Quote THIS!

HUMOR - part 1

2008-03-31T13:04:00.000-07:00

“If you tied buttered toast to the back of a cat and dropped it from a height, what would happen?”

~1997 e-mail forward~

“Can I get a loan application for a water?”

~Craig Francisco, pharmacy tech~

in Starbucks, New York City, 2004

“Is that your Sidekick or are you just happy to see me?”

~Katherine Dudina, sign language interpreter~

2006

“I felt like going home from when I got up.”

~Maryanne, group home director~

2000

“The crowd goes CRAZY! Women weep, strong men faint, small children look for change in the sofa cushions.”

~Janice, volunteer~

re: the DSL line back up and running, 2003

Dad in his 60’s: “If you’re forgetful now, what are you gonna be like if you add 50 years?”

Lisa: “Don’t worry– I’ll forget I’m old, so I’ll be fine.”

2005

“I love opera! I do! I listen to it when I vacuum.”

~The Love Letter, movie~

1999. Ellen DeGeneres as Janet; written by Maria Maggenti, based on the novel by Cathleen Schine

“My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint.”

~Erma Bombeck, humorist~

“I’m not going to vacuum ‘til Sears makes one you can ride on.”

~Roseanne Barr, actress~

“I’m not an organized person. I don’t call myself a neat person. But I like the concept of all of those things.”

~Harry Connick, Jr., singer~

about watching the show, Mission Organization, for the first time. Interviewed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, 2005

“Who cares? Friends just keep you away from TV anyway.”

(Doug to Carrie, about their friends going out without them)

~King of Queens, TV~

2006, starring Kevin James and Leah Remini. 1998-2007 series created by David Litt and Michael J. Weithorn

Doug: “How about [watching] Bloodsport?”

Carrie: “I read the book.”

~King of Queens, TV~

“There are two classes of people in the world: those who divide the people of the world into two classes, and those who do not.”

~Robert Benchley, humorist~

2004 e-mail signature of Bruce Nelson, co-founder of http://groups.msn.com/Mary-LouiseParkerFanPage/

“Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at the moment.”

~Robert Benchley, humorist~

New York Public Library calendar book, 2006

“If I didn’t wait ‘til the last minute, I wouldn’t know who I am.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

“I’m So Miserable Without You, It’s Like Having You Here”

~country song~

in the game “Country Song or Not?” (it is), on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, TV

“Sit on a cactus and spin.”

~Aunt Heidi~

Arizona, 1999

“If I throw a stick, will you leave?”

~Tequiza beer ad~

“Who wouldn’t even Lassie save?”

~Ann, game show host~

The Weakest Link, TV, 2001

“He’s acting like a doorknob.”

about Rob acting like an immature a--; Survivor, TV, 2002

“You take six months to mind your own business, and six months to leave mine alone.”

~90-year old Helen~

to her worrying relatives, on The Rosie O’Donnell Show, 2000

“Here you go Cinderella, have a ball.”

~Touched by an Angel, TV~

Sharon Gless guest-starring, gives Monica bowling shoes

“I got into an accident and they sent over a lizard to handle my claim. Not even an American lizard. I had to get another lizard to translate. The world's gone nuts.”

~Larry The Cable Guy~

Newsweek magazine

“I have a gift for enraging people, but if I ever bore you, it will be with a knife.”

~Louise Brooks, actor~

e-mail signature of Bruce Nelson, co-founder of http://groups.msn.com/Mary-LouiseParkerFanPage/

“I think honesty is very important. It must be avoided.”

~Rita Rudner, comedienne~

“Woman buying Lotto ticket: It’s my birthday today. I’ll take a million.”

~deli in Queens, New York City, 2000~

[re: Michael Jackson]

“How f--ked up do you have to be for Al Sharpton to go ‘I’m outta here, man’?”

~Robin Williams, comedian~

Robin Williams, Live on Broadway, 2002

“I was so in the moment, but it was the wrong moment.”

~Cyndi Lauper, singer~

stopping during a rehearsal, New York City, 1998

“I grew up in Kentucky. Trailer is not a status thing to me.”

~George Clooney, actor~

saying he doesn’t fight over movie set trailers, 2000

“Of course I don’t look busy. I did it right the first time!”

~mug in a catalogue~

Josh, trying to pry information from Donna: “I'm just trying to see around the corner so I don't get bit in the a--.”

Donna: “Are you going around the corner a-- first?”

~The West Wing, TV~

starring Bradley Whitford and Jenna Maloney. 1999-2006 series created by Aaron Sorkin

HUMOR - part 2

2008-03-31T12:25:00.000-07:00

“I don’t have anyone to tell. The 3-year-olds don’t really care.”

~Mary-Louise Parker, actress~

who was handing out snacks at her son’s preschool when she learned she was nominated for a Golden Globe for WEEDS. Jan. 2007. http://groups.msn.com/Mary-LouiseParkerFanPage/

“The questions we ask ourselves now… When we were radicals in the 60's, it was ‘War, war, what is it good for?’ and ‘What’s up pussycat, whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa?’ Even in the 80's, it was ‘What you talkin’ about, Willis?’ Now, it’s ‘Who wants to be a millionaire?’ or ‘Who wants to marry a millionaire?’”

~Jon Stewart, comedian~

2000

“Do you think the Enron CEOs cheat when they play Monopoly?”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

2006

[Chicago on Broadway] It’s a balls-out musical.

~Neil Meron, producer~

“If you think your kids are ever

gonna stop asking for money...

YOU ARE GETTING OLD.”

~credit card commercial~

2005

“Sleep can be induced, even an orgasm can be faked – but not a good laugh.”

~Gloria Steinem, feminist~

Revolution From Within, 1993 book, p. 174

Q: “What about American manners?”

Szymborska: “Rude. Generally sort of curt and rude. But it’s a paradox because, at the same time, Americans make such an effort to strike up a conversation. Within seconds of sitting down next to an American on an airplane, three times out of five, to my intense stress, I know everything about his wife, his girlfriend, where he’s going.”

1996

“See this? My hair is upset [curls]. The moisture seeps in every orifice. Even Paul doesn’t work here. Paul Mitchell, he’s my boyfriend.”

~Irene~

of The Real World: Seattle, TV

“I just thought she was the bee's knees.”

~Mary Kay Adams, actress~

about her Klingon character on Star Trek

“I’m not really a camera guy. I can’t get the flash cube to stay on.”

~Sean Hayes, actor~

on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, TV

“Weather is here. Wish you were beautiful.”

~t-shirt~

“Got shrimp?”

~t-shirt~

at Bubba Gump restaurant (Forrest Gump); Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

“My baby’s all grown up and saving China.”

~Mulan, movie~

1998, written by Robert D. San Souci and Rita Hsiao; Mushu voice by Eddie Murphy

“Moving Tip #6: Resist the urge to pop bubble paper before packing.”

~moving van~

“The friendly ticket agent explained that... the fare would be $1,898. I, in turn, explained that I wanted to buy a seat, NOT THE ENTIRE PLANE.”

INSPIRATION.

2007-07-12T22:57:00.000-07:00

letter from Martha Graham to Agnes DeMille:

There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique.

And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable it is nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.

You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you.

Keep the channel open. No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive.

[thank you MC, AR, MLP, & MG]

“Type out your five favorite quotations and place them where you can see them every day.”

~Life’s Little Instruction Calendar Vol. III~

“When I wake up in the morning, I want the day to begin already. There’s no dread. And if there is, that’s just part of the day- you deal with it. Nothing’s going to stop me. Nothing.”

~Linda Hamilton, actress~

1991

“Climb every mountain, ford every stream,
follow every rainbow, ‘til you find your dream.”

~The Sound of Music~

1959 Broadway musical, 1965 movie, and my mom’s high school class song

“Rainbows are people whose lives are bright, shining examples for others.”

~Maya Angelou, poet~

from Hallmark’s Life Mosaic cards, 2001

“The people who influence us most are not those who buttonhole us and talk to us, but those who live their lives like the stars in heaven and the lilies in the field, perfectly simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold us.”

~Oswald Chambers, minister ~

“My Utmost for His Highest,” quoted by Heather Whitestone, the first deaf Miss America, in her memoir Listening With the Heart

“He was a man who was comfortable in his own skin, and I think the more people we see who conduct creative, fruitful lives with little or no drama or fanfare, the more people will say, ‘I can be that way. I can be happy.’”

~Stephen Huvane, writer~

about photographer Herb Ritts (1952-2002), The Advocate magazine, 2-4-03

“Dip your brush in sunshine and keep painting away.”

~Fannie Flagg, writer~

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, 1987 book, p. 234

“I keep my ideals because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”

~Anne Frank, diarist~

quoted in Wisdom of Women book

Don Quixote: “It’s true – I am guilty of being an idealist. I’ve never had the courage to believe in nothing.”

~Man of La Mancha, movie~

1972 musical starring Peter O’Toole, written by Dale Wasserman; 1605 book by Miguel de Cervantes

“Listen to the musn’ts child, listen to the don’ts, listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts, listen to the never haves, then listen close to me, anything can happen child, anything can be.”

~Shel Silverstein, writer~

Where the Sidewalk Ends, 1974 book

“Never forget who you are, Little star.
Never forget how to dream, Butterfly.
May the angels protect you
And sadness forget you, Little star.”

~Madonna, singer~

“When you talk about inspiration, it’s about the struggle, not the victory. It’s all about the fight, not the win. That’s just the nature of living.”

~Gary Ross, director~

of Seabiscuit, 2003 movie

“Do not resist chances. Take them like vitamins. Let go of the brakes. See what happens if you go five more miles. Footbridges be damned, find your own way across. Don’t worry about the bumps and bruises. Your body can take them. Don’t steer around the bits that scare you. Go over them. Go through them. Do something the guys in the bowling league will be terrified of. You will feel your chin rise from your chest. And you’ll be able to see what’s around you. What’s ahead of you. And there will be one less thing you cannot do.”

~Nike advertisement~

1995; from the quote collection of Lg. From Josh’s website: http://www.trizera.com/jsp/greatlines/nikewgl.html

“There is no finish line.”

“The most absurd and reckless aspirations have sometimes led to extraordinary success.”

~M. de Vauvenargues, moralist~

New Beginnings quote book, 1993 by Running Press

“Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you can choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny.”

~Carl Schurz, statesman~

1859. German revolutionist and American statesman. Quoted by Heather Whitestone, the first deaf Miss America, in her memoir Listening With the Heart

“Remember: A ‘D’ is only the end of the world in the dictionary.”

~YM magazine~

1998

Pledge allegiance to yourself.

“Maybe it will take someone giving me a swift kick, but keep in mind, I need that swift kick to be followed by a smile and a handful of Smarties.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

2006

CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS #39

“Inspiration. Noun. 1. Stimulation of the faculties to a high level of feeling or activity. 2. The condition of being so stimulated. 3. An agency, such as a person of a work of art, that moves the intellect or emotions. 4. Something that is inspired, as an idea or action. 5. Theology: Divine guidance or influence exerted directly upon the mind and soul of man. 6. The act of breathing in; inhalation (From the Latin inspirare, to breathe into.) I’m under a lot of pressure to get one of these vanity cards written every week and to be perfectly honest, some weeks I’ve got squat. Like this week. Nothing of substance to say. Nothing even marginally amusing. Which is why I’m hoping for a little of #1 or perhaps even #5. I’m sitting here waiting… just sitting here. Oh, well, at least I’m doing well with #6. Which, if you read the definition again, still counts as inspiration. How about that, I’m inspired… and expired… and inspired… and expired… inspired.”

~Chuck Lorre, TV show co-creator~

Dharma and Greg, TV, 1997-2002

Each week, a “vanity card” is flashed for a second at the end of the credits. You have to record the episode, then pause the page in order to read or transcribe it. [Years later, magic of the internet: http://www.chucklorre.com/ for all the "cards".]

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, writer~

[contributed by Stephan Aichinger]

INTERSEX (GLBTI)

2007-07-12T22:52:00.000-07:00

(tba)

as a featured category

ANGELINA JOLIE.

2007-07-12T22:51:00.000-07:00

“We can’t forget our founding fathers were refugees.”

~Angelina Jolie, Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR~

in her 2003 book, Notes from My Travels: Visits with Refugees in Africa, Cambodia, Pakistan, and Ecuador, p. 6

“I love uniqueness and people who own their uniqueness.”

~Angelina Jolie, actress~

Allure magazine, Nov. 2004

“I'd rather take a boat and try to row than sit in a yoga class.”

~Angelina Jolie, actress~

Allure magazine, Nov. 2004

KEEP MOVING.

2007-07-12T22:50:00.000-07:00

“We can’t just stop. We’re not rocks–progress, migration, motion is... modernity. It’s ANIMATE, it’s what living things do. We desire. Even if all we desire is stillness, it’s still desire for...”

~Tony Kushner, playwright~

character of Prior. Angels in America: Perestroika, 1994, p. 132. Broadway play starring Stephen Spinella; 2003 movie starring Justin Kirk

Kushner is a Pulitzer Prize, Tony, and Emmy winner

“I just have this absurd determination to live, don’t you?”

~And the Band Played On, movie~

Donal Logue as Bobbi, 1993 movie about the AIDS crisis. Written by Arnold Shulman, based on the 1987 book by Randy Shilts

“There is no stasis. To stand still is to fall away from the truth; the inner light dims and flickers, starts to go out, as soon as one tries to hold fast.”

