“We didn’t have to talk then, and that is real friendship. Never uncomfortable with silence, which, in its welcome form, is yet an extension of conversation.”— Patti Smith, newyorker.com
“So the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You’d better rearrange your beliefs, then. Because you certainly can’t rearrange the universe.”— Isaac Asimov, amazon.com
“It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another — but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good.”— John Steinbeck, theatlantic.com
“Nature is busy creating absolutely unique individuals, whereas culture has invented a single mold to which all must conform. It is grotesque.”— U.G. Krishnamurti, amazon.com
“I’ve observed my toddler, barely old enough to walk, confidently swiping her way through an iPad.”— Jean M. Twenge, theatlantic.com
“The more time teens spend looking at screens, the more likely they are to report symptoms of depression.”— Jean M. Twenge, theatlantic.com
“Literature has taken a backseat to the television, don’t you think? It really has. We don’t have a culture anymore that favors the creation of writers, or supports them very well. I mean, serious artists. On Broadway, what they want are cheap comedies and musicals and revivals. It’s nearly impossibl…”— Tennessee Williams, theparisreview.org
“I think a lot of people still fantasize about that first love and what might happen if they rekindled the relationship.”— Sophie Kinsella, independent.co.uk
“There is no science of zombies! There has never been, nor will there ever be an undead creature. Life is an extraordinarily complicated balance of inputs and outputs and temperatures and reactants and wastes and fuels, and if any of that stuff breaks down, none of it works.”— Hank Green, youtube.com
“I'm always keeping my eye out for new and unique ways that superheroes are being created, because i think it's a really clear indicator of what we're becoming obsessed with and what what we're becoming afraid of.”— Hank Green, youtube.com
“Ceasing to travel really pulls the plug on that which makes us human. Travel bridges the education and cultural gaps. It fosters shifts in perspective. It fuels curiosity, empathy, tolerance, respect, understanding.”— Joe Diaz, youtube.com
“steelmanning makes you a better person. It makes you more charitable, forcing you to assume, at least for a moment, that the people you’re arguing with, much as you ferociously disagree with them or even dislike them, are people who might have something to teach you. It makes you more compassionate,…”— Chana Messinger, theatlantic.com
“I'm always very honest with the people I photograph. I open up a lot and tell people about my own experiences and answer their questions honestly. I'm asking my subjects for something, so I want to give something in return.”— Naomi Harris, independent.co.uk
“I think art history is crucial for anyone in the visual arts. You have to understand how ideas evolve.”— David LaChapelle, independent.co.uk
“[Cultural] appropriation suggests theft, and a process analogous to the seizure of land or artifacts. In the case of culture, however, what is called appropriation is not theft but messy interaction. Writers and artists necessarily engage with the experiences of others. Nobody owns a culture, but ev…”— Kenan Malik, nytimes.com
“When something is ready to become a cultural narrative, everything feeds it. When people are finally willing to look something in the eye, culture almost conspires to tell them how much of it they are willing to look in the eye.”— Mark Harris, nytimes.com
“Reading, conversation, environment, culture, heroes, mentors, nature – all are lottery tickets for creativity. Scratch away at them and you’ll find out how big a prize you’ve won.”— Twyla Tharp, amazon.com