“The great advantage of having a reputation for being stupid: people are less suspicious of you.”— Richard Curtis These words come out of the mouth of Tom, the richer-than-rich, loyal and slightly daft friend in… Read More
“Curious things, habits. People themselves never knew they had them.”— Agatha Christie Composed for the short story Witness for the Prosecution (later a play, and later adapted several times for the screen), this insight from… Read More
“It is very well known that you learn more from failure—when things are not working well… It is very important not to focus on success—it’s so rare. If you want instant gratification, don’t be a… Read More
“Bureaucracy defends the status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status.”– Laurence J. Peter Born in Vancouver, Peter found fame in the United States, and became well enough known that… Read More
“Fortunately, there is more to life than death. There is for one thing, fiction. A thousand thousand characters to be sent marching out into the world to divert time from its forward gallop to the… Read More
“No nation can be really great unless it is great in peace, in industry, integrity, honesty. Skilled intelligence in civic affairs and industrial enterprises alike; the special ability of the artist, the man of letters,… Read More
“When you’re on Earth, if you go to the top of a mountain, the stars look much brighter than they do at sea level. And because the space shuttle is above Earth’s atmosphere, it’s like… Read More
“Nothing recedes like success.” — Walter Winchell For decades an observer (and sometimes an instigator) of the news, the columnist and broadcaster Walter Winchell certainly witnessed and documented the rise and fall of many a… Read More
“There are two kinds of people in the world — bath people and shower people.”— Yoko Ono Artist Yoko Ono made this quip during an interview in 2002, as collected here by the BBC. I… Read More
“I really didn’t say everything I said.”– Yogi Berra Yogi Berra was an acclaimed catcher for the New York Yankees (a 10-time World Series champ), but he is perhaps better known for what have long… Read More
“Briefing is not reading. In fact it is the antithesis of reading. Briefing is terse, factual and to the point. Reading is untidy, discursive and perpetually inviting. Briefing closes down a subject, reading opens it… Read More
“I did scary things like that when I was a young woman. I had all of my 20s to fail. I wanted to be a stand-up and then I wanted to be Lily Tomlin. I… Read More
“I have never met a group of people who so routinely make so many personal sacrifices for their job. And they start so young. At a time when people are navigating Grade 8, they basically… Read More
“What you try to bury just ends up burying you.”— Jane Wagner You may not recognize Jane Wagner’s name or face, but I bet you know Lily Tomlin, her comedic and life partner for decades…. Read More
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”— Jack London The stroke of genius, the bolt of blue, the eureka moment: so much of our culture has various threads… Read More