John Irving Quotes
Quotes to Explore
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The law of sacrifice is uniform throughout the world. To be effective it demands the sacrifice of the bravest and the most spotless.
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A new idea - whether it's a way to collect solar energy more efficiently or a cheaper way to desalinate sea water or a new seed to boost the amount of food we can grow - can stretch the physical resources we have, or even multiply them. And the ideas themselves don't ever wear out.
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I've lived in New York for a really long time.
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Getting pummelled is better than not playing anything at all.
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It's always interesting about God because it's like all of the religions in the world say that they pray to the same God, and yet they ask that same one God to divide itself up and agree with this one and fight against that one.
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The Secure Fence Act, which authorizes the construction of 700 miles of security barriers along the southwest border, has now been sent to President Bush for his signature. This piece of legislation is an important piece of the border security puzzle.
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I don't think you'll ever be happy about anything unless you've done it.
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I've never been one to want to be the center of attention and be put up on stages every night. That's just not really my personality. I'm comfortable with it now, but my real passion is being creative.
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In general, I would say I'm probably a little more conscious of looking after my skin since I moved to L.A.
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The main characters for 'The Seer and the Sword' made an appearance one night and then haunted me for over five years before I began to write them down. Does that count as inspiration? For me, characters tend to show up, stay on to help with the work of writing their stories, and then occasionally deign to visit after a book is finished.
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I think, if I'm doing my job correctly, I'm presenting a scenario for you as the reader to engage with on your own. I mean, that's what the best art is supposed to do. It's not supposed to be political. I think if you read all my books, you know where I stand, pretty much.
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Having grown up as a young Army officer in the Vietnam era, I had an instinctual sort of notion that you have to look very carefully and weigh very carefully what anyone says.
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I'm not looking for a 'yes' woman, but a strong person who knows when to be objective and when not to be.
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I read my first P.G. Wodehouse when I was 12.
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'Matterhorn' is my metaphor of the Vietnam War - we built it, we abandoned it, we assaulted it, we lost, and then we abandoned it again.
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Agave nectar is a good substitute for refined sugars. It has a relatively low glycaemic index, which means it doesn't cause quick rises in blood sugar levels. It also has a nice, mild flavour.
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I must go deeper and even stronger into my treasure mine and stint nothing of time, toil, or torture.
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I mean, I've never really had much security, to be honest.
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A popular speaker, however unpopular and insignificant, has only to wind up his speech with half-a-dozen lines of Shakespeare (and to make it clearly understood that they are Shakespeare's) and he will sit down amid thunders of applause.
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Becoming Christlike is a lifetime pursuit and very often involves growth and change that is slow, almost imperceptible.
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Getting elected as a Republican in Massachusetts is very, very different from being elected as a Republican in New Hampshire.
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High culture always isolates, always drives men out of their class, and makes it more difficult for them to share naturally and easily the common class-life around them. They seek the few companions who can understand them, and when these are not to be had within a traversable distance, they sit and work alone.
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You've got to get obsessed and stay obsessed.
