Quotes by Critic | Beyond Motive

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Quotes by Critic

"I always arrive late at the office, but I make up for it by leaving early."

"I always arrive late at the office, but I make up for it by leaving early."

Charles Lamb, English Critic

69

"Good temper is one of the greatest preservers of the features."

"Good temper is one of the greatest preservers of the features."

William Hazlitt, English Critic

Appearance, Temper

49

"The most technologically efficient machine that man has ever invented is the book."

"The most technologically efficient machine that man has ever invented is the book."

Northrop Frye, Canadian Critic

Greatness, Machine, Man

45

"I came into the world two months too soon, I was in such a hurry."

"I came into the world two months too soon, I was in such a hurry."

Georg Brandes, Danish Critic

Birth, Months, World

41

"Newspapers always excite curiosity. No one ever puts one down without the feeling of disappointment."

"Newspapers always excite curiosity. No one ever puts one down without the feeling of disappointment."

Charles Lamb, English Critic

Curiosity, Disappointment, Feeling, Newspapers

36

"Death is a displaced name for a linguistic predicament."

"Death is a displaced name for a linguistic predicament."

Paul de Man, Belgian Critic

35

"When a language creates as it does a community within the present, it does so only by courtesy of a community between the present and the past."

"When a language creates as it does a community within the present, it does so only by courtesy of a community between the present and the past."

Christopher Ricks, British Critic

Community, Courtesy, Language, Past

35

"When I was a little boy I did not, of course, trouble much about my appearance."

"When I was a little boy I did not, of course, trouble much about my appearance."

Georg Brandes, Danish Critic

Appearance, Trouble

34

"To eat steak rare... represents both a nature and a morality."

"To eat steak rare... represents both a nature and a morality."

Roland Barthes, French Critic

Nature, Morality

33

"That a literature in our time is living is shown in that way that it debates problems."

"That a literature in our time is living is shown in that way that it debates problems."

Georg Brandes, Danish Critic

Time, Literature, Living, Problems

32

"A sitcom isn't usually the right tool for satire."

"A sitcom isn't usually the right tool for satire."

Chris Morris, British Critic

31

"Intolerance is evidence of impotence."

"Intolerance is evidence of impotence."

Aleister Crowley, English Critic

Empowerment, Intolerance

29

"Every great film should seem new every time you see it."

"Every great film should seem new every time you see it."

Roger Ebert, American Critic

27

"It was jolly in the country. A cow and little pigs to play with and milk warm from the cow."

"It was jolly in the country. A cow and little pigs to play with and milk warm from the cow."

Georg Brandes, Danish Critic

Nation, Country, Play

26

"Movies are so rarely great art that if we cannot appreciate great trash we have very little reason to be interested in them."

"Movies are so rarely great art that if we cannot appreciate great trash we have very little reason to be interested in them."

Pauline Kael, American Critic

Art, Movies, Reason

24

"Literature exists at the same time in the modes of error and truth; it both betrays and obeys its own mode of being."

"Literature exists at the same time in the modes of error and truth; it both betrays and obeys its own mode of being."

Paul de Man, Belgian Critic

Time, Truth, Being, Error

23

"If we knew each other's secrets, what comforts we should find."

"If we knew each other's secrets, what comforts we should find."

John Churton Collins, English Critic

23

"Not content to have the audience in the palm of his hand, he goes one further and clinches his fist."

"Not content to have the audience in the palm of his hand, he goes one further and clinches his fist."

Kenneth Tynan, English Critic

22

"Michael Taylor is not being executed for homicide. Michael Taylor is being executed for raping a white female."

"Michael Taylor is not being executed for homicide. Michael Taylor is being executed for raping a white female."

John Simon, American Critic

22

"They make glorious shipwreck who are lost in seeking worlds."

"They make glorious shipwreck who are lost in seeking worlds."

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German Critic

Exploration, Shipwreck

22

"We judge on the basis of what somebody looks like, skin color, whether we think they're beautiful or not. That space on the Internet allows you to converse with somebody with none of those things involved."

"We judge on the basis of what somebody looks like, skin color, whether we think they're beautiful or not. That space on the Internet allows you to converse with somebody with none of those things involved."

bell hooks, American Critic

Internet, Skin, Space

22

"I've been asked about this constantly, and I compare it to how if you're walking down the street and some schizo guy comes up to you and vomits on you: You wouldn't be hurt by that, you'd just think it's weird."

"I've been asked about this constantly, and I compare it to how if you're walking down the street and some schizo guy comes up to you and vomits on you: You wouldn't be hurt by that, you'd just think it's weird."

Chuck Klosterman, American Critic

22

"I can hire one-half of the working class to kill the other half."

"I can hire one-half of the working class to kill the other half."

Jack Gould, American Critic

20

"Life-transforming ideas have always come to me through books."

"Life-transforming ideas have always come to me through books."

bell hooks, American Critic

Life, Ideas, Books

20

"The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize."

"The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize."

Robert Hughes, Australian Critic

Doubt, Artist, Confidence

20

"What the public wants is the image of passion, not passion itself."

"What the public wants is the image of passion, not passion itself."

Roland Barthes, French Critic

Passion, Public

20

"Modernity exists in the form of a desire to wipe out whatever came earlier, in the hope of reaching at least a point that could be called a true present, a point of origin that marks a new departure."

"Modernity exists in the form of a desire to wipe out whatever came earlier, in the hope of reaching at least a point that could be called a true present, a point of origin that marks a new departure."

Paul de Man, Belgian Critic

Hope, Departure, Desire, Modernity

17

"To burn always with this hard, gem-like flame, to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life."

