Benjamin Alire Saenz Quotes
Before I nodded off, I thought about what my dad had said—that life wasn’t all nice and neat like a book, and life didn’t have a plot filled with characters who said intelligent and beautiful things. But he wasn’t right about that. See, my dad said intelligent and beautiful things. And he was real. He was the most real thing in the entire world. So why couldn’t I be like him?
Quotes to Explore
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There are minds so impatient of inferiority that their gratitude is a species of revenge, and they return benefits, not because recompense is a pleasure, but because obligation is a pain.
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The dynamic element in my philosophy, taken as a whole, can be seen as an obstinate and untiring battle against the spirit of abstraction.
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Put paying your dues and all that puts so much into being a success. You have an understanding of what it's about, being on your own for three or four years and living day to day on $3, or living in an apartment with no electricity.
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You like the style of the people you like because it reflects something inside them.
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I do find walking is fundamental to my creative process.
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In a democracy, the majority of the citizens is capable of exercising the most cruel oppressions upon the minority.
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The VA does a lot of good things, but determining if a firm is a small business is not one of them.
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I've always tried to be fair, even-handed, not an advocate for any group.
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My mom would always play me a lot of late-'50s, late-'60s rock.
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Without literature my life would be miserable.
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Athol Fugard became famous as a playwright, so although 'Tsotsi' the book was written in the '60s, it was only published in the '80s. It was then optioned pretty much every year by producers. I think the problem was that holding onto its period setting made it very hard to get finance.
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The importance of creativity in our country is greatly misunderstood.
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We are all so busy and constantly trying to save time and balance everything.
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While 'Friends' was about a 20-something population and what they were going through, they were also dealing with issues with their family.
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People always come up to me and say that my smoking is bothering them... Well, it's killing me!
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Being a hooker does not mean being evil. The same with a pick-pocket, or even a thief. You do what you do out of necessity.
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Mum is a photographer, and Dad does world music and plays almost every instrument except for drums.
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Have courage, or cunning, when you deal with an enemy.
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'Blind Curve,' the book I'm working on now, sprang from a crazy incident that happened to me last year while on my book tour. I was pulled out of my car for a minor traffic violation - an incident that escalated into my being thrown into cuffs and told I was going to jail. Except in my story, the hero doesn't get off as easily as I did.
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Growing up, I always considered the Grand Ole Opry to be hallowed ground.
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For me, my party views don't advance my narrative. Until I can find a way to write political satire like my idols Christopher Buckley or P.J. O'Rourke, I'll simply say what team I play for and leave it at that.
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Before I nodded off, I thought about what my dad had said—that life wasn’t all nice and neat like a book, and life didn’t have a plot filled with characters who said intelligent and beautiful things. But he wasn’t right about that. See, my dad said intelligent and beautiful things. And he was real. He was the most real thing in the entire world. So why couldn’t I be like him?
