Jonathan Franzen Quotes
I think cultures of conformity produce vast quantities of shame, both in people who simply can't conform and people who do conform, but underneath, they're not feeling conformist.
Quotes to Explore
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I let characters be human and flawed and relatable.
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I never smoked. I never drank and I never took drugs. The funny thing is, nothing is more boring, people like this. For me, it's OK. But most of my friends, at least they smoke and drink.
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I did not have a van, or wear Birkenstocks and tie-dyes.
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Leave Jesus on the cross. He's very happy there!
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There is no more respected or influential forum in the field of journalism than the New York Times. I look forward, with great anticipation, to contributing to its op-ed page.
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Age is just a number. If someone can perform at 45, who will stop that fellow from playing top-level cricket?
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I have been afraid of guns, I have sworn I would never use a gun on another person and so did not need one, and I have wanted to deny the existence of evil.
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I think that we, as a civilization, need to sit down and figure out how to solve political problems over a table, not over a battlefield.
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If you want to wear long hair or wear that dress, as long as you're not hurting yourself or anybody else, I say do it. If you want to go out and have a romantic, sexy affair, do it.
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I've got no respect for any young man who won't join the colors.
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The one thing about going from the audience to the stage in just three years is that you know how it feels to be down there.
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I remember, as a kid, I'd follow the rooster and the chickens and watch what type of grass they'd eat. And me and my friends would eat that grass, like that was our lunch.
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The poet speaks to all men of that other life of theirs that they have smothered and forgotten.
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Some of the craziest people I've met, in my life, are some of the most brilliant people I've met.
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No two wars are identical.
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One knows less about one's own destiny than about anything else on earth.
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In the days when I was the big hero, the money wasn't much. Nobody made anything on television in those days.
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If you're going to take a jab at someone, you should at least have a bit more of a personal relationship with them. I feel like you can be funny and clever, as opposed to just outright vile.
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When you have such a huge past, a big background as we have, you can play off that - a lot of people do. But we felt we wouldn't have a legitimate future unless we put something new together.
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Working with Dav Pilkey was a dream come true. Dav is incredibly funny, and he's been a hero of mine for a long time. It was great bringing the 'Wimpy Kid' and 'Captain Underpants' worlds together!
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Even with whatever people want to label me with, there are so many other sides to me.
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To enslave a people, give them money they didn't earn.
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I think cultures of conformity produce vast quantities of shame, both in people who simply can't conform and people who do conform, but underneath, they're not feeling conformist.
