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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Coming from a family of preachers, the idea of giving back has been part of my life as long as I can remember.
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You don't have to be in the power business to be a powerful woman.
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At the end of the day, I think the most conservative principle there is, is giving people a dollar worth of value for a dollar worth of tax paid.
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Most unhappiness is caused because people listen to themselves... instead of talking to themselves.
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Often we are caught in a mental trap of seeing enormously successful people and thinking they are where they are because they have some special gift. Yet a closer look shows that the greatest gift that extraordinarily successful people have over the average person is their ability to get themselves to take action.
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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.