~Susan Sontag, writer~

1960 journal, reprinted in New York Times Magazine, 9-10-06, p. 55. To be published in 2008

“A river must keep moving so as not to become stagnant; it must have rocks in its bed for its song.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

1999, Passion in My Pocket, memoir in progress

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

~Will Rogers, humorist~

New Beginnings quote book, 1993 by Running Press

LANGUAGE.

2007-07-12T22:49:00.002-07:00

“He recalls what he meant, and she recalls what she heard. But what he intended was not what she understood–which was what she would have meant if she had said what he said in the way he said it.”

~Deborah Tannen, communication expert~

and author of, among others, That’s Not What I Meant! How Conversational Style Makes or Breaks Relationships, 1986, p. 27

“A lot of movies try to set up a world with cool sets, costumes, camera work. In Brick, the world is born from the words.”

~Joseph Gordon-Levitt, actor~

www.imdb.com/name/nm0330687/

“The three oddest words:

When I pronounce the word Future, the first syllable already belongs to the past.
When I pronounce the word Silence, I destroy it.
When I pronounce the word Nothing, I make something no non-being can hold.”

“art is a LANGUAGE”

~Susan Sontag, writer~

1966 journal entry, reprinted in New York Times Magazine, 9-10-06, p. 57. To be published in 2008

“Why isn’t phonetic spelled the way it sounds?”

~1997 e-mail forward~

“The limits of my language mark the limits of my world.”

~Ludwig Wittgenstein, philosopher~

New York Public Library calendar book, 2006

“American Sign Language: seeing you loud and clear.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, interpreter~

and t-shirt designer. 2007, www.cafepress.com/backwardpress

“Spoken language travels at the speed of sound; sign language travels at the speed of light.”

~Robert Arnold, Deaf community member~

New York City

“‘Language of One’ – Yet another play about a Deaf, gay, Jewish architect falling in love.”

~New York Deaf Theater~

“I am a bear of little brain and long words bother me.”

~Winnie the Pooh~

character by A.A. Milne

http://www.sawlady.com/ – “music on the cutting edge”

~ad in subway car~

New York City, 2006

“‘Feminism, my foot!’ exclaimed my mother as she cremated the meatloaf. ‘This feminism thing is just a cover for being a lesbian.’ Perhaps this is not an exact quote; you see, my parents’ first language was silence and I’ve had to translate here.”

~Holly Hughes, writer~

in the anthology, A Woman Like That, ed. by Joan Larkin, 1999, p. 135

“Aoccdrnig to rsceearh at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tighng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.”

~2003 e-mail forward~

“Small words. Big thoughts.”

~Winnie the Pooh~

character by A.A. Milne

LEARNING.

2007-07-12T22:49:00.001-07:00

“That’s what learning is. You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way.”

~Doris Lessing, writer~

quoted in Gloria Steinem’s Revolution From Within, 1993, p. 186

“The Four Reliances:

Rely on the message of the teacher,
not on the person of the teacher;
Rely on the meaning,
not just on the words;
Rely on the definitive meaning,
not on the provisional one;
Rely on your wisdom mind,
not on your ordinary mind.”

~The Dalai Lama, Buddhist spiritual leader~

Transforming the Mind, 2000 book, p. 51

“The important thing is not to stop questioning.”

~Albert Einstein, physicist~

from the quote collection of Lg

“WHY NOT?” [scan to be posted]

on a professor’s door, New York University, 1996

“On the set of Ocean’s 11 with all of today’s big stars always gathered around him, [director] Carl Reiner is always asking questions: ‘So, tell me...’ That’s why he’s so young. He’s still invested.”

~George Clooney, actor~

on The Charlie Rose Show about Reiner who “has done everything.” 2003

“We shall not cease from exploration
and the end of all our exploring
will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time.”

~T.S. Eliot, poet~

"Little Gidding", quoted in the movie, Run Lola Run, 1998. Written by Tom Tykwer

“The unknown fires the imagination. Whether the starry night or extraterrestrial beings, the mystery of life itself or life after death or any of the uncertain boundaries between reality and resolute yearning, it is unknowns that populate history with gods and heroes, monsters of the deep and chimeric islands, lost paradises and the elusive El Dorado at the end of greed's rainbow, not to mention Martians.”

~John Noble Wilford, writer~

New York Times Science section, "Will We Ever Find Atlantis?" 11-11-03

“For if we think of this existence of the individual as a larger or smaller room, it appears evident that most people learn to know only a corner of their room, a place by the window, a strip of floor on which they walk up and down.”

~Rainer Maria Rilke, writer~

Letters to a Young Poet, #8, 8-12-1904

“Man’s mind stretched to a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions.”

~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., poet~

New Beginnings quote book, 1993 by Running Press

Charlie: “I’m so easily distracted.”
His dad: “No, you’re easily fascinated.”

~NUMB3RS, TV~

starring David Krumholtz and Judd Hirsh. Series (2005- ) created by Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci

“To be in doubt is not comfortable… it’s a psychological itch, and you want to scratch your way to certainty. But it is often the first step on a path to greater spiritual or moral wisdom, a deeper compassion, a breaking free from constricting dogma.”

~New York Times~

review of the Broadway play, Doubt, 5-3-05

[also on Jonathan Carroll’s website]

“I’m 6'2"; he at his tallest was never more than 5'4". He was my big brother, my physical savior, my human savior. I made one mistake. He came to my room and asked a question. I didn’t like how he asked the question, so I spat on him. He beat me out of the room, down the hall, out to the yard. I had long hair and he grabbed it and put it in the fish pond. He said, ‘I am your big brother, say it!’ Blurb, blurb. I never had a problem with short people after that. I married a couple of them.”

~Maya Angelou, poet~

about her brother, Bailey. May 2002 interview

“thank you india
thank you terror
thank you disillusionment
thank you frailty
thank you consequence
thank you, thank you silence

thank you India
thank you providence
thank you disillusionment
thank you nothingness
thank you clarity
thank you, thank you silence”

~Alanis Morissette, singer~

“Thank You”, 1998

“Personally, I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.”

~Winston Churchill, statesman~

LESBIAN (GLBTI)

2007-07-12T22:48:00.000-07:00

see featured categories (at top)

LIFE.

2007-07-12T22:47:00.000-07:00

"Do what you like
Like what you do
Life is good."

~motto of "Life is Good" clothing company~

http://www.lifeisgood.com/

“Moving at the speed of life,
we are bound to collide with each other.”

~Crash, movie~

poster in NYC subway station. Written by Paul Haggis, 2004

“Rush, rush, rush. Doesn’t anyone believe in breathing?”

~Eeyore~

Winnie the Pooh series; character by A.A. Milne

“Life is about loving something beautiful.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

2005. Passion in My Pocket, memoir in progress

“...Live to Learn Learn to Laugh Laugh to Live...” [written in a circle]

~Cathy, professor~

and American Sign Language interpreter. LaGuardia Community College’s training program for interpreters, New York City. 2005

“Both sides can hide and evade the lessons of life, which means being open to seeing ‘life’ – which can bring pain. The ones who are ‘survivors’ hide behind their anger, past and story. The ones who are privileged hide there or are cut off from the others to avoid seeing... Just recognize where you are and what is pulling you. It doesn’t always mean ACT, just recognize.”
~Lynnette, professor~

and American Sign Language interpreter. LaGuardia Community College’s training program interpreters, New York City. 2000

“It’s the circle of life, it’s the wheel of fortune
It’s the leap of faith, it’s the band of hope
We’ll find our place…”

~Elton John, singer~

and composer/lyricist of The Lion King movie and Broadway musical

“You talking about you want one and ain’t doing nothing to get none. The people that have them is the people who wanted them. You don’t do nothing but sit around and talk about what you ain’t got. The more you sit around and talk about what you ain’t got the more you have to talk about.”

~August Wilson, writer~

Two Trains Running, 1990 book; 1996-97 Broadway play

“Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.”

~John Lennon, singer~

“Beautiful Darling” lyrics

“Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.”

~The Dalai Lama, Buddhist spiritual leader~

“Not living now the life that one wishes... is equivalent to a sense of abusing the present.”

~Susan Sontag, writer~

1961 journal, reprinted in New York Times Magazine, 9-10-06, p. 55. To be published in 2008

“Life is like a kite: You can keep it on a short leash, or let out big gulps of string until you break the cloud cover.”

~Fireman’s Fund ad~

“My life is like a stroll on the beach
As near to the edge as I can go.”

~Henry David Thoreau, writer~

hotel shop in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

“I wanted to find out, as I looked back on a long and complicated life, how well I’ve don’t at measuring up to the values I myself have set.”

~Sidney Poitier, actor~

about The Measure of a Man, a Spiritual Autobiography

“The only thing I regret about my past life is the length of it. If I had my past life to do over again, I’d make all the same mistakes – only sooner.”

~Tallulah Bankhead, actress~

from Wisdom of Women

“I invented my life by taking for granted that everything I did not like would have an opposite, which I would like.”

~Coco Chanel, fashion designer~

from Wisdom of Women

“Remember that life’s most treasured moments often come unannounced.”

~Life’s Little Instruction Calendar, Vol. III~

Frodo: “I wish the ring had never come to me... I wish none of this had happened.”

Gandalf: “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

~Lord of the Rings, movie~

“I believe in a little bit of suffering; makes me feel part of the world.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

2006. Passion in My Pocket, memoir in progress.

“At first it can be hard to accept how disappointing life is because that’s what it is and you have to accept it. With faith and time and hard work you reach a point... where the disappointment doesn’t hurt as much, and then it gets actually easy to live with. Quite easy. Which is in its own way a disappointment.”

~Tony Kushner, playwright~

character of Hannah to Harper. Angels in America: Perestroika, 1994, p. 37. Broadway play starring Kathleen Chalfant and Marcia Gay Harden; 2003 movie starring Emmy winners Meryl Streep and Mary-Louise Parker

Kushner is a Pulitzer Prize, Tony, and Emmy winner

“Life has been reckless with these people.”

~Reckless, movie~

nun running the homeless shelter (Eileen Brennan), 1995. Written by Craig Lucas

“If you got nothin’ you don’t need nothin’.”

~Brokeback Mountain, movie~

Heath Ledger as Ennis, 2005. Written by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, based on a short story by Annie Proulx

“the world is not respectable; it is mortal, tormented, confused, deluded forever; but it is shot through with beauty, with love, with glints of courage and laughter; and in these, the spirit blooms.”

~George Santayana, writer~

http://www.quotablecards.com/

“Life is a bursting unity of opposition barely held.”

~Robert Frost, poet~

in his notebooks, published by Robert Faggen. Newsweek, 2‑5‑07, p. 61

“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”

~Leonardo da Vinci, artist~

http://www.quotablecards.com/

“What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?”

~George Eliot, writer~

quoted in Friendship Notebook, Helen Exley, editor. 1991

“A thousand things advance; nine hundred and ninety-nine retreat; that is progress.”

~Henri Frederic Amiel, philosopher~

New Beginnings quote book, 1993 by Running Press

CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS #106

“The Buddha taught that
the first principle of existence
is impermanence.
Absolutely everything in this universe
is impermanent.
Impermanence creates uncertainty.
I don’t know about you but I have
a very low tolerance for uncertainty.
Uncertainty causes me discomfort.
Discomfort causes me to think stupid things.
Stupid thoughts cause me to take stupid actions.
My stupid actions bring about unfortunate results.
Luckily, the unfortunate results are impermanent.
Is this a great universe or what?”

~Chuck Lorre, TV show co-creator~

Dharma and Greg, TV, 1997-2002

Each week, a “vanity card” is flashed for a second at the end of the credits. You have to record the episode, then pause the page in order to read or transcribe it. Years later, magic of the internet: http://www.chucklorre.com/ for all the “cards”.

- “I don’t want you to go.”
- “I’m almost back.”

~Beyond Silence, movie~

1996, Jenseits der Stille, written by Caroline Link and Beth Serlin

“I believe that God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so behind that I will never die.”

~Garfield comic strip~

by Jim Davis - from the quote collection of Lg

“She used to eat more than 2 pounds of chocolate a week and treat her skin with olive oil, rode a bicycle until she was 100, and only quit smoking 5 years ago...

She was someone who, constitutionally and biologically-speaking, was immune to stress. She once said, ‘If you can’t do anything about it, don’t worry about it.’ [She was] unflappable.”

~from the obituary for Jeanne Calment, a French woman who died at age 122~

"Much of the insensibility and hardness of the world is due to the lack of imagination which prevents a realization of the experiences of other people.. we are under a moral obligation in choosing our experiences, since the result of those experiences must ultimately determine our understanding of life."

~Jane Addams, writer~

Democracy and Social Ethics, 1902.

[Contributed by Wendy]

"Every day, we should at least hear one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture, and, if possible, speak a few sensible words."

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, writer~

[contributed by Stephan Aichinger]

“I don’t really believe in neat, packaged endings – unless everyone blows up in the end.”

~Zoe Cassavetes, filmmaker~

of Broken English, 2007. New York magazine, 1-22-07, p. 81

"Givers sleep well and takers eat well."

