“The poet never asks for admiration; he wants to be believed.”

“The smart leader never asks the question he doesn't want to hear the answer!”

Attila (406–453) King of the Hunnic Empire

“The good artist believes that nobody is good enough to give him advice. He has supreme vanity. No matter how much he admires the old writer, he wants to beat him.”

William Faulkner (1897–1962) American writer

“The worst tragedy for a poet is to be admired through being misunderstood.”

Jean Cocteau (1889–1963) French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager and filmmaker

“He was, if ever there was one, an inspired poet. I do not think it the highest sort of poet. And you never discover who is an inspired poet until the inspiration goes.”

G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) English mystery novelist and Christian apologist

“When the suicide arrived at the sky, the people there asked him: "Why?" He replied: "Because no one admired me.”

Stephen Crane (1871–1900) American novelist, short story writer, poet, and journalist

“I [Boswell] was somewhat disappointed in finding that the edition of The English Poets, for which he was to write Prefaces and Lives, was not an undertaking directed by him: but that he was to furnish a Preface and Life to any poet the booksellers pleased. I asked him if he would do this to any dunce's works, if they should ask him.
JOHNSON: "Yes, Sir, and say he was a dunce."”

Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) English writer

“The thing I can say about Ted Kennedy is, at least he never flinched on what he believed in, and that's the way America…the thing you need to take away from Ted Kennedy is, he stood up, and never flinched. Americans need to stand up and, without flinching, without fear, be a lion, and stand up for what they believe in. I didn't agree with anything he believed him, but I admired [him]. Absolutely. That's what this country is all about. Stand up for what you believe in.”

Glenn Beck (1964) U.S. talk radio and television host

“Malik related to me that Safwan ibn Sulaym said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked, 'Can a believer be a coward?' He said, 'Yes.' He was asked, 'Can a believer be a miser?' He replied, 'Yes.' He was asked, 'Can a believer be a liar?'”

Muhammad (570–632) Arabian religious leader and the founder of Islam

“… if you ask me whether or not I'm an atheist, I wouldn't even answer. I would first want an explanation of what it is that I'm supposed not to believe in, and I've never seen an explanation.”

Noam Chomsky (1928) american linguist, philosopher and activist