Deborah Tannen Quotes
When did the word 'compromise' get compromised? When did the negative connotations of 'He was caught in a compromising position' or 'She compromised her ethics' replace the positive connotations of 'They reached a compromise'?
Quotes to Explore
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I've always had better luck learning things on my own. And I really love the challenge of doing it yourself and kind of being alone against the system.
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I was born in Dallas, Texas, but I was raised in south Florida. 'Ice Ice Baby' is about that area.
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Loser lit antiheroes aren't well intentioned or earnest; they don't care whether you like them or not. They're self-mocking, ironic and inventive; they narrate their downfalls with manic wordplay, rampant metaphors, wisecracks, and escalating flights of spleen-fueled lyricism.
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You don't boo at a Kemp rally. You boo at football games.
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All the women in my family are very dramatic by themselves. They make the biggest things out of nothing. I think that's where I learned a lot about being emotional.
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The thing about a failure is that it is possible to deny it forever.
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I am very lucky I got fans, and I interact with them personally. I know that they have poured their love on me unconditionally, and all I can do is work hard and be kind to them.
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Giving people some kind of control over what they do is important. Human beings don't do their best work under conditions of control.
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I'd been touring for so long, seven years. For a year and a half I'd just been curious about what it was like not to tour. It's like if you were to lift a 100-pound barbell with your right arm for seven years, eventually you'd get really curious about what your left arm was capable of.
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My primary influences were the best jazz players from the 50's and 60's and later some of the pop people from the same time period along with the better of the well known blues musicians.
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America's fine, nice, nice hiking near L.A. But I am European. I love London and Paris. Friends and intellect, big thought, why not?
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I'm a big 'American Idol' watcher, and sometimes I like to watch 'America's Got Talent.' Those are big, corny admissions, but sometimes it's so fun to see those kids really sing their hearts out.
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Anything's possible if you've got enough nerve.
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The most annoying and full-of-crap thing a writer says is, 'I write only for myself, I don't care if anyone reads it.' A writer without a reader doesn't exist.
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I'm never running for office. I love being able to speak to members of Congress or members of the Senate and floating on either side, because it takes all of us. It's going to take both of them.
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I was born in India - but never really lived there.
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My first paying job, when I was 15, I was a day camp counselor.
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I'm excellent at losing weight, but I've never been excellent at maintenance. I have some better days than others in terms of being hypervigilant, but with maintenance you don't know if you've been good at it until you're done.
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Growing up in politics I know that women decide all elections because we do all the work.
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Everyone loves a comeback story, and everyone loves the underdog as well. I kind of feel like I've been the underdog. Hopefully that inspires people to not give up on themselves and their lives and not give up on their dreams.
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A lot of times as writers, you want to come up with the best possible story, and you bend it according to what you want to happen. I think one of the things that I always try to think about is what would really happen in a situation, what feels real.
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I used to be obsessed with race. I'm more obsessed with class now.
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Who will grieve for this woman? Does she not seem too insignificant for our concern? Yet in my heart I never will deny her, who suffered death because she chose to turn.
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When did the word 'compromise' get compromised? When did the negative connotations of 'He was caught in a compromising position' or 'She compromised her ethics' replace the positive connotations of 'They reached a compromise'?
