Quotes about being
page 74

Jack Kerouac photo
Lois McMaster Bujold photo
Nisargadatta Maharaj photo
Lucy Stone photo
Michel Foucault photo
Yanis Varoufakis photo
Tony Benn photo
Colleen Fitzpatrick photo
Frederick II of Prussia photo
Jerome K. Jerome photo
Samuel R. Delany photo
Miguel de Unamuno photo
Bill Whittle photo
Ray Comfort photo
Paul Klee photo

“Van Gogh is congenial to me, 'Vincent' in his letters. Perhaps nature does have something. There is no need, after all, to speak of the smell of earth; it has too peculiar a savor. The words we use to speak about it, I mean, have too peculair a savor. Too bad that the early Van Gogh was so fine a human being, but not so good as a painter, and that the later, wonderful artist is such a marked man. A mean should be found between these four points pf comparison: then, yes!”

Paul Klee (1879–1940) German Swiss painter

Quote (1908), # 808, in The Diaries of Paul Klee; University of California Press, 1964; as quoted by Francesco Mazzaferro, in 'The Diaries of Paul Klee - Part Three' : Klee as a Secessionist and a Neo-Impressionist Artist http://letteraturaartistica.blogspot.nl/2015/05/paul-klee-ev.html
1903 - 1910

Pat Condell photo
Mike Tyson photo
Lalu Prasad Yadav photo

“I do not rule out the possibility of being prime minister of India one day, but there is still time.”

Lalu Prasad Yadav (1948) Indian politician

In an interview to Siddharth Srivastava ( India's man for all seasons, Asia Times, September 29, 2004, 2006-05-29 http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FI29Df02.html,).

Mike Malloy photo
Berthe Morisot photo
Mata Amritanandamayi photo
Clive Staples Lewis photo
Adam Roberts photo
Letitia Elizabeth Landon photo
Harold Wilson photo
Alanis Morissette photo
John Banville photo
Max Müller photo

“As for more than twenty years my principal work has been devoted to the ancient literature of India, I cannot but feel a deep and real sympathy for all that concerns the higher interests of the people of that country. Though I have never been in India, I have many friends there, both among the civilians and among the natives, and I believe I am not mistaken in supposing that the publication in England of the ancient sacred writings of the Brahmans, which had never been published in India, and other contributions from different European scholars towards a better knowledge of the ancient literature and religion of India, have not been without some effect on the intellectual and religious movement that is going on among the more thoughtful members of Indian society. I have sometimes regretted that I am not an Englishman, and able to help more actively in the great work of educating and improving the natives. But I do rejoice that this great task of governing and benefiting India should have fallen to one who knows the greatness of that task and all its opportunities and responsibilities, who thinks not only of its political and financial bearings, but has a heart to feel for the moral welfare of those millions of human beings that are, more or less directly, committed to his charge. India has been conquered once, but India must be conquered again, and that second conquest should be a conquest by education. Much has been done for education of late, but if the funds were tripled and quadrupled, that would hardly be enough. The results of the educational work carried on during the last twenty years are palpable everywhere. They are good and bad, as was to be expected. It is easy to find fault with what is called Young Bengal, the product of English ideas grafted on the native mind. But Young Bengal, with all its faults, is full of promise. Its bad features are apparent everywhere, its good qualities are naturally hidden from the eyes of careless observers.... India can never be anglicized, but it can be reinvigorated. By encouraging a study of their own ancient literature, as part of their education, a national feeling of pride and self-respect will be reawakened among those who influence the large masses of the people. A new national literature may spring up, impregnated with Western ideas, yet retaining its native spirit and character. The two things hang together. In order to raise the character of the vernaculars, a study of the ancient classical language is absolutely necessary: for from it these modern dialects have branched off, and from it alone can they draw their vital strength and beauty. A new national literature will bring with it a new national life and new moral vigour. As to religion, that will take care of itself. The missionaries have done far more than they themselves seem to be aware of, nay, much of the work which is theirs they would probably disclaim. The Christianity of our nineteenth century will hardly be the Christianity of India. But the ancient religion of India is doomed — and if Christianity does not step in, whose fault will it be?”