~LoLAA P. Style, artist~

for information about her original, hand-crafted knitted products & to find her uniquely nomadic store, pls. contact lisa.kasamoto@backwardpress.org

LOVE. (pt. 1)

2007-07-12T22:26:00.000-07:00

“Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
like to the lark at break of day arising,
sings hymns at Heaven's gate.
For thy sweet love remember'd
Such wealth brings, that then,
I scorn to change my state with kings.”

~William Shakespeare, poet~

from Sonnet XXIX, quoted in TV’s Beauty and the Beast, 1987. Series created by Ron Koslow

“That's your problem: you don't want to be in love; you want to be in love in a movie.”

~Sleepless in Seattle, movie~

Rosie O’Donnell, 1993. Screenplay by Nora Ephron, story by Jeff Arch

“Talking about love is like dancing about architecture.”

~Playing By Heart, movie~

1998, Angelina Jolie as Joan, written by Willard Carroll

“Ovaltine?”

~Playing By Heart, movie~

1998, Angelina Jolie as Joan, written by Willard Carroll

Randy: “God, Evie, you are so sheltered.”

Evie: “Well, unshelter me.”

~The Incredibly True Story of Two Girls in Love, movie~

1995, written by Maria Maggenti

“I was over the moon for you.”

~Hope Floats, movie~

1998, Harry Connick, Jr. as Justin, written by Steven Rogers

“You wanna feel my pulse? It’s beating really fast.

~Anywhere But Here, movie~

1999, written by Alvin Sargent, book by Mona Simpson

”We’ve fallen awake it seems.”

~The Education of Max Bickford, TV~

2001-02 series

> Prince: “It’s only my skin that’s keeping me from going everywhere.”

> Prince: “I used to think that to care about one thing, I’d have to care about everything and I’d go stark raving mad.”

~Ever After: A Cinderella Story, movie~

1998, Dougray Scott as the Prince, screenplay by Susannah Grant

“And Ruth said, Intreat me not to
leave thee, or to return from
following after thee:
for whither thou goest, I will go;
and where thou lodgest, I will lodge:
thy people shall be my people.”

~The Bible, Ruth 1:16-20~

quoted in Fried Green Tomatoes, 1991 film by Jon Avnet, based on the 1987 book by Fannie Flagg

“In a very unusual way, you made me whole.”

~Linda Eder, singer~

from her CD “It’s Time”; from the Broadway musical NINE, lyrics by Maury Yeston, 1975

“The water is wide, I can’t cross o’er
Neither have I wings to fly
Give me a boat that can carry two
And both shall row, my love and I.”

~spiritual~

sung by the Indigo Girls, Jewel, and Sarah McLachlan at “Lilith Fair, A Celebration of Women in Music,” 1997

“For once in my life, I managed to write a happy love song. It only took 15 years.”

~Sarah McLachlan, singer/songwriter/musician~

about “Push,” a song for her husband. New York City concert, 2005

“I love you here, I love you now
You are my today and every today to follow
I do not want to be far away tomorrow
You – I don’t want to leave.
You will not look better from five thousand miles away
Then my eyes will only see you’re missing
My heart will only feel your absence
You – I will keep right here.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, poet~

In These Thoughts, 2005, p. 52

“Don’t threaten me with love, baby.
Let’s just go walking in the rain.”

~Billie Holiday, singer~

from Wisdom of Women

“If you don’t like someone, the way he holds his SPOON will make you furious; if you do like him, he can turn his PLATE over in your lap and you won’t mind.”

~Irving Becker~

greeting card

“Love and a cough cannot be concealed.
Even a small cough.
Even a small love.”

~Anne Sexton, poet~

from Wisdom of Women

LOVE. (pt. 2)

2007-07-12T22:25:00.000-07:00

“I never cared much for moonlit skies.
I never winked back at fireflies.
Never ‘cause stars are in your eyes.
I’m beginning to see the light.”

~song~

Mona Lisa Smile, 2003 movie

“I know there’s a place you walked where love falls from the trees...”

quoted by actress, Jorja Fox, in the Hollywood Reporter, 11-18-04. From www.jorjafox.net

–“She wouldn’t bring me a cup of water in a rainstorm.”

–“I’d bring you a waterfall in the desert.”

1998

“Speechless – my heart is trying to breathe.”

1998

“Our eyes caught across the parking lot and I fell in love like slamming into earth.”

~Crystos, writer~

in the anthology, A Woman Like That, ed. by Joan Larkin, 1999, p. 114

> “All of a sudden, I felt like I had to sit down...”

> “She continued, as if she hadn’t touched me, as if it didn’t mean anything, as if my head weren’t about to split into a thousand love-lost pieces.”

~Elizabeth Lorde-Rollins, writer~

in the anthology, A Woman Like That, ed. by Joan Larkin, 1999, p. 166 & 169

“I remember kissing her for the first time on the library steps and feeling such intense desire that I thought I would explode and shatter into tiny bits of flesh at her feet.”

~Tristan Taormino, writer~

in the anthology, A Woman Like That, ed. by Joan Larkin, 1999, p. 260

“I didn’t say anything – I couldn’t. Breathing was a challenge.”

~Elizabeth Lorde-Rollins, writer~

in the anthology, A Woman Like That, ed. by Joan Larkin, 1999, p. 171

“I’m here because I feel more like me when I’m with you than I do when I’m with me.”

~D.E.B.S., movie~

Jordana Brewster as Lucy, 2004. Written by Angela Robinson

“I would like to be the air that inhabits you for a moment only. I would like to be that unnoticed and that necessary.”

~Margaret Atwood, poet~

“Sleep,” from “Variations on the Word.” New York City subway’s “Poetry in Motion” series, 2000

“But when you feel longing,
sing of women in love;
for their famous passion
is still not immortal.
Sing of women abandoned
and desolate (you envy them, almost)
who could love so much more purely
than those who were gratified.”

~Rainer Maria Rilke, poet~

“Duino Elegies” (first), 1923

“You set up your place in my thoughts, moved in and made my thinking crowded...
Not everything is better spoken aloud, not when I’m talking to you...

Maybe that’s all that we need is to meet in the middle of impossibility.
Standing at opposite poles, equal partners in a mystery.”

~Indigo Girls, singers~

“Mystery” lyrics

“Love is the extremely difficult realization that something other than oneself is real.”

~Iris Murdoch, writer~

from Wisdom of Women

“You took the words right out of my mouth. It must've been when you were kissing me. I was just about to say, ‘I love you.’”

~song~

2000

“Anywhere you go, I'll follow you
Anyplace but those I know by heart.”

~song~

“If you get caught between the moon and New York City, the best that you can do
is fall in love.”

~song~

“The more I live, the more I think two people together are a miracle.”

~Adrienne Rich, writer~

from the quote collection of Lg

The most irrational desire known to mankind... falling in love.

~Love and Death on Long Island, movie~

1997, written by Richard Kwietniowski, based on the novel by Gilbert Adair

“The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of.”

~Blaise Pascal, mathematician~

from the quote collection of Lg

LOVE. (pt. 3)

2007-07-12T22:20:00.004-07:00

“It hurts then to love. It’s like giving yourself to be flayed and knowing that at any moment the other person may just walk off with your skin.”

~Susan Sontag, writer~

from her journals, reprinted in New York Times Magazine, 9-10-06. To be published
in 2008

James: “And what if you were to hurt?”
Sarah: “I would shrivel up and blow away.”

~Mark Medoff, playwright~

Children of a Lesser God, 1980

“All my life people have said I would become a psychopath if I didn’t learn how to feel. But I want to know what the f--- is so great about feeling. Because I finally let myself and I feel like my heart’s been completely ripped out.”

~the L word, TV~

starring Katherine Moennig as Shane; series (2004- ) created by Ilene Chaiken

“You’ve got to dance like nobody’s watching, and love like it’s never going to hurt.”

“so smash the rearview mirror with your fist
BECAUSE YOU’RE DONE LOOKING BACK ♥ ”

~ http://www.bestmyspacegoodies.com/ & www.myspace.com/simpleme005 (?)~

“Every time I look at you, I feel so completely dismantled.”

~the L word, TV

Jenny to Marina (Mia Kirschner, Karina Lombard). Series (2004- ) created by Ilene Chaiken

“Oh, seek, my love, your newer way;
I’ll not be left in sorrow.
So long as I have yesterday,
go take your damned tomorrow!”

~Dorothy Parker, poet~

from Wisdom of Women

“Most of us take our broken relationships to the therapist. She took it to #1.”

~about Alanis Morissette, at the Grammy’s, 1999~

“If I cried me a river of all my confessions,
would I drown in my shallow regret?”

~Sarah McLachlan, singer/songwriter/musician~

“Wife to mistress: I knew there were things I could’ve done, for myself, for my marriage... but hating you was easier.”

~Touched by an Angel, TV~

1994-2003 series created by John Masius

“In life, the most dangerous people are not the ones with everything to gain. They are the ones with nothing to lose. In passion, it is the same.”

~Thieves (Les Voleurs), movie~

written by Andre Techine and Gilles Taurand, 1996

“I wouldn't wanna date myself.”

~Christie~

giving the best argument for why opposites attract. 2000

“The smallest divisible human unit is two people, not one.”

~Karl Marx~

quoted by Tony Kushner, playwright

“In the arithmetic of love, one plus one equals everything, and two minus one equals nothing.”

~Mignon McLaughlin, writer~

from Wisdom of Women

“Me minus you equals blue.”

~Glenn Medeiros, singer~

“I love you to the moon and back.”

~one of comedian Rosie O’Donnell’s son’s note~

2000

> “Love is when your wife talks to you as endearingly as she does to the cat.”

> “Love is when your husband talks to you as lovingly as he does to his dog.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, t-shirt designer~

2005 www.cafepress.com/backwardpress

“Love should be, ‘I love you standing up or lying down.’”

~Gaynell, group home counselor~

2000

"I will not love you long time."

~t-shirt~

Asian-themed t-shirts at http://www.blacklava.net/, by Ryan Suda

“Not science, not even the greatest poet,
has measured how much love the heart can hold.”

“He says he sees little green men. She loves him so much she starts seeing them, too.”

MADNESS.

2007-07-12T22:20:00.001-07:00

see featured categories (at top)

MANIC-DEPRESSION (bipolar)

2007-07-12T22:18:00.000-07:00

see featured categories (at top)

MEMORY.

2007-07-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

“Memory is the ability to pick roses in the winter.”

from the quote collection of Lg

“Remembering was my way of making things matter.”

~Desert Bloom, movie~

starring Annabeth Gish as Rose, 1986. Written by Linda Remy and Eugene Corr

“Remembering is both a form of sacrifice and salvation. To forget, Valentino says, ‘would be something less than human.’”

~David Amsden, writer~

reviewing Dave Eggers novel, What is the What, 2006. In New York magazine

“What is memory but the repository of things doomed to be forgotten, so you must have History. You must have labor to invent History. Being faithful to all that happens to you of significance, recording days, dates, events, names, sights not relying merely upon memory which fades like a Polaroid print where you see the memory fading before your eyes like time itself retreating.”

~Joyce Carol Oates, writer~

Foxfire, 1993 book, p. 44

“‘All memories are false.’ Well, yes, they are, in a sense. But [Shelagh] Stevenson goes on to demonstrate that memory is also the fabric of our past, always existing as a reality however much its color adapts to changing light.”

~review of The Memory of Water, play~

MENTAL HEALTH.

2007-07-12T22:14:00.000-07:00

see featured categories (at top)

NEW YORK CITY.

2007-07-12T20:53:00.001-07:00

“Put some pepper spray in your purse. Even if you’re not sure, just start spraying.”

~Coyote Ugly, movie~

Bill (John Goodman) to his daughter who’s moving to NYC, 2000. Written by Gina Wendkos

“The city, seen from the Queensboro Bridge, is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and beauty in the world.”

~F. Scott Fitzgerald, writer~

The Great Gatsby, 1925. Quoted by a taxi driver in TV’s Beauty and the Beast, 1989

“New York City is like a living organism, constantly moving, changing. At first, it is intoxicating, then comfortable and safe. Sometimes you're on the out and then making up. It's a cellular relationship. Every now and then, you catch yourself in this transcendent moment and you realize, Oh my god, I'm madly in love with you and I will always be.”

~Dawson's Creek, TV~

Jen’s father about being in NYC 30 years ago. 1998-2003 series created by Kevin Williamson

“New York City is my destination, it is my arrival gate, it is my love. It is my favorite channel, number one on my speed dial, my surprise party, my anti-depressant, the death of my spirit, the life of my recovery, my drug of choice, my soundtrack, and the reason I wear earplugs.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

“New York City Groupie” -
http://journals.aol.com/idgie2yourruth/writer./#Entry706

McGuire: “I’m nobody.”
Sarah: “I’m nobody, too. Nice to meet you.”
McGuire: “Nice to meet you. But in your case, I don’t believe it. You’re in New York now, right? Nobody knows you. So you can anybody you want. Invent yourself.”

~Time of Your Life, TV~

Party of Five spin-off, Jennifer Love Hewitt as Sarah, 1999

“NYC with its intelligentsia, its liberal consensus, is in relationship to the rest of USA like Vatican in the midst of Italy, a tiny private state with immense power + wealth, but SEPARATE.”

~Susan Sontag, writer~

1966 journal, reprinted in New York Times Magazine, 9-10-06, p. 57. To be published in 2008

“New York City is a wonderful city… It’s going to be the capital of the world. It isn’t like the rest of the country - it’s like a nation in itself-more tolerant than the rest in a curious way. Littleness gets swallowed up here.”

