Colm Toibin Quotes
All writing is a form of manipulation, of course, but you realize that a plain sentence can actually do so much.

Quotes to Explore
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You can be an Olympic champion in 9.5 secs, but to be the greatest, there's more to it. It takes a bit of forethought and a lot of mental application.
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I was always interested in the kind of history they didn't teach you in school.
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You can't win if you don't play as a unit.
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Looking up and out, how can we not respect this ever-vigilant cognizance that distinguishes us: the capability to envision, to dream, and to invent? the ability to ponder ourselves? and be aware of our existence on the outer arm of a spiral galaxy in an immeasurable ocean of stars? Cognizance is our crest.
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As with lemon juice, the more sorrel you use, the more it has to be balanced with something sweet, starchy or creamy - it's a yin-yang approach to cooking that I find rather calming.
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To me, a critic is some loser who has no idea... someone with an opinion. We all have opinions. No offense, but what makes them dictate what is cool and what is not.
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I was a very physical child... I was a tree-climber; I was a tomboy.
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You know, I've had an incredible career and I'm blessed.
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There was one man in the Labour government, Robin Cook, whom I had a very high regard for. He had the courage to speak out and to resign over Iraq. He was an admirable man. But resignation over a matter of principle is not a very fashionable thing in our society.
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A plan is always successful if the plan is good.
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The Arab states don't seem to do a good job of providing for their own people, so I am not sure why they would suddenly develop an ability to help the Palestinians.
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The emperor is in the Church, not above the Church.
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I started off singing in church as a child. The sound of voices coming together, that was my first moment of touching something outside of myself.
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Love cures people - both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.
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I don't trust Santa Barbara as far as I can spit. I am afraid that if I went back there, it's possible that I could be run through their system, their judicial system, and wind up in some county jail where I could be killed and I'm not gonna take that chance.
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As a 17-year-old, I remember positively dreading dance sequences. I would come to shoots, quaking with nervousness at the idea of making other artistes do retakes due to my mistakes.
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I save everything. I have these carefully organized file boxes. Somewhere in there is a section of the 'New York Times' where I wrote 'The Border Guard' in the margin.
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I used to get a shiver if I thought about holding balloons, because I was scared of floating away.
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From a purely external point of view there is no will; and to find will in any phenomenon requires a certain empathy; we observe aman's actions and place ourselves partly but not wholly in his position; or we act, and place ourselves partly in the position of an outsider.
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For those who turn to literary biography for salacious details, 'Flannery' will disappoint. It is the biography of someone who had very little chance to live in the conventional sense, to experience events.
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When I was getting overly 'droppy,' that's when I was hitting shots left and right. That's what we were doing, so maybe if my swing was a touch flatter, I wouldn't drop the club as much.
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Those who are blessed with the most talent don't necessarily outperform everyone else. It's the people with follow-through who excel.
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Goodness in other people and what they contribute inspire me. I love it when someone is gifted and shares it in some way so that it has a trickle-down effect.
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All writing is a form of manipulation, of course, but you realize that a plain sentence can actually do so much.