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
-
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.
-
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.'
-
Dealing with the government does not mean you have to give a bribe.
-
Russia can be quite a dangerous place sometimes, but I never think about it.
-
I gratefully look forward to oblivion, but I must be sure of it.
-
Truth, when not sought after, rarely comes to light.
-
The closer a Negro got to the ballot box, the more he looked like a rapist.
-
It's a shallow life that doesn't give a person a few scars.
-
I find celebrity really scary.
-
In Maryland, we have the unfortunate distinction of being the most gerrymandered state in the entire nation.
-
I'm vehemently against population transfer. I'm against expelling anyone from his house, ever - whether it be a Jew or an Arab.
-
Religion is the recognition of all our duties as divine commands.
-
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.
-
We create success or failure on the course primarily by our thoughts.
-
The cultural expectation should be if there's infidelity, the marriage is more important than fidelity.
-
I was all about my thoughts, my work, my inspiration. I was always in hair.
-
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.
-
Oh my gosh, if I could be on '30 Rock', my life would be made. That is my favorite show. My absolute favorite show.
-
When you're your parents' one shot at a genetic legacy, you may get to attend all the best schools, wear all the best clothes and eat all the best foods - at least relative to children in multiple-sibling households. But you also wind up with an overweening sense of your own importance.
-
I declare I would rather be a kitten and cry, 'Mew!' than live as I see many of my female acquaintances do, tearing each other's characters to pieces, and wearing out their lives in vanity and vexation of spirit.
-
If I had to give one piece of advice to a budding entrepreneur, I would say: 'Aim big.'
-
I love working the legislative process.
-
Certainly in each social period, youth must be made to venerate the dominant absurdities.
-
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.