~John Steinbeck, writer~

1946 quote in the John Steinbeck Museum, Salinas, Calif.

“He’s not American, he’s from New York.”

~Cracker, TV~

Q: “[Does] it make you mad to think that some people say, ‘Oh, he helps her out’?
Edie Brickell: “Asking my husband [Paul Simon] to help me write a song would be like asking him to salt my food to his taste. I wouldn't do it. We're not perfectly compatible in our imaginations. It's almost like coming from different countries, being from Texas and New York.”

~New York Times Magazine~

interviewed by Amy Barrett, 10-12-03

“There are as many Manhattans as there are people who live here. Each of us is an island unto ourselves.”

~CSI: New York, TV~

series (2002- ) created by Anthony E. Zuiker, Ann Donahue, and Carole Mendelsohn

- “The great thing about NY is that it isn't static, it is not something that ‘is’. It is always changing.”

- “The first skyscraper in 1900's had 11 stories. It was then surpassed by towering 18-story. One person stepping out on the top floor called out, ‘Is God here?’”

- “When they find the street crowded, they just tilt the street on its side [and build up].”

~New York: A Documentary Film~

PBS, 2000

“1) You buy an unlimited Metrocard. And then you ride the subway to places you don’t even need to go. One time you took the 1-train from 72nd St. to 68thy St. Just to get your money’s worth.

2) As the man at the fruit stand puts your bag on the scale, he will ask, “Outside or inside?” Of course, you always go straight for the outside stuff. The way you figure, a kiwi’s a kiwi. It’s not rotten; it’s just super, super ripe. Besides, you want the discount.

3) You get a doggy bag for the coleslaw that came with your burger. Why? Because you paid for it. Nothing should stand between a man and his uneaten cabbage.

4) You get half priced haircuts from student hairdressers. You’ll let some kid with scissors chop until you say “when” just to get a good deal. Sometimes you even tell her, “Just do whatever you think looks good.”

5) You will go all the way to Newark Airport and not even get on a plane. Why? Because you need to rent a car. Sure it’s inconvenient. And an hour in the wrong direction.

6) You will rent a car, drive across the river to a big warehouse and buy 24 rolls of toilet paper and a 10-gallon vat of mayonnaise. Neither of which really fits into your studio apartment. But hey, when you factor in the price per square and spoonful, it’s a deal you can’t ignore.”

~Cingular subway ad~

mobile phone Rollover Minutes offer, for people who save money

“$8 for my property? In Manhattan?! You can’t live in a pothole for $8.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

playing the NYC version of Monopoly, 2006

“In Calif., a stranger is a [potential] friend until he proves otherwise; in NY, a stranger is an enemy until he proves otherwise. One uses up a lot of energy in NY by that hypothesis.”

~Susan Sontag, writer~

1967 journal, reprinted in New York Times Magazine, 9-10-06, p. 38. To be published in 2008

“That’s what New York is all about. It’s giving to people with nothing in return.”

~Lee, graffiti artist~

as he watched the commuters view an entire 10-car subway train that he and two others painted. The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City by Jennifer Toth, 1993, p. 131

“This city took me in. Everything important happened to me here. Good... bad...”

~Heroes, TV~

Santiago Cabrera as Isaac. (2006- ) series created by Tim Kring

“While waiting for the subway at the 57th St. station, I noted a well-dressed man standing on the platform close to the tracks. He was removing his gray suede gloves, and as he pulled the first one off, it slipped from his grip and fell on to the tracks below. Without pausing, he removed his other glove and threw it onto the tracks to join its mate. I smiled and he smiled and we both knew that he had thrown the second glove so that some lucky track repairman would find a pair of new and wearable gloves.”

~Ira L. Levinson, reader~

posted in the E-train, a reprint from The New York Times’ “Metropolitan Diary.” 5-7-05

“I don’t read the Sunday Times because it outweighs me.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

“Our holy grail.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

re: the Second Avenue subway, 2006

“They’re putting dollars before sense.”

~Transit Workers Union~

re: the Metropolitan Transit Authority, during contract negotiations, Nov. 2005, that led to a 3-day strike of subway and bus workers

“I’m for the Mets, you like the Yankees,
But I’d give you CPR anyway.”

~American Red Cross advertisement~

LaGuardia Airport, New York City

NON-JUDGMENT.

2007-07-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

“The most radical thing we can do is introduce people to one another.”

~bumper sticker~

New York City, 2003

“Travel is fatal to prejudice.”

~Mark Twain, writer~

quoted in OutTraveler magazine’s premiere issue, 2003, p. 14

“The greatest crime: to judge.
The greatest failing: lack of wholeheartedness.”

~Susan Sontag, writer~

1964 journal, reprinted in New York Times Magazine, 9-10-06, p. 56. To be published in 2008

“Tolerance, fundamentally, is a personal decision... a belief that every other person on Earth is a treasure.”

~from http://www.tolerance.org/ ~

from the quote collection of Lg

“There are many ways to be in this world.”

~Pat Maravel, mother~

Rosie O’Donnell’s second mother; The Advocate magazine, 9-14-04, p. 88

“I am not judgmental, but I’ll judge you if you are.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

1999

“Emotions are more sincere underground. Unlike our society, the underground dwellers do not judge each other on their pasts or any element of how they live, except how they treat each other.”

~Jennifer Toth, writer~

The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City, 1993, p. 117

“Mean people suck.”

~bumper sticker wisdom~

NORMAL.

2007-07-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

see featured categories (at top)

NOT TOO BRIGHT.

2007-07-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

“When a finger points at the moon, the imbecile looks at the finger.”

~Chinese proverb~

“Not the brightest crayon in the box, now are we?”

~stamp store~

Provincetown, MA, 1999

“Call Dorothy and tell her to meet you at the yellow brick road. When you get to the end of the road, you’ll see a man. Ask him for a brain.”

~Will and Grace, TV~

Will to Jack; starring Eric McCormack and Sean Hayes. 1998-2006 series created by David Kohan and Max Mutchnick

“You’ve got to stop the Q-Tip when there’s RESISTENCE.”

~Friends, TV~

Chandler to Joey (Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc). 1994-2004 series created by
David Crane and Marta Kauffman

Chandler: “Here’s the phone bill.”
Joey: “This is the phone bill?!”
Chandler: “That’s our phone number.”

~Friends, TV~

starring Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc. 1994-2004 series created by
David Crane and Marta Kauffman

Phoebe: “Hey Travis, whatcha doing with that gun?”

~Friends, TV~

“I like to feel dumb. That’s how I know there’s more in the world than me.”

~Susan Sontag, writer~

1965 journal entry, reprinted in New York Times Magazine, 9-10-06, p. 57. To be published in 2008

“Mrs. Stoner devised six classes of people. In ascending order of value, they were idiots; destructionists; morons; hypermorons (in while class she put most people); geniuses (who were creative); and progressionists (who could get things done in business and related fields).”

~New York Times~

9-3-06, re: a 1920's resident of The Braender building, New York City

OBSTACLES.

2007-07-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

“What on earth would we do with ourselves if something did not stand in our way?”

~H.G. Wells, writer~

from the quote collection of Lg

Don Quixote: “When one door is shut, another opens.”

~Man of La Mancha, movie~

1972 musical starring Peter O’Toole, screenplay by Dale Wasserman; 1605 book by Miguel de Cervantes. From the quote collection of Lg

Maria: “When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.”

~Sound of Music, movie~

1965, starring Julie Andrews; book by Howard Lindsay and Rusel Crouse

Abbe de l’Eppe: “What we cannot cause to enter by the main door, we can send in through the window.”

~When the Mind Hears, book~

quoted by Harlan Lane, p. 36, in his book about Deaf people and their history

“How should we be able to forget those ancient myths that are at the beginning of all peoples, the myths about dragons that at the last moment turn into princesses; perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave. Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless that wants help from us.”

~Rainer Maria Rilke, poet~

Letters to a Young Poet, #8, 8-12-1904. Quoted in TV’s Beauty and the Beast, 1987; series created by Ron Koslow

“A stumble may prevent a fall.”

~English proverb~

from the quote collection of Lg

“What if the two of us were the strongest people in the world, if nothing weighed more than this beer can? How would we know how strong we are?”

~House of Cards, movie~

starring Kathleen Turner as Ruth, 1993. Written by Michael Lessac and Robert Jay Litz

“Do we really know the mountain when we do not know the cavern?”

~Victor Hugo, writer~

about his book, Les Miserables, exploring the underground, metaphorically and literally. The book is about the underclass; crucial events are set in the sewers under Paris.

quoted by Jennifer Toth in The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City, 1993 book, p. 172

“There’s an easy solution to every human problem: neat, plausible, and wrong.”

~H.L. Mencken, writer~

quoted on TV’s CSI by Grissom (William Peterson). Season 2, “Chaos Theory”. Series (2000- ) created by Anthony E. Zuiker

“Catch the bread before it falls butter-side down.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

2005. Passion in My Pocket, memoir in progress.

“John: How are you?
Stella: Fine.

F reaked out
I nsecure
N eurotic
E motional”

~The Italian Job, movie~

starring Donald Sutherland and Charlize Theron, 2003. Written by Donna Powers; original 1969 screenplay by Troy Kennedy-Martin

THE OUTSIDER.

2007-07-08T00:23:00.000-07:00

“And I don’t want the world to see me
‘cause I don’t think that they’d understand.
When everything’s made to be broken,
I just want you to know who I am.”

~Goo Goo Dolls, singers~

“Iris” lyrics - from the quote collection of Lg

“We got... misplaced somehow.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

fan script for the L word (TV) contest, 2006, character of Jenny. Show created by Ilene Chaiken

“perspective: are you inside or outside?
how do you know?”

~Lisa Kasamoto, t-shirt designer~

2004 www.cafepress.com/backwardpress

“You can try, I don’t care.
Forcing circles into squares
You can spend precious time
marching in your perfect line
But I don’t hear that drum.
I’m looking for something else.

And if you don’t like what you see,
you don’t have to look at me
If you don’t like what I say,
you can turn the other way
If you don’t like what you see,
then don’t look at me.

Add it up, count me out.
I’m taking a different route
I did not mean to offend.
Before I broke, I chose to mend
So I’ll be on my way.
I have nothing left to say...”

~Melissa Etheridge, singer~

in Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael, 1990 movie

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.”

~Henry David Thoreau, writer~

quoted in The Advocate magazine, 3-19-02, p. 41

“Not everything can be defined
or even fit between the lines.
Too many lines can make a box;
why question what it is we’ve got?
Let’s learn whatever we may learn
and read the pages as they turn.
No need to put a name to this;
just let it be just what it is.”

~Zonna, singer~

track 11

“It is only too true that a lot of artists are mentally ill - it's a life which, to put it mildly, makes one an outsider. I'm all right when I completely immerse myself in work, but I'll always remain half crazy.”

~Vincent van Gogh, artist~

(1853-1890, Dutch) - http://bipolar.about.com/od/celebrities/p/vangogh.htm?nl=1

“For me, my sexuality, race, and gender are advantages that give me confidence. I believe that I will survive because of my marginality.”

~Cheryl Dunye, filmmaker~

and African-American lesbian

“I think if you look at literature and movies, the most interesting stuff is always the people who don't feel like they're part of the ‘we.’ Those are the best characters, the best novels, the best everything. Opposition, a little friction, creates the pearl.”

~Peter Sarsgaard, actor~

The Advocate magazine, 3-1-05, p. 48

“The homeless seem attracted to or at least more numerous in huge urban areas where they can better live within the cracks.”

~Jennifer Toth, writer~

The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City, 1993 book, p. 41

“Theirs [outcasts’] is a strange and foreign world, but it is very near and largely of our making.”

~Jennifer Toth, writer~

The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City, 1993 book, p. 38

“They’re sending us underground.
Run and hide.

But if I go underground
if you come with me
you can bring the light
you can bring the sun
the moon
the tides
the grass.

I don’t need to tell you to bring the love.
That’s always inside you.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, poet~

In These Thoughts, 2005 book, p. 55

“To be great is to be misunderstood.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson, poet~

(1803-1882) - from the quote collection of LDP

“Everyone is someone else’s weirdo.”

~Maxine~

Maxine Truisms, from Hallmark cards; in an e-mail forward

“Now for years and years and years, people in my hometown were telling me I was a freak because of my sexual orientation. Until I came to San Francisco and I found a community of freaks just like me.”

~And the Band Played On, movie~

Donal Logue as Bobbi, 1993 movie about the AIDS crisis. Written by Arnold Shulman, based on the 1987 book by Randy Shilts

“Am I outside your margin or are you outside mine?”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

idea from Margin Films, movie company for Drift, 2000

“It is not worth an intelligent man’s time to be in the majority. By definition, there are already enough people to do that.”

~G. H. Hardy, mathematician~

(1877-1947, British); New York Public Library calendar book, 2006

OVERCOMING.

2007-07-08T00:18:00.000-07:00

“With every breath I’m learning how to breathe again.”

~Namoli Brennet, singer~

and transgender activist, song “Breathe”, 2003 CD, “Welcome to the Afterglow”

“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.”

~Ernest Hemingway, writer~

A Farewell to Arms, 1929. Quoted in Gloria Steinem’s Revolution From Within, 1993, p. 68. It’s also the title of Linda Sanford’s book, Strong at the Broken Places

“That which does not kill me makes me stronger.”

~Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher~

quoted in TV's Beauty and the Beast by Paracelsus (Tony Jay), 1988. Episode “To Reign in Hell,” written by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa. Series created by Ron Koslow

“If it doesn't kill you, it... just doesn't kill you.”

~She Spies, TV~

2002-04 series

“I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.”

~Maya Angelou, poet~

interviewed by Oprah; quoted in 2004 e-mail forward

“Every day is amazing, even when it's awful, because everything is for a reason. I know that this horrible thing that's happening today is going to bring me something so amazing.”

~Sandra Bullock, actress~

1999 interview

“And what it all comes down to
is that everything’s gonna be fine, fine, fine.”

~Alanis Morissette, singer~

“Hand in My Pocket” lyrics, from 1995 CD “jagged little pill”

“If you’re lost, you’ve come to the right place.”

~Winnie the Pooh~

character by A.A. Milne (1882-1956)

“You suppose if a wound goes real deep, the healing of it can hurt almost as bad as what caused it?”

~Spitfire Grill, movie~

Alison Elliott as Percy, written by Lee David Zlotoff, 1996

James: “What if you admitted that you hurt?”
Sarah: “I would shrivel up and blow away.”

~Mark Medoff, playwright~

Children of a Lesser God, 1980 play, p. 32

When you get in a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time the tide will turn.”

~Harriet Beecher Stowe, writer~

“When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high
and don’t be afraid of the dark.
At the end of the storm is a golden sky
and the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind, walk on through the rain,
tho’ your dreams be tossed and blown...
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart,
and you’ll never walk alone.
You’ll never walk alone.”

~Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II~

composer and lyricist, respectively, of Carousel, Broadway and movie musical

“The choice may have been mistaken,
but the choosing was not.”

~“Move On” lyrics~

song covered by Barbra Streisand. 2006

“Nothing can cure the soul but the senses.”

~Oscar Wilde, poet~

(1854-1900, Irish); quoted on The Five Senses movie poster, 2000

“A tough week is when you find out your son died in Iraq. Or your child is sick and it’s inoperable... I was ready to come back that Monday.”

~Jay Feely, New York Giants’ kicker~

responding to a reporter who asked about his “tough week” in which Feely missed 3 of 3 potentially-game winning field goals, 2005

Justin to woman in wheelchair: “Sounds hard.”
Adrienne: “So what’s easy besides complaining?”
Lindsay: “As if you never did that.”
Adrienne: “Oh back off, bitch. I’ll roll over your foot.”

~Queer as Folk, TV~

2000-05 U.S. series created by Russell T. Davies

“We are all in need; we are all saviors.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

2005. Passion in My Pocket, memoir in progress

“...like a broken glass that somehow holds its shape.”

~The Advocate magazine~

describing a character in Notice, book by Heather Lewis, 10-12-04, p. 96

“keep on keeping on.”

~Maryanne~

“For the road that’s yet to be traveled on by the ones who will carry on,
I’ll carry on.”

~Amy Grant, singer~

“Children of the World” lyrics - from the quote collection of Lg

“Nothing’s lost forever. In this world, there is a kind of painful progress. Longing for what we’ve left behind, and dreaming ahead.”

~Tony Kushner, playwright~

character of Harper. Angels in America: Perestroika, 1992. Broadway play, starring Marcia Gay Harden; 2004 movie, starring Emmy winner, Mary-Louise Parker

Kushner is a Pulitzer, Tony, and Emmy winner

PERSEVERANCE.

2007-07-08T00:15:00.000-07:00

“You're in the basement because they're afraid of you, of your relentlessness, and because they know that they could drop you in the middle of the desert, and tell you the truth is out there, and you would ask them for a shovel.”

~The X Files, TV~

Scully to Mulder (Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny). 1993-2002 series created by Chris Carter

“Don’t say ‘never’ to me.”

~Fried Green Tomatoes, movie~

Mary-Louise Parker as Ruth. 1991 movie written by Jon Avnet, based on the 1987 book by Fannie Flagg

“The first scientist to be celebrated by name, Thales could figure the height of a pyramid by its shadow. But, he was so single-minded, he once ‘when star-gazing and looking upward, fell into a well.’”

~Joy Hakim, writer~

about Greek thinker in her book, The Story of Science

“Stay, the card you're drawing is the only world you'll win.”

~Ingeborg Bachman, poet~

“Poetry in Motion” series on New York City’s subways, 2000

“Don’t make me Shawshank you.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

2006; writing letters upon letters until you get what should rightfully be yours, as in The Shawshank Redemption, 1994 movie

PERSPECTIVE.

2007-07-08T00:12:00.000-07:00

“perspective: are you inside or outside? how do you know?”

~Lisa Kasamoto, t-shirt designer~

2004 www.cafepress.com/backwardpress

“Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave. Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless that wants help from us.”

~Rainer Maria Rilke, writer~

Letters to a Young Poet, #8, 1904. Quoted in TV's Beauty and the Beast

“There’s three sides to every story: mine, yours, and the truth.”

~unknown~

“Hegel taught the doctrine of opposites, but said nothing about everything's having more than one opposite.”

~Robert Frost, poet~

in his notebooks, published by Robert Faggen. Newsweek magazine, 2‑5‑07, p. 61

“[the Broadway show] ‘Wicked’ shows the perils of turning the polarities of human nature -good and evil- into opposites - good or evil.”

~The Advocate magazine~

12-9-03, p. 77

“You – I love you as I know you because I know you. As you are: good and bad, better and worse.”

~Original Sin, movie~

2001. Angelina Jolie as Julie; screenplay by Michael Cristofer, based on a novel by Cornell Woolrich

“Nothing’s black and white. Even zebras bleed red.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

2006

“Some people complain because God put thorns on roses, while others praise him for putting roses among thorns.”

~quoted by Heather Whitestone~

the first deaf Miss America, in her memoir Listening With the Heart, p. 205

“We don't see things as they are.
We see things as we are.”

~Anais Nin, writer~

quoted in the movie, Kissing Jessica Stein, written by Heather Juergensen and Jennifer Westfeldt, 2001

“If we were only to develop our own visual powers, we would be able to see that the world is absolutely different from what it now appears to be. What fine rays are dancing! What color there is in the sunshine.”

~Paramahansa Yogananda, yogi~

(1893-1952, Indian)

“See things from an upside-down point of view.”

~unknown~

POLITICS.

2007-07-08T00:07:00.000-07:00

“Baseball is the perfect metaphor for hope in a democratic society.

It has to do with the rules of play. It’s the remarkable symmetry of everything. All those threes and multiples of three, calling attention to–virtually making a fetish of–the game’s noble equality.

Equality, that is, of opportunity. Everyone is given exactly the same chance. And the opportunity to exercise that chance at his own pace. In baseball there’s no clock. What could be more generous than to give everyone all these opportunities and the time to seize them in as well? And with each turn at the plate, there’s the possibility of turning the situation to your favor. Down to the last try.

And then, to ensure that everything remains fair, justices are ranged around the park to witness and assess the play. And if the justice errs, an appeal can be made. It’s invariably turned down, but that’s part of what makes the metaphor so right. Because even in the most well meant of systems, error is inevitable. Even within the fairest of paradigms, unfairness will creep in.

And baseball is better than democracy because, unlike democracy, baseball acknowledges loss. While conservatives tell you, ‘Leave things alone and no one will lose,’ and liberals tell you, ‘Interfere a lot and no one will lose,’ baseball says, ‘Someone will lose.’ Not only says it–insists upon it!

So that baseball achieves the tragic vision democracy evades. Evades and embodies. Democracy’s lovely, but baseball’s more mature.”

~Richard Greenberg, playwright~

Take Me Out, p. 35; 2003 Broadway play. Denis O’Hare as Mason

“The Pledge of Allegiance:
One nation under Canada above Mexico...”

~Robin Williams, comedian~

Robin Williams, Live on Broadway, 2002

“Dubya almost died from a pretzel. [into Secret Service mike]: ‘Gilligan’s down. Gilligan’s down.’”

~Robin Williams, comedian~

Robin Williams, Live on Broadway, 2002

“Patriotism is easy to understand in America. It means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country.”

~Calvin Coolidge, 30th U.S. President~

the Daily Quote, posted on the back of the driver’s seat on the Q17 bus, New York City, 2005

“If you believe you’re entitled to rule and that the most important thing is that the right people be in power, then it makes you vulnerable to the abuse of power.”

~Bill Clinton, 42nd U.S. President~

TIME magazine, 6-28-04, p. 33

“A party without compassion and without intellect and without appreciation for ambiguity is going to get in trouble in an environment where there are many moving parts, not all of which are under your control. On the other hand, if all you have is empathy and ambiguity and you don’t know when to stand and fight and when to say no, then in the end all the sand will run out of the hourglass before you can really prevail.”

~Bill Clinton, 42nd U.S. President~

TIME magazine, 6-28-04, p. 35

“True leadership is not exhibited by how many people one can get to follow, but by how many people join together in leading.”

~Cory Booker, mayor~

newly elected mayor of Newark, NJ. In Esquire magazine, Oct. 2006

“We [Americans] have to live our values.”

~Bob Schieffer, news anchor~

“Free Speech” segment of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, 9-13-06. re: the administration admitting there are secret CIA prisons

“I thought I lost my gag reflex, but then
DICK said: “Go f--k yourself” and I choked.”

~Lisa~

2004, re: V.P. Cheney saying “Go f--k yourself” to Representative Patrick Leahy on the floor of the House of Rep.

“I wrote a book full of policy. If the media would read, rather than write...”

~Al Sharpton, politician~

re: not being taken seriously in his bid for Presidential candidate, being accused of rhetoric, not policy. 2003 Democratic Presidential debate

“I'm the clearest alternative to George Bush. I don't look like him, I don't talk like him, think like him.”

~Carol Mosley Braun, politician~

former senator of Illinois. 2003 Democratic Presidential debate

“With the vote just hours away, the latest Reuters, MSNBC, Zagby Harris... bathroom poll shows Senator John Kerry’s lead over Governor Howard Dean down to 3 points... with a margin of error of completely wrong.”

~Jon Stewart, comedian~

and host of The Daily Show, 1-26-04

“No more Bushit.”

~protest sign~

2000 Millennium March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights

“If a BUSH can be President,
hell, I’m voting for MINE.”

~Liz~

“If a DICK can be Vice President,
hell, I’m voting for MINE.”

2004

“[In the presidential election] last night, the voice of the people was heard. I’m not going to imitate it, out of respect for the mentally retarded.”

~Lewis Black, comedian~

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, 11-4-04

[To Bush:] “You won the election. You don’t have to lie anymore!”

~Jon Stewart, comedian~

and host of The Daily Show, 2004

“‘Nuclear’! It's ‘nuclear’! He can say ‘Condoleeza’! Why the hell can't he say ‘nuclear’?”

~Whoopi, TV~

series premiere, starring Whoopi Goldberg, 2003

“It takes the sight of the United States with a big black eye –visible around the world– to help the rest of us begin to see again.”

~Jonathan Alter, columnist~

in 2005 Newsweek article, “Poverty, Race and Katrina: Lessons of a National Shame.” Critics called him naive; in an article a year later, he says they were right

“The Bush administration was totally ill-equipped to execute regime change or install an interim government. They were like a dog chasing a car: This is something the dog feels he must do, but isn't sure what he would do if he actually gets the car.”

~Chas W. Freeman, former ambassador to Saudi Arabia~

in Rolling Stone magazine, "Islam versus the West" 8-7-03

“Bush lies, someone dies.”

~activists’ stickers ~

posted around NYC, 2004

“There should never be a soldier who dies because of stubbornness.”

~Claire McCaskill, senator~

from Missouri, elected in Nov. 2006. Vogue magazine, Jan. 2007, p. 68

“The soldier’s missing limbs are invisible reminders of the all-too-tangible price of war.”

~Jon Meacham, Newsweek editor~

2-5-07, p. 4

“The Iraqis have to love their children more than they hate each other.”

~Newsweek~

as the only way to prevent impending civil war, 8-3-06

“This week a major contractor pulled out of the multibillion-dollar campagain [sic] to rebuild Iraq.”

~Marianne Means, writer~

a bad misspelling of “campaign,” but a fitting foul-up. AP article, “Strange Beginnings for President Bush”. In The Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 12-24-04

“Democracy is best taught by example
Not by war.”

~poster~

2004, New York City

“War is legalized violence.
Destruction upon your neighbor is destruction upon yourself.

Peace is not just absence of violence.
Any act out of compassion, out of concern for others... that is peace.”

~The Dalai Lama, Buddhist spiritual leader~

East Meadow, Central Park, New York City, 2003

“You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.”

~Jeannette Rankin~

from the quote collection of LD

"This is your brain on FOX."

[egg in a frying pan]

~button~

“I think [the Bush] foreign policy is really to spread irony across the world.”

~Jon Stewart, comedian~

and host of The Daily Show, 2005, about Bush saying Syrian troops and government must leave Lebanon

“How can you report the facts in an unbiased way when the facts themselves are biased? The facts of Iraq -WMD, number of dead, pull out of allies- are decidedly anti-Bush.”

~Rob Cordry, comedian~

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, 2006

“Send Cheney to Iraq with a shotgun.”

