“Emotions are perception, but perception of the body itself. You see something scary like a bear, that triggers all kinds of physiological changes in your body. Your heart rate increases, your breath quickens, and the perception of those changes is the emotion. Emotion is another kind of controlled hallucination but geared to the interior of the body rather than the outside world.”— Anil Seth
The quote archive
A growing archive of 3,000+ moments, drawn from every interview.
Authenticity- for me- is incredibly important. It's easy to spot the difference between acting and authentic performance- even though it may seem a contradiction in terms. When you're acting, 10% of you needs to be conscious of what you're doing, and 90% lost in the moment.
— Sam NeillActor best known for Jurassic Park and The Piano films
I've always been self-taught, sort of like the Grandma Moses of acting. If I'd gone to drama school, I would probably have had a very different career- perhaps not as much fun in some ways.
— Sam NeillActor best known for Jurassic Park and The Piano films
What novels do is to turn the tide and restore our individuality. The writer is alone when s/he is writing, the reader is alone when s/he is reading. This bond is precious.
— Elif ShafakTurkish-British novelist and author of "The Forty Rules of Love
They help us to understand that there is no 'us' versus 'them', and that 'The Other' is, in fact, my brother, my sister; the other is me.
— Elif ShafakTurkish-British novelist and author of "The Forty Rules of Love
Stories help us to develop cognitive flexibility, strengthen our epistemic muscles. It is an intellectual growth but also a spiritual one. It changes us deep inside. Stories rehumanize those who have been dehumanized.
— Elif ShafakTurkish-British novelist and author of "The Forty Rules of Love
What politics couldn't say and left silent, fiction could tell. Literature takes us out of our comfort zones and pushes us to see the issues from various angles. Fiction is an intellectual exercise.
— Elif ShafakTurkish-British novelist and author of "The Forty Rules of Love
There is no such thing as History with a capital H. There are histories, multiple stories waiting to be told, researched, understood and appreciated. The story changes depending on who tells it.
— Elif ShafakTurkish-British novelist and author of "The Forty Rules of Love
I started writing fiction because I was lonely. I was an only child, a solitary child, raised by a single working mother, which was very unusual at the time in Turkey. Literature gave me a sense of continuity, coherence; it kept my pieces together. It helped me to connect even when I felt like I didn't quite belong.
— Elif ShafakTurkish-British novelist and author of "The Forty Rules of Love
Some of my greatest rewards have been when I jumped off the cliff and figured out how to fly on the way down.
— Matthew McConaugheyAcademy Award-Winning Actor Known for Dallas Buyers Club Role
That constant re-entry back into who we are if we're acting like someone, we're not is laborious and exhausting to do over and over.
— Matthew McConaugheyAcademy Award-Winning Actor Known for Dallas Buyers Club Role
What's beautiful is when you're filling your bank account and your soul account. There are two accounts! You can't chase those goals at the expense of your own character, that makes you a paper tiger, a fool.
— Matthew McConaugheyAcademy Award-Winning Actor Known for Dallas Buyers Club Role
When faced with the inevitable, get relative.
— Matthew McConaugheyAcademy Award-Winning Actor Known for Dallas Buyers Club Role
It's only when you look back that you can connect the dots to where we are right now. Looking back, I learned that it was those red and yellow lights that revealed those solar-powered green lights.
— Matthew McConaugheyAcademy Award-Winning Actor Known for Dallas Buyers Club Role
The greatest adventure that any of us can take is answering these questions for ourselves. This isn't deep, dark, conversation, it's normal conversation. The wisest, coolest prophets out there… people like the Dalai Lama… they're full of joy.
— Matthew McConaugheyAcademy Award-Winning Actor Known for Dallas Buyers Club Role
It's okay to have differences... it's okay to have different religions... it's okay to not agree on everything. However, respect should always be there. Sometimes you have to listen before you talk.
— Shaquille O’NealHall of Fame NBA Center & 4-Time NBA Champion
People ask me all the time what do you want to be known for? My answer is simple. I want people to say 'Shaquille O'Neal was a nice guy...' forget how much money I made, forget how many championships I won, or what type of businessman I am.
— Shaquille O’NealHall of Fame NBA Center & 4-Time NBA Champion