“The danger is that when we jump too quickly to the solution, not only is the floor littered with the inventions that never worked, but we risk designing solutions that never fit the problem.”— Beth Simone Noveck
The quote archive
A growing archive of 3,000+ moments, drawn from every interview.
Magic is this incredibly weird bondage and discipline you make where you say to someone, 'do this thing to me that's morally wrong… you have my consent…' – once you give your consent, the morality changes.
— Penn JilletteMagician, Illusionist & Half of Penn & Teller Duo
An actor who isn't acting becomes a sort of non-person. If you're not acting, what are you?
— Sam NeillActor best known for Jurassic Park and The Piano films
There's also a danger in acting of identifying yourself as an actor. We have to try to identify ourselves as human beings first, and our jobs second. I'm Sam, I act sometimes… not I am Sam, I am an actor. What I do is separate to me.
— 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
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
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
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
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
I never started off with money, I started off with love. The love of being an entrepreneur. The love of being a lawyer. The love of being an athlete. When you start off with love, people will love and respect you and you will always be monetarily rewarded.
— Shaquille O’NealHall of Fame NBA Center & 4-Time NBA Champion