Activist Quotes

Civilization is a method of living, an attitude of equal respect for all men.

Unless our conception of patriotism is progressive, it cannot hope to embody the real affection and the real interest of the nation.

The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life.

We can't live without taxes, but we sure would like to have good ones.

Rulers do not reduce taxes to be kind. Expediency and greed create high taxation, and normally it takes an impending catastrophe to bring it down.

That's what the right-wing is good at: figuring out the left wing.

Some of the stuff about Yogi energy is really fascinating.

One of the reasons I think the ultra right-wing has such power in this country is that no one talks out.

I'm very staid compared to my students, actually.

I'm really fascinated and you know I've been wondering about that usage of language, various breathing techniques and why in these practices language is being used in another way.

I write it to get it out of me. I don't write it to remember it.

I wasn't really into body piercings until I found that about half my female students had them.

I understand that when people read my books that there's something there - but I don't identify with it.

I understand that postmodern literature probably means people like DeLillo, The Fiction Collective, but I don't get it that those writers are really influenced by postmodern theorists.

I think the best thing in cases of censorship or things like this is to get as much media as possible.

I question: do we really understand the differences between modernist and postmodernist?

I mean, they censor your work when they're scared of it.

I mean, once work's out there it's meant to be used.

I found my voice was a reaction to all that voice stuff.

First of all, writing at best - certainly fiction writing - more and more I think is magic.

But I still don't have a clear idea of what my voice is.

And internalization is used in this country as a very effective political tool.

You can do whatever you want with my work.

Well, I think writing is basically about time and rhythm. Like with jazz. You have your basic melody and then you just riff off of it. And the riffs are about timing.

But guys such as Allen and William are more supportive than most men.

And I'm working at trying to find a kind of language where I won't be so easily modulated by expectation.

On the surface we all act like we all love each other and we're free and easy, and actually we're far more moralistic than any other society I've ever lived in.

I think what we have in this country is a little more dangerous in a way because it can't be seen fully. It's sorta internal censorship. We censor each other.

I think it's really important to find out why people hurt you or try to oppose you or whatever.

I might be writing what people expect me to write, writing from that place where I might be ruled by economic considerations. To overcome that, I started working with my dreams, because I'm not so censored when I use dream material.