~David Letterman, comedian~

and host of The Late Show, TV. 2007

RACE.

2007-07-08T00:04:00.000-07:00

“Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”

~Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader~

(1928-1968); quoted in The Advocate magazine, 9-3-02, p. 10

“When I was going through high school or college, I would never hear racist comments, until after 9/11. People call [the students] “terrorists.” They were born here, and they have no idea about their background, outside of the prejudice they are facing now.”

~Ahmad Razvi, professor~

metro, New York City newspaper, 9-12-06

“Is it more indicative of intelligence to know Malcolm X’s last name or the author of Hamlet? I ask you now, When is Washington’s birthday? Perhaps 99% of you thought February 22. The answer presupposes a white form. I actually meant Booker T. Washington’s... What is the color of bananas? Many of you would say yellow. By the time the banana has made it to my community, to the ghetto, it is brown with yellow spots.”

~Robert Williams, activist~

invented the Black Intelligence Test Counterbalanced for Honkies: BITCH. Quoted in Gloria Steinem’s Revolution From Within, chapter: “The Importance of Un-Learning”, 1993, p. 143

“Travel is fatal to prejudice.”

~Mark Twain, writer~

(1835-1910); quoted in OutTraveler magazine’s premiere issue, 2003, p. 14

“The most radical thing we can do is introduce people to one another.”

~bumper sticker~

New York City, 2003

“One of the things that breaks down racial prejudice is greed.”

~Echevarria, Cuban baseball historian~

about U.S. professional teams in the 1800's signing Cuban or black players. 2003 on PBS, "Greener Grass: Cuba, Baseball and the United States"

“One can only hope that if the L word's creators finally write in an Asian-American character –currently a conspicuous absence considering the Southern California setting– they don’t stoop to spicing up the theme song with a gong.”

~Shauna Swartz, writer~

re: how the Latina character always has Latino music in her scenes. Book: Reading the L word, 2006, p. 179

“Some people are white, black, red, tan, green... some are a--holes, some are not, that’s all, end of discourse!”

~Ta’i Freedom Ford, spoken word poet~

2001

RELIGION. (pt. 1)

2007-07-07T23:56:00.000-07:00

1) RELIGION.

“Religion is for people scared to go to hell;
spirituality is for people who’ve been there.”

~Race Matters, TV~

PBS documentary, part 4: “We’re Still Here”

“i found god in myself & i loved her / i loved her fiercely”

~Ntozake Shange~

quoted in Gloria Steinem’s Revolution From Within, 1993, p. 306

“We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

~Dr. Wayne Dyer~

in Richard Carlson’s You Can Be Happy No Matter What, 1997 book, p. xiv

“Part of religion's lack of compassion is based, I think, on some sort of principle that this life doesn't matter, that it's just preparation for the next.”

~Russell T. Davies, TV show creator~

co-creator of Queer As Folk (TV) and The Second Coming. The Advocate magazine, 9-16-03 issue, p. 59

“It’s not God that hates, but the fallen man who condemns.”

~Nathan Aslinger, reader~

letter to The Advocate magazine, 8-31-04

Debbie, President’s secretary: “I can’t tell you how hard I prayed for you.”

Abby, First Lady: “I appreciate that.”

Debbie: “Well, you shouldn’t. I’m not very religious, so there’s the risk that my praying could be taken as insincere or even an affront, which if it’s a vengeful God, could have made matters worse.”

Abby: “Well, it didn’t. So maybe there’s a clue.”

~The West Wing, TV~

Lily Tomlin and Stockard Channing. 1999-2006 series created by Aaron Sorkin

“I don't understand these people who dub themselves the religious right. They're worried about going to hell. They're already there- it's in their heads.”

~Brooke McEldowney, comic strip author~

The Advocate magazine, 6-21-05, p. 171

“People want to label us the Christian Left, but what we really are about is mainstream issues and truth, and if that makes us left then that shines even more light on the need for a shift in our society.”

~Reverend Albert M. Pennybacker~

of the Clergy Leadership Network, which seeks to counter groups like the Christian Coalition, Family Research Council, and the Traditional Values Coalition

“As we engage thoughtful people of faith in the middle, we will need people speaking authentically from many different traditions, so folks in the middle will hear someone who sounds like them.”

~Harry Knox, program director~

Foundation Religion and Faith Program, 2006

"A light bulb goes out, people fix it, get a new one. Light bulb goes out for the Catholic, he stands in the dark, says, ‘What did I do wrong?’”

~priest~

on TV's CSI, 2004. Series (2000- ) created by Anthony E. Zuiker

“The laws of nature are but the mathematical thoughts of God.”

~Euclid, mathematician~

from the quote collection of Lg

“Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You didn't place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible.”

~Jamie Raskin, law school professor~

to senator Nancy Jacob, 2006. Raskin went on to win a state Senate seat.

“Four American soldiers become best friends in the trenches of France during World War I. When one of them is killed, the others vow to give him a proper burial. But when they ask a priest to allow them to bury their comrade in the parish cemetery, the priest denies their request because the men can't guarantee that their dead friend was baptized. Instead, the men bury the soldier just outside the graveyard.

After the war, when they return to visit the grave, they can't find it. When they ask the priest what happened, he explains, ‘I felt bad about my decision. Why should this man not deserve the same status before God as all these others who have gone before him? Who am I to judge him? So I moved the fence.’”

~told by Bishop Gene Robinson~

2003

“The story of Hanukkah is not about military victory, but about miracles, especially the miracle of a few people triumphing over tremendous odds in a struggle for the right to practice their religious beliefs. This is not a magical or supernatural miracle, but something inside everyone, the spirit to choose what a person believes is right, no matter how hard or dangerous that may be.”

~Malka Drucker, writer~

Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays, 1994 book

“Dear GOD: I didn’t think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset you made on Tuesday. That was cool.”

~Sara~

when a nun asked her Sunday school class to write a note to God; an e-mail forward

“My daddy always used to say there’s a separate God for children.”

~Fried Green Tomatoes, movie~

Mary-Louise Parker as Ruth. 1991, written by Jon Avnet, based on the 1987 book by Fannie Flagg

- “So you believe in God then?”

- “On his good days.”

~Brothers McMullen, movie~

1995, written by Ed Burns

Lucy: “So you believe in...?” [nods upwards]

Carter: “I give him the benefit of the doubt. You?”

Lucy: “I don’t know. Sometimes, I can’t help but think that God is just this comforting illusion. We all want everything to mean something, so we create this all-knowing Puppet Master in the sky, but really everything is just arbitrary: life, death, natural disasters– ”[catches her finger on cabinet] Ow!

Carter: “The Master is displeased.”

~E.R., TV~

1998, Kellie Martin and Noah Wyle; series (1994- )

“Two boys were walking home from Sunday school after hearing a strong preaching on the devil. One said to the other, ‘What do you think about all this Satan stuff?’ The other boy replied, ‘Well, you know how Santa Claus turned out. It's probably just your dad.’”

~from an e-mail forward~

“Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.”

~from an e-mail forward~

“Jesus likes me a little bit.”

~t-shirt~

Joan: “That's a tree [not a miracle].”

Boy: “Let me see you make one.”

~Joan of Arcadia, TV~

Amber Tamblyn as Joan. 2003-2005 series created by Barbara Hall

“You threw the Bible in the toss pile?!”

~Clean Sweep host, TV~

on this organization show (2003- ), participants sort belongings into 3 piles: Keep, Sell, and Toss. 2005

[going out for Chinese for The Last Supper]

[Chinese accent] “Hold on, you have 12? Oh all I got is 2 tables of 6 right now. They are not together wait a minute hold on I got one big table by the window but you all have to face this way.”

~Robin Williams, comedian~

Robin Williams, Live on Broadway, 2002

Whoopi: “I’m going to kick the Shiite out of you.”
Nasim: “You know, you’ve kicked so much of that out of me, I’m now a Mormon.”

~Whoopi, TV~

Whoopi Goldberg and Omid Djalili, 2003

2) RELIGION as it relates to GAY/LESBIAN. – see featured categories (at top)

RESPECT.

2007-07-07T23:54:00.000-07:00

“El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz.”

(Respecting other people’s rights is peace.)

~Benito Juarez, former president of Mexico~

quoted by Dolores Huerta, activist, co-founder of the United Farmworkers of America, and ally in the fight for GLBT civil rights. Equality magazine of the Human Rights Campaign, Fall 2006

“I said it’s all in our hands, got to learn to respect what we don’t understand,
we are fortunate ones, fortunate ones, I swear.”

~Indigo Girls, singers~

“Fugitive” lyrics – from the quote collection of Lg

THE SELF.

2007-07-07T23:46:00.000-07:00

“But oh how I loved everybody else when I finally got to talk so much about myself.”

~Dar Williams, singer~

“What Do You Hear in These Sounds” lyrics - from the quote collection of Lg

“A lot of women tell me, ‘I want to be you,’ and I say to them, ‘You don't want to be me; you admire me because I remind you of what you know you really are.’”

~Mariska Hargitay, actress~

Redbook magazine, Dec. 2005, p. 118. Star of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, TV

“What we truly and earnestly aspire to be, that in some sense we are.”

~Anna Brownell Jameson, writer~

(1794-1860, Irish) New Beginnings quote book, 1993 by Running Press

“You have come here to find what you already have.”

~Buddhist aphorism~

opening quote in Gloria Steinem’s book, Revolution From Within, 1993

“Perhaps I was on the right planet after all.”

~Alison Bechdel, comic strip artist~

2002

“It connects me with myself.”

~a Sarah McLachlan fan~

about her music. Murmurs fan club newsletter #13

“Finding a person you can identify with on the screen gives you a way of talking about yourself.” It’s a way of “finding language.”

~Dr. Leah DeVun~

the l word's (TV) season three documentary [counter 0:12]

“Look at me... I will never pass for a perfect bride
or a perfect daughter.
Can it be I’m not meant to play this part?
Now I see that if I were truly to be myself,
I would break my family’s heart.
Who is this girl I see, staring straight back at me?
Why is my reflection someone I don’t know?
Somehow I cannot hide who I am, though I’ve tried.
When will my reflection show who I am inside?
When will my reflection show who I am inside?”

~Mulan, movie~

1998, written by Robert D. San Souci and Rita Hsiao; sung by Lea Salonga

[end credits version]

“Look at me... You may think you see who I really am,
but you’ll never know me. Every day, it’s as if I play a part.
Now I see... if I wear a mask, I can fool the world,
but I cannot fool my heart.
Who is this girl I see, staring straight back at me?
When will my reflection show who I am inside?
I am now in a world where I have to hide my heart and what I believe in,
but somehow I will show the world what’s inside my heart
and be loved for who I am.
Who is this girl I see, staring straight back at me?
Why is my reflection someone I don’t know?
Must I pretend that I’m someone else for all time?
When will my reflection show who I am inside?
There’s a heart that must be free to fly
and I burn with the need to know the reason why,
why must we all conceal what we think, how we feel?
Must there be a secret I’m forced to hide?
I won’t pretend that I’m someone else for all time.
When will my reflection show who I am inside?
When will my reflection show who I am inside?”

~Mulan, movie~

1998, sung by Christina Aguilera; also on her CD, “Christina Aguilera”

“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”

~Dolly Parton, singer~

quoted in the movie, A Walk to Remember, 2002, written by Karen Janszen, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks

“If you don’t have an ‘I’ in the Identity, there is nothing to anchor the knowledge to.”

~Lynnette, professor~

and American Sign Language interpreter. LaGuardia Community College’s training program for interpreters. Queens, New York City. 2000

“Our struggle for identity is more of a collective battle than we’re often willing to admit.”

~David Amsden, writer~

reviewing Dave Eggers novel, What is the What, 2006. In New York magazine

“Laughing, crying, tumbling, mumbling
Gotta do more. Gotta be more.
Chaos screaming, chaos dreaming
Gotta do more. Gotta BE MORE.”

~Dead Poets Society, movie~

1989, written by Tom Schulman

Morrison: “Are you excited about tonight’s [art show]?”
Lilli: “I don’t know. Baring my soul to critics, let’s see… um, I think there may be a few other adjectives that I’d use to describe it. It’s so f---ing hard to become someone, you know.”
Morrison: “You are someone.”

~Particles of Truth, movie~

written by Jennifer Elster, starring Elster as Lilli, Gale Harold as Morrison, counter [:40]

“You ache with the need to convince yourself that you do exist in the real world, that you’re a part of all the sound and anguish, and you strike out with your fists, you curse and you swear to make them recognize you. And, alas, it’s seldom successful.”

~Ralph Ellison, writer~

The Invisible Man, quoted by Jennifer Toth in The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City, 1993 book, p. 177

“Recognize your individuality and let it empower you. Also, accept the responsibility that comes with it.”

~Liz Murray~

whose real-life experience is portrayed in the TV movie, Homeless to Harvard, 2003

“You think you’re safe because no one can see you and you can’t see yourself in the darkness. But you can’t see beyond yourself, either.”

~Gwendolyn Scott, homeless woman living underground~

The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City, by Jennifer Toth, 1993 book, p. 223

“A confused mess of wrong verses right
And me verses me, in the ultimate fight.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, poet~

book: In These Thoughts, 2005, p. 37

“Be yourself and speak your mind because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

~Dr. Seuss, writer~

(1904-1991) - from the quote collection of Lg

“One place in yourself must remain pristine. No one, no mother, father, husband, wife can go there. It's the place that maybe you go to when you go to meet God. I gave [my son] a sense of himself. That he belonged.”

