From Martin Eden on submitting manuscripts: "There was no human editor at the other end, but a mere cunning arrangement of cogs that changed the manuscript from one envelope to another and stuck on the stamps. It was like the slot machines wherein on...
There are many people, particularly in sports, who think that success and excellence are the same thing. They are not the same thing. Excellence is something that is lasting and dependable and largely within a person's control. In contrast, success i...
The best parenting advice I ever got was from a labor nurse who told me the following: 1. After your baby gets here, the dog will just be a dog. 2. The terrible twos last through age three. 3. Never ask your child an open-ended question, such as "Do ...
Such places exist among the endless abodes of every major city, places that seem to be sanctuaries from the present, immune to the hustle and bustle, the sound and fury that in the end change nothing. Like long unopened books sitting upon dusty shelv...
In so far as I listen with interest to a record, it’s usually to figure out how it was arrived at. The musical end product is where interest starts to flag. It’s a bit like jigsaw puzzles. Emptied out of the box, there’s a heap of pieces, all s...
I'm not opposed to aging - even though society is kinder on men than women when it comes to getting old. How can I look at aging as the enemy? It happens whether I like it or not and no one is set apart from growing old; it comes to us all. Youth pas...
Having second thoughts?” Puck’s voice was soft and dangerous, a far cry from his normal flippancy. “I thought we put this behind us for now.” “Never,” I said, matching his stare. “I can’t ever take it back, Goodfellow. I’m still goi...
Paul Hood: To find yourself in the negative zone, as the Fantastic Four often do, means all every day assumptions are inverted. Even the invisible girl herself becomes visible and so she loses the last semblance of her power. It seems to me that ever...
Teddy: Ha ha, Gordie loses! You lose Gordie! Ol' Gordie just screwed the pooch! Gordie: Does the word "retarded" mean anything to you? Teddy: Gordie, go get the food, you morphodite. Gordie: Don't call me any of your mother's pet names. Teddy: You're...
Jason Bourne: They'll kill you for giving me this. Pamela Landy: 4/15/71 isn't much of a code. I guess Vosen is on his way already. Jason Bourne: Why'd you do it? Pamela Landy: This isn't what I signed up for. What they did to you. Blackbriar. This i...
[Faye draws a picture of Vincent] Faye: There you go! [everyone looks at the drawing] Jet: That's really unique Faye! Is that a mugshot or your version of Picasso? Spike: [chuckles] Hey I'll make you a deal. If anyone can catch him with that drawing,...
Ralphie as Adult: [regarding the note on his report] Oh, no! "You'll shoot your eye out!"? Ralphie: Oh, no! Ralphie as Adult: My mother must have gotten to Miss Shields! There could be no other explanation! Miss Shields, Mother: [in Ralphie's fantas...
Casares: Stay by my side as my light grows dim /as my blood slows down and my nerves shatter with stabbing pain / as my heart grows weak / and the wheels of my being turn slowly / Stay by my side /as my fragile body is racked by pain /which verges on...
Ten Bears: [in Lakota; subtitled] Let us smoke a while. John Dunbar: [voiceover] With Ten Bears, it was always more than a while. There was purpose in everything he did, and I knew he wanted me to stay. But I was sure of myself. I would be an excuse,...
Mike Zavala: [after the Captain walks out] Why do you get nervous? Brian Taylor: Women want him, men want to be him, man. He's just... Mike Zavala: Yeah, I know. But you want him. Brian Taylor: Dude, I'm not gay, but I'd go down on him if he asked. M...
[Ray explains Terence Mann's "pain" to Annie] Ray Kinsella: The man wrote the best books of his generation. And he was a pioneer of the Civil Rights and the anti-war movement. I mean, he made the cover of Newsweek. He knew everybody. He did everythin...
Skylar: What if I said I wouldn't have sex with you again 'til I got to meet your friends; what would you say? Will: I'd say it's 4:30 in the morning; they're probably up. [he picks up Skylar's phone and begins dialing] Skylar: [laughing] Men are sha...
Proximo: [addressing his new recruits] I am Proximo! I shall be closer to you for the next few days, which will be the last of your miserable lives, than that bitch of a mother who first brought you screaming into this world! I did not pay good money...
Williamson: As you heard, end of the month, top salesman on the board gets the Eldorado. Next man down gets the... Shelley Levene: What about the good leads? Williamson: The leads I've given you. Shelley Levene: But these leads are shit. They're old....
[last lines] Lawyer: [reading from Walt's will] And I'd like to leave my 1972 Gran Torino to... [the lawyer pauses and looks up at Ashley, who smiles expectantly] Lawyer: ...my friend... Thao Vang Lor. On the condition that you don't chop-top the roo...
[after end credits] Tony Stark: [arriving home] Evening, JARVIS! Jarvis: [voice distorted] Welcome home, sir... [Stark stops as he sees a figure in his living room] Nick Fury: "I am Iron Man". You think you're the only superhero in the world? Mr. Sta...