#ties

Tom has a theory that homosexuals and single women in their thirties have natural bonding: both being accustomed to disappointing their parents and being treated as freaks by society. ↗

— Helen Fielding

#freaks #gay-people #single-women #society #thirties

Writing a novel is actually searching for victims. As I write I keep looking for casualties. The stories uncover the casualties." (Interview in Writers at Work: The Paris Review Interviews, Eighth Series, ed. George Plimpton, 1988) ↗

— John Irving

#craft #novels #victims #writing #writing-craft

Dr. Watson's summary list of Sherlock Holmes's strengths and weaknesses: "1. Knowledge of Literature: Nil. 2. Knowledge of Philosophy: Nil. 3. Knowledge of Astronomy: Nil. 4. Knowledge of Politics: Feeble. 5. Knowledge of Botany: Variable. Well up in belladonna, opium, and poisons generally. Knows nothing of practical gardening. 6. Knowledge of Geology: Practical but limited. Tells at a glance different soils from each other. After walks has shown me splashes upon his trousers, and told me by their colour and consistence in what part of London he had received them. 7. Knowledge of Chemistry: Profound. 8. Knowledge of Anatomy: Accurate but unsystematic. 9. Knowledge of Sensational Literature: Immense. He appears to know every detail of every horror perpetrated in the century. 10. Plays the violin well. 11. Is an expert singlestick player, boxer, and swordsman. 12. Has a good practical knowledge of British law. ↗

— Arthur Conan Doyle

#detectives #knowledge #sherlock-holmes #skills #strengths

The most certain test by which we judge whether a country is really free is the amount of security enjoyed by minorities. ↗

— John Acton

#certain #country #enjoyed #free #judge

There are two things which cannot be attacked in front: ignorance and narrow-mindedness. They can only be shaken by the simple development of the contrary qualities. They will not bear discussion. ↗

— Lord Acton

#bear #cannot #contrary #development #discussion

We must remember that a photograph can hold just as much as we put into it, and no one has ever approached the full possibilities of the medium. ↗

— Ansel Adams

#ever #full #hold #into #just

Those who insist on having hostilities with us, kill and destroy the option of friendship with us in the future, which is unfortunate because it is clear the future belongs to Iran and that enmities will be fruitless. ↗

— Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

#belongs #clear #destroy #friendship #fruitless

I think celebrities have an obligation to the public to not just sing or act. ↗

— Clay Aiken

#celebrities #i #i think #just #obligation

Even though I love my mother, I didn't want to make an idealized portrait of her. I'm fascinated more by her defects - they are funnier than her other qualities. ↗

— Pedro Almodovar

#even #fascinated #funnier #her #i

You can say what you want to about a rapper in a movie, but look at what Ice Cube has done. Ice Cube has created more opportunities for other actors to get jobs in this business than some actors have. ↗

— Anthony Anderson

#business #created #cube #done #get