The immature artist imitates. The mature artist steals.

We are at heart so profoundly anarchistic that the only form of state we can imagine living in is Utopian; and so cynical that the only Utopia we can believe in is authoritarian.

Immature artists imitate. Mature artists steal.

Where misunderstanding serves others as an advantage, one is helpless to make oneself understood.

Being a Jew is like walking in the wind or swimming: you are touched at all points and conscious everywhere.

The poet is in command of his fantasy, while it is exactly the mark of the neurotic that he is possessed by his fantasy.

What marks the artist is his power to shape the material of pain we all have.

It is now life and not art that requires the willing suspension of disbelief.

Unless we insist that politics is imagination and mind, we will learn that imagination and mind are politics, and of a kind we will not like.

It is possible that the contemplation of cruelty will not make us humane but cruel; that the reiteration of the badness of our spiritual condition will make us consent to it.

We who are liberal and progressive know that the poor are our equals in every sense except that of being equal to us.

Joy doubles your faith, strength triples your might, and love quadruples your power.

I believe the root of all evil is abuse of power.

Men praise poverty, as the African worships Mumbo Jumbo--from terror of the malign power, and a desire to propitiate at.

It's only a slight exaggeration to say we haven't progressed much beyond the invention of agriculture when it comes to our view of the natural world.

I am not mean at all, I am not tough at all.

I was born dead. Yeah, the umbilical cord was like, floppy baby, the whole thing. Yeah, it was bad.

Hanging one scoundrel, it appears, does not deter the next. Well, what of it? The first one is at least disposed of.

I wasn't saying that in a sense that I didn't plan on scoring any goals. This won't happen again. It would be nice if it did, but it's reality.

My favourite shower jam song is 'Teenage Dream' by Katy Perry.

I think being interested is really what being civilized is about. I mean, you have to be conscious of everything.