“We are a product of evolution, and the mechanism of evolution is natural selection. Evolution is selecting for survival, and the qualities we have are evolved to help us survive as well as possible. Our cognitive capability to reason has not evolved to find truth, it evolved to help us survive and that means that we sometimes find it easier to stay with a group rather than believe the correct thing.”
— Christer Sturmark

The quote archive

Creativity

A growing archive of 3,000+ moments, drawn from every interview.

We are all creative beings, but we're brought up being told not to colour outside the lines – but why? It's OK to be different…. It's more than OK to be different, and we need to encourage that.

— Rose McGowan

Actress & #MeToo activist who exposed Harvey Weinstein harassment

To me literature was, and still is, an existential need. Books and stories have been that gateway for me. I wanted to find a gate to an 'elsewhere', to another land, a Storyland.

— Elif Shafak

Turkish-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 Shafak

Turkish-British novelist and author of "The Forty Rules of Love

Comedy delivers the cerebral and the hyperbole, it can be funny and serious. You can see that ability for the pendulum to swing both ways when you watch the best comedians perform.

— Hasan Minhaj

Comedian and former Daily Show correspondent known for Netflix special "Patriot Act

Comedy chips at people in power, particularly those who use tyrannical power. It strips their fake respect, and destroys the fake fear they create; and these are people who rely on being respected, and being feared.

— Bassem Youssef

Egyptian comedian and political satirist known for "The Daily Show" parody

Excellence is not about perfection, it's about consistency and the relentless pursuit of something better. Every dish is an opportunity to elevate the craft.

— Alain Ducasse

Renowned French Chef with Multiple Michelin-Starred Restaurants Worldwide

Cooking is about precision, but it's also about understanding the science behind why ingredients behave the way they do. You can't innovate without understanding the fundamentals.

— Heston Blumenthal

Chef & Owner of The Fat Duck, Revolutionary Molecular Gastronomy Pioneer

To make a great movie, you cannot set out to make a great movie! Great films are authentic, they capture the zeitgeist of a time and place in an entertaining and engaging way. Great cinema becomes something that reflects the mood of the time.

— Siddharth Roy Kapur

Indian Film Producer & Head of Walt Disney Company India

I've learned that the best ideas often come from the most unexpected conversations. That's why I've spent decades having curiosity conversations with people from completely different fields.

— Brian Grazer

Producer of Academy Award-winning films and television shows

Curiosity is the engine of achievement. It's what drives us to ask the questions that lead to breakthrough moments, whether in science, storytelling, or understanding human nature.

— Brian Grazer

Producer of Academy Award-winning films and television shows

True art, real art, real creativity, comes from somewhere else. It isn't about a picture or decoration- there's a divinity to it…

— Tracey Emin

British artist known for provocative conceptual and autobiographical works

I'm 65 years old, and one of the things that amazes me is the number of people who work to get to a certain level of success in showbusiness, and then quit to go play golf?! There is nothing else I would want to do in this world.

— Penn Jillette

Magician, Illusionist & Half of Penn & Teller Duo

Even when I was 16, if you had asked me what I wanted most in the world – I would have said, '…to be able to do shows, and have people watch them.' Realistically, for my level of ability, talent and work-ethic, we expected about 200 people a night to come and see us.

— Penn Jillette

Magician, Illusionist & Half of Penn & Teller Duo

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 Neill

Actor best known for Jurassic Park and The Piano films

I actually encrypt my wishes and goals into the things I do. There are creative ways for each of us to embed our wishes into our daily lives, but we have to set those wishes to start with.

— Sophia Amoruso

Founder of Nasty Gal & Author of "#GIRLBOSS

I don't really think about legacy, I'm more interested in my next thing, my next project… my writing is driven by a love of music, and an affection for being around music, and for telling stories… I don't have a grand plan; this is my life.

— Max Richter

Renowned composer known for film scores and electronic classical music