E. L. Doctorow Quotes
History is the present. That's why every generation writes it anew. But what most people think of as history is its end product, myth.
Quotes to Explore
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Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable.
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I took my acting very seriously. I did over 40 films, and naturally, some of them were called B-movies because the woman was at the top of the billing. Women couldn't star in their own movies.
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Be polite; write diplomatically; even in a declaration of war one observes the rules of politeness.
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On stage, I like to dress up a bit. I'm not scared to be like a character up there.
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I think what 'The Monster' means to me is I find it really hard - like a lot of other people in the world - to really be OK in my own skin. It was a message to myself saying, 'It's OK that you're not perfect.' I'm gonna learn to love myself and accept myself, even though I'm a little crazy.
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When civilization takes a nose dive, how can you look away? You've got to be there. You've got to be at the bottom of the swimming pool taking notes.
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When I hear someone, instantaneously, I'm like, 'Who's singing?' You're giving people so much of yourself, and my voice is the most natural, distinctive tool I have. It's up to me to express myself on a wider scale than just writing vocal melodies and lyrics.
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When I started making movies, I was pretty young, and at the time I felt like there needed to be more confrontation in cinema - or I needed to make something more disruptive - so in the beginning, those movies were me wanting to play with the rules.
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My mom says that when I was a little kid, I always used to say I wanted to be an actor, but I don't remember that.
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Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening.
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We tend in this country to talk about Democrats and Republicans, and think there's little group over there called Independents that's maybe 2%. That is not the case, and it has not been the case for most of modern American history.
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My great-grandchildren will not be able to enjoy the Gulf Coast of Louisiana the way I have.
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I'm not a babysitter.
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If you be faithful, you will have that honor that comes from God: his Spirit will say in your hearts, Well done, good and faithful servants.
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My father was an accountant and his father was a typographer.
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Every man I meet is in some way my superior.
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The Wood was about young people and the other one is more of a grown up movie.
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I'm probably proudest of being able to lift a lot of us out of the 'hood. That's the biggest thing, that I've been able to employ a lot of people and give them opportunities.
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I'm speaking totally for myself and I'm not speaking for the Republican Party and I'm not speaking for anybody in the House of Representatives but myself, but I'm ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday. I think it's a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown.
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To write a good mystery you have to know where it will end before you can decide where it will begin... and I've always known where it will end.
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I've been criticised for writing in too complex a manner for younger people.
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What the Dalai Lama had to resolve was whether to stay in Tibet or leave. He wanted to stay, but staying would have meant the total destruction of Tibet, because he would have died and that would have ripped the heart out of his people.
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The most radical question which anyone can be asked is not how much their possessions cost, but whether they have found something of value - that is, something that makes living worthwhile.
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History is the present. That's why every generation writes it anew. But what most people think of as history is its end product, myth.
