Iain Banks Quotes
People can be teachers and idiots; they can be philosophers and idiots; they can be politicians and idiots... in fact I think they have to be... a genius can be an idiot. The world is largely run for and by idiots; it is no great handicap in life and in certain areas is actually a distinct advantage and even a prerequisite for advancement.
Quotes to Explore
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I was born into a world where a lot of people who came to the house were performers.
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I loved publishing; I loved working in the book industry, but I've been writing pretty much nonstop since I was 19. I realized very early on that I would need a day job, and I wanted one that was in books.
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When I first started out, I was a bad actor.
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When I was in jail, I was a lot of people's favorite person. I practically ran the jail. I had more freedom than the police.
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The issue with Syria, I think for many of us, has always been about Iran. This is an anchor point for them in terms of regional domination. It means a lot to them. They are all in here.
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A Pike, in the California dialect, is a native of Missouri, Arkansas, Northern Texas, or Southern Illinois. The first emigrants that came over the plains were from Pike County, Missouri; but as the phrase, 'a Pike County man,' was altogether too long for this short life of ours, it was soon abbreviated into 'a Pike.'
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By channeling my inner heiress, I created a new opportunity for young heiresses.
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There's no greater feeling in the world than when you can put a smile on somebody's face just by walking into a room. It's unbelievable. And if I have that power, who am I to waste it, you know?
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I've always been extremely physical. I was a gymnast for 15 years, and then I was a dancer for nine, so I was kind of looking for these parts. But we have a tendency in Denmark not to do many action films.
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The big things I've had are things I bought myself.
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I'd love to be a 'Bond' girl.
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For me, the day job comes first. That's why I call myself a diplomat who writes, not a writer who masquerades as a diplomat. If the day job demands it, I won't write at all. I write in what I call 'the crevices of my day job', and that comes only on weekends.
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Focus on remedies, not faults.
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I like films to be pure cinema, but I also like them to provide a snapshot of a family, a society or a character - something that can nourish you as a human being as well as an actor.
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A man notices a woman's figure when she walks in a room. Women have eight million words for blue; a man says dark blue or light blue.
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Being an actress can be a little like being a girl in the '50s: You're stuck waiting by the phone, hoping that the boy you like will call.
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We must keep both our femininity and our strength.
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Democratic accountability means that governments must be popularly accepted, with citizens empowered to replace corrupt or incompetent rulers.
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Nothing is impossible to the mind. All it's guidance and power are available to you. When you fully realize that thought causes all, you will know there are never any limits that you yourself do not impose.
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I love criticism. Equitable Life went down because management wouldn't brook criticism, but if you are in business, you have to hear what's going wrong.
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If I can't have the proletariat as my chosen people any longer, at least capitalism remains my Satan.
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Solitude is a breeding ground for idiosyncrasy, and I relish that about it, the way it liberates whim.
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One must have all the virtues to sleep well. Shall I bear false witness? Shall I commit adultery? Shall I covet my neighbor's maid? All that would go ill with good sleep.
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People can be teachers and idiots; they can be philosophers and idiots; they can be politicians and idiots... in fact I think they have to be... a genius can be an idiot. The world is largely run for and by idiots; it is no great handicap in life and in certain areas is actually a distinct advantage and even a prerequisite for advancement.
