Tom Stoppard Quotes
A Chinaman of the T'ang Dynasty—and, by which definition, a philosopher—dreamed he was a butterfly, and from that moment he was never quite sure that he was not a butterfly dreaming it was a Chinese philosopher. Envy him; in his two-fold security.
Quotes to Explore
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If my love is without sacrifice, it is selfish. Such a love is barter, for there is exchange of love and devotion in return for something. It is conditional love.
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Soon I knew the craft of experimental physics was beyond me - it was the sublime quality of patience - patience in accumulating data, patience with recalcitrant equipment - which I sadly lacked.
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If you think Wall Street has a short memory, you're dead wrong. No, the folks who work on Wall Street, regulate Wall Street - and, above all, invest in its wares, notably its hedge funds - don't have a bad memory. They don't have any memory at all.
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There were times when I was so sick of talking about the Bible.
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The stopwatch doesn't lie. The tape measure doesn't lie.
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Even though I've danced with actors, it wasn't the same with NTR.
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Scientific progress makes moral progress a necessity; for if man's power is increased, the checks that restrain him from abusing it must be strengthened.
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Necessity makes even the timid brave.
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Baking is my pastime. I just love creating things. But it's not what I want to do for a living. Acting is what I want to do.
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It doesn't matter if you don't have a complete set of anything because repetition creates pattern, repetition creates pattern, repetition creates pattern.
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This country is becoming increasingly authoritarian. It's based on capital punishment.
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The reason why so few good books are written is that so few people who can write know anything.
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In my previous career as a chief executive of high-tech companies, I experienced firsthand the endless possibilities when people from diverse backgrounds work together. They get to know one another and quickly learn that they share more in common than they originally thought.
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I started out doing musicals.
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Boxing traditionally was received very well and accepted on both sides.
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I've been so spoiled in the theater, writing plays where I can just do exactly what I want and nobody messes with me.
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People pretend to be nice; people pretend to be smooth and polite and everything, but this is only an appearance because the way we're built as human beings is only in paradox and contradictions.
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I don't like the mentality that comes with rich Russian men. Because they have money, they think they can buy a woman - and they do.
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There was a time in our very recent history when it was “interesting” to be a Star Wars fan. It was sort of like admitting you masturbate twice a day or that your favorite band was They Might Be Giants. Star Wars was something everyone of a certain age secretly loved but never openly recognized.
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Today carve out a quiet interlude for yourself in which to dream, pen in hand. Only dreams give birth to change.
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The Value of myth is that it takes all the things you know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by the veil of familiarity.
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My experiences growing up in both a Chinese American household and the Catholic Church define much of who I am.
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I had various jobs, I taught a SAT class, I was a bartender, I had a day job at an office and was making short films. I got grants from NYSCA and NEA for an idea, which later became 'Huckabees,' about a guy in a Chinese restaurant who had microphones on every table and heard every personal conversation and would write perversely personal fortunes.
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A Chinaman of the T'ang Dynasty—and, by which definition, a philosopher—dreamed he was a butterfly, and from that moment he was never quite sure that he was not a butterfly dreaming it was a Chinese philosopher. Envy him; in his two-fold security.
