Alan Hovhaness Quotes
My mother's background was Scottish. She came from an old family, some of whom lived in upper New York State and some of whom had come over from Scotland.

Quotes to Explore
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I was taught from a very early age that I had to work twice as hard to get half as much. That was the world I grew up in - a very strong work ethic.
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A first date should be elegant. In comfortable surroundings. A place with excellent food, where you can talk easily and get to know each other.
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Body experience... is the centre of creation.
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Never having alone time is real tough on people.
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They think my life is glamourous. It's not true. I obviously get to come in and do radio interviews. That's the glamour. But other than that, I eat and sleep and that's it. Eat, sleep and do shows.
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I don't think my mother and father ever had any doubts about what I was to be punished for or not. My parents come from a very strictly defined culture.
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I started wearing all black around the time I got into Nirvana. I first heard 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' when I was about 12, and I remember jumping on my bed, so excited about it.
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No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.
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The American people know something is wrong as far as energy is concerned. They don't think they are being told the truth.
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I was raised looking at women who were strong, and they weren't really into playing race cards or playing gender cards. I didn't grow up around women who were like, 'Well, let the boys do that, and let the girls do that.' I didn't really see that in my house.
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I have, like, two and a half years of failed jokes that I know I wouldn't repeat, but I certainly have no comprehension of what definitely works. And the only gauge that I can go by is, 'This makes me laugh,' and is joyful... I like to, if possible, do things that people can enjoy and it doesn't take anybody down.
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Once every five hundred years or so, a summary statement about poetry comes along that we can't imagine ourselves living without.
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Corruption is in society and in every strata of society.
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A good catchword can obscure analysis for fifty years.
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I went to a strict elementary school with nuns, and uniforms that I'm pretty sure were made out of sandpaper. It was an academic, sports-oriented place. I liked to read, and wanted to act, and didn't try out for volleyball. I was weird. The other girls would dip my hair in ink and stuff.
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I don't really like to talk about other people. I think people who have things going on in their lives, I think they have enough to deal with, they don't need, you know, Abigail Breslin weighing in on their lives.
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You have to struggle to stay alive and be of use as long as you can.
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Some people think they should go to Heaven but not have to die to get there. Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.
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I would say that awards are for children. Because children need a tangible representation of their achievement. And as adults, you have to settle for the respect and admiration of your peers.
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I would hate for people to think that 'Strong Island' is just about a family's grief. It is about a family's grief, yes, but it is also an interrogation of our criminal justice system.
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I came from a very poor background. I came from children's homes; I came from a violent family, and against all the odds, I succeeded.
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We were never a family that had a lot. We had enough, but not a lot.
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I loved London. In the 1970s... it was very exciting, really wild.
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My mother's background was Scottish. She came from an old family, some of whom lived in upper New York State and some of whom had come over from Scotland.