"To burn always with this hard, gem-like flame, to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life."

Walter Pater, English Critic

Life, Success, Ecstasy

17

"Of the female black authors, I really like Morrison's early books a lot. But she's really become so much a clone of Faulkner. He did it better."

"Of the female black authors, I really like Morrison's early books a lot. But she's really become so much a clone of Faulkner. He did it better."

Leslie Fiedler, American Critic

17

"The discussion of ideas as opposed to the American narcissistic obsession with what's going on with the self, that's the general thing people are talking about."

"The discussion of ideas as opposed to the American narcissistic obsession with what's going on with the self, that's the general thing people are talking about."

Stanley Crouch, American Critic

People, Ideas, Obsession

17

"When you're writing for newspapers you have all these parameters. You can't swear, you have to use short paragraphs, all that. If you stay within those parameters, you have lots of freedom because you're writing for the next day."

"When you're writing for newspapers you have all these parameters. You can't swear, you have to use short paragraphs, all that. If you stay within those parameters, you have lots of freedom because you're writing for the next day."

Chuck Klosterman, American Critic

Writing, Day, Freedom, Newspapers

17

"I can imagine myself on my death-bed, spent utterly with lust to touch the next world, like a boy asking for his first kiss from a woman."

"I can imagine myself on my death-bed, spent utterly with lust to touch the next world, like a boy asking for his first kiss from a woman."

Aleister Crowley, English Critic

Death, Kiss, First, Lust

17

"Seduction is often difficult to distinguish from rape. In seduction, the rapist often bothers to buy a bottle of wine."

"Seduction is often difficult to distinguish from rape. In seduction, the rapist often bothers to buy a bottle of wine."

Andrea Dworkin, American Critic

Personal, Seduction, Wine

16

"Geography is about maps, but biography is about chaps."

"Geography is about maps, but biography is about chaps."

Eric Bentley, English Critic

Geography, Biography

16

"You can't believe Russell Crowe is the same actor who won an Oscar one year ago for Gladiator."

"You can't believe Russell Crowe is the same actor who won an Oscar one year ago for Gladiator."

Joel Siegel, American Critic

16

"All art constantly aspires towards the condition of music."

"All art constantly aspires towards the condition of music."

Walter Pater, English Critic

15

"In the last couple of years, fashion's gotten a lot safer. People are really pulling back."

"In the last couple of years, fashion's gotten a lot safer. People are really pulling back."

Steven Cojocaru, Canadian Critic

People, Fashion, Years

14

"For art comes to you proposing frankly to give nothing but the highest quality to your moments as they pass, and simply for those moments' sake."

"For art comes to you proposing frankly to give nothing but the highest quality to your moments as they pass, and simply for those moments' sake."

Walter Pater, English Critic

Art, Quality, Moments, Nothing

14

"The sky broke like an egg into full sunset and the water caught fire."

"The sky broke like an egg into full sunset and the water caught fire."

Pamela Hansford Johnson, English Critic

Fire, Sky, Sunset, Water

14

"Maybe by his second year in Hogwarts, Harry Potter will learn the trick to making a movie this good, but don't bet on it. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is one of the best films of the year."

"Maybe by his second year in Hogwarts, Harry Potter will learn the trick to making a movie this good, but don't bet on it. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is one of the best films of the year."

Joel Siegel, American Critic

14

"If you read quickly to get through a poem to what it means, you have missed the body of the poem."

"If you read quickly to get through a poem to what it means, you have missed the body of the poem."

M. H. Abrams, American Critic

14

""Women's fashion" is a euphemism for fashion created by men for women."

""Women's fashion" is a euphemism for fashion created by men for women."

Andrea Dworkin, American Critic

Man, Men, Women, Fashion

14

"True resistance begins with people confronting pain... and wanting to do something to change it."

"True resistance begins with people confronting pain... and wanting to do something to change it."

bell hooks, American Critic

Change, Resistance, Pain, Courage

14

"If you dress like a movie star, you have me."

"If you dress like a movie star, you have me."

Steven Cojocaru, Canadian Critic

13

"There is something supremely reassuring about television; the worst is always yet to come."

"There is something supremely reassuring about television; the worst is always yet to come."

Jack Gould, American Critic

13

"Women will only be truly sexually liberated when we arrive at a place where we can see ourselves as having sexual value and agency irrespective of whether of not we are the objects of male desire."

"Women will only be truly sexually liberated when we arrive at a place where we can see ourselves as having sexual value and agency irrespective of whether of not we are the objects of male desire."

bell hooks, American Critic

Feminism, Liberation, Gender, Equality, Sexuality

13

"And the fifteenth century was an impassioned age, so ardent and serious in its pursuit of art that it consecrated everything with which art had to ad as a religious object."

"And the fifteenth century was an impassioned age, so ardent and serious in its pursuit of art that it consecrated everything with which art had to ad as a religious object."

Walter Pater, English Critic

Art, Age, Pursuit, Religious

12

"I admire Ginsberg as a poet, despite the fact that he seems not to know when he is being good and when he is bad. But he will last, or at least those poems will last."

"I admire Ginsberg as a poet, despite the fact that he seems not to know when he is being good and when he is bad. But he will last, or at least those poems will last."

Leslie Fiedler, American Critic

Being, Fact, Poems, Will

12

"A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop."

"A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop."

Robert Hughes, Australian Critic

Soul, Machine, Tools, Will

12

"His style has the desperate jauntiness of an orchestra fiddling away for dear life on a sinking ship."

"His style has the desperate jauntiness of an orchestra fiddling away for dear life on a sinking ship."

Edmund Wilson, American Critic

12

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