~Maya Angelou, poet~

sharing what she told her son; 2002 interview

“Everybody held up a mirror and I accepted the image that came back. Well, it finally dawned on me that my reflection in others’ eyes was the truth once removed.”

~Richard Moran, writer~

New Beginnings quote book, 1993 by Running Press

“The mind is about dividing and identifying, trying to figure out you're this and this. The heart is about bringing together.”

~Jennifer Beals, actress~

on The View, TV, 2000

“If I didn’t wait ‘til the last minute, I wouldn’t know who I am.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

2006. Passion in My Pocket, memoir, in progress

“I’m not afraid of my glass house.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

2004

“Dismantle: ‘to take to pieces; also: to strip of dress or covering.’ A word well chosen, one intended to remind us not only of passion’s power to unglue us but its power to reveal us to ourselves, to show us what we look like from the inside.”

~Dana Heller, writer~

reading the L word, 2006, p. 55

“I don't pretend to know all the answers.
I don't pretend to even know what the questions are.
Hey, where am I?”

~Saturday Night Live's “Deep Thoughts” calendar~

“Fido Dido
Fido is for Fido.
Fido is against no one.
Fido is youth.
Fido has no age.
Fido sees everything.
Fido judges nothing.
Fido is innocent.
Fido is powerful.
Fido comes from the past.
Fido is the future.”

~clothing brand~

“Sometimes the only way to find yourself is to lose your way.”

~The Toilers and the Wayfarers, movie~

1996, written & directed by Keith Froelich

“If I find my way,
how much will I find?”

~the L word, TV~

song, season 1 finale, 2004. Created by Ilene Chaiken

SELF-ESTEEM.

2007-07-07T23:28:00.000-07:00

“Appreciating my own worth and importance and having the character to be accountable for myself and to act responsibly toward others.”

~California Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility~

official definition of “self esteem”. 1990. Quoted in Gloria Steinem’s Revolution From Within, 1993, p. 26

“Self-esteem isn’t everything; it’s just that there’s nothing without it.”

~Gloria Steinem, feminist~

Revolution From Within, 1993 book, p. 26

“Creative people... have higher-than-average self-esteem... The ability to impose one’s own view of reality, as the artist does, requires a degree of self-confidence.”

~Gloria Steinem, feminist~

Revolution From Within, 1993 book, p. 278

“You kids who grew up rich, you’ve got just as much to prove as those of us that grew up poor. We spend our whole lives trying to prove to the whole world that we’re worth something. You have to prove it to yourself.”

~Beauty and the Beast, TV~

Edward Albert as Elliot, 1987. Episode “Siege,” written by David Peckinpaw. Series created by Ron Koslow

SOCKS.

2007-07-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

Ellen DeGeneres, meditating:

“Ahh, clear the mind... mind clear. I still can’t figure out how I got charged twice for that pair of socks. That didn’t make sense. Unless they charged me per sock. Those would have to be some pretty good socks if they’re individually priced. Although they were argyle.”

American Express commercial, “shop happy, with buyer protection service,” 2006

SOLITUDE and SILENCE.

2007-07-07T23:20:00.000-07:00

“I want to be able to be alone, to find it nourishing — not just a waiting.”

~Susan Sontag, writer~

1962 journal, reprinted in New York Times Magazine, 9-10-06, p. 55. To be published in 2008

“To suffer is to be alone; to watch another suffer is to know the barrier that shuts each of us away. Only individuals can suffer.”

~Edith Hamilton, writer~

book: Wisdom of Women

“A solitude born of life...”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

2005, idea from van Gogh book, “a solitude born of hypersensitivity” p. 169

“I did spend some years alone, writing and not doing much else. I was really not interacting with too many people, and I went a little loony. I wasn’t anchored to anything. Nobody was counting on me for anything. All I thought about was my work—my brilliant thoughts and whatever. And after a while, I really needed to be needed. I needed to have daily responsibilities and more interactions with people.”

~Dave Eggers, writer~

author of What is the What, 2007; interview in Writer’s Digest, Aug. 2007, p. 70

“When so many are lonely, it would be selfish to be lonely alone.”

~Tennessee Williams, playwright~

Camino Real, 1953 book. Quoted by actor Ethan Hawke

“Is it any wonder that I like the sound of silence? It has a good beat, and you can dance to it.”

~Anna Quindlen, writer~

Newsweek magazine, 8-7-06, p. 70

SPORTS.

2007-07-07T23:16:00.000-07:00

"Another thing I like [about baseball] is the home-run trot.

Not the mad dash around the bases when it’s an inside-the-ballpark home run–I’m talking about that graceful little canter when the ball has been crushed, and it’s missing, and the outcome’s not in doubt.

What I like about it is it’s so unnecessary.

The ball’s gone, no one’s going to bring it back. And can anyone doubt that a man capable of launching a ball four hundred feet is somehow going to fail to touch a base when he’s running uninterfered with?!"

~Richard Greenberg, playwright~

Take Me Out, 2003 Broadway play, p. 37; Broadway show, Denis O’Hare as Mason

“9 men play 9 other men for 9 innings for only one reason: to come home one more time than the other.”

~unknown~

[after she throws out the first pitch]

Sharon Stone: “This guy came up to me –I kid you not– I was standing in the locker room, this guy comes up to me and goes, ‘Would you sign my balls?’ I’m like, ‘Well sure!’”

Ellen DeGeneres: “Sharon, this is not HBO.”

on the first week of her talk show, 2004

“You have to listen to your body so that when it comes time, your body listens to you when you ask it to do something.”

~Taylor Dent, professional tennis player~

re: retiring in a 4th round match against Andre Agassi, U.S. Open 9-2-03

TRANSGENDER (GLBTI)

2007-07-07T23:12:00.000-07:00

see featured categories (at top)

TRUTH.

2007-07-07T23:07:00.000-07:00

“And if it ever was there and it left,
does it mean that it was never true?”

~Indigo Girls, singers~

“Mystery” lyrics - from the quote collection of Lg

“Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth.”

~Amy Grant, singer~

from the quote collection of Lg

“Film is truth at 24 frames per second.”

~Jean-luc Godard, director~

quoted by Nathan Duke in the Astoria Times, 2006

“How can you be a mortally wounded soul and not tell the truth?”

~Tom Malin, political candidate~

and former sex escort. The Advocate magazine, 4-11-06, p. 60

“My job is to create something so honest that it can draw anyone in.”

~Kate Winslet, actress~

about Heavenly Creatures, 1994 movie

> Veritas tu liberabit: The truth shall set you free. ~Beauty and the Beast, TV

> The truth shall set you free. ~The Bible, John 8:32

> The truth shall set you free. ~quoted by Corey Johnson at the Millennium March on Washington, Apr. 2000

“In front of the cameras, I have to be careful what I think because it all shows.”

~Shirley MacLaine, actress~

quoted in the Apr. 2005 newsletter of Fountain House, a program for mentally ill adults, New York City

> That’s the truth, the hole in the truth, and nothing but the truth.
> You’ve got to grab the bull by the tail and look it in the eye.

~Emily Watson as Trixie; a play~

“We know truth not only through our reason but also through our heart. We know that we are not dreaming, but, however unable we may be to prove it rationally, our inability probes nothing but the weakness of our reason and not the uncertainty of all our knowledge.”

~Blaise Pascal, mathematician~

(1623-1662) - from the quote collection of Lg

“Truth isn’t in words; it’s in listening. If you listen to us, you can make the rest up and tell more of the truth than if you write down the cold facts.”

~Sam, homeless underground dweller~

in The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City, book by Jennifer Toth, 1993, p. 211

“[It is a] dangerous human tendency to take refuge in certainty when the truth may be more complicated and elusive.”

~New York Times~

review of the Broadway play, Doubt, 5-3-05

“People who have great certainty can be a force of good, but can also be incredibly destructive.”

~John Patrick Shanley, playwright~

about his Broadway play Doubt, in New York Times review, 5-3-05

“I have nothing new to teach the world.
Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills.”

~Mahatma Gandhi, spiritual leader~

Indian (1869-1948); quoted at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center in Atlanta, GA

“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”

~Jesus Christ~

in The Gnostic Gospels, quoted in Gloria Steinem’s book, Revolution From Within, 1993, p. 153

“If there be truth in me, it should explode. I cannot reject it; I would be rejecting myself.”

~Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II~

1961. Quoted in TIME magazine’s coverage of his life and death, 4-11-05, p. 35

“The only thoughts I have that seem to stay ‘true’ are thoughts about thinking (and feeling).”

~Susan Sontag, writer~

1966 journal, reprinted in New York Times Magazine, 9-10-06, p. 57. To be published in 2008

“There are three sides to every story: mine, yours, and the truth.

~unknown~

VIOLENCE and ABUSE.

2007-07-07T23:04:00.000-07:00

"You don’t have to have your skirt around your ankles to feel violated. You don’t have to be held behind locked doors to feel imprisoned. It happens behind closed doors, insanely quietly, every day.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

fan script for the L word (TV) contest, Mar. 2006, character of Jenny. Show created by Ilene Chaiken

“Let's say I committed this crime. Even if I did do this, it would have to have been because I loved her very much, right?”

~O.J. Simpson~

in 1998, on the slaying of his ex-wife

“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral. Returning violence with violence only multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.”

~Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader~

(1928-1968); quoted by President Bartlett (Martin Sheen) on The West Wing, 1999-2006 TV series created by Aaron Sorkin

“Suicide killing – a combination of fanaticism and politics and ambitions and egos and theology, ‘by people who, claiming to be agents of divine will, “turn God into an accomplice.’”

~Elie Wiesel, writer~

and survivor of Nazi death camps; he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 for bearing witness against evil and the sin of forgetfulness. New York Times article by Clyde Haberman, 2003

“The event is a demonstration of action taken with responsibility and it starts with participants taking responsibility for themselves.”

~Scream Against Violence~

Central Park, New York City, 2004

VISIBILITY.

2007-07-07T22:53:00.000-07:00

“Visibility is a tricky thing: is someone visible when you can point her out in a crowd, or when you understand what her life feels like to her?”

~Stacey D’Erasmo, writer~

commenting on having to present bold images to increase visibility, as done by the movie Angels in America; article appeared in the New York Times, 1-11-04. Also quoted in reading the L word, 2006 (xxvi)

“There aren’t any role models that I had when I was growing up, anybody I could look to and say, wow, I wanna be like that. You know, I never saw anyone. The only thing that was sort of Asian that was like that was Hello Kitty. I don’t want to model myself after Hello Kitty ‘cause... um... she has no mouth. She cannot even say hi back to you after you say, ‘Hello Kitty.’”

~Margaret Cho, comedienne~

Margaret Cho: Revolution, 2004 show

“If you’re going to be made a token as a person of color, what do you do with a token? You put it in the bus and ride it as far as you can go.”

~Essex Hemphill, poet~

African-American gay man

WE ARE ONE.

2007-07-07T22:40:00.000-07:00

“In Germany, the Nazis first came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, but I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.”

~Martin Niemoeller, pastor~

from Berlin, Germany. A Lutheran pastor, he was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Dachau concentration camp in 1938. The Allied forces freed him seven years later.

e-mail signature of political blogger, John Avarosis, “The List” (now http://www.americablog.com/ )

“We are because I am.
I am because we are.”

~African proverb~

quoted in Gloria Steinem’s book, Revolution From Within, 1993, p. 344

“We seldom stop to think how many people's lives are entwined with our own. It is a form of selfishness to imagine that every individual can operate on his own or can pull out of the general stream and not be missed.”

~Ivy Baker Priest, politician~

(1905-1975)

“We are all in need; we are all saviors.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

2005. Passion in My Pocket, memoir in progress

“Me and mine. You(singular) and yours. You(plural) and yours. Her and hers. Him and his. Them and theirs. Is it completely insane, inane, naive to think we can form a community of Us and Ours?”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

2006

“The blizzard was wonderful. Everyone was outside shoveling and talking to neighbors. It made everyone more human.”

~Joan, volunteer~

God’s Love We Deliver meals-on-wheels program, New York City, 1996

“I went to Egypt, I went to India, went to Brazil. I was trekking the Himalayas. I was in this little, little, tiny town in the border of Tibet and Nepal and, okay I’m thirsty, I need water, I’m going to go to that little shack, they sell water. And the guy is listening to [sings], ‘Go go go, alay alay alay. Go go go!’ and I’m like, it’s not true! Then he goes [accent], ‘Oh Ricky Martin is here!’ I had shaved my head, I had a long beard – he still recognized me. It was beautiful.”

~Ricky Martin, singer~

on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, TV, 2005

WOMEN.

2007-07-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

“For most of history, anonymous was a woman.”

~Virginia Woolf, writer~

“I know I'm a girl. I've got two X chromosomes and I'm not afraid to use them.”

~Ellen DeGeneres, comedienne~

in her 1996 book, My Point: And I Do Have One, p. 94

“The most difficult thing for me, actually, is to walk and talk with breasts that aren’t mine, in six-inch stiletto heels– that’s my action. The leaping and the jumping– that’s no problem.”

