QUOTES

Observations I've made over the years.

ART

For a screenwriter access is more important than talent. Having access grants one the opportunity to fail. Not having access guarantees that one will fail.

Photographs can no more be created by a camera than novels can be created by a pen. Photographs and novels are created in the mind and born of experience as interpreted by the individual. The camera and pen are merely tools for human expression. They do not create, they do not have vision, they do not reflect our deepest desires, fears and dreams. A photograph or a novel only becomes art when infused with the human experience.

The true art of photography lies in the shadows; in the glimpses of things not fully revealed.

IDEOLOGY

The surest way to undermine an ideology is to put it into practice.

The typical individual when confronting a problem that resists his chosen solution simply applies that solution with even greater vigour, never considering for a moment that his approach may be flawed. He is like the doctor who treats illness by blood-letting and when the patient grows weaker concludes that the patient has not been sufficiently bled.

The practicing ideologue is engaged in a form of mental and emotional self-slavery.

Nothing negates creativity and critical thinking more effectively than ideological enslavement.

Real life trumps even the most eloquent of theories.

Theory is a starting point, not an endgame.

There are two kinds of idealists: the benign majority who accomplish little or nothing and the much more dangerous minority who accomplish a great deal.

The greatest threat to tyranny is the presence of moderate voices.

Power without accountability invariably manifests as tyranny.

ECONOMICS

Ayn Rand is to economics what L. Ron Hubbard is to religion.

In a society dominated by economic mergers and acquisitions we are ultimately left only with the illusion of choice. We are sold brands and image as opposed to being afforded real alternatives.

American capitalism used to be in the business of building wealth. Now it forges bubble economies which provide but the illusion of wealth and which can be maintained only for so long as the participants agree to be fooled.

LIFE & VALUES

The great tragedy of life is that we don't know how to live in our own time.

The greatest conceit is to reach middle age while retaining the beliefs of youth - for this suggests one is convinced he knew it all at a young age and had no use of further education and found no value in life experience.

The most important thing in life is to possess the soul of generosity. Not necessarily material generosity, but a willingness to help others become healthier, happier and more fulfilled so long as these desires do not impinge upon the rights of others to do the same. Put this test to others and you will know whom to follow. Put this test to yourself and you will know if you are worthy to lead.

The true measure of a man lies not in what he has but in what he gives.

When someone disappoints you the fault lies not in that person but with your expectations.

Throughout history the only thing that has changed is the identity of the victims.

Courage is the act of maintaining an irrational state of disbelief in your own mortality.

To be fully understood history must be viewed in the context of its time.

Time is the most valuable commodity any person can have.

That which is squandered in youth becomes invaluable in old age.

The most suspect history of all is our own as told to ourselves.

Unrequited love isn't the problem. The problem is we all love the same few people...and there aren't enough of them to go around.

In a world where the present is ephemeral and the future unknowable I take consolation in the past.

The secret to achieving success is to stop being you.

Racism is ugly. Be beautiful.

Solutions are not found in a disposition of rage: solutions are found in a state of calm.

We live in an age when satire has a disturbing tendency to become reality.

The true value of a life is not to oneself, but to others.

It requires an individual of rare perception to realize that restrictions on their behaviour cannot only be of benefit to others but also to themselves.

It's easier to censor critics than to solve problems.

Don't waste your time trying to master other people when the only person you need to master is yourself.

Beauty comes in all colours.

TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY

The difference between this generation and that of our forebears is that they shaped their society, whereas we allow our society to shape us.

Digital media is causing us to lose our connection to the physical world.

The greatest threat to humanity is that technology is evolving faster than human beings.

Every independent thought is an act of rebellion.

Truth is a powerful thing: it threatens, enrages, and if we're lucky, enlightens and liberates.

The more freedom people have the less inclined they are to use it.

It's not the anticipated effects of new technology or policies that concern me so much as the unforeseen consequences.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

There comes a time in life when you realize the only reason for the existence of humans is to make life easier for cats.

If you wish to uncover a man's greatest weakness you need only determine what is his greatest strength (for they will be one and the same).

The difference between the sane man and the madman lies in the fact that the former's delusions are commonplace whereas those of the latter are not.

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who wish to continue making the same old mistakes, and those who desire to make entirely new ones.

Most people prefer a riveting lie to a boring truth.

Some men are born great; other men just get all the great press.

There is no problem in this world that cannot be made worse by alcohol.

One cannot see darkness, but only an absence of light.

I do not slay my demons, but prefer to keep them on a short leash. Demons can be quite useful.

The secret to political success lies not in speaking with authority, conviction and intelligence, but in telling people what they already believe.

Some people look at ruins as though they're broken. I prefer to see them as structurally reconfigured.

The key to spontaneity is preparation.

Even more important than knowing when to follow the rules is knowing when to break them.

The root of genius lies in knowing what but wondering why.

The immature mind looks at a blank field of snow and needs to imprint its mark on it. The mature mind is content to admire it for its beauty.

If you desire people to follow you it is better to be confident and wrong than uncertain but right.

There are only two problems in life: time and money. Given an infinite supply of both anything is possible.

Hypocrisy is the 8th deadly sin.

Until we learn to listen to ourselves we cannot hear anyone else.

That which is not earned doesn't last.

There are two kinds of people prone to believe in conspiracy theories: those who know too little...and those who know too much.

The main thing you learn as a writer is the inadvisability of writing anything down.