“The best thing a man can do for his culture when his is rich is to endeavour to carry out those schemes which he entertained when he was poor.”
–Henry David Thoreau, Resistance to Civil Government
For my own reasons, I’m having Rev. Martin Luther King Jr share this week’s quote with fellow Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner.
At age 35, King became the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. When he learned of the honor, he announced that he would donate all of the prize money ($54,123) to the civil rights movement.
Therefore, I must ask why this prize is awarded to a movement which is beleaguered and committed to unrelenting struggle, and to a movement which has not yet won the very peace and brotherhood which is the essence of the Nobel Prize. After contemplation, I conclude that this award, which I receive on behalf of that movement, is a profound recognition that nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression.
—Martin Luther King Speeches: Acceptance Speech at Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony — December 10, 1964
I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poet’s, the writer’s, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. The poet’s voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail.
—William Faulkner: Nobel Prize Speec, Stockholm, Sweden, December 10, 1950
Neil Gaiman quotes, I think, rightly or wrongly, will never be out of style. Not for the writer. Not for the casual reader. Since I did not make the time to find a new quote this week, I’ll share another Gaiman quote:
“Mostly I just carry on. The bad stuff can mostly be fixed or thrown out. The most valuable thing is the period between finishing it and when you reread it pretending you’ve never read it before and definitely didn’t write it, the few weeks when you allow yourself to forget it. Then when you read it as a new reader, sometimes it’s obvious what to do to fix anything that needs fixing. I’ll also send stuff out to people whose opinions I trust, explaining that until it’s done they aren’t really allowed to say much more than “Is there any more?” but once it’s complete I’m happy to take all and any input onboard. Just as long as no-one minds me throwing it back overboard as soon as I start rewriting.
(Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what’s wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.)”
— Neil Gaiman 09/29/04
Finally, I want to take this first blog of 007 to say…let’s all call this year 007. Like as in Bond. That would be cool.
—Kevin’s blog from THE OFFICE
It’s the year 007! Sumbitch. This is the year we get to KILL all people who threaten Queen and country. We could have done it any other year. We may have even jumped the gun by a day or two(yeah, I went there). The debate over whether or not that was the thing to do will rage for months. That’s a certainty. But this year, kids, we’re dangerous. This year we have the License to Kill.
Throughout this entire earthly rotation we’ll be able to slip into foreign countries and ferret out agents of S.P.E.C.T.R.E or equally super rich evil tyrants(looking at you, Tom Cruise) and execute them with impunity. The gravy is, we get all the perks, too.
We’ll drive exotic cars and screw even more exotic women. Then we’ll crash those cars and love-up on the women even harder. We’ll drink weakly mixed drinks and call ourselves badasses for doing so. A game of texas holdem won’t be safe for hundreds of miles. And the rest of Q’s super-gadgetery will be tested to the extreme in our capable fingers.
That’s right, World. We’re the year 007 and there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop us. The Queen gave us permission to kick your entire ass.
It’s not as important, I would say, in drama, to shorten an eight-word sentence to three words, but it’s really important to shorten a five-sentence speech down to two sentences.
Remember, it’s a sculpture and you’re Michelangelo. Chisel away enough stone and there might be a naked guy inside.
–Jane Espenson reveals the secrets of Unwriting
No quotes have struck me as quotable lately.
Then I read this:
“You can’t please everybody. Don’t burn bridges. Do what you love and the money will follow.”
Luke Barats in a Juxtaviews Interview
Aang: So, Toth thinks you give pretty good advice and great tea.
Iroh: The key to both is proper aging.
AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER “The Crossroads of Destiny“
Iroh is…was…voiced brilliantly by Mako. The show itself is a thing of beauty. The arts lost something wonderful when Mako passed.
I’m not exactly overflowing with Thanksgiving quotes. This will have to stand for all the petty bickering that may of may not occur around your table this weekend.
Oliver Stone: didn’t you
ever want to make a Film?
Quentin Tarantino: didn’t
you ever want to make a MOVIE?
–via Bad Signal
Drama Club Leader(dry): Our stage…is covered with Pam.
Veronica(playful and smirking): Who’s Pam?
—VERONICA MARS “President Evil”
That quote played in a MARS episode a few weeks ago. It still makes me chuckle…inside and out. Ms Mars has exactly the right kind of sense of humor, now if only she were real.
Newsmine