You really have to take your time; you have to know your character and your scene. The line you are about to say comes from the moment right before. It's not what's said, it's what is in between the spaces, it's what's in between the lines; that is t...
Perhaps Obama is often slow to nail controversies because he needs time to live inside them for a while in his head. It's unnerving for the rest of us, but even the haters, one feels, are made to think more deeply than they'd like before they return ...
I live intimately with my characters before starting a book. I cut out pictures of them for my wall. I do time lines for each major character and a time line for the entire novel: What is going on in the world as my characters struggle with their pro...
When I was a teenager I would lock myself in the bathroom for hours, bouffanting my hair like Patty Duke and trying to recreate Barbra Streisand's flawless eyeliner, only to comb it all out and wash it all off before stepping out into the world a but...
I'm terrified of bugs and I travel with sprays, lotions, potions; the lot. I have to check the room before I go to sleep and if I come across a bug and fail to remove it I have to sleep in a separate room as I'm paranoid that I'll be taken advantage ...
I like to decide the night before Thanksgiving that I'm gonna do it, and I'll see what riff raff is around. Then I get that last-minute surge of energy. But if I had two weeks to plan, sometimes I wish I wasn't doing it. But very seldom does that hap...
Whether I'm reading a national publication or one of my local Chicago newspapers, I don't need to turn too many pages before I stumble upon another scandal. Not only do ethics violations deteriorate the public trust, but they also disrupt and undermi...
Top Dollar: It's all been done before, you see what I'm sayin'? Bad Ass Criminal: That's no reason to quit. Top Dollar: Wrong. Best reason to quit. *Only* reason to quit.
Ralphie as Adult: [narrating] There has never been a kid who didn't believe vaguely but incessantly that he would be stricken blind before he reached 21, and then they'd be sorry.
Father Brendan Flynn: You haven't the slightest proof of anything! Sister Aloysius Beauvier: But I have my certainty! And armed with that, I will go to your last parish, and the one before that if necessary. I'll find a parent.
John McClane: [McClane, before jumping from the roof] I promise I will never even *think* about going up in a tall building again. Oh, God. Please don't let me die.
Ambassador Trentino: Have we met each other before, sir? Rufus T. Firefly: I don't think so. In fact, I'm not sure I'm seeing you now; it must be something I ate.
Trautman: Teasle, you and all your men couldn't handle him before what makes you think you can handle him now? Only God knows what damage he's prepared to do.
Seth Brundle: [his last words before his final transformation] We'll be the ultimate family. A family of three joined together in one body. More human than I am alone.
Baron Frankenstein: [lastlines] [Raises a glass of wine to offer a toast] Baron Frankenstein: Well, as I said before, here I say again, Here's... Here's to a son... to the House of Frankenstein. Maid: Indeed, Sir. You too, Sir.
Richard Nixon: [a few seconds before the cameras begin to roll] Did you have a pleasant evening last night? David Frost: Yes, thank you. Richard Nixon: Did you do any fornicating?
Hazel Grace Lancaster: [before leaving for Amsterdam] OK lungs, you keep your shit together for one week. You got it? One more week.
[Toretto gets out of his car, pointing a shotgun at Shaw] Dominic Toretto: You thought this was gonna be a street fight? [Points shotgun upwards and fires before putting it away] Dominic Toretto: You're goddamn right it is.
Raoul Duke: I was right in the middle of a fucking reptile zoo, and somebody was giving booze to these goddamn things. Won't be long now before they tear us to shreds.
Tom Hagen: I'm an attorney for the Corleone family. These men are private detectives hired to protect Vito Corleone. They are licensed to carry firearms. If you interfere you'll have to appear before a judge in the morning and show cause.
Mr. Moustafa: To be frank, I think his world had vanished long before he ever entered it - but, I will say: he certainly sustained the illusion with a marvelous grace!
