Whoever conquers a free town and does not demolish it commits a great error and may expect to be ruined himself.
One of the humbling things about having written more than one novel is the sense that every time you begin, that new empty page does not know who you are.
Why shouldn't we give our teachers a license to obtain software, all software, any software, for nothing? Does anyone demand a licensing fee, each time a child is taught the alphabet?
If I start feeling down I'll gorge myself on pasta. That usually does the trick. It's the Italian blood in me.
Freedom is not a gift nor does it simply exist for us to have, but rather it is a sacred duty, and its blessed yield of hope is born from none other than the blood of the innocent.
The fact that one can lose one's sense of self in an ocean of tranquility does not mean that one's consciousness is immaterial or that it presided over the birth of the universe.
Necessity does the work of courage.
First of all, it does not deter crime, the death penalty.
A truly strong person does not need the approval of others any more than a lion needs the approval of sheep.
It is difficult to obtain the friendship of a cat. It is a philosophical animal... one that does not place its affections thoughtlessly.
I really, really thought that it was a no-brainer in terms of being a hit. And so it does surprise that that hasn't been the manifested reception of it so far.
The state's interest in marriage is stability. Generally speaking, polygamy does not work for stability. Inherent in the whole polygamous movement is a deep and abiding misogyny and denigration of women. So polygamy is objectionable on lots of grounds.
The entertainment business is and always has been about money, and it's about, 'Does that person merit that salary?' The fact is that that the business, in my view, has been somewhat bankrupt for years - only the new media made it viable.
There does seem to be a sense in which physics has gone beyond what human intuition can understand. We shouldn't be too surprised about that because we're evolved to understand things that move at a medium pace at a medium scale. We can't cope with the very tiny scale of quantum physics or the very large scale of relativity.
No 27-year-old has the experience to run a company that does a quarter of a billion dollars a year in sales.
My creative workday starts with strong breakfast tea and a few minutes of journaling, both of which help me get my head in the story. So much of story-building for me involves immersing myself in the character and situation I'll be working on, just the way an actor does when playing a role.
We say that anytime budgets are balanced and an ample savings account has been set aside, government should just stop collecting taxes. Better to leave that money in the pockets of those who earned it, than to let it burn a hole, as it always does, in the pockets of government.
The defendant wants to hide the truth because he's generally guilty. The defense attorney's job is to make sure the jury does not arrive at that truth.
Does any new parent, even if you're not a first-time parent, ever really know what to do?
It is impossible to repent of love. The sin of love does not exist.
When times are tough and people are frustrated and angry and hurting and uncertain, the politics of constant conflict may be good, but what is good politics does not necessarily work in the real world. What works in the real world is cooperation.
I don't go into my dentist and say, 'Are you gay?' I don't say to contestants on 'So You Think You Can Dance,' 'Are you gay?' What does it got to do with me? What does it got to do with anybody?
Each man must have his I; it is more necessary to him than bread; and if he does not find scope for it within the existing institutions he will be likely to make trouble.
Boxing is a really difficult sport! So I don't want to tell you I wouldn't try it, but I guess everybody that does know about it, my friends, they tell me how difficult it is, and I'm like, 'Eh.'
TV does not offer much for the male lead actors, but I was lucky to act in shows like 'Chandragupta Maurya,' 'Rab Se Sohna Isshq,' 'Gunahon Ka Devta,' and 'Rangrasiya.'
Few men could explain why they enlisted, and if they attempted they might only prove that they had done as a politician said the electorate does, the right thing from the wrong motive.
When I was an actor in some movies a long time ago, I was so curious about all the camera movements - why is the camera placed here, and why does it move like this? And why the set and the background, the color? It's a lot of questions for me to ask, because I was so interested, not only in acting, but also the whole process of filmmaking.
An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it.
Let me tell you I am better acquainted with you for a long absence, as men are with themselves for a long affliction: absence does but hold off a friend, to make one see him the truer.
It is true that the politician, in his professional character, does not always, or even very often, conform to the most approved pattern of private conduct.
When I took over as president, I studied the Constitution, and the more I studied it, the more I realised that it does not prevent the president of India from giving the nation a vision. So when I went and presented this vision in Parliament and in legislative assemblies; everyone welcomed it, irrespective of party affiliations.
The speed of light does not merely transform the world. It becomes the world. Globalization is the speed of light.
When I do a movie, I have the script. I know how it begins and how it ends. I know what my character does and where he's going. If I have ideas I want to express or changes I want to make, there's one guy: the director. It's different in television.
I want to do with you what spring does with cherry trees.
It's important to do research. I do that in every play, every actor does.
There is another interesting paradox here: by immersing ourselves in what we love, we find ourselves. We do not lose ourselves. One does not lose one's identity by falling in love.
