Russell Banks Quotes
Although I still occasionally paint and draw, my life has now been shaped by my writing.
Quotes to Explore
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The fact that we live in a world where black people have to strategize so they're not brutalized by police is insane.
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The art of storytelling is reaching its end because the epic side of truth, wisdom, is dying out.
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I just make up lyrics off the top of my head. A lot of times, there's a phrase I really like, and I kind of build the song around that.
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The guitar for me is a translation device. It's not a goal. And in some ways, jazz isn't a destination for me. For me, jazz is a vehicle that takes you to the true destination - a musical one that describes all kinds of stuff about the human condition and the way music works.
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Lets be clear, Dolly Parton is a rapper. Somewhere before all the country, I don't know what happens up there in the mountains when you're growing up, but she has been spitting rhymes for a very long time - 50 years I'd say.
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'Vanity' means worthlessness.
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Folks like me have to feel a little indebted to the communities that they came from. And if they do, I think we'll start to see a little bit more of a geographic integration in the country because people will start to think, 'You know what? I owe that place something, and I should return to it in one form or another.'
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The woman who purposely destroys her unborn child is guilty of murder. With us there is no nice enquiry as to its being formed or unformed.
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Muslim girls, we love fashion! Whether we wear the hijab or not - it's our choice - and it's time the industry took note. Finally, fashion stores are open to that idea.
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Twitter may have a cute-sounding name, but it exists, it generates a ton of content, it implicates all types of people, and it has nuances that are important to get right. Hopefully, its careless rendering by sloppy journalists won't lead to the dumbification of America.
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I really hope someday in Hollywood, some producer or director will hire me only to do drama.
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I want a baby from an Italian - possibly Sicilian - donor.
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Working in Tokyo has convinced me that, contrary to what people think, it is actually one of the world's most beautiful cities.
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In some theoretical way I know that a half-million people hear the show. But in a day-to-day way, there's not much evidence of it.
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Doing something that is productive is a great way to alleviate emotional stress. Get your mind doing something that is productive.
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I wrote 'Wish U Were Here' for Cody Simpson, and he invited me to perform with him on tour and be in his music video. He was shy at first. I think it's the surfer boy in him that makes him so mellow.
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I can cry like Roger. It's just a shame I can't play like him.
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We have to be careful because if one day the world is short of energy, it will be our responsibility. Everybody will ask Total, 'Why don't you have more oil?'
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You do learn how to cope from those who are coping.
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I met Mos Def around that time but I didn't hook up with him until I was about 17 or 18.
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Seriously though, my father was the first African American to sign a contract with the Metropolitan Opera so I grew up with classical music and jazz in the home all the time.
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Simplification of the tax code would not only unlock dormant economic potential, but, in the process, it would blunt the preferred weapon of social engineers, who reward favored industries, punish success and distort economic incentives.
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Corporations hope that the right concept will turn things around overnight. This is what you might call the crash-diet approach: starve yourself for a few days and you'll be thin for life.
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Although I still occasionally paint and draw, my life has now been shaped by my writing.
