#real

When people say there is too much violence in my books, what they are saying is there is too much reality in life. ↗

— Joyce Carol Oates

#life #much #people #people say #reality

As a teacher at Princeton, I'm surrounded by people who work hard so I just make good use of my time. And I don't really think of it as work - writing a novel, in one sense, is a problem-solving exercise. ↗

— Joyce Carol Oates

#good #hard #i #just #make

Productivity is a relative matter. And it's really insignificant: What is ultimately important is a writer's strongest books. ↗

— Joyce Carol Oates

#important #insignificant #matter #productivity #really

Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential. ↗

— Barack Obama

#asks #because #buck #certain #focusing

We need to steer clear of this poverty of ambition, where people want to drive fancy cars and wear nice clothes and live in nice apartments but don't want to work hard to accomplish these things. Everyone should try to realize their full potential. ↗

— Barack Obama

#ambition #cars #clear #clothes #drive

We want everybody to act like adults, quit playing games, realize that it's not just my way or the highway. ↗

— Barack Obama

#everybody #games #highway #just #like

I don't have a brother in real life. ↗

— Louis C. K.

#i #life #real #real life

We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued and they must be defeated. ↗

— Barack Obama

#found #must #pursued #real #these

On sensitive issues, talk isn't cheap - it takes real courage to pry open topics nailed shut. ↗

— Marvin Olasky

#courage #issues #nailed #open #pry

I thought I'd join the RAF and become a wing commander. I realised this wasn't possible, although I do have a pilot's licence. ↗

— Mike Oldfield

#become #commander #i #i do #join