David Shields Quotes
The essential gesture of the contemporary novel is to get people to turn the page, to entertain them, and I hate that. I want a novel where the gesture is towards existential investigation on every page. That, to me, is thrilling.
Quotes to Explore
-
Iranians defend and present their Islamic and Iranian identity to other people worldwide.
-
What's great about stand-up is that you can say whatever you want and go around the country, and sometimes the world, and work on it and see how people react. You don't need Standards & Practices or notes from lawyers or producers to tell you what's funny.
-
The Midwest breeds funny, eccentric people, to varying degrees. You play shows not because you're expecting to get a record deal, but to do something fun outside of mowing lawns. Everything else is just gravy... Or mustard.
-
Usually when you're working is when people want you to work. They don't want you as much when you're not working. That's the frustrating nature of our business.
-
The more people pointed at me in scorn the more stubborn I got and when they began calling me the Bad Girl of West Seattle High, I tried to live up to it.
-
It is not true that people are naturally equal for no two people can be together for even a half an hour without one acquiring an evident superiority over the other.
-
Helping people boost themselves out of poverty is the best way to make a lasting positive difference in a person's life.
-
I'm not going to change the world overnight. It's one person at a time, and hopefully they're people in positions of power who can help people get in those roles and really, truly embrace colorblind casting.
-
I've been working for many years and I think I've managed to work with some of the best people in the business, which has been rewarding and an apprenticeship.
-
People who have a sense of peace that their priorities are in the right place also have a sense of humility and a realistic view on life.
-
You have to understand that while I pre-plot the meta story of a given book, I often have no idea of what will happen on the next page, let alone the next chapter. That's what makes it fun for me; I write the books the same way many people read them.
-
I love helping friends, and I like to think I am a good listener and supportive. I'm also just kind of nosy, so it would satisfy my need to know other people's stories.
-
I want to know what people thought and what they wore and what they ate for breakfast.
-
Personally, I'm not into reality shows - I can't even name a reality show that I was a really big fan of, altogether as a whole, not just from MTV. Like, if ABC has another reality show, I'm like, 'Oh God, another reality show.' But people love them. 'The Hills', 'Laguna Beach'... those do extremely well. It's just a personal preference.
-
All these police treating our people wrong, man. Black lives matter, but we got fans of all different colors, so all lives matter.
-
I'm really private, and also, when I'm home, I'm home. I don't like people in on my business. I believe that you can be overexposed.
-
'Jaws' was the ultimate man vs. nature movie, and it was a movie that was basically three people against the elements, so that was the biggest influence on 'Frozen.'
-
When you're in a high-stress situation, dynamics between people can change.
-
I think it's important for people to stay human and remember that genuine human connection is more fulfilling than anything that technology has to offer. We all have it within us, and music is something that can bring that out of us.
-
At the end of the day, it's a series of individual challenges played out against a team defense. It's a psersonal test every time I step into the batter's box: Can I do better than the last time? And that's why I love it.
-
I don't have anything to prove anymore. I can relax.
-
No self-respecting feminist could argue with the claim that the novel is more likely to accept existing power structures than not. But there's a vast difference, surely, between Dickens saying Indians should be exterminated and a Dave Eggers writing eloquently about the NSA, but not being as outspoken on American military power abroad.
-
The essential gesture of the contemporary novel is to get people to turn the page, to entertain them, and I hate that. I want a novel where the gesture is towards existential investigation on every page. That, to me, is thrilling.
