You know, I was a nerdy kid going through high school, and then I got to college and that all vanished. I mean, a lot of my good friends - when we were in high school, we would never have been able to hang out together because we were in such differe...
When I was growing up I loved reading historical fiction, but too often it was about males; or, if it was about females, they were girls who were going to grow up to be famous like Betsy Ross, Clara Barton, or Harriet Tubman. No one ever wrote about ...
There were times, especially when I was traveling for 'Eat, Pray, Love,' when, I swear to God, I would feel this weight of my female ancestors, all those Swedish farmwives from beyond the grave who were like, 'Go! Go to Naples! Eat more pizza! Go to ...
I can't be lazy, in light of the fact that my guardians were definitely not. Not that I never forget what they taught me, however, I know who they were. They didn't try to live their life through me, b'cos they understand the concept of individuality...
Hey, where were you while the game was happening?” George asked. “I thought you were never coming back and I’d have to be pals with Jon Cartwright. Then I thought about being pals with Jon, was overwhelmed with despair, and decided to find one ...
My first book, 'To Engineer Is Human,' was prompted by nonengineer friends asking me why so many technological accidents and failures were occurring. If engineers knew what they were doing, why did bridges and buildings fall down? It was a question t...
I collect old portraits. They're all just interesting pictures of people, and you just kind of wonder who they were and what they were. There's a guy - I don't know who he is, but he's wearing a suit. He's got his arms folded, and he looks like he so...
Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites...
But here's the deal: If I were smart, I could figure out curling. If I were even smarter, I could figure out why people would actually watch other people doing it. I have tried. I can't. I can't even figure out the object of the game. Is it like dart...
I wasn't always a vegetarian. I didn't care about animals one way or the other; they were part of the scenery, until one day on tour, I saw a baby panda. I thought that it was the most fabulous animal in the world and made a different kind of connect...
was of the opinion... that his ideas were generally misunderstood and distorted even by those who professed to be his disciples. He doubted he would be better understood in the future. He once said he felt as though he were writing for people who wou...
Human beings, in point of fact, are lonely by nature, and one should feel sorry for them and love them and mourn with them. It is certain that people would understand one another better and love one another more if they would admit to one another how...
Justice Rehnquist was friendly and unpretentious. He wore scuffed Hush Puppy shoes. That was my first lesson. Clothes do not make the man. The Justice sported long sideburns and Buddy Holly glasses long after they were fashionable. And he wore loud t...
You and I were created to realize and experience God. We were created in such a way that nothing outside of Him, nothing above, on or within the earth was designed to completely satisfy us. If we explored the vastness of our universe and finally foun...
I can still picture myself riding in the back of a Bronco to a field party after a rainstorm. My mama will kill me for saying this, but my first beer, I was 15 and I didn't know what to do with it. I thought you were supposed to chug it. So I just do...
The modern hero is a person who does something everyone thinks they could do if they were a little stronger, a little faster, a little smarter, or a little more generous. Heroes in ancient times were the link between men and perfect beings, gods. Her...
One day, the infielders were having a pretty bad time and were making some bad throws to me at first base. After digging a few out of the dirt, Joe Orengo called over to me, 'Atta boy, John, you look like a big cat.' Some of the writers overheard the...
Daisy: Would you still love me if I were old and saggy? Benjamin Button: Would you still love ME if I were young and had acne? When I'm afraid of what's under the stairs? Or if I end up wetting the bed?
Blue Collar Man: Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt, but, uh, what are you talking about? Randal Graves: The ending of "Return of the Jedi". Dante Hicks: My friend here's trying to convince me that any independent contractors who were working on th...
Ilsa: Who is Rick? Captain Renault: Mamoiselle, you are in Rick's! And Rick is... Ilsa: Who is he? Captain Renault: Well, Rick is the kind of man that... well, if I were a woman, and I were not around, I should be in love with Rick. But what a fool I...
Capt. Ross: Airmen Cecil O'Malley and Anthony Rodriguez, what exactly were these guys going to testify to? Kaffee: Unless I'm mistaken, they were both going to testify under oath that they had absolutely no recollection of anything. Capt. Ross: Stron...
