J. G. Ballard Quotes
It is difficult to remember just how formal middle-class life was in the 1930's and '40s. I wore a suit and tie at home from the age of 18. One dressed for breakfast. One lived in a very formal way, and emotions were not paraded. And my childhood was not unusual.
Quotes to Explore
-
All Democrats are not entitlement people. These are the people who are going to suffer the cost of Obama health care. These are the people who are suffering because there're no jobs.
-
There's nothing wrong with being anthropomorphic. That's how we understand the world.
-
My maternal grandmother, Penelope, was a very big figure in my life. She was a child of the Raj, born in India, a debutante who hobnobbed with royals, then married a Canadian, Bill Aitken, who became MP for Bury St Edmunds.
-
The trouble is that, while my parents were great when they were apart, they were terrible together.
-
Privacy is not explicitly spelled out in the Constitution as freedom of speech is in the First Amendment.
-
Good design should be honest.
-
I've always believed that a good twist is one that, when it is presented to the audience, half of them say, 'I saw that coming.' And half of them are completely and totally shocked. Because if you don't have the half that saw it coming, then it wasn't fair: You never gave the audience a chance to guess it.
-
Here in France, I've seen some very good young designers, but they don't have this ability to be good businessmen, too. I think America gives you this.
-
What I'm interested in is the fascinating image of young leaders... you know, young people leading in different fields. You see athletes and people in gymnastics, where the requirement is that you are supple and very, very young... 11... and by the time you're 14, you're already over the hill.
-
My life has been a dream. If someone had to write a story about it, it would seem a little unreal. It's the kind of story I would read and say, 'Nah, that's not possible.'
-
I'm not a quitter. All my career, I went through a lot of physical adversity, injuries. It's in my nature to be a battler.
-
When I arrived at Barcelona, I was following a dream, but I now realize sometimes it's better to be content with what you have rather than follow a dream which nearly kills you.
-
If a film is a huge hit, you do think properly before choosing your next projects.
-
That's really my goal now. I'm trying to be a positive role model to my kids and to just enjoy this ride, because it's hard. It's hard to enjoy it when you're in it.
-
There is a movement to get an international criminal court in the world, voted for by hundreds of states-but with the noticeable absence of the United States of America.
-
Along with enough sleep and taking proper supplements, I steam - in my steam shower. I find it's very healing, more than just your typical 'tea and honey.'
-
The blessing of being able to write music and let music speak for itself is you let the melodies and let the lyrics and the groove talk to people instead of me talking to people.
-
In 1853, American warships bullied Japan out of centuries of virtual isolation and into the modern world. The threat of force compelled Japan, like India and China before it, to accept trade agreements that were economically ruinous and eroded national sovereignty.
-
Everybody always laughs because I feel so much more comfortable with, like, a giant paper bag on my whole body and paint on my face. Sometimes I try really hard to take it all off. But inevitably what's underneath is still not a straight edge. And I don't think it ever will be.
-
My goal in boxing is to be the best.
-
My wife is the most savage critic. She doesn't feel intimidated by my reputation. As far as she's concerned, she's just criticising a boyfriend who'd recently had a go at fiction. She can tell me to abandon whole novels.
-
I'm finally my dad's favourite because Kevin Costner is playing him.
-
It was a joy to be a part of the team that created Round The Horne. I was involved with the show at a time of my life when I was very happy., and that happiness overflowed into the scripts.
-
It is difficult to remember just how formal middle-class life was in the 1930's and '40s. I wore a suit and tie at home from the age of 18. One dressed for breakfast. One lived in a very formal way, and emotions were not paraded. And my childhood was not unusual.
