John Irving Quotes
I think better of our behaviour as individuals than I do when we see ourselves as members of a group. It's when people start forming groups that we have to watch our backs.
Quotes to Explore
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Our parents all experimented with raising us in a fairly loose, unorthodox way. A huge emphasis was placed on creativity, and our artistic efforts were never dismissed as childish. There was a sense that we - kids and grown-ups - all had the potential to make something of value. Our drawings were not simply destined for the refrigerator.
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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.'
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Dealing with the government does not mean you have to give a bribe.
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Russia can be quite a dangerous place sometimes, but I never think about it.
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I gratefully look forward to oblivion, but I must be sure of it.
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Truth, when not sought after, rarely comes to light.
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The closer a Negro got to the ballot box, the more he looked like a rapist.
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It's a shallow life that doesn't give a person a few scars.
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I find celebrity really scary.
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In Maryland, we have the unfortunate distinction of being the most gerrymandered state in the entire nation.
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I'm vehemently against population transfer. I'm against expelling anyone from his house, ever - whether it be a Jew or an Arab.
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Religion is the recognition of all our duties as divine commands.
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I'm a Sufi Muslim, I would say. I believe in using the medium to create a good vibration because art is so important to society. Some projects I don't do because I feel that it's going to create a bad vibe. I don't do propaganda films that are anti another religion, anti-Muslim or anti-Hindu.
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We create success or failure on the course primarily by our thoughts.
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The cultural expectation should be if there's infidelity, the marriage is more important than fidelity.
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I was all about my thoughts, my work, my inspiration. I was always in hair.
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Let me be absolutely clear. Israel is a strong friend of Israel's. It will be a strong friend of Israel's under a McCain administration. It will be a strong friend of Israel's under an Obama administration. So that policy is not going to change.
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Oh my gosh, if I could be on '30 Rock', my life would be made. That is my favorite show. My absolute favorite show.
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One of my biggest problems with comedy was that I did not understand some of the jokes.
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I was always pretty decent at fast stick work or doing stuff that seems impressive that's not really; I was pretty tasteful and had good ideas musically. But I had a terrible sense of tempo, which is like being a blind painter. The conductor would just rip into me, and it lasted for years.
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I don't like to complain.
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Sometimes I need to reject the music proposed for my songs because the musicians misunderstand that the Fanny Crosby who once wrote for the people in the saloons has merely changed the lyrics. Oh my no. The church must never sing it's songs to the melodies of the world.
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If you don't include your women graduates in your breeding pool and leave them on the shelf, you would end up a more stupid society... So what happens? There will be less bright people to support dumb people in the next generation. That's a problem.
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I think better of our behaviour as individuals than I do when we see ourselves as members of a group. It's when people start forming groups that we have to watch our backs.