Max Müller (1823–1900) German-born philologist and orientalist

Letter to the Duke of Argyll, published in The Life and Letters of Right Honorable Friedrich Max Müller (1902) edited by Georgina Müller

Matt Ridley photo

“The Italian Marxist composer Luigi Nono (BBC2) proclaims the necessity for contemporary music to 'intervene' in something called 'the sonic reality of our time.' Apparently it should do this by being as tuneless as possible.”

Clive James (1939–2019) Australian author, critic, broadcaster, poet, translator and memoirist

'Wuthering depths'
Essays and reviews, The Crystal Bucket (1982)

Jordan Vogt-Roberts photo

“Kong, I think represents a classic cinematic case of being misunderstood. And so, tapping into that is a very, very pure way of breaking down his character and then getting into him being this lonely protector, and the sad plight that he has is a totally different thing than we’ve seen before. Was it difficult? Sure, but it was necessary.”

Jordan Vogt-Roberts (1984) American film director

Interview: Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts on Resurrecting an Icon for KONG: SKULL ISLAND http://dailydead.com/interview-director-jordan-vogt-roberts-on-resurrecting-an-icon-for-kong-skull-island/ (March 9, 2017)

Alex Salmond photo

“It would be much easier if we had the full powers of an independent country. Therefore I was anticipating being in that position by 2017.”

Alex Salmond (1954) Scottish National Party politician and former First Minister of Scotland

Speech (13 November 2007), quoted in The Guardian, ' Scotland in 2017 - independent and flush with oil, says Salmond http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2007/nov/14/scotland.devolution1' (14 November 2007).

Chris Anderson photo
Jerry Coyne photo
Elia M. Ramollah photo
Michael Elmore-Meegan photo
Alfred P. Sloan photo
Nisargadatta Maharaj photo
Evelyn Underhill photo
Joe Strummer photo

“[T]he toughest thing is facing yourself. Being honest with yourself, that's much tougher than beating someone up. That's what I call tough.”

Joe Strummer (1952–2002) British musician, singer, actor and songwriter

As quoted in [Coon, Caroline, w:en:Caroline Coon, 1988: The New Wave Punk Rock Explosion, http://homepage.mac.com/blackmarketclash/Bands/Clash/Clash%20gigography/1976%20DATES.html, 2011-09-21, 1977, Hawthorn, London, 0801561299., 79262599, http://web.archive.org/20071026052834/homepage.mac.com/blackmarketclash/Bands/Clash/Clash%20gigography/1976%20DATES.html, 2007-10-26]

Joanna Krupa photo

“Lysenkoism is held up by bourgeois commentators as the supreme demonstration that conscious ideology cannot inform scientific practice and that "ideology has no place in science." On the other hand, some writers are even now maintaining a Lysenkoist position because they believe that the principles of dialectical materialism contradict the claims of genetics. Both of these claims stem from a vulgarisation of Marxist philosophy through deliberate hostility, in the first case, or ignorance, in the second. Nothing in Marx, Lenin or Mao contradicts the particular physical facts and processes of a particular set of natural phenomena in the objective world, because what they wrote about nature was at a high level of abstraction. The error of the Lysenkoist claim arises from attempting to apply a dialectical analysis of physical problems from the wrong end. Dialectical materialism is not, and has never been, a programmatic method for solving particular physical problems. Rather, dialectical analysis provides an overview and a set of warning signs against particular forms of dogmatism and narrowness of thought. It tells us, "Remember that history may leave an important trace. Remember that being and becoming are dual aspects of nature. Remember that conditions change and that the conditions necessary to the initiation of some process may be destroyed by the process itself. Remember to pay attention to real objects in space and time and not lose them utterly in idealized abstractions. Remember that qualitative effects of context and interaction may be lost when phenomena are isolated."”

Richard C. Lewontin (1929) American evolutionary biologist

And above all else, "Remember that all the other caveats are only reminders and warning signs whose application to different circumstances of the real world is contingent."
"The Problem of Lysenkoism" by Richard Lewontin and Richard Levins, in Hilary and Steven Rose (eds.), The Radicalisation of Science, Macmillan, 1976, p. 58.

François de La Rochefoucauld photo

“The intention of cheating no one lays us open to being cheated ourselves.”

