Diane Ackerman

When people treat you mean, you dislike them for that, but not because of their person, who they are. I was born and raised in a segregated society, but when I left there, I had nobody I disliked other than the people that’d mistreated me, and that only lasted for as long as they were mistreating me.

I no longer feel the need of seeking out conscious Americanism. Because we live here and work here, we can be certain that when our music is mature it will also be American in quality.

You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.

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

The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution.

I was brought up to be a gentleman. That means you know how to walk, talk and dress the part.

Don’t say the old lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream.

Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.

Stand up and walk out of your history.

I know the sun rises in the eat and sets in the west, that I am ten fingers and ten toes and ten thousand reasons short of explaining what it is I can’t explain to you. And I know that I will always love you in certainties.

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.

Art hath an enemy called Ignorance.

I’m going to go down and take care of the bill. I’m not going to embarrass you, just let me do it. I had such a great time, I just want it to be my treat. [On returning after several minutes red faced] They won’t take my check, I don’t know what we’re going to do. [Robertson said ‘David, what we’ve spent here, we’re going to have to do a lot of dishes.’] I’m going to call Prince Rupert [Loewenstein] and ask him to call the hotel and tell them I’m good for it. Or maybe he can pay the bill and then I’ll pay him back or something. [Prince Rupert vouched for his credit and the hotel agreed to accept Geffen’s check.]

People are used to being coddled.

Man is always more than he can know of himself; consequently, his accomplishments, time and again, will come as a surprise to him.