes, then you start thinking, 'I cannot dance till late at night because I'm 70.'
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I'm a wuss - a complete wuss!
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People don't like to vote against something that's so incredibly popular.
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I started wearing all black around the time I got into Nirvana. I first heard 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' when I was about 12, and I remember jumping on my bed, so excited about it.
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I was never offended that people underestimated me because of my appearance or that they thought I was pretty and discouraged me from fighting because they didn't want me to risk hurting my looks.
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Get me well so I can get on television and tell people to stop smoking.
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If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians.
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I suspect that many of the great cultural shifts that prepare the way for political change are largely aesthetic. A Buick radiator grille is as much a political statement as a Rolls Royce radiator grille, one enshrining a machine aesthetic driven by a populist optimism, the other enshrining a hierarchical and exclusive social order.
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I am a very loyal man and always keep my promises when I commit to something.
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In sleep, you are safe from the revolting mechanics of living and being a prey to outrageous fortune.
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I love the fact that everyone's trying to be good-looking in L.A. - then I turn up and I get work.
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Ironically, I find it harder to get a foothold in Australia than I do in the U.S. When I was in Australia, I struggled. It can be a bit of a closed shop; it can be hard for a newcomer to break in, whereas in the U.S., it has much more of an open-door policy, and they will give anyone a shot.
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It's funny; people get so doctrinaire about music. It should be the last thing you don't have an open mind about.
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For an introvert his environment is himself and can never be subject to startling or unforeseen change.
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As to the most prudent logicians might venture to deduce from a skein of wool the probable existence of a sheep; so you, from the raw stuff of perception, may venture to deduce a universe which transcends the reproductive powers of your loom.
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I've learned in most areas of my life, to bounce heated choices off other people. Co-workers, my agent, my wife, a sponsor, etc. A majority of the time, that keeps me on the right side of things.
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I am much perturbed by this business of sickness. Our bodies seem so easily to leap into the saddle where our minds should be. People who are ill become changelings.
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For us political activists and candidates, the morning after any election is a mix of emotions - the personal and the immediate, the culmination of your own recent campaigning efforts; and the fortunes of your party and the success or otherwise of what you stand for and believe in.
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What most of us present to the world isn’t necessarily our true self: It’s a combination of years of bad habits and fear-based behavior. Our real self lies buried underneath all the insecurities and inhibitions. So rather than just being yourself, focus on discovering and permanently bringing to the surface your best self.
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Nothing is so soothing to our self-esteem as to find our bad traits in our forebears. It seems to absolve us.
