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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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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If left unchecked, global change will create violent conflict, torrential storms, shrinking coastlines, and irreversible catastrophe.
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It's what great artists do. They suffer and feel more within the human condition than others. They're not better for that, just more sensitive, and there's a burden to that.
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In Mexico, you need to be a bulldog to make a movie because everything is set up for you to go back home and get depressed and not do the movie.
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I do enjoy battling with Valentino. It doesn't get any better than him and it just feels good to know he's the world champion and it just brings out the best in people to be right there and fighting with him.
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There is a peculiar burning odor in the room, like explosives. the kitchen fills with smoke and the hot, sweet, ashy smell of scorched cookies. The war has begun.
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Dramatic. A well developed sense of the dramatic has values beyond what people usually imagine. One of these is to realise the limitations of a sense of the dramatic.
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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.
