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		Van Morrison is probably, at this point in time, my biggest influence as a vocalist. When we were making our last album I had a vinyl copy of 'Veedon Fleece' in the vocal booth in front of me, in the dorky sense. I think there were candles around, which is really tacky, but hey, I needed to channel Van the Man!
	
	  Nate Ruess
			
			
				Fun. Nate Ruess
			
			
				Fun.
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		My mom, who's been in the restaurant business for 40 years, is the number-one influence in my life. But I look up to a lot of people in the industry. Tops on my list is Mario Batali. My mom and Mario taught me the same lesson: Food is love.
	
	  Rachael Ray Rachael Ray
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		The other writer who had a very important early influence on me when I was about 17 was C.S. Lewis.
	
	  Tanith Lee Tanith Lee
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		I was really influenced by Joan Didion and Pauline Kael; they were both at the height of their influence when I was coming into my own as a reader.
	
	  Caitlin Flanagan Caitlin Flanagan
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		Tori Amos had a major influence on how I craft words in a song.
	
	  Hal Sparks Hal Sparks
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		I've always felt very much from a mixed culture – mainly English and French, but also Nigerian, Thai, Mexican. Everything's had its influence on me.
	
	  J. M. G. Le Clezio J. M. G. Le Clezio
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		You can't be around Oprah and not have her influence you, and I don't mean that because she's doling out the free advice. I mean it because she is someone that leads with truth and follows her heart. She's a force.
	
	  Nate Berkus Nate Berkus
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		The writers who have the deepest influence on one are those one reads in ones more impressionable, early life, and often it is the more youthful works of those writers that leave the deepest imprint.
	
	  J. M. Coetzee J. M. Coetzee
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		Judaism and Christianity in themselves are distinctly separate entities, to be sure; but when considering their influence on Western thought, we must bear in mind that Christianity alone, or almost alone, transmitted the Jewish share, simply by what it contained of it in its own, original constitution.
	
	  Hans Jonas Hans Jonas
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		I just try to keep it simple, not let too many outside things influence me.
	
	  D'Brickashaw Ferguson D'Brickashaw Ferguson
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		My older kids are fantastic people. It can't be the result of my influence on them.
	
	  Harrison Ford Harrison Ford
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		Films are meant solely to provide entertainment. There are no lessons to be learnt and and inferences to be drawn. Has anyone become dutiful and law abiding after seeing a film that espouses these very virtues? Films can do no more than influence fashion, decor, and hairstyle trends.
	
	  Madhur Bhandarkar Madhur Bhandarkar
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		There is definitely a way in which women are raised to be less proactive, less business-oriented, and less willing to jump into creative no man's land. I think media has more of an influence on how we perceive gender identity than anything else.
	
	  Felicia Day Felicia Day
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		The biggest influence? I've had several at different times – but the biggest for me was Bob Dylan, who was a guy that came along when I was twelve or thirteen and just changed all the rules about what it meant to write songs.
	
	  Jackson Browne Jackson Browne
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		For an artist, a good place to be is you have some kind of influence and power to get things done, but in your essence you remain a nomad or a soldier facing a difficulty to be overcome.
	
	  Cai Guo-Qiang Cai Guo-Qiang
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		To understand something, whether we are aware of it or not, depends on choosing a model. We get to understand what we see by comparing it with something else, something that we think we understand better. But what we compare it with turns out to have a huge influence on the outcome.
	
	  Iain McGilchrist Iain McGilchrist
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		Anything you read can influence your work, so I try to read good stuff.
	
	  S. E. Hinton S. E. Hinton
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		Once you avoid the things that accelerate aging like smoking, obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, and excessive sun exposure, you've done about as much as you can to influence your aging process.
	
	  S. Jay Olshansky S. Jay Olshansky
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		The people you surround yourself with influence your behaviors, so choose friends who have healthy habits.
	
	  Dan Buettner Dan Buettner
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		My mother and my grandmother are pioneers of Mexican cuisine in this country, so I grew up in the kitchen. My mom, Zarela Martinez, was by far my biggest influence and inspiration - and toughest critic.
	
	  Aaron Sanchez Aaron Sanchez
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		I know that people everywhere listen to hip-hop, but especially being from the South, you really get that influence. You go out, you party, and it's just always there. Also, I grew up listening and loving reggae music, too.
	
	  Kat Dahlia Kat Dahlia
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		Human experience depends on everything that can influence states of the human brain, ranging from changes in our genome to changes in the global economy.
	
	  Sam Harris Sam Harris