E. L. Doctorow Quotes
The difference between Socrates and Jesus is that no one had ever been put to death in Socrates' name. And that is because Socrates' ideas were never made law. Law, in whatever name, protects privilege.
Quotes to Explore
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There ought to be more grants that go to people in their late twenties and early thirties. That's a crucial age, although it's very hard to judge who is worth supporting and who is not. Looking back on my own life, I see that was the period when I was closest to giving up as a novelist and when I most needed some encouragement.
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I always wanted to entertain. When I was little, I would sing in front of the mirror with a hairbrush or my sisters and I would make shows. I always wanted to be on TV.
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I want the BBC to be a mass market public service broadcaster still funded by the licence fee... and the licence fee is more durable than many people in the commercial sector believe.
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What impresses men is not mind, but the result of mind.
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I love romantic comedies, or romantic dramas - basically anything with love in it.
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Religious fundamentalists in Bangladesh have always argued for a ban on my books.
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Peace is a day-to-day problem, the product of a multitude of events and judgments. Peace is not an 'is,' it is a 'becoming.'
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'The Satanic Verses' was denied the ordinary life of a novel. It became something smaller and uglier: an insult.
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There is an important idea in psychology: The 'just world theory,' which says that it is very important for us to convince ourselves that the world is just and things happen for a reason. That there is some elemental fairness in everything, which creates the illusion of justice.
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One SF prediction that I would like very much to see: Get solar collectors launched to beam energy back home, and get away from fossil fuels.
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Home, to me, is where I am and where I feel most comfortable. Obviously, Malaysia is home. In L.A., my home is my apartment because that's my Malaysia.
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A subtle thought that is in error may yet give rise to fruitful inquiry that can establish truths of great value.
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I like to make people think a little bit.
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I know now that what countries do at summits has the power to help girls in Pakistan, Nigeria or Afghanistan.
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I don't know anything about music.
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The Enron scandal is worthy of the highest level of scrutiny, both because of the enormity of the crimes that may have been committed and because of what the largest bankruptcy in American history has already begun to reveal about the weaknesses in our nation's corporate structures and regulatory oversight.
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A lot of people see a Nissan ad and they see a finished product in a record store or on iTunes and that's the face of the band.
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I go on giving interviews because I've been brought up to support the projects I'm involved in. When you've enjoyed working on a production, you want to do them a favour.
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I've never felt that I was less of an athlete or not accomplished athletically because I didn't win an Olympic medal. It's definitely something I would have liked to have added to my resume, but at the same time I think I can look back at my athletic career and feel that I was one of the best.
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I happen to be a scientist. My background is in nuclear physics. I was a nuclear engineer. But I don't see any incompatibility at all with my religious faith and God the creator of everything and the incompatibility between when the earth was created as specified in the Bible. I don't see any incompatibility there because those that were interpreting God's overall message didn't know anything about modern-day science.
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I think I became a Catholic to annoy my father.
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And when I'm lying in my bed, I think about life and I think about death.And neither one particularly appeals to me.
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I think I'm very old-fashioned.
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The difference between Socrates and Jesus is that no one had ever been put to death in Socrates' name. And that is because Socrates' ideas were never made law. Law, in whatever name, protects privilege.
