John Barth Quotes
One of the things I miss about teaching is that students would tell me what I ought to read. One of my students, back in the 1960s, put me onto Jorge Luis Borges, and I remember another mentioning Flann O'Brien's At Swim Two-Birds in the same way.
Quotes to Explore
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Working with Terry Gilliam was magic - I've been watching his films since I was little.
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I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance.
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Never regret yesterday. Life is in you today and you make your tomorrow.
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I don't like to be out of my comfort zone, which is about a half an inch wide.
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I want to keep a thread between the studio and the stage, and I want to flow more easily from one to the other.
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Left the ranch in 1883, went to California, going through the States and territories, reached Ogden the latter part of 1883, and San Francisco in 1884.
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I would love to work with Anthony Hopkins; I would love to work with Meryl Streep; I would love to work with DeNiro; I would love to work with Johnny Depp; I'd love to work with Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow... I think she's amazing.
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I would like for people to hear my music and hear/realize that people and experiences are deeper than what's at face value. Hopefully, with the span of my career, I can try to convey that in more ways than one.
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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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War is not merely a political act but a real political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, a carrying out of the same by other means.
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I've written a screenplay that is a series of monologues and songs; they form this sort of human tapestry across time and place. The form is strange, but I find it really fascinating.
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There is no way Israel will deal with the Palestinians if the Palestinians do not understand the suffering of the Jewish people.
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Weight used to be an issue. I was always fat as a child. And everyone used to tell me, 'You've got such a pretty face; why don't you lose some weight?' Over the years I've realised that my body is a certain type, and I have learned to accept it.
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I've done the Rolling Stones eating each other.
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I will say that rowing in the first Olympics was probably one of the most proud moments in my life. What I enjoy about the sport is that it's definitive. Nobody can take away from the fact that you're an Olympian. It's indisputable. You get there on merit and merit alone.
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Nothing is more enjoyable for me than when I'm watching a movie or a TV show and there's that sense that anything can happen. It is the most fun feeling in the world.
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I think 'Dark Blue' came to me while I was doing a project in London. I read it, and the character immediately popped out at me.
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There are those who seem to feel they have no choice about being jerks in the present because they had a crappy childhood. Well, that's the definition of childhood; nobody gets out alive. You either get stronger from what you experience, or you turn it into a crutch, an excuse, a dodge.
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I wanted to be a comedian, and this is what I'm doing. If I can keep this going, I'm happy.
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I could never be in a situation with a job where I was not allowed to listen to music all day. I would rather work at a fast food restaurant where I could turn on the radio all day rather than be in a situation where I have to sneak and listen to music.
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Organized labor, if they're doing a responsible job, is going to organize the pooling of small amounts of money to protect the interests of the people who are not rich.
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I grew up a really shy kid, but I always surrounded myself with a lot funny people. It depends on the day - if I feel like being quiet, I will be. I'm not a complete goofball, though.
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Remember that the only constant in life is change.
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One of the things I miss about teaching is that students would tell me what I ought to read. One of my students, back in the 1960s, put me onto Jorge Luis Borges, and I remember another mentioning Flann O'Brien's At Swim Two-Birds in the same way.
