It's important to debunk the myths of Africa being this benighted continent civilized only when white people arrived. In fact, Africans had been creators of culture for thousands of years before. These were very intelligent, subtle and sophisticated people, with organized societies and great art.
The problem with being British... I don't know if it's me being British or being raised a strict Catholic, but you never really enjoy success.
They didn't have a problem with me being wild and crazy when it came time to fill the arenas.
One of the few benefits of being a journalist is that you're not in the Army.
Nigeria, with the oil sector, had the reputation of being corrupt and not managing its own public finances well. So what did we try to do? We introduced a fiscal rule that de-linked our budget from the oil price.
In the past, when I'd recorded during a break in a tour, it was so easy to sing, because I felt strong. Also, like so many new mothers, I wasn't getting a lot of sleep, and sleeping is such a huge part of being able to sing.
I didn't choose the fact that I was gay, but I did choose whether to live my life as a gay woman-that was the terrifying thing for me. Especially being a gay actress.
Then there was the challenge to keep doing better and better, to fly the best test flight that anybody had ever flown. That led to my being recognized as one of the more experienced test pilots, and that led to the astronaut business.
Guerrilla leaders win wars by being paranoid and ruthless. Once they take power, they are expected to abandon those qualities and embrace opposite ones: tolerance, compromise and humility. Almost none manages to do so.
If you are being weird or silly you can be excused because you are just playing a character.
I'm their sole parent, and there is nothing more important than being the best father I can be.
'How do you know so much about everything?' was asked of a very wise and intelligent man; and the answer was 'By never being afraid or ashamed to ask questions as to anything of which I was ignorant.'
I cannot imagine a worse job than being president of these Untied States in these most trying of times. President Barack Obama has been under siege from every side for the entirety of his time in office.
I feel I am a little unfit for the kind of music that is being made today. There is a big difference between what I sang earlier and what is being made now. I am not saying this music is bad, but there are too many beats.
Actresses have more fear of being disliked. I, on the other hand, revel in it.
And it's very hard to do this stuff too because there are so many effects movies being done, so many companies busy doing this work and the public just wants to see it. Good work is being done all over the world.
I am an artist and a political being as well.
If I was afraid of being killed, I would never speak out against the government.
I've always loved film, and since I knew I probably couldn't be a cowboy or a spy in real life, I thought I'd play one in a movie! I started doing theater in middle school and tested for 'Victorious' before being in an episode of 'iCarly.'
At our computer club, we talked about it being a revolution. Computers were going to belong to everyone, and give us power, and free us from the people who owned computers and all that stuff.
I was in love with the idea of being in love with a woman way before I was actually in love with one.
I'd never want to go back to being in my twenties or thirties. I was lost and confused and uncomfortable in my own skin.
Being appointed Elder Professor meant very much taking over the shop, in that the professor in those days controlled all the moneys.
I see technology as being an extension of the human body.
The thing is, I don't believe in most of what's done. The amount of financial and imaginative energy that's put into mediocrity is just amazing which I find to be fundamentally offensive as a human being.
I started writing and photographing for different publications and finally ended up being the correspondent in South Asia, for the Geneva-based Journal de Geneve, which at one time used to be one of the best international newspapers in Europe.
I hated the whole idea of being an actress. I used to throw up before every performance and cry afterward.
There's a lot more to being a woman than being 18 years old on the cover of Maxim magazine.
American POWs from the last Iraq war, who were held prisoner and tortured by Iraq, are now being prevented by our government from suing the Iraqis who tortured them.
It's a luxury being able to work every day in the streets of Manhattan. It doesn't get much cooler than that. When you move to New York, that's exactly what you dream of. And I'm doing it.
Almost anyone can be an author; the business is to collect money and fame from this state of being.
It's no fun being lonely.
It has been surprising to me that so few conservatives have voiced concern over the precedence that are being set in favor of suppression by this so-called conservative administration.
The first time I had a secretary, I was sheepish about being demanding or even asking questions.
The longest journey is the journey inwards. Of him who has chosen his destiny, Who has started upon his quest for the source of his being.
My obligation, if I become president, is to give another direction to Europe than the one that is being forced upon us today.
