Iain Banks Quotes
People were always sorry. Sorry they had done what they had done, sorry they were doing what they were doing, sorry they were going to do what they were going to do; but they still did whatever it is. The sorrow never stopped them; it just made them feel better. And so the sorrow never stopped.

Quotes to Explore
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The conflict between religion and science is inherent and (very nearly) zero-sum. The success of science often comes at the expense of religious dogma; the maintenance of religious dogma always comes at the expense of science.
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All of my friends, I consider childhood friends because we met when I was probably 13, and I'm still friends with them today. It's really nice that I have that core group.
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I am not honest.
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Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.
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I love Bridget Fonda.
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I'm a chubby middle-aged white guy with short hair. I think that's it, really. I kind of have a look. Right now, I'm not fat enough to be the fat friend, but I'm not thin enough to be the leading man, so I look like a cop.
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Obviously it's more fun having my teammates there and having all that camaraderie, but individual workouts are not a loss.
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I played a lot of squash for a lot of years.
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Yes, politics IS war without bloodshed; and war is an extension of those politics.
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If you want to wear long hair or wear that dress, as long as you're not hurting yourself or anybody else, I say do it. If you want to go out and have a romantic, sexy affair, do it.
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In France and other European countries, film stars are more celebrated. In Germany, if we are good at what we do, we are respected but not acclaimed. And, of course, we are not paid like Americans are.
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With experience, you improve. I'm a better player now, more complete than I was when I was player of the year.
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The poet speaks to all men of that other life of theirs that they have smothered and forgotten.
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Many think kids have lots of time and few responsibilities. And that's just not true. They are stressed and under pressure.
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One knows less about one's own destiny than about anything else on earth.
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I'm known as a kind of dramatic, serious, almost humorless actor and the fact is, I'm a funny guy, and I spend most of my life trying to find a lighter side of things, and on stage was given plenty of opportunity to do that.
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I'm pretty obsessed with Stevie Nicks from her style to her voice. I like watching her on YouTube and her old performances, the way she moves and everything.
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We are all human beings, and our nationality is simply an accident of birth.
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Hypocrisy is the outside of cynicism.
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The people who are afraid of talking to press are people who have something to hide.
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I wish to God,” said Gideon with mild exasperation, “that you’d talk—just once—in prose like other people.
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Everyone's relationships are very different, and very specific. I guess that's why there are people that like to watch this show Suits. It's not all the same.
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Literature is the expression of a feeling of deprivation, a recourse against a sense of something missing. But the contrary is also true: language is what makes us human. It is a recourse against the meaningless noise and silence of nature and history.
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People were always sorry. Sorry they had done what they had done, sorry they were doing what they were doing, sorry they were going to do what they were going to do; but they still did whatever it is. The sorrow never stopped them; it just made them feel better. And so the sorrow never stopped.