L'intention de ne jamais tromper nous expose à être souvent trompés.
Maxim 118.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)

Karen Blixen photo
Hannah Teter photo
Albert Camus photo
Howard Dean photo
Graham Greene photo
Tiger Woods photo
Nelson Mandela photo
Gary S. Becker photo
Judith Sheindlin photo
Moby photo
Aung San Suu Kyi photo

“Having gone through that experience of being in a Cambridge college, surviving it and building myself up, meant that coming here (Westminster) was a walk in the park, and a lot of the same people are here!”

Jo Cox (1974–2016) UK politician

‘I’ve been in some horrific situations’ - MP http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/i-ve-been-in-some-horrific-situations-mp-1-7642788, The Yorkshire Post (26 December 2015)

Lawrence Durrell photo

“No one can go on being a rebel too long without turning into an autocrat.”

The Alexandria Quartet (1957–1960), Balthazar (1958)

“The emphasis on flora, fauna, and beings makes the exhibit a most intriguing and artistic one for it brings forth those strange memories and psychic feelings that mystify and fascinate all of us.”

William Baziotes (1912–1963) American painter

his remark in 1957
as cited in Abstract Expressionism, Barbara Hess, Taschen, Köln, 2006, p. 34
1950s

John Paul Stevens photo

“A democracy cannot function effectively when its constituent members believe laws are being bought and sold.”

John Paul Stevens (1920–2019) Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Dissenting, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. ___ (2010).

Tom Petty photo
Nicholas Negroponte photo
Jakaya Kikwete photo
Lupe Fiasco photo

“We all trying to get to where the suffering ends. In front of the Most High, being judged for our sins. Can't front for the Most High.”

Lupe Fiasco (1982) rapper

Mixtapes, Fahrenheit 1/15 Part I: The Truth Is Among Us (2006)

Thae Yong-ho photo
Alfred P. Sloan photo

“It was not, however, a matter of interest to me only with respect to my divisions, since as a member of the Executive Committee, I was a kind of general executive and so had begun to think from the corporate viewpoint. The important thing was that no one knew how much was being contributed — plus or minus — by each division to the common good of the corporation. And since, therefore, no one knew, or could prove, where the efficiencies and inefficiencies lay, there was no objective basis for the allocation of new investment. This was one of the difficulties with the expansion program of that time. It was natural for the divisions to compete for investment funds, but it was irrational for the general officers of the corporation not to know where to place the money to best advantage. In the absence of objectivity it was not surprising that there was a lack of real agreement among the general officers. Furthermore, some of them had no broad outlook, and used their membership on the Executive Committee mainly to advance the interests of their respective divisions.
The important thing was that no one knew how much was being contributed—plus or minus—by each division to the common good of the corporation. And since, therefore, no one knew, or could prove, where the efficiencies and inefficiencies lay, there was no objective basis for the allocation of new investment.”

Alfred P. Sloan (1875–1966) American businessman

Source: My Years with General Motors, 1963, p. 48-49

Jairam Ramesh photo

“Bills to create three new states have finally been passed by Parliament. Of these, only the formation of Jharkhand out of Bihar can be said to be the outcome of a long, long struggle. Chhattisgarh and Uttaranchal, for instance, do not find any mention in the report of the States Reorganisation Commission that was submitted 45 years ago. What is intriguing about Uttaranchal is that it has given three great chief ministers to Uttar Pradesh in the past 50 years - Govind Ballabh Pant, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna and Narain Dutt Tiwari - and yet the region felt neglected. Similarly, Chhattisgarh produced many noted political leaders, three of whom - Ravi Shankar Shukla, Shyama Charan Shukla and Motilal Vora - became chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh. Two other chief ministers, D. P. Mishra and Arjun Singh, contested from Chhattisgarh. Yet this region too felt unwanted. New voices are being heard. Fresh demands for Bodoland out of Assam, Vidarbha out of Maharashtra, Gorkhaland out of West Bengal and Telengana out of Andhra Pradesh are being made. And since Uttaranchal does not solve the problem of Uttar Pradesh's simply ungovernable size, some cries for a further break-up of India's most populous state are also being raised.”

