Michael > Michael's Quotes

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
― Pablo Picasso

“If your writing doesn't keep you up at night, it won't keep anyone else up either”
― James M. Cain

“You have to wait for your mind to catch up with whatever it is it’s working on; then you can write a novel.”
― James M. Cain

“Keep reading books, but remember that a book’s only a book, and you should learn to think for yourself.”
― Maxim Gorky

“Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is.”
― Maxim Gorky, The Lower Depths and Other Plays

“When everything is easy one quickly gets stupid.”
― Maxim Gorky

“History is the long slow process of turning psychopaths from warriors into corporate directors.”
― D.A. Holdsworth

“Everyone gets to the stage, or should get to it, where it's more important to stop doing things than to keep on trying to do them.”
― George Johnston, Clean Straw for Nothing

“The main reason I don’t like it is that the commodification of Memorial Day and events like NFL’s Salute to Service month . . . capitalizes on a new strain of ‘patriotism,’” Doolittle said. “In America today, we display patriotism through the lens of militarism and war and pass it off as support for the troops. It can smell a lot like nationalism. We’ll buy a hat with a camo logo of our favorite team and wear it proudly, a way to show support for our team and our armed forces. There’s more to patriotism than standing for the anthem and wearing red, white, and blue or camo-themed garb, but this new kind of American patriotism gets exploited in the name of capitalism, and days like Memorial Day lose some of their meaning.”
― Howard Bryant, The Heritage: Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism

“The assault on our constitutional order was inspired by people wearing suits and ties and cloaked in the genteel language of congressional debate, but their purpose was no less ominous. We can fortify the defenses of the Capitol. We can reinforce the doors and put up fences. But we cannot guard our democracy against those who walk the halls of Congress, have taken an oath to uphold our Constitution, but refuse to do so.”
― Adam Schiff, Midnight in Washington: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could

“Open places make you consider yourself?"
"Yeah," said Cooper. "Like the plains."
"And the stars?"
"Uh-huh. And the sea and the desert too, Pa says. But I dunno why that is."
Peter shrugged. "Perhaps it's because they make us feel small."
"No. They make me feel bigger, Peter.”
― Darren Charlton, Wranglestone

“Cooper didn't look away. His blue eyes pierced through the tendrils of his hair like a wolf in the woods. He held Peter's gaze. He didn't smile, but Peter saw one all the same. He didn't speak and yet they were speaking now as if for the first time. There was friendship waiting to come in from the cold. But it was more than that. There was closeness. Unbound possibility.”
― Darren Charlton, Wranglestone

“I dream of a better tomorrow. One where chickens can cross the road and their motives remain unquestioned.”
― Anonymous