~Sandra Bullock, actress~

in the Miss Congeniality DVD special, “Preparing for the Pageant,” 2001

“I am continuously erupting
do not define my fire”

~Irene Small, poet~

(A WOMAN BEGAN), Intersecting Circles: the voices of hapa women in poetry and prose, p. 278. Ed. by Marie Hara and Nora Okja Keller, 1999

“I'm writing this book to let every woman know that she, too -no matter her status or place in life- is royalty.”

~Queen Latifah, rapper~

Ladies First, Revelations of a Strong Woman, 1999 memoir

- “What's a beautiful girl like you doing racing in a place like this?”
- “Winning.”

~song~

Foxfire, 1996 movie, written by Elizabeth White

“From one of the 52% female majority, good night.”

~Lisa Kasamoto’s entry~

Katie Couric asked viewers to submit suggestions for her closing line as anchor of the CBS Evening News. Her 9-5-06 debut broadcast

“Whoever thought up the word ‘mammogram’? Every time I hear it, I think I’m supposed to put my breast in an envelope and send it to someone.”

~Jan King~

“There is often amazing sexual energy and tension between women –even straight ones– flying in all directions. It is a general excitement that comes from dozens of women discovering, disagreeing with, and coming to terms with things that matter to us intellectually, politically, and personally all at once.”

~Judith Katz, writer~

in the anthology, A Woman Like That, ed. by Joan Larkin, 1999, p. 119

“A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.”

~Eleanor Roosevelt, activist First Lady~

(1884-1962); quoted by Gillian Anderson, actress

WOMEN AND MEN.

2007-07-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

“If the world were a logical place, men would ride side-saddle.”

~Rita Mae Brown, writer~

from Wisdom of Women, book

“Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.”

~Charlotte Whitton, feminist~

and a mayor of Ottawa, Canada; (1896-1975). From Wisdom of Women, book

“I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career.”

~Gloria Steinem, feminist~

from Wisdom of Women, book

“You see a lot of smart guys with dumb women, but you hardly ever see a smart woman with a dumb guy.”

~Erica Jong, writer~

“When women are depressed, they either eat or go shopping. Men invade another country.”

~Elayne Boosler, comedienne~

“Dear Lord, I pray for: Wisdom, to understand a man. Love, to forgive him and Patience, for his moods... because, Lord, if I pray for strength, I’ll just beat him to death.”

~Maxine~

Hallmark greeting cards

“Your Y-chromosome doesn’t mean you know anything about fixing a shelf.”

~Maryanne~

who had to fix the shelf that crashed down after Anthony insisted he be the one to put it up. 1999

“I got a cat for my husband. It was a fair trade.”

~gift shop in Hilo, Hawaii~

Escort service owner: “An engagement ring is proof that a man can pay for his bride. Caveman goes and steals a woman from a neighboring tribe. He’d tie her hands and her feel ‘til she won’t run away. Once she’d stay put, he would only tie her finger just to remind her.”

Captain Brass: “So you’re a romantic.”

~CSI, TV~

Series (2000- ) created by Anthony E. Zuiker; episode “Nesting Dolls”

“In the Wild West, a woman had only two choices. She could be a wife or she could be a whore. Josephine Monaghan chose to be a man.”

~movie trailer for Ballad of Little Jo~

“A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.”

~unknown~

WRITING. (pt. 1)

2007-07-06T17:38:00.001-07:00

“It all comes down to the Nike slogan, ‘Just do it.’

So many people tell me, well, I'm thinking of writing a book. Does anyone say I'm thinking of performing surgery, or I'm thinking of designing a building? Writing seems to be the only profession people imagine you can do by thinking about doing it. No. Put your butt in a chair and write.”

~Anna Quindlen, writer

Writer’s Digest, 2006

“This above all—ask yourself in the stillest hour of your night: must I write? Delve into yourself for a deep answer. And if this should be affirmative, if you may meet this earnest question with a strong and simple ‘I must’ then build your life according to this necessity.”

~Rainer Maria Rilke, poet~

(1875-1926, German); Letters to a Young Poet, #1, 2-17-1903, p. 18

“I nearly always write - just as I nearly always breathe.”

~John Steinbeck, writer~

1960 quote in the John Steinbeck Museum, Calif. (1902-1968)

“If a story is not about the hearer, he will not listen. And here I make a rule - a great and interesting story is about everyone or it will not last.”

~John Steinbeck, writer~

about writing East of Eden, published 1952. Quoted in the John Steinbeck Museum, Calif. (1902-1968)

“I write to define myself — an act of self-creation — part of the process of becoming — in a dialogue with myself.”

~Susan Sontag, writer~

12-9-61 journal, reprinted in New York Times Magazine, 9-10-06, p. 55. To be published in 2008 or 2009. (1933-2004)

“The act of writing is the act of discovering what you believe.”

~David Hare, writer~

quoted in Gloria Steinem’s Revolution From Within, 1993, p. 166

“To survive, you have to be the poet of something.”

~Eileen Myles, poet~

the L word’s season three documentary, counter [0:14]

“I never know what I think about something until I read what I’ve written on it.”

~William Faulkner, writer~

http://www.dailycelebrations.com/

“What I write is exactly that which I need to know.”

~Christine Bergman, writer~

from “Finally First at Forty-One,” an essay, quoted in Gloria Steinem’s Revolution From Within, 1993, p. 168

“We do not write in order to be understood; we write in order to understand.”

~C. Day Lewis, poet~

quoted in Gloria Steinem’s Revolution From Within, 1993, p. 168

“I did spend some years alone, writing and not doing much else. I was really not interacting with too many people, and I went a little loony. I wasn’t anchored to anything. Nobody was counting on me for anything. All I thought about was my work—my brilliant thoughts and whatever. And after a while, I really needed to be needed. I needed to have daily responsibilities and more interactions with people.”

~Dave Eggers, writer~

author of What is the What, 2007; interview in Writer’s Digest, Aug. 2007, p. 70

“A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.”

~Thomas Mann, writer~

New York Public Library calendar book, 2006

"The bravest thing in the world is that writer that sits alone in a room and works out his grief, his rage, his imagination, and his deep desire to make people laugh and he makes a work of art that then transforms the world with the truth because that’s all we want, that’s all we need."

~Meryl Streep, actress~

about Tony Kushner, as she accepts the Emmy for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries” for Angels in America, 2004

“As a writer, I wouldn’t know how to NOT take things out of my life. I love when I’m writing and I’m cringing because I know I’m doing something right.”

~Zoe Cassavetes, filmmaker~

of Broken English, 2007. New York magazine, 1-22-07, p. 81

Interviewer: “You write screenplays. Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?”
Emma Thompson: “What I tend to do is lie in a fetal position under my desk and weep for a while. Then I get bored with that and I write something.”

~Stranger Than Fiction, movie~

2006, written by Zach Helm; one of the deleted scenes

“So I’m sitting, organizing hundreds of CDs and the phone rang and it was one of my friends and I said, ‘I can’t talk now, I’m writing.’”

~Ellen DeGeneres, comedienne~

Here and Now comedy special, 2003

“Praise and blame alike mean nothing.”

~Virginia Woolf, writer~

A Room of One’s Own, p. 106

re: rejection letters, “They motivate me. I keep those rejection letters up [on the wall] because they make me think I’m a real writer.”

~Frankie Mossman, writer~

an idea she got from Stephen King. In Writer’s Digest, Aug. 2007, p. 73

Ryan: “So what do you think the difference is between a psychopath and a writer?”

Dane: “A psychopath has no control of his actions. Psychosis is entirely disconnected with the rest of the world. But a writer, no matter how psychotic his vision may be, feels the need to perpetually negotiate with the world, even though the world rejects him. We’ll forever passionately desire for our visions to be understood.”

~Drift, movie~

starring R. T. Lee and T. Jerram Young, written by Quentin Lee, 2000

“I did spend some years alone, writing and not doing much else. I was really not interacting with too many people, and I went a little loony. I wasn’t anchored to anything. Nobody was counting on me for anything. All I thought about was my work—my brilliant thoughts and whatever. And after a while, I really needed to be needed. I needed to have daily responsibilities and more interactions with people.”

~Dave Eggers, writer~

author of What is the What, 2007; interview in Writer’s Digest, Aug. 2007, p. 70

“Why is writing important? Because I want to be that persona, a writer, and not because there is something I must say. Yet why not that too? With a little ego-building, I shall win through to the confidence that I have something to say, that should be said.”

~Susan Sontag, writer~

12-31-58 journal, reprinted in New York Times Magazine, 9-10-06, p. 53. To be published in 2008 or 2009. (1933-2004)

“Great writers are driven to write to give enduring form to their perceptions about human life and thought, not just because they have a particular knack for prose or dialogue, style or structure.”

~New York Times~

review of the Broadway play, Doubt. 5-3-05

“No, it doesn’t bother me if you write about me, because maybe it will help someone sometime¼ Who knows, maybe one day I’ll pick up what you write and understand what’s going on here with me now.”

~Jeff, homeless runaway~

to the author, Jennifer Toth, doing research for The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City, 1993 book, p. 147

“You write your first draft with your heart. You edit it with your head.”

~Finding Forrester, movie~

starring Sean Connery as William, 2000. Written by Mike Rich

“That’s what writers do: we imagine where life might take us if we ever actually acted on it.”

~Armistead Maupin, writer~

Newsweek, 7-31-06, p. 12

WRITING. (pt. 2) + JOURNALS and BOOKS.

2007-07-06T17:37:00.001-07:00

WRITING.

“The texts are objects. I want them to affect readers — but in any number of possible ways. There is no one right way to experience what I’ve written.”

~Susan Sontag, writer~

1965 journal, reprinted in New York Times Magazine, 9-10-06, p. 57. To be published in 2008 or 2009. (1933-2004)

“The writer must be four people:
1) the nut - supplies the material
2) the moron - lets it come out
3) the stylist - is taste
4) the critic - is intelligence.”

~Susan Sontag, writer~

journals, reprinted in New York Times Magazine, 9-10-06, p. 55. To be published in 2008 or 2009. (1933-2004)

“My desire to write is connected with my homosexuality. I need the identity as a weapon, to match the weapon that society has against me.”

~Susan Sontag, writer~

12-24-59 journal, reprinted in New York Times Magazine, 9-10-06, p. 54. To be published in 2008 or 2009. (1933-2004)

“For most of history, anonymous was a woman.”

~Virginia Woolf, writer~

“When life becomes very painful, as writers we can step back and observe what’s going on. In some ways that sounds crass and exploitative, but for me, it’s a survival tool I’ve used my whole life.”

~Ron Nyswaner, writer~

on his 2005 memoir, Blue Days, Black Nights. Screenwriter for Philadelphia and Soldier’s Girl. The Advocate 10-12-04, p. 92

“He’ll either be a genius or amount to nothing.”

~Oliver Steinbeck, father~

about John Steinbeck, writer (1902-1968). Quoted in the John Steinbeck Museum, Calif.

“We memoir writers and aspiring memoir writers got Freyed.”

~Lisa Kasamoto, writer~

2006; James Frey [pron. Fry] fabricated parts of his best-selling “memoir,” A Million Little Pieces, 2003

“Everywhere I go I am asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don’t stifle enough of them.”

~Flannery O’Connor, writer~

(1925-1964); New York Public Library calendar book, 2006

“I’ll pull something up on my computer that I wrote three years ago, and the type is so small because I used to be able to read 10-point type. Now it’s 14. Sometimes 16.”

~Nora Ephron, writer~

about getting older, the subject of her book, I Feel Bad About My Neck. In Newsweek, 7-31-06, p. 55

“[My memoir] is about growing up since I was 7 and realizing a dream. But when I was out trying to save the world, I forgot to save myself.”

~David Hasselhoff, actor~

Newsweek, 7-30-06

“What is memory but the repository of things doomed to be forgotten, so you must have History. You must have labor to invent History. Being faithful to all that happens to you of significance, recording days, dates, events, names, sights not relying merely upon memory which fades like a Polaroid print where you see the memory fading before your eyes like time itself retreating.”

~Joyce Carol Oates, writer~

Foxfire, 1993, p. 44

“The spoken word can be beautiful and meaningful, but the written word has a better chance of immortality.”

~Harris Eve, writer~

Writers’s Digest, Nov/Dec 2006, p. 19

JOURNALS.

“The first rule in keeping a diary or journal is that there are no rules. A way to organize, remember, and create, a journal says, ‘I am.’”

~ www.dailycelebrations.com ~

“The opening line from a journal can be the beginning of a song.”

~Judy Collins, singer~

www.dailycelebrations.com

“The diary taught me that it is in the moments of emotional crisis that human beings reveal themselves most accurately. I learned to choose the heightened moments because they are the moments of revelation.”

~Anais Nin, writer

www.dailycelebrations.com

“In the journal I do not just express myself more openly than I could to any person; I create myself.”

~Susan Sontag, writer~

1958 journal, reprinted in New York Times Magazine, 9-10-06, p. 53. To be published. in 2008

BOOKS.

“When you sell a man a book, you don’t sell him 12 ounces of paper and ink and glue-you sell him a whole new life.”

~Christopher Morley, writer~

“A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.”

~Franz Kafka, writer~

quoted in Gloria Steinem’s Revolution From Within, 1993, p. 327

“Fear placed books in my hands and led me to search for the answers.”

~Gwyn Hyman Rubio, writer~

Icy Sparks, prologue, 1998