Jairam Ramesh (1954) Indian politician

[Jairam Ramesh, Kautilya Today: Jairam Ramesh on a Globalizing India, https://books.google.com/books?id=1kDQthPkFJkC&pg=PA212, http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/formation-of-jharkhand-out-of-bihar-can-be-said-to-be-the-outcome-of-a-long-long-struggle/1/246915.html, 2002, India Research Press, 978-81-87943-37-2, 212]

Gertrude Stein photo
Clement of Alexandria photo
Eugène Delacroix photo
Winston S. Churchill photo

“Broadly speaking, human beings may be divided into three classes: those who are toiled to death, those who are worried to death, and those who are bored to death.”

Winston S. Churchill (1874–1965) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Have You a Hobby?, Answers, 21 April 1934

Reproduced in The Collected Essays of Sir Winston Churchill, Vol IV, Churchill at Large, Centenary Edition (1976), Library of Imperial History, p. 288. ISBN 0903988453
The 1930s

Herbert Hoover photo

“Being a politician is a poor profession. Being a public servant is a noble one.”

Herbert Hoover (1874–1964) 31st President of the United States of America

On Growing Up: Letters to American Boys & Girls (1962); also quoted in Herbert Hoover On Growing Up: Letters from and to American Children (1990) edited by Timothy Walch

Alfred Rosenberg photo
Reese Palley photo
Sania Mirza photo
Edwin Abbott Abbott photo
Annika Sörenstam photo
Seth Lloyd photo
Stanley Baldwin photo
Sören Kierkegaard photo

“What if the equality between us human being, in which we completely resemble one another, were that none of us really thinks about his being loved? Preface P. 166”

Sören Kierkegaard (1813–1855) Danish philosopher and theologian, founder of Existentialism

1850s, Two Discourses at Friday Communion (August 1851)

Mata Amritanandamayi photo
Kate Chopin photo
Bayard Rustin photo

“When an individual is protesting society's refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him.”

Bayard Rustin (1912–1987) American civil rights activist and gay rights activist

The Mirage of Dignity on the Highways of Human 'progress': - the bystanders' perspective - , by Lukman Harees, p xv, 2012.

Michelangelo Antonioni photo

“Hollywood is like being nowhere and talking to nobody about nothing.”

Michelangelo Antonioni (1912–2007) Italian film director and screenwriter

Sunday Times [London] (20 June 1971)

Jacques Barzun photo
Martin Rushent photo
Rajendra Prasad photo
Camille Pissarro photo

“I began to understand my sensations, to know what I wanted, at around the age of forty.... but only vaguely. At fifty, that is in 1880, I formulated the idea of unity, without being able to render it. At sixty, I am beginning to see the possibility of rendering it.”

Camille Pissarro (1830–1903) French painter

(c. 1890); as quoted in Painting Outside the lines, Patterns of Creativity in Modern Art, David W. Galenson, Harvard University Press, 30 Jun 2009, p. 84
1890's

Donald J. Trump photo

“To all the politicians, donors and special interests, hear these words from me today: there is only one core issue in the immigration debate and it is this: the well-being of the American people. Nothing even comes a close second.”

Donald J. Trump (1946) 45th President of the United States of America

Immigration speech (31 August 2016)
Source: https://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/donald-trump-immigration-address-transcript-227614

Ayumi Hamasaki photo
Octave Mirbeau photo
Nick Minchin photo

“It is absolutely outrageous that a spin doctor for Labor's NBN Co is being paid $450,000 per annum by Australian taxpayers to promote a company that generates no revenue, has no customers and provides no services to anybody”

Nick Minchin (1953) Australian politician

Sydney Morning Herald http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/bligh-chief-to-nbn-co-to-be-paid-450k-20091118-imfb.html

Mark Hopkins (educator) photo

“Whatever capacities there may be for enjoyment or for suffering in this strange being of ours, and God only knows what they are, they will be drawn out wholly in accordance with character.”

Mark Hopkins (educator) (1802–1887) American educationalist and theologian

Source: Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), P. 45.

Glen Cook photo

“I did not expect them to try anything but I am alive at my age because I make a habit of being ready for trouble when it seems most unlikely.”

Source: Soldiers Live (2000), Chapter 33, “Khatovar: Leave-taking” (p. 488)

Joseph